‘Young And Restless’ Cast News: Justin Hartley Scores New Primetime Gig, Will He Leave His Role As Adam Newman?
Young and the Restless star Justin Hartley has a new gig lined up, and this brings both good news and potentially bad news for his fans. Hartley will be part of an ensemble cast for a new NBC series this fall, but news of the project moving forward leaves some worried about Hartley’s gig as Adam Newman on Y&R. What’s the scoop?
As TVLine shares, NBC has officially picked up the new Dan Fogelman project now titled This Is Us. This project has been in the works for a bit now, and it is not brand-new scoop that Justin Hartley is one of the actors attached to it. Until now, however, no network had made a commitment to air the new series this fall.
Not a great deal is known about This Is Us yet, though as Variety detailed, many within the industry had been touting the Fogelman project as one that has put forth an amazing pilot. The show was originally being called 36, and this week the shift to This Is Us has been revealed. There has been a lot of buzz surrounding this one, with those who have seen the pilot apparently describing it as beautiful.
Their story. Their journey. Here’s your first look at #ThisIsUs, coming soon to @nbc. pic.twitter.com/RHWPJZehv3
— This Is Us (@NBCThisisUs) May 13, 2016
Fogelman is familiar to many for his previous projects like Grandfathered, Galavant, and The Neighbors. His last two projects ended after one initial season, but it sounds like there are high hopes for This Is Us. It seems there was a hot bidding war over this one and there is an enticing cast to boot.
Young and Restless star Justin Hartley will reportedly play a character named Kevin who is a successful and handsome television actor. He is single, but he apparently has become bored with the bachelor lifestyle. The project will also star singer and actress Mandy Moore from Red Band Society and Entourage, Milo Ventimiglia of Heroes, Wolverine, and Gilmore Girls, and Sterling K. Brown, who is probably best known for his recent gig as Christopher Darden on The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Brown also had a role on Army Wives.
Last ep of outstanding The People vs OJ Simpson.
What will I do w/out my @sterlingkb1 & @MsSarahPaulson fix? Woe ? pic.twitter.com/5oBtd57dDk— Shelley Blond (@BlondShelley) April 18, 2016
The series will be focused on a group of characters where many happen to have the same birthday. Ventimiglia’s “Jack” is married to Moore’s “Rebecca,” and they are settling into a new home as they expect triplets. Brown’s “Randall” is a family man and corporate businessman who has two daughters with his wife “Beth.” Hartley, Moore, Ventimiglia, Brown, and Ron Cephas Jones, who will play Randall’s father, are all described by Variety as being series regulars in the hour-long offering.
Hearing that This Is Us has been given the go-ahead by NBC brings up one big question: what happens with Hartley’s gig as Adam Newman on Young and Restless? At this point, nobody is saying much. Given Justin’s previous primetime success, it is likely that he incorporated some flexibility into his Y&R contract to allow him outs to work on other projects. However, can he really keep up with both shows?
Hartley has been quite open in saying that he absolutely loves his gig at Young and Restless. He is quite close with Melissa Claire Egan, who plays Chelsea, and his real-life girlfriend Chrishell Stause is about to pop up in Genoa City in the new role of Bethany. Fans have figured that Bethany will likely show up as a potential threat to Adam and Chelsea’s relationship, but Justin’s new show makes some worry that Adam may not be around.
If This Is Us becomes a big hit and Justin ends up leaving, it will come as a big blow to Young and Restless fans. Michael Muhney previously played Adam, and his departure was quite controversial. It took a very long time for the show to pull in Hartley for the role, and many viewers have fully embraced him. The show has already struggled a great deal in finding a new Billy Abbott that viewers can support after Billy Miller’s departure, and the idea of recasting Adam again will surely leave many feeling anxious.
At this point, it certainly sounds as if Justin Hartley will be tackling both the role as Adam Newman on The Young and the Restless as well as the character of Kevin on This Is Us. For now, fans will have to stay tuned for updates on how the new show progresses and see what lies ahead for Adam in Genoa City.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFsfl4lnVR0
[Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images]
