The Young and the Restless used to be one of the most solid, respected soap operas in history thanks to the very clear vision of the late Bill Bell. It seemed to be running a bit off course about two years ago so CBS decided to take a risky chance and bring in Jill Farren Phelps to give the story lines a real shot in the arm. As an executive producer she’s the kind of chick that you either love or hate and her story telling tends to be edgy and a bit dark. Perhaps CBS thought that she would help to modernize things a bit but instead after about 18 months as show runner the soap has turned into a hot mess – one that has lost 500,000 viewers in the last year.
Sure, Jill has fired fan favorites and I don’t doubt that everyone in those upper CBS offices is kind of unfazed by this because it goes with the territory. However not all of the firings have been the same and when she cut Michael Muhney back in December fan frenzy erupted. His work on the show seemed to be one of the main reasons that longtime Y&R fans were still even bothering to watch. The powers-that-be let it leak that Muhney was accused of groping a female cast member, likely thinking that putting that bit of info out there would cause the fans to back off. Instead it incited an online riot of sorts.
The drama all became about Muhney and what he should do next. Lost in the shuffle seems to be the fact that Jill was told of the accusations months before she actually fired the actor! That leads me to think that she perhaps didn’t really believe that they were true. Or since she runs with men all day and tends to think like one, her initial response to Hunter King was along the lines of “Chin Up.” In the world of business, Muhney should have been fired immediately in order to protect King. Instead they spent months still working together. Was Jill trying to punish the young actress? Who knows.
What we do know is that she then began crafting a story line intended to make fans hate Muhney’s character so that when she eventually cut him they might care a little less. Once this whole mess became public knowledge then we all learned just how badly the situation was handled and shouldn’t someone be held accountable?
If allegations of groping are swept under the carpet shouldn’t that cost someone their job? In this case, isn’t it time that Jill is shown the door? If not for ruination of beloved characters and driving Y&R’s ratings into the abyss, then certainly for not taking care of her actors and ensuring that their well-being is of utmost importance? Might the same circumstance that ushered Muhney out the door also be what ultimately gets Jill ousted? Why aren’t more people demanding that CBS hold someone accountable? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
Image Credit: FameFlynet and CBS
