Older actors may be sidelined when The Young and the Restless resumes filming this summer

Soap fans have been eagerly awaiting news regarding when their favorite programs will be bringing forth new episodes. Soap Dirt is revealing breaking news from a set insider for The Young and the Restless regarding when the soap will resume taping. The spoiler suggests that it might be sometime in June if the show follows the lead of The Bold and the Beautiful. There will also possibly be some huge changes going forth when Y&R returns to the air. The CBS daytime drama will not be able to resume shooting scenes the same way they did prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The safety of the casts and crew must be first and foremost and social distancing has to be honored.

Soap Dirt says that a set insider leaked the news that older actors may be sidelined and not allowed to be on screen when the show initially is up and running again. This may disturb some viewers but if it happens it will be because the health of the senior actors is important. There are only a few cast members on The Young and the Restless who would fall into this category and they are fan favorites. The three oldest members of the cast are Marla Adams 81, Eric Braeden 79, and Peter Bergman 66. Melody Scott Thomas is next in line at 64. Dina has not been on the show in a while so this may not be a problem for Ms. Adams. Genoa City without Victor, Jack, and possibly Nikki would be quite interesting.

The person who leaked this information has allegedly said that in order to protect those most vulnerable to the coronavirus these veteran actors most likely will not be seen for a while. In addition to those over age 65, any cast member who has health issues that put them at risk will also be sidelined. Nothing has been said regarding Greg Rikaart who portrays Kevin, and is recovering from COVID-19. It's not yet known how this will affect his interacting with his co-stars, especially Chloe who is his wife. If there is more action and adventure going forward and less romance, how will viewers react? Will they stick with TheYoung and the Restless or move on? What kind of interaction will characters have if they must remain six feet apart?

Hopefully masks will not have to be a part of the new normal on the soaps because that would indeed be a distraction. Seeing married couples not even able to embrace will be difficult but the writers and producers are probably working on that even now. It takes approximately 6 weeks from the time an episode is taped, before viewers seen it on the screen. This would indicate that it would be the first of August before new shows are available. If the older actors have to wait before they can be cleared to resume taping, it might be fall before they are seen again. Victor, Nikki, and Jack are an integral part of Genoa City, but the show can go on without them. Their family and friends can reference them from time to time and carry on until things improve. Adam and Chelsea can come to the realization that he murdered a man to protect his mother, without Victor under foot.

Victoria can run Newman Enterprises while doing the same.Kyle and Summer can handle Theo as they keep Jabot flowing should Jack be out of the picture for a while. Nikki was not in any front burner storylines except supporting Sharon, who has others in place to help her with the breast cancer. Nick, Mariah, Tessa, Faith, snd Rey will all be in her corner. Some fans may assume Genoa City will not be the same without these powerhouse actors. Each of them, however, has been gone for substantial amounts of time in the past and viewers dealt with it. What will really be interesting is the way love scenes are handled. Bedroom action, kissing and holding hands may all be on hold for a while, and fans may be understanding or not.

Love in the afternoon is the big drawing point for daytime drama, as it’s what the soaps are all about. The Coronavirus, however, is reshaping what is considered normal and acceptable. For now, The Young and the Restless is continuing to air golden oldies episodes and this will go on until new programs hit the screen. Be on the lookout for updated spoiler alerts and breaking news related to the future of the CBS daytime drama. Continue watching each weekday afternoon at 12:30 PM EST, and be mindful of COVID-19 preemptions. Make sure to check your local listings as scheduled may change. June is just around the corner, so it won’t be long until Y&R is giving fans what they desire, as best as they can in the new normal.