Monday, April 19, 2010

Foster Family Reunion on YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

EW.com is reporting a brief Foster family reunion on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. This is excellent news for longtime fans like myself. If somehow the show can undo the horrible, horrible story twist that Jill is not a Foster, it would go a long way toward making up for all the whacked up lookalike stories going on at the moment (although more Tracey E. Bregman is a good thing). Julianna McCarthy is one the best actresses in the history of Y&R so her return is the best news of all.

EW.com has learned that David Hasselhoff will briefly reprise his role as Dr. William “Snapper” Foster, Jr. on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. He’ll return to the show’s Los Angeles set in May for an arc that will start airing in mid-June. The BAYWATCH star got his start in TV by starring on the popular sudser from 1975 to 1982.

“In 1976, Bill Bell, creator of America’s No. 1 soap opera, took a chance on a young and very green actor,” Hasselhoff said in a statement given exclusively to EW.com. “Playing Snapper in 850 shows during the six years I appeared molded my craft, my attitude and my work ethic. Being asked to come back to appear in several episodes gives me a chance to say thanks, as I have an amazing amount of respect and heartfelt emotion for Bill, his family and my time on YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. I just hope I can remember all those lines.”

It seems likely that Hasselhoff will address his return to RESTLESS in his upcoming reality show for A&E, but CBS could not confirm.

Hasselhoff won’t be the only Foster family member to stage a surprise homecoming: Veteran TV actor Wings Hauser will also reprise his role as Snapper’s brother Greg, and Julianna McCarthy will pick up where she left off in 2008 as matriarch Liz Foster Brooks. She is the mother of Jill Foster Abbott, who is currently played by the Emmy-winning Jess Walton (who didn’t start playing the character until 1987 so there will be no vintage shots of the Foster family). While in Genoa City, Hasselhoff’s Snapper married Chris Brooks and had an affair with Sally McGuire, who bore his son Chuckie. On the wedding day of Snapper’s mother and Chris’s father, they presented the couple with new granddaughter Jennifer Elizabeth Foster. Snapper supposedly left Wisconsin in 1982 to accept a three-month fellowship in London to teach; he ended up staying there.

Who could ever forget when David Kimble went to the plastic surgeon while on the run and tried to make himself look like David Hasselhoff (this was after The Hoff made it big on KNIGHT RIDER). Instead the plastic surgeon carved KILLER into his forehead.

If Nikki could share some scenes with ex-husband Greg that would be much appreciated.

5 comments:

  1. Now this is GREAT stunt casting!!

    I hope MAB doesn't screw this up like Phillip's return.

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  2. I'm praying they fix the Jill rewrite. If Snapper and Greg aren't Fosters either I will have my evil plastic surgery lookalike storm the set!

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  3. Testablog, you are right, this is great and logical stunt casting.

    Roger, how do we know it isn't your "my evil plastic surgery lookalike" writing that comment? Is the tip-off going to be the smeared red lipstick or the quick hospital dye job?

    Seriously if Emily is out of Patty's reach, aren't her dyed roots showing yet?

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  4. Roger,

    I'd like to think that Liz would know if a baby didn't come from her own uterus, but this is The Young and the Passion-less, so retcon a retcon!

    LOL

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  5. Eh, it's just *OK* stunt casting. I certainly would have preferred to have William Gray Espy and James Houghton return again with Juliana McCarthy to participate in a Jill story arc. (Those original actors returned for a handful of episodes a few years back when Snapper, Greg, and Liz confirmed that Jill was indeed adopted--but they still loved and supported her, etc.)

    It was a terrible story choice to make Jill NOT a Foster (couldn't they have had Jill and Katherine saying what they've basically been saying for several months now: "we may not be blood, but we are connected and share a bond"?!), but I can't imagine how they can re-retcon Jill so she's a Foster again: "We figured you wanted to be Kay's daughter so much, we'd let you believe you were..." That is the only vaguely plausible way, but it's still weak and hurtful of the characters to have done considering how close the characters were as a family (and Jill and Liz as mother-daughter) until all but Jill were written out of the show.

    It's funny, I stopped watching Y&R a week ago because I finally realized how sick and tired I'd become of watching this once terrific show turn into a polished turd--and here I am caring about future casting! I'm not even going to be watching when Hasselhoff, Hauser, and McCarthy come back this summer!

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