Thanks for the behind-the-scenes look at Y&R! I learned something today.

That's very interesting - I assumed that all of the Y&R sets were on different sound stages and were never dismantled.

I think I like Michael Baldwin's apartment the best! :)

That was quite interesting! There are few soap operas which aren't good at writing stories around those budgets: especially using the standing sets. Some scenes couldn't possibly taken place on some sets...thankfully, the Y&R crew (and the cast) keep up the quality that high! Thumbs up.
I am from the Netherlands and unfortunately, Y&R has been taken off air forever...(and Kevin Fisher's first appearance was coming near...!).I hope some other Dutch TV network would try Y&R...(in a better timeslot).
Ah well...shouldn't get my hopes up.
Take care, Mr. Smith!
Regards from the Netherlands, Europe.
Martijn

Thanks for commenting on the business side of things. It was very interesting and it explained alot. I've often wondered about this because some of my favorite actor/actress that play my favorite characters has been let go; so I sort of understand now. Anyway, I hope that budget allows at least a couple of them to return one day because the show just isn't the same without them.

And speaking of Mac and JT, they're nice together; but their new found "relationship" seems forced and unnatural. Try bringing JT and Brittany together, they seem to have more of a spark and a relaxed connection; but neither of them are as romantic and appealing as JT and Colleen together. I watch faithfully, hoping that one day after all this Mac and Brittany drama, they will be reunited again. Theirs was one of the greatest and most romantic love stories that you have ever told. Thanks again for the info and for the great show. Take care, Mr. Smith.

I love to read these. Very interesting and makes you see the other side of the fence. I know as fans, we sometimes get angry at decisions that are made regarding actors. I know recently there was a lot of heat over Ashley Bashiom leaving, but I will admit I do enjoy Rachel Kinseys' portrayal...it is growning on me.
Spoilers and rumours have indicated that the character Cassie is going to die. Please say it ain't so!!! Many fans are upset by this and many are already greiving. I myself bawled all through a couple scenes with Cassie and the family, and certainly Devon reading his poem to Dru. Top notch performances by all last week!

This is a truly important piece of information to put out there. The viewers often wonder about these set issues...so the explanation is useful.

Wouldn't it behoove you, then, to develop more "hub" sets that you could use every day? That would have two advantages: money savings, but also forcing more comingling of characters who are kept separate in different storylines.

Mark

Are you ever going to release best of episodes by year for the show or even have classic episodes from past years on a Soap Network so fans could see them rebroadcast again?

It would be wonderful to see some of the episodes from the 70's and 80's and even 90's once again.

Thanks for this one Mr. Smith!
Viewers have a tendency not to think of their favourite shows as a business on a budget. Your article throws light on those things we take for granted .
I'd love a future column with your thoughts on the future of daytime dramas. I always cringe when viewers complain about teen storylines because I feel you need that demographic to stay on the air longterm.

Please keep in touch with Lyndsy Fonseca and BRING COLLEEN BACK TO GENOA CITY> JT is NOTHING WITHOUT HER> Mack and Brittany do not cut it. just because there is history with the characters does not mean there is chemistry or romance. ANd there is neither with those two. LYndsy has it all with Thad and has had from DAY ONE. Brittany should have been let go along with Raul. Brittany and Raul were always believable and natural. Same with JT and Colleen. TOTAL SIZZLE AND ELECTRICITY. RECASTNG MACK A mistake you ruined the character. She might as well go to work at Marsinos and that is NOT THE MACK WE know. JT/Mack is FORCED AND NOT NATURAL and there is NO CHEMISTRY between Rachel and Thad. Never has been. ANd now further more you are trying to cheapen the JT/Colleen romance which is the best one you have ever had by having JT sing to Mack. We are angry enough at you as it is for letting her walk. And we are not talking about Jan 05 We are talking about the first time. YOu have some very angry viewers Jack where JT is concerned and where Colleen is concerned. YOU SCREWED UP.Lyndsy has PURE TALENT and either you didn't recognize that or else you just ignored it. EIther way we are NOT WATCHING JT. HE IS LOST.
Thought we would watch just anybody with THad???? GUESS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!! NOBODY ELSE HAS LYNDSYS TALENT WITH HIM !!!! NOBODY. NOt even Brittany Hodges

JT and Mac are okay, but I really prefer Kevin and Mac. I think Kevin needs someone like her in his life and if a real romance started between the two that's one romance I could really get behind.

I suppose this explains why all these doctors and lawyers don't have homes of their own, but live in apartments?? And Phyllis is too poor for some reason to get her own place? It's pretty lame when she proclaims that she's "homeless". Please! It's a strange show where everyone is rich, but only the super rich have homes!

I felt I had to write in the event someone at Y&R reads this so they know how many of the fans on the message boards feel about the death of Cassie. While, it is certainly a ratings grabber in the shortterm and quite shocking, I think it is a long term mistake to kill off the character and lose this great actress, Camryn Grimes. She has literally grown up before our eyes and has so much potential.

