Juliana Mc Carthy (91 Mrs Johnson/Abigail) Returns to Y & R Full Time

[David]

Major announcement from Young & Restless:
The Foster Family, a core family from the show's beginings, is coming back full time after a 25 year hiatus.
Only Jill Foster remained with the show over the years.

Baywatch star David Hasslehoff will reprise his role as Bill "Snapper" Foster, with Wings Hauser returning as brother Greg.
Juliana Mc Carthy, who made sporadic appearances over the years, also returns as the now 80 year old Foster matriarch.

They begin shooting in May, so expect them on the air by summer.
Hasselhoff is also doing a reality show for A & E, which is expected to include scenes at the Y & R studio, so we may see Ms. Mc Carthy there as well.

David

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Very interesting. Nowadays, in their ever increasing zeal to attract younger demos, soaps rarely if ever reincorporate characters in those age ranges on a continuing basis. They simply make the proverbial "special" appearances.

[David]

Not Y & R.
Jeanne Cooper's Katharine is the same age as the actor: 81.
She remains on front burner status.
Eric Braeden as Victor Newman is nearly 70, and remains a fan favorite, on at least three times a wqeek.
Maybe this is why Y & R is still number one!

David

[Mysterious Benefactor]

That's true. But I was talking more about bringing back characters that were written out.    For example, earlier this year Days of Our Lives wrote out many of their vets, and their ratings have actually increased significantly since then, which would cause TSPTB to see that as proof that focusing on their younger characters is the way to attract a bigger audience. But this development with Y&R is definitely bucking that notion - and that's great for an actress like Julianna McCarthy.

[KMR]

David Hasselhoff and Wings Hauser??  I didn't remember them being Snapper and Greg.  But it turns out I only remember those characters from pre-1975 (gee, I'm old!).  I do remember both of those characters being rather sexy--which was what especially confused me when I read the name David Hasselhoff!   

[David]

Snapper and Greg were played by William Gray Espy and James Houghton from 73-75. Both quit and were replaced by Hasselhoff and Hauser, who became the most identified with those roles.

David

[Taeylor Collins]

I am happy I have her autograph in My Scarpbook Memories! Thankfully a friend got it for me.  I am so happy for her!   Love Juliana!

[KMR]

David:  Yeah, that's what I was getting at.  I certainly had never associated Hasselhoff with Y&R, so seeing that he was "returning" made me go "Huh?"  I looked up the show on wikipedia and got the whole story on cast changes.  Both Espy and Houghton were pretty sexy; Hasselhoff and Hauser, not so much...

[Julia99]

I remember Wings and David from the mid-1970s--and Brenda Dickson as Jill.  She was very good back then but when she returned to the show in the 80s/90s was it. .she was so wooden, unable to emote anything but loathing.  Her big storyline was male cosmetics at Jabot and getting shot in the shower.  

[Gothick]

Brenda Dickson's personal infomercial on her website is an utter HOOT!

She comes across as about as crazy as a rat in a coffee-can.  "Never eat sugar--it causes wrinkles!"  "The Eighties was THE decade for glamour!"

Also, check out David Hasselhoff's over the top music videos for further hootdom.

I really wish that somehow, some day, Grayson Hall and Nancy Barrett's scenes from One Life to Live could be released on DVD...

G.

[michael c]

i used to watch y & r regularly during the "danny and cricket" era back in the 1990's and have only caught a handful of ms. mc carthy's sporadic appearances...

i will say slightly off-topic that for a series that bills itself as the "young" and the restless most of the cast is well into middle age and beyond. many of the main characters have been on the program for at least 20 years.

not that there is anything wrong with that...

[quentin-channing]

Thanks David! I've watched Y&R for years but Snapper and the Fosters were before my time. Will be interesting.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I see where David Hasslehoff is only coming back for 5 eps. That's much more of what I'd expect when a "classic" character returns on today's soaps.  Though given that it's Hasslehoff, perhaps the audience will actually be grateful that he'll only be back for those 5 eps and not an extended run.    Well, except the fans in Germany. 

[Julia99]

Did I ever tell you all about my New Year's Eve (2004) with Mr. Hasselhoff?  Let's just say it was before the "burger" video but I could see it a comin'. . .

[Taeylor Collins]

I don't know if you are directing this at MB but I am sure it would be HIGHlarious!