Steve Burton Jumps To Y&R....

Last week news broke that Steve Burton has signed with the Young and the Restless and will play Victor's 'partner', according to a tweet by Nancy Lee Grahn.

It has been a little over 2 months since we last saw Steve grace our screens, and when it was announced in late August the popular actor planned to leave, fans were reeling. Initially the actor stated he wanted to move from Los Angeles to Nashville to raise his young family in a rural setting vs. big city.

Upon learning Steve is making the jump to the long-running CBS daytime drama, fans took to twitter in a frenzy, with some feeling it to be a betrayal. Others blame the new regime at General Hospital, Executive Producer Frank Valentini and Head Writer Ron Carlivati, for Steve's decision to leave after 21 years on GH.  I completely disagree with that statement.

As some fans know from Steve's events, he was very vocal about his disdain for the direction of his character over the past several years. In the last couple of years the previous regime continued to desecrate not only Steve's character, but also Maurice Benard's, and fans were screaming to bring back the real Jason Morgan/Sonny Corinthos. 

In my opinion, recent storylines really played a part in Steve's decision. While the buzz that film star James Franco joined the cast as a special guest in 2009 was exciting for fans, the story though initially intriguing, had taken a dark turn by September 2011. Franco sexually assaulted Sam as a helpless Jason watched...on their honeymoon! This was completely opposite what the character was supposed to be and it really did not sit well with fans. Next up- who's child is Sam carrying? Franco's or Jason's? DNA switches, Jason's refusal to accept the baby...seriously? Of course who could forget the tragic storyline of his son Jake's death? It was taxing on the entire cast and fans were in an uproar over that storyline. Then, if some recall this time last year they planned to make Jason the hooker stalker/killer, happening during "blackouts" due to his brain injury.  I've learned that behind the scenes Steve was very upset by this. During a fan event he stated he didn't even recognize his character any more. One of the things Cartini did immediately was drop that storyline, as well as clean up several others in preparation of resetting the show.


On the social media circuit I was dismayed to see fan wars again flare up between Jasam (Jason and Sam) and Liason groups (Liz and Jason).  Most are touting the integration of 3 contract One Life To Live characters added to the GH roster as the reason for Steve's decision.  I disagree with this as well.

Cartini has successfully brought back several popular GH veterans with main storylines focusing on the shows' 50 year history. Our favorite villains have returned effectively bringing past storylines fans loved to the forefront. I could understand the upset if the integrated characters were taking over or if the storylines were all about OLTL, but they're not! Nor have they been! Frank and Ron have turned a show around that was truly on the brink of cancellation, in less than a year and instead of enjoying what we are seeing fans continue to find fault.

Another topic of conversation on the net is how Steve was brought to Y&R. Some believe it was at the expense of other favorites, let go by Jill Farren Phelps. 

Obviously when it was announced Jill Farren Phelps was taking over as Executive Producer for the Young and the Restless I was a bit surprised.  Upon taking the reigns several changes were made immediately.  History repeated itself as voices of fans reached a fevered pitch learning their favorite Cristal Kahlil had been fired.  They rose up and rallied to get her rehired...which they did! Another upset was seeing veterans Genie Francis and Stephen Nichols unceremoniously fired, as well as key staff, which some say was in preparation to bring in Steve Burton.

While this could be true, please remember...THIS IS A BUSINESS!!!  Everyone that is associated with soaps behind the scenes knows this. Things happen and we have to roll with the punches. Soaps are very different in that they continually revamp over the years, as people come and go, the industry changes.  Personally I think it's a smart move by CBS and Sony Pictures since ratings for the Young and the Restless have plummeted. They know Steve has a HUGE fan base and want to capitalize on that.

Ultimately I feel it was time for Steve to make a change and as his fan, I am very happy for him. All of us on RHeart wish him the best of luck in the New Year and we look forward to seeing him on our screens again. Though we miss him on GH, he will never be forgotten! Thanks for the memories, we love you Steve...

*If you missed our Steve Burton tribute, check it out. He did tweet out he listened and enjoyed it! 

♥RHeart's Steve Burton Tribute♥

 

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*RHeart has been doing a special tribute series to honor General Hospital's 50th Anniversary. We've had amazing special guests, so check them out!

Salute to GH 50^th Anniversary Kick Off Party

Special Guests: Ian Buchanan, Emma Samms, Sandy Missioni

Salute to Villains

Special Guest: Constance Towers (aka) Helena Cassadine

Salute to Spencer's

Special Guest: Jackie Zeman

Salute to Nurses’ Ball

Special Guest Lynn Herring

 

*Our next tribute*

 Salute to Quartermaine's, Jan. 16 at 10pm(ET)

Special Guest: Leslie Charleson

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