I believe that the only way to rectify this situation (BELIEVABLY) is the following scenario or something similar to it:

***********************************************
The best plausible way to possibly try to rectify the death of Cassie would be to find out that way back when Sharon had twin girls and wasn't aware of the second child. Doris signed the adoption papers for her since Sharon was a minor and asked that she not be told of the second baby because it would be too much for her to accept parting with two children. She is the only person who knew of the other child except for the doctors and she kept it a secret. Due to the grief of the entire Newman Family, especially Nick/Sharon & Noah, Doris struggles with her decision and if she should reveal the truth.

They could go on to have Doris decide to confide in Victor & Nikki about it and they all decide to tell Nick and Sharon about it. They go on to search for Cassie's twin and find out that the shady attorney Raymond Becker who illegally handled Alice's adoption of Cassie was involved in the twin's adoption and after much investigation & searching they find Cassie's twin, played of course by Camryn Grimes.

They could have her look identical to Cassie but is completely different in her personality. They could have a s/l that they want to form a relationship with her and have to tear down all the roadblocks in their path to do it.

This, to me, would be the only believable way to bring back Camryn Grimes to the show.

Just read the comments by Mary Ann Cade on the death of Cassie and how you could bring her back, since its quite obvious how much we love her character and as an actress. I also think it was a major mistake by taking her off the show. I just watched her final performance and I can say honestly, that I haven't cried so hard in years. Nick and Sharon were amazing as were the rest of the Newman family. Please, please reconsider. Mary Ann's thoughts on the subject were fabulous.

You still have the absolute best soap going on TV, both past and present. What writers and actors, just so wonderful!!!! I have watched since the beginning and continue to watch because of the excellent story lines and actors, actresses. Most of the soaps are just so far out and plain uninteresting....thanks for giving it your best. It certainly shows!!!

Why did Cassie have to die ,Why not Sharon or Drew?

I can't understand killing off Cassie's character. There was so much future potential with rivalries between her and Noah (real Newman vs. adopted Newman) taking over. If it was for the same of bringing turmoil to Nick and Sharon's marriage in a way other than infidelity, surely writers can be more creative and focused on the long-term effect this will have on the show. I'm very disappointed. I've watched this show since the late '70s, and have loved it. Killing off a character who is portrayed by someone who grew up before our eyes and who is such a talented actress is just a crying shame.

I understand that budget and money costs are important- but doesn't believable storytelling count for anything? The Colleen Carlton that we all knew and loved never would have left Genoa City- and definitely not two times. She was the "stick it though thick and thin" girl.... not the cut and run when things get difficult, especially when it came to her amazing love story with Colleen.
I for one would LOVE to see Lyndsy Fonseca come back to play Colleen again- she has amazing chemistry with Thad Luckinbill (more than both the forced "relationships" with Mac and Brit combined). Please bring back Lyndsy Fonseca!!!! Please, JT needs her!!!

What is Camryn Grimes going to do now that she is off Y@R.

It's beyond ridiculous when good child characters are killed or sent off to boarding school when they have characters like Gina, Chancellor, and Olivia with a maybe a once in a blue moon story line, still hanging around. I mean they have killed all their family, or run their families out of town, why are they still here? It seems to me that every soap has to cleanse the show of all kids age 10-18 and then once their back from boarding school they bring like 4 or 5 new kids with no background to the show. So I am really confused why the character of Cassie is being killed. Killing Devon who has no ties to the show makes more sense( but Im sure his character is safe until Nate comes back to the show.) They have left Noah and Abby all alone to inherit Newman Enterprises since they never gave Victoria kids and Nick and Sharon already lost a kid. How is the show suppose to grow when they replace all our beloved characters with new kids who have no family ties in the original Genoa City?

Well, since money is always the end all and be all...can you tell us if it saves money to have characters play themselves in other daytime serials (i.e. Michael Baldwin, Esq. (Y&R->ATWT)and Lauren Fenmore (Y&R->BB)?

The reason why I ask, is because while I've seen this on other networks. What I haven't seen is daytime integrating w/primetime. A perfect example, this Death of Cassie situation bothers me because 1)I just love that little girl (brilliant actress), 2)I think it is outrageous that the authorities haven't already gathered forensic evidence that Daniel was NOT driving. Can somebody say CSI??? or better still contact the makers of CSI: NY, MIAMI..ughhh Genoa City? It's the first thing I thought of...CSI rules the airways so why not create a win-win situation for the network?

The death of Cassie Newman is so hard to take! I wasn't expecting it because she has such potential to make the show even more amazing than it already is in years to come. What I really want to know is this... Did Camryn Grimes leave the show of her own free will or was she fired? Big mistake Y&R.

