Y&R's Michael Muhney: "The Victor and Sharon Marriage Was Almost Like an Inside Joke”
How did The Young and the Restless cast feel about Victor (Eric Braeden) and Sharon's (Sharon Case) marriage? In an interview with The Province, Michael Muhney revealed it was treated as an "inside joke".
“It saddens me that when you summarize the storyline, the show and some of its recent past sounds like cartoonish passions,” Muhney says. “I don’t think half of those stories needed to happen. I wouldn’t have gone that far in the writing with the baby issue. The Victor and Sharon marriage was almost like an inside joke.”
How will showrunners Jill Farren Phelps and Josh Griffith fix the soap opera? According to Muhney, several characters will get a get-out-of-jail-free card.
“A lot of the characters on the show are going to have to get a get-out-of-jail-free card, in terms of what happened in the last few years,” Muhney says. “For these characters to have long-term strength and respectability, the audience is going to have to look at them like 85 per cent of what happened in the last few years was a bad dream.”
A get-out-of-jail-free-card might explain the fast and furious end to Phyllis’ (Michelle Stafford) trial.
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Comments
3 July 2008
7 hours 12 min
A lot of people are going to hate Muhney for speaking out yet again, but I have to say after MAB and some others don't own their mistakes I LOVE THIS PIECE.
Muhney is on point with his comments regarding Victor/Sharon. I don't want to publicly interpret what he means with "inside joke". Guess we all have a good idea about that after reading some interview and some on-set dramas that were reported or hinted on.
I like the get-out-of-jail-free-card. Don't get me wrong, Phyllis did deserve to pay for her crimes ... but this story was so messy, the writing so bad, I'm glad it's over. Thank you Josh Griffith & team.
12 February 2010
3 days 10 hours
Eric Braeden is NOT gonna be happy about this! He's already been showing out on Twitter. This is just gonna fuel the fire! Let me get my popcorn and soda and get a good seat...........
12 December 2008
11 sec
Michael is spot on with his remarks. We all have to pretend like 85 percent of the last few years never happened. I'm fine with that. I don't think we will truly be free of any of it bringing it up over and over again. Good for him for telling it like it is. I'm so over people in the industry like Maria Bell who keep their head in the clouds while the shows they have been hired to run are tanking. Screw her! She got what she deserved! I'm sure there are plenty of others who feel the same way Muhney does over at Y&R. So far only he and Jeanne Cooper have been ballsy enough to let fans know they not only understand but saw the same things we did.
14 May 2009
3 days 14 hours
I'm glad MAB and her stories are gone. That said, I wish everything about Adam was a bad dream. This mess of a character is one of the reasons why Y&R have been so ridiculous.
10 August 2012
13 hours 11 min
Michael was speaking the truth and said what many of us feel regarding the "writing" of MAB. I'm more than sure that many of the actors share his sentiments. I would love to be a fly on the wall in the Y&R studio right about now:)
25 October 2011
18 weeks 3 days
I wish Mr Muhney would jsut shut up. I am waiting on the day he hits the backburner again for his mouth or gets fired.
14 June 2011
8 hours 10 min
Ooohh! May I join you? Better yet, d'ya think we can sell some tickets to the "show behind the show"? Since JFP is burning down the Newman Ranch we could bill it as a fundraiser to rebuild/refurbish some of the sets (since everyone is so budget conscious!
). Maybe Victoria Rowell would chair the event? Yes, dreamer that I am, I still am wishing they would make an effort to bring her back... 
30 April 2009
22 min 6 sec
I think this is one of those times where his limited experience with soap fans is shining through. Soap fans have been through many horrible writers. There have been many times when fans of one show or the other will say that a character is OOC. Ultimately...you give a free pass if you like the character, and if you don't...you don't. Even with the free pass, viewers still remember things that happened 20, 25 years ago. Why should this bad period be any different? What Adam did to Ashley is a part of his history. His character can grow, change, be grey...but that will remain a part of his history just like feeding rats is a part of Victor's history, and the death of Sasha is a part of Phyllis' history. No one is exempt. I love Sharon to death, but this is a part of her history too.
I am sure a lot of AMC viewers want to forget the Pratt years, but they can't....Well..I can't.
23 November 2010
11 hours 48 min
^^Thank you! The only way they can expect viewers to just pretend these thing didn't happen is to actually write that this was in fact a dream, otherwise, it's just lazy writing.
Like you mentioned, we soap fans have been through MANY bad writing regimes, but what's happened, happened. You can't pretend it didn't simply because you don't like the story. Perfect example, Jack's long missing son Keemo. That character should be on screen, or at the very least mentioned. But because Peter Bregman thinks that storyline was ridiculous, Keemo will more than likely never been seen on Y&R again.
Yes, most of Maria's stories were crazy. But they happened, they're now a part of these characters' histories. A writer with any talent, would be able to take Maria's crap, and utilize it.
12 February 2010
3 days 10 hours
SwanQueen-
Thanks for always being kind and insightful. But I am not holding my breath for them to bring my girl, Victoria, back. I know better.........
17 August 2009
13 hours 19 min
Divatude8 ... should Hans Gudegast also just shut up? I'd be much happier seeing him on the backburner or fired (and his onscreen blissful oft ex-wife too).
25 October 2011
18 weeks 3 days
Hans Gudegast has been on this show long enough to have a voice. But Micheal Muhney is barely out of his first contract. He's lucky not to be written out. He speaks like a long time vet who has a least a small amount of job security. And it just simply isn't true. For the record though, Hans could use the bacburner.
26 July 2011
4 hours 14 min
@Divatude58 what you said was so true! I love it!
