
Photo Credit: Wenn Photo
After all the speculation it has now become official today when Steve Kent, Executive Vice-President U.S. Programming at Sony Pictures Television making the announcement that Jill Farren Phelps has been named the new executive producer of The Young and the Restless and Josh Griffith had been named the shows new head writer! Which means, Maria Arena Bell will no longer be in either of her previously held positions with the number one sudser and is out at the show! Phelps and Griffith had been working on Hollywood Heights for Sony currently running on Nick at Nite.
Here below is the official press release on the new sweeping changes at the top of Y&R!
We are excited to have such a talented daytime veteran leading our team at 'Y&R.' Jill has a stellar record of success in the daytime genre," said Kent. "We are also happy to welcome Josh back to The Young and the Restless and are looking forward to his creative input and ideas."
"On behalf of everyone at 'Y&R,' we extend our sincere thanks to Emmy Award-winning Maria Bell for her contributions to the show over the last five years. We wish her the best of luck and continued success," he added.
Phelps has been the executive producer of five daytime dramas and two prime time cable dramas: Santa Barbara, Guiding Light, Another World, One Life to Live and General Hospital, and the first season of General Hospital Night Shift and Hollywood Heights. As an executive producer, Phelps has been nominated for 14 Daytime Emmy Awards and has won seven times (1988–1990, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2012).
Griffith's writing career includes As the World Turns, One Life to Live, Santa Barbara, Sunset Beach, General Hospital, The Young and the Restless and Hollywood Heights. He has received four Emmy Awards and four Writer's Guild Awards.
The Young and the Restless has been the number one rated daytime drama for more than 23 years and is in its 39th season. The show is broadcast weekdays (12:30-1:30 PM; 11:00 AM-12:00 Noon, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and is produced by Bell Dramatic Serial Company, in association with Sony Pictures Television. "
So soapers, what do you think of the official sweeping changes at the top with Maria Arena Bell out on two counts, executive producer and head writer, and being replaced by Jill Farren Phelps and Josh Griffith's? What do you think it means for the future of Y&R? Are you hopeful? Or, not hopeful? Weigh-in!