‘Young and the Restless’ Blind Item – Phyllis Swap Key to CBS Alleged Threat to Writer Josh Griffith?

Is Young and the Restless prepping a writer swap? A new blind item may hint at shake-ups in the CBS daytime writer’s room and it could be about Josh Griffith. And the Michelle Stafford-Phyllis Summers misstep may be part of the problem. As always, blind leaks like this come with no names attached, but check out the details and see if you think it’s about Y&R or some other soap.

Young and the Restless Blind Item? See What Leak Says About One Head Writer’s Fate

The new soap blind item says that a daytime head writer was “warned to get his act together” or else he can pack up and go. The item goes on to say that there’s others waiting to take his place. And it went on to say the studio’s not “happy with ratings”. So, let’s take a look at whether this could be about Y&R.

First, fan comments on Young and the Restless show they’re bored with Josh Griffith’s writing. The one storyline fans do like is Sharon Newman’s (Sharon Case) cancer story. They’ve been praising that on social media and mentioning that it’s heartwarming and bringing them to tears.

But, when it comes to many other pairs on the show, fans are irritated with Josh Griffith. Some of the common complaints are that storylines are predictable, there’s no good couple action, and going back into old Young and the Restless plots for no reason. And then there’s the Phyllis Summers issues where they made a big move then squandered it.

Josh Griffith pitching story to the network: #YR pic.twitter.com/6Vw6akH8I3

— Ⓜ️yles (@SnarkJunction) January 14, 2020

Y&R Viewers Annoyed – Michelle Stafford Back as Phyllis Summers for Nothing?

Aside from Young and the Restless plot problems, fans seem annoyed with some of the casting shakeups. First and foremost is swapping Gina Tognoni for Michelle Stafford. Some fans see Stafford as the Phyllis Summers they want. While others fully embraced Gina Tognoni.

But Josh Griffith and Tony Marina said they were switching to “classic” faces and fired Tognoni mid-contract as Phyllis. And they recruited Stafford back from GH. That angered some Young and the Restless watchers and thrilled others. Since the swap, though, Phyllis Summer’s been utterly underused.

#YR Josh Griffith: Trust me, I've got big plans for Michelle Stafford!!!
The Plan: pic.twitter.com/AXohgod1T3

— INFJWill (@Will_Iam_Nawt) January 17, 2020

The tweet above neatly summarizes fan sentiment. Since the Phyllis Summers swap, she’s had little action. Phyllis Summers has no love interests on Young and the Restless. They teased her with Adam and Nick Newman. Then, dialed those back. She’s been nowhere near Jack and now this Chance fiasco.

No doubt, Young and the Restless invested big bucks to lure Stafford away from General Hospital. Because she was front and center in storylines there. They made a big deal out of it then don’t seem to know what to do with her. Is this yet another fail from Josh Griffith?

Josh Griffith has two speeds as head writer: 1. No story. Just people talking like it is a Richard Linklater film. 2. Depressing stories like it is an indie film about someone's dad's funeral circa 2004. There's no middle ground. That's the only 2 options. #YR

— Alan Sarapa (@AlanSarapa) January 24, 2020

Ratings Always a Concern for Young and the Restless

The one part of the blind item that may misalign to Y&R is the part about ratings. Because, the CBS soap is #1 still. Despite that, they’re losing viewers compared to prior years. And Young and the Restless desperately want to hang onto the top spot. But, could this blind item be about another show?

Consider Bold and the Beautiful. First, Brad Bell’s family began and owns the show. And their ratings are good and fans seem happy. Then, Days of our Lives is lower in the ratings but Ron Carlivati’s improved them from his predecessors. And DOOL has a smaller but passionate fan base.

As for GH, their writers changed with two problematic writers retiring one after the other (Passanante and Altman). The new blood has GH on fire right now – and its fans seem happy. But, with a blind item – you never know. So, it could be about Y&R (or not). One of the most obvious problems is wasting characters like Phyllis Summers while pushing newbies to the forefront…

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