Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Stephen Nichols Replaces William Russ On Y&R


TV Guide Magazine has revealed a surprising casting change at THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS.

Actor William Russ, who hit THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS December 2 as the Donald Trump-esque jillionaire Tucker McCall, has been ousted from the role and replaced by DAYS OF OUR LIVES great Stephen Nichols (Patch). Nichols was due to begin taping December 17 and will appear on air January 27. The Y&R execs have kept their statements brief. Co-exec producer/head writer Maria Arena Bell says: “William Russ is a talented actor and we enjoyed working with him. However, we decided to take the character in another direction.” Adds co-exec producer Paul Rauch: “[Russ] did a wonderful job while he was here.”

Rauch also hired Russ in the late 1970s when he was executive producer of ANOTHER WORLD. Russ lasted 15 months in the role of Burt McGowan.

It has been speculated that Tucker is really Katherine's son (perhaps she had a son instead of a daughter) but the show has not confirmed that.

8 comments:

  1. Actually, I think Russ' McCall is more than a bit creepy. I am looking forward to seeing what Stephen Nichols can bring to the role, especially if Tucker turns out to be Katherine's son.

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  2. I disliked this actor as Tucker right from the start, so am not sad to see him replaced.

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  3. I thought Russ and Walton had terrific chemistry in that New York bar. The idea, though, that he slept with deceptively was less attractive...but ameliorated by the fact that she climbed back into his bed with full knowledge.

    Hopefully, they'll dial down on the creepy, dial up on the ruthless, and TGVN will finally have a worthy rival in Genoa City.

    If they play this right, Nichols may have another signature role that sees him through the end of daytime.

    In all these parental reversals, I hope by some magic they can still reveal that Jill Foster's real mother is Liz...and that her recollection that Jill was adopted was faulty--brought on by the brain tumor from which she was suffering at the time. Many of us who heard Liz countlessly chastise Jill with her "Daughter, now listen..." in the 1970s had a broken heart when it was revealed that Liz was not the bio-mom.

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  4. Mark, I totally agree about Jill being a Foster. I dislike the decision to change that more than anything that has ever happened on this show.

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  5. I am very sorry to see him leave. I have been a fan from Wise Guy, and love all his work!
    Barbarazzi from Staten Island, NY

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  6. Russ is a much better actor than Nichols and there you have it!

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  7. Russ brought a charisma that Nichols does not have. My co-workers and I are more than a bit disappointed. This Nichols guy is actually scrawny in comparison. Another miscast (like the Malcolm character- are you kidding?)

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  8. Ive watched Y& R 32 years and I loved Russ as Tucker! He has this mysterious look and can change his actions from serious to mysterious in seconds.....

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