Major shake-ups behind the scenes this week: Sally Sussman (head writer) and Kay Alden (storyline consultant) are OUT at Y&R! Soaps in Depth reports that Sally and Kay are “retiring from the business”. Mal Young will take over as head writer, in addition to his current role as executive producer.
I’m really surprised hear this news. I’ve been a big fan of what Sally and Kay brought to the show during their short tenures. I think Y&R is better right now than it’s been in years! We’ve finally struck a balance between character development and action, and between new stories and old. Mal Young has most certainly played a huge part in bringing that to us, so I’m hopeful he will be able to continue the trend.
Would anyone else like to weigh in on this week’s big behind the scenes news? I’m looking forward to hearing your reactions!
Watching Wednesday’s show, I just realized that Sharon is a great example of how well this writing team turned the show around. Sharon went from being a bipolar, kleptomaniac, pyromaniac, fall girl — to becoming the warm, intelligent woman the fans wanted. I’m keeping ALL of my fingers crossed that Mal and his new team will keep up the great work!
I couldn’t agree more that the show has been markedly better of late. There has been a welcome shift away from silly and less-than-believable story lines having to do with kidnappings, body doubles, comas, etc. and more focus on characters and relationships.
Exactly! I do think Mal Young’s leadership has brought a lot of positive change to the show. I just really hope he’s able to keep the tone that Sally & Kay brought to the writing team. I really can’t help but wonder what happened behind closed doors on this one. I haven’t heard fans complaining about the writing or anything like that. Must be some kind of internal drama? Sometimes, I think what goes on behind the scenes is as interesting as the show itself!!!