The backstage stuff at soap operas are more like a soap opera than a…soap opera. ABC’s nearly-cancelled “General Hospital” just whomped CBS’s long running hit “The Young and the Restless” for the second week in a row. “GH” finished first in the two key demos– women 18-49, and 25-54. This means that the only women watching “The Young and the Restless” are 55 and above. They’re either sleeping during the show or watching it as a background noise.
This was the biggest week for “GH” in seven years. What changed? They fired executive producer Jill Farren Phelps, perhaps the most loathed EP in soap history. Phelps is known for firing actors who cross her, killing off favorite characters, and doing just about anything to piss off what’s left of the audience. She did at “Another World,” Santa Barbara,” “Guiding Light”– all gone by the way– and “GH.”
For some unknown reason, CBS and Sony hired her to be EP of their number one show “Y&R.” This week she fired popular young actor (late 30s) Michael Muhney. This has caused a firestorm on the internet. Emmy winner Billy Miller is leaving, too. The show has basically been in chaos since Phelps arrived. It doesn’t look or feel the same. Now “GH” is gaining on it rapidly. The whole thing has turned into a soap opera. CBS and Sony had better act quickly, or the next murder mystery is going to be “Who Killed Y&R?” The culprit is usually Jill Farren Phelps.