13 February 2010
1 day 16 hours
And why the hell should he? He's an honest person that is stating the truth about these dreadful stories that impacted the ratings and quality of the show. MAB and her merry band of idiots deserved to be shown the door. MM shines the light on her crap and anyone who watches the show knows he's right on the money.
If Eric Braeden doesn't like the truth, then fuck him and his little pet, MAB too. Read it and weep, it's a free country.
18 July 2012
2 days 2 hours
If Eric Braeden doesn't like the truth, then fuck him and his little pet, MAB too. Read it and weep, it's a free country.
Well said RealityCheck!
I agree with what Michael said...most of this was like a bad dream and I'm OK with stuffing it in a box and going on from here.
I'm NOT sure how the new régime will handle all the horrible MAB stories...it's like trying to turn a bus around on an S-curve...but in time it can be done. It’s nice to know that not all actor’s are OK with everything TPTB have them doing and that they do try to stand up for how they feel their characters should act.
20 December 2009
1 week 6 days
I didn't like MAB but I will say one thing..I NEVER in a million years thought the writers would be able to redeem Adam after the crap he's pulled and while there are times that I don't like him, overall since he's been with Chelsea, I actually like him. I felt bad for him when the Newmans didn't even tell him his father was alive.
But yesterday when he was all perklempt because they didn't tell him his dad was in the hospital? I'm thinking "you just sold your shares out from under them WHY would they call you?!" so that was taking it a bit far. And yeah, I realize why he did it, but I do have to commend the writers on that one.
23 May 2012
45 min 33 sec
Michael was speaking the truth. The whole Sharon/Victor marriage was a joke. But, I think he speaks out a little too much ,(Eric Braeden must be fuming!). Better watch out, he may be the next one fired. He should just stay quiet and let the new writer and producer salvage the show. I already see improvements.
25 October 2011
18 weeks 3 days
If Eric Braeden doesn't like the truth, then fuck him and his little pet, MAB too. Read it and weep, it's a free country.
Well said RealityCheck!
I agree with what Michael said...most of this was like a bad dream and I'm OK with stuffing it in a box and going on from here.
I'm NOT sure how the new régime will handle all the horrible MAB stories...it's like trying to turn a bus around on an S-curve...but in time it can be done. It’s nice to know that not all actor’s are OK with everything TPTB have them doing and that they do try to stand up for how they feel their characters should act.
Muhney didn't have a problemn with the stupid stories, which mostly revolved around Adam and his drama for years, until he was backburned. If he really thought they were so bad, then he souldhave been complaining when he was hogging the show. He is self serving, which is fine because most people are. But please don't paint it as him being anything other than that...and definitely not some altruistic action of just "telling it like it is"...he had ample time to do that when they were going on...
30 April 2009
22 min 6 sec
I don't have a problem with MM speaking out...but I agree with this ALL DAY. He was LOVING it when he was featured and had NO COMPLAINTS (except for the few times that he got on SOC and told the people that didn't like his character to read a book).
14 May 2009
3 days 14 hours
If Eric Braeden doesn't like the truth, then fuck him and his little pet, MAB too. Read it and weep, it's a free country.
Well said RealityCheck!
I agree with what Michael said...most of this was like a bad dream and I'm OK with stuffing it in a box and going on from here.
I'm NOT sure how the new régime will handle all the horrible MAB stories...it's like trying to turn a bus around on an S-curve...but in time it can be done. It’s nice to know that not all actor’s are OK with everything TPTB have them doing and that they do try to stand up for how they feel their characters should act.
Muhney didn't have a problemn with the stupid stories, which mostly revolved around Adam and his drama for years, until he was backburned. If he really thought they were so bad, then he souldhave been complaining when he was hogging the show. He is self serving, which is fine because most people are. But please don't paint it as him being anything other than that...and definitely not some altruistic action of just "telling it like it is"...he had ample time to do that when they were going on...
PREACH!! He was the biggest MAB cheerleader back when he used to be her golden child and she was letting him eat the show alive. Her stories were already awful then, but he didn't mind because they were propping his character.
18 October 2012
30 weeks 5 days
I really love that they have Sharon and Adam back together. I never ever liked Chelsea I stopped liking Adam when he was with Chelsea. Too bad they have to make Sharon have a brain tumor now. This girl has been through so much in these past 18 years than any character. As a viewer for 35 years I am jumping for joy Jack got hold of the company. I wish Neil would work with him. He stands around like a broom. They need Drucilla back for him and for Sharon as her BFF again and to rip Phyllis a new one and make life hell for her! I loved Drucilla VR work! >3
18 October 2012
30 weeks 5 days
I HATED ADAM WITH CHELSEA! I THOUGHT IT WAS SO CHILDISH ERIC B> TALKED TRASH ABOUT SHARON CASE AND MICHAEL M AND N>B! I HAVE WATCHED THIS SHOW RIGHT BEFORE HE WAS EVER VICTOR NEWMAN AND THIS MAN NEEDS TO STFU AND RETIRE ALREADY MELODY ALSO! ADAM IS ONLY GREAT WHEN WITH SHARON!!!
18 October 2012
30 weeks 5 days
I know I post at least some place on a blog at least once a day if not more to PLEASE bring Drucilla back! I don't care about those rumors about Victoria Rowell I just loved her and her acting! if we knew all the drama that goes on with actors on Primetime we would have everyone quitting. They need to do eight by the show and bring her back!
17 August 2009
13 hours 19 min
kays... so tell us what you really think of Chelsea (and Adam).
But really, I (for one at least) have never understood the disdain for Chelsea.
What's wrong with her anyway? She's certainly much more interesting than many around her.