It was interesting reading your comments on the sets, etc. But, I disagree with you about killing off Cassie. Now we will have to watch Nick and Sharon fight, make up, and whine all summer. You could have used her to reach teenagers with problems. I think you should bring her back. Hey Taylor is back from the dead on B&B. :) You could bring her back as a kidnapped victim. It was all planned out by an enemy of Victor's. The enemy is a woman who lost her father to suicide when she was a teenager. Her dad killed himself when Victor bought out her dad's company and fired him as the CEO. She vowed at his gravesite which you could do as flashbacks that she would make Victor pay one day. Then we could have the excitment of the kidnapping and the hunt for Cassie instead of watching everyone mourne all summer. Camryn could have just a few kidnapped scenes and still do her church outing and drama camp. Hey could I have job writing? I am 58 years old and just went on unemployment for the first time in my life. I am a Y&R and B&B fan. I love to watch them after I had a hard day at the office. It was so relaxing for me. Let me know if you think my story line is good. You can use it....I do not need any pay. We just need some excitement....no more of Sharon and Nick fighting all summer...and oh, get Nick's ego in check a little....that is also getting old.

Pleeeese! bring back Casey and especially Colleen, J T is nothing without her.

I to agree with Mary regarding Nick's ego being a little too much. Nick has been mad at the world for far too long. Are you kidding me with Sharon landing a high paying executive job? I have been a faithful watcher since the 70's and I have to say it's going to be another long summer watching Nick and Sharon fight again. Let's do something with Paul instead of him falling all over Chris.

I may as well join the party. Killing Cassie's character was definitely a mistake. There was potential for great story lines for her because of her acting ability. Watching her grow up on the show was refreshing. So much potential for her character on the show.
Also another mistake was the character, Colleen. She was so wholesome and perfect for JT. I truly enjoyed watching them and they were your hottest couple. So why was that destroyed?
The Y&R is by far the best daytime drama show.
I believe you owe it to your viewers why these characters were deleted from the show.
I also understand the budget doing the show.
The writers really need to listen to their viewers.

I was totally shocked as many other loyal fans were about Cassie's death on the show. I have been a loyal fan since the beginning, and although I work, I record the show Daily. I have seen a lot of Death's on the show, but to let Cassie die was the hardest. I cried all day, and was totally depressed for several days. I think that killing off a promising Child Star on the show was a hugh mistake! Adoption stories of this kind are few and far between, when the child finally gets a great life. Her charactor could have shown teenage years problems and ways to solve them, as well as parent's decision's on there teenager's activities. Cassie brought a unspoiled child to a very wealthy family. How many children are out there that never get that chance. You brought hope to the world that life can really get better, even if you are not born into wealth. If Drinking and driving is the plot of this story, it could have better served to have Cassie pull through and be able to say that Daniel was not driving. Just maybe the thought of what he thought had happened and could have happened would make other teenager's stop and think. By letting her die, you have lost a great future story line with her teenage years! The writer's of this story line, were way off base, they really need to just read some of the commentaries on Cassie, and they will see that they were wrong, but they will never admit being wrong!

You almost lost a true Fan in me, I have not watched the show since the day you let Cassie die, maybe if other's do the same, you will get the message that you were wrong!

Anna Tallant

After reading 'Why Was She Let Go?' is just an excuse. It is very insulting--story-line driven indeed. There could have been a great many story lines where Cassie was concerned. She could have gotten messages out there to the young people by writing her different stories. Let's face it, you goofed and that's all there is to it. Make any excuse you want, but this was one of your biggest blunders. Perhaps you need new writers. I'll be glad to send you some ideas if you have run out of some.
You want to keep your viewers, then listen to them. They are what makes or breaks your show.
Also bring Colleen back.

Very interesting to hear about some of the many challenges of your job! Unless someone is on the inside, they just don't realize all the work that it takes to put on a great show!

Thanks again for all the hard work you and the staff put out to make the number 1 soap.

I have been watching Y&R since I was 5 years old I am 33 now. I love your show but ever since I read before hand that Cassie was going to die I haven't watched it ever since. I have gotten on line to read and try to figure out what happened to her. Now I understand that it was a storyline booster! For some reason I just couldn't handle it. Maybe it's because I have two young girls of my own. There is so much tragedy in the world I guess I was looking forward to a happy ending. I don't know when I'll start watching again, maybe if there is something good and exciting. I'm not talking about holesome Brady Bunch just about families that can make it thru anything!
Good luck and do what you do best! Keeping fans glued for over 30 years!

While watching the growing freindship between Newman Enterprises' "future heirs", Abbey and Noah, I began wondering at what point Hope's son, Victor Newman Jr. might come back to stir up the pot? No references are ever made to him, but certainly he is as much "blood" as Nick, Victoria, Abbey, and to a lesser extent, Noah.

Will he return one day to claim his piece of the Pie?

Just wonderin'.