‘The Young And The Restless’ Spoilers: Major Casting Shakeup In The Works, What We Know About The Changes So Far [Spoilers]

There have been rumors of a major casting shakeup in the works for quite some time on the set of the Young and the Restless. When Y&R showrunner, Jill Farren Phelps left the show, and Mal Young entered, the fans panicked at the thought of a major casting shakeup. The Young and the Restless producers tried to reassure fans that any changes to the show’s lineup would benefit the whole show. It looks like we have to buckle up and see how the next few months play out.

The Young and the Restless writers clearly do not know who the Y&R fans want to see on the daytime soap opera. For example, they gave Michael E. Knight (Dr. Simon Neville) his walking papers, but brought back Tristan Rogers (Colin Atkinson). Fans cannot stand Colin. Most of them can appreciate that Tristan is a wonderful actor, but the character Colin adds nothing positive to the show. On the plus side, Colin is bringing back fan favorite, Jess Walton. Soap Central reports that it seems pretty obvious that the slimeball (Colin) will return only to blackmail either Devon (Bryton James) or Hilary (Mishael Morgan) about her relapse.

There have been rumors that Justin Hartley could be exiting his role of Adam Newman, Celeb Dirty Laundry reports. He landed a prime-time role on the NBC show, This Is Us and the speculation is he may not have the time to dedicate to both roles. Hartley has repeatedly said that he will do both roles for as long as humanly possible, but many viewers feel confident that he could end up leaving the show in the next year. That would leave the Young and the Restless scrambling to recast the role of Adam, yet again.

Many Young and the Restless viewers wondered if some of the actors that Jill Farren Phelps brought to the show will leave in the next few months. The two that fans are most concerned about are Steve Burton (Dylan McAvoy) and Jason Thompson (Billy Abbott). Steve Burton came to the Young and the Restless from General Hospital three years ago. Upon signing his contract, he wanted a relaxed taping schedule so he could spend more time with his family on the east coast. It would be highly unlikely that another showrunner would work so hard to develop the “perfect” schedule for the soap opera legend.

Jason Thompson came to the Young and the Restless six months ago, replacing Burgess Jenkins as Billy Abbott. He is a seasoned actor that fits in the show perfectly. In January, the rumor was that he came to Y&R to work with Jill Farren Phelps, so with her out of the picture, many viewers worry that he may choose to leave the soap opera.

Ray Wise (Ian Ward) is the one actor that the fans would love to see more of in the next few months on the Young and the Restless. He has chemistry with literally everyone on the show. Not to mention, his character, Ian Ward, sends chills down the spines of many people — from Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott), to Mariah Copeland (Camryn Grimes).

Who, honestly, makes for a better villain: Victor or Ian? #YR #TwoScoops https://t.co/KQQTBcJbzP pic.twitter.com/A2wvjMHM47

— Soap Central (@soapcentral) July 14, 2016

The last casting news revealed that Michael Roark (Travis) and Alicia Coppola (Meredith) would be exiting the show. Apparently, with Nikki reuniting with Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), there’s little need for Meredith’s character. It seems likely that Travis was written off to allow Billy and Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle) time to rekindle their romance. Many the Young and the Restless viewers feel like neither Meredith, nor Travis was given a fair shake on the soap opera.

Tell the Inquisitr what you think about the casting shakeups on the Young and the Restless over the past few months in the comments section below.

[Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for The Hollywood Christmas Parade]