Why The Young and the Restless Isn’t Front Burnering Their Top Talent

After weeks of tedious storytelling and no forward momentum on any front, The Young and the Restless hit it out of the park this week with two incredible sets of scenes, headlined by two incredible sets of performances.

Young and the Restless Hits It Out of The Park

First, we had Amanda Sinclair (Mishael Morgan) catching Devon Hamilton (Bryton James) in bed (couch) with Abby Newman Abbott Chancellor (Melissa Ordway) – and letting him have it. And second, there was Jill Foster Abbott (Jess Walton) facing the truth about her whiny, self-pitying son, Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson)…and letting him know that she saw him for who he was…while still loving him, anyway.

Both were Daytime Emmy-worthy performances (backed up with some stellar writing). One by an actress on her way out, and another by one we see maybe a handful of times a year. Bad call, Y&R. Very, very bad.

Y&R: Stay Where You Are

Hilary Curtis, also played by Daytime Emmy winner Mishael Morgan, may have been a horrible human being. But Morgan brought her what little humanity she had and, for the record, was literally the only African-American actress on daytime actually driving story, rather than merely reacting to what went on around her. And Y&R let her slip through their fingers, killing Hilary off, for good measure.

They realized and rectified their mistake by bringing Morgan back as Hilary’s twin sister, Amanda. And, this time, they’re leaving the door open for her return. But the bigger question is, how has the show managed to lose this Goddess twice? Especially in light of the killer performances she just delivered opposite Devon.

Young and the Restless: Here To Play

As for Jess Walton, she came back firing on all cylinders. After months over Skype, this Daytime Emmy winner proved that she still had it – and she was willing to share it. Her presence elevated the performance of every single scene partner, including Lily Winters (Christel Khalil), Billy, and Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope). There is so much gold to mine here. The idea that Y&R will continue to keep Walton on recurring even as Morgan walks out the door is one that should be rectified – pronto!

The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS. For an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.

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