‘Young And Restless’ Star Justin Hartley Set To Debut On ‘This Is Us,’ What Does That Mean For Adam Newman? [Spoilers]

The Young and the Restless star Justin Hartley has won over fans in his portrayal of Adam Newman in Genoa City, but those who have come to love his rendition of the character may have reason to worry a bit. Hartley has also landed a gig in a prime-time role and many wonder if he will end up leaving Y&R for the new series. What has Justin said about the situation?

Justin Hartley will be part of an ensemble cast of the new NBC offering titled This Is Us, set to debut on September 20. Justin is currently doing quite a bit of promotional work for the new series that also stars Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown, and a handful of others. The trailer for This Is Us has received monster views on YouTube and the expectations are high for this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfUiKg28r_M

The series is getting a great deal of buzz and there had been quite the battle over the rights to the show, so it seems likely that This Is Us will be a hit. However, that leaves Young and Restless fans wondering whether they might need to worry about Hartley’s gig as Adam.

At this point, it seems that Justin will be sticking with both gigs. However, as She Knows Soaps notes, the actor does not necessarily expect that he can juggle both This Is Us and Young and Restless for the long term. During the recent Television Critics Association summer press tour, Hartley addressed the question of whether he would be sticking with both series as the new show gets going.

“There’s definitely a break [at Y&R]. I don’t know if I can [do both shows]. I try to stay out of that, and gladly don’t wear that hat.”

As Young and Restless viewers know, the character of Adam is currently sitting behind bars at Walworth after his father Victor set him up for the murder of Constance Bingham. Chloe is holding the evidence that could set Adam free, but without the missing diary pages, Adam is facing 20 years behind bars.

Obviously, the writers have created a scenario where it is possible to have the character of Adam off-screen for a bit, or gone entirely for a lengthy amount of time. Given how central this Newman character is to Young and Restless, however, it seems unlikely that Adam will stay off the canvas for long. Y&R may well wait to see if This Is Us becomes a big hit before making any substantial decisions about Hartley’s Y&R gig. If, however, the NBC offering does thrive, it may well be that a change will need to be made.

Of course, Hartley could tape a number of scenes ahead and viewers may not even notice much of a break as Justin’s commitment to This Is Us becomes his focus for a bit. However, that type of juggling can only go so far and at some point, Hartley may have to cut down to one show. He has done other primetime gigs before, but Justin has also said that he loves his gig on Young and Restless, so viewers are hoping he can handle both for the foreseeable future.

If Hartley does end up leaving Young and Restless, what will the show do with Adam? Of course, there are plenty of Michael Muhney fans who are already buzzing over the idea of bringing him back to the role. While that may be a possibility, especially considering that Jill Farren Phelps is no longer with Y&R, viewers probably should not hold their breath considering how much controversy swirled at the time of Muhney’s firing.

Trying to cast another actor to step in to play the character could be a difficult challenge. The Young and the Restless has already faced that type of scenario with the character of Billy Abbott after Billy Miller left. They brought David Tom back to the role, but he just wasn’t a fit any longer.

Next came Burgess Jenkins, who left about a year later and now former General Hospital star Jason Thompson is now playing Billy. Viewers have had a very difficult time embracing anybody other than Miller in the role, and that type of situation could certainly arise for the showrunners again should a change need to be made once again for the character of Adam.

The good news for fans of The Young and the Restless is that nothing will change regarding the casting of Adam for now, with Hartley sticking with both Y&R and the NBC role at this point. However, should This Is Us become NBC’s next big thing, it sounds as if change could be in the air and Justin Hartley’s fans may well face some shifts. If Justin does leave Y&R, what do you think should be done with the character of Adam Newman?

@justinhartley soon we admire his new job. Meanwhile , let's enjoy these photos! !!! @NBCThisisUs pic.twitter.com/dqFDKgM0li

— Eleonora Spina (@eleonoraspina99) August 4, 2016

[Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images]