Soap Hub Performer of the Week for The Young and the Restless: Tricia Cast

Tricia Cast is one of The Young and the Restless’ most beloved actresses. While she’s delivered gangbuster performances over the years, winning the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series along the way, her most recent return wasn’t long enough to build to any huge dramatic moments. So, while her selection for this week’s Performer of the Week is a tad sentimental, it is no less deserved.

Tricia Cast — Performer of the Week

Cast hadn’t been in Genoa City since 2014, but her son Chance’s (Justin Gaston) wedding to Abby (Melissa Ordway) changed all that. The seasoned pro walked back on stage like no time had passed as she interacted with the show’s A-list of actors. Nina’s arrival brought her back into the orbit of, among others, Jill (Jess Walton), Chance’s grandmother, and also Victoria (Amelia Heinle), the bride’s half-sister.

While not all soap weddings are guaranteed to run smoothly, Chance and Abby’s did. Nina didn’t clash with Jill — despite their complicated history. She was also cordial with Victoria despite the fact that they were once bitter rivals over not one, but two different men: Cole (J. Eddie Peck) and the late Ryan (Scott Reeves). Nina warmly embraced Abby as a member of her family.

But Cast doesn’t need fireworks on the page to sparkle in every scene. She kept the pre-and post-wedding chat among guests lively and entertaining. YR has always been about “haves” and “have-nots.” When Nina first made the scene, she was a troubled teen with a big chip on her shoulder. While she’s (likely) well-off now (as a successful writer), Cast still infuses Nina with a “down-to-earth” quality. She’s someone with whom you’d like to just hang.

In fact, that’s just what Nina did the day after the wedding, reconnecting with BFF Christine (Lauralee Bell) and later, Chance’s great half-aunt Lauren (Tracey Bregman) at the Grand Phoenix. Nina and Christine caught up like the pals they are (on-screen and off). Among the topics they discussed was the possibility of a return to Genoa City. It’d be great if Nina did just that and got more involved in Chance’s life and it’d be nice to see her son Ronan (Jeff Branson) return, too.

There are plenty of situations that could put Nina back in the middle of the action. What if she based a screenplay on the lives and loves of Abby’s family? What if her ex, David (Michael Corbett), didn’t die in that trash compactor accident after all? And just who is Nina legally married to these days?

Also, it’d be great to see Nina be alone in a room with whoever shot her son — that person would have our sympathy! Viewers would love to see Nina and Tricia Cast return in 2021 and flourish in a storyline. Perhaps, she, like the characters in her screenplays, can get a shot at happily ever after? The Young and the Restless airs weekday on CBS. Check local listings for air times.