Jill Farren Phelps, whose name has been synonymous with a multitude of daytime soap operas since 1984, including “Santa Barbara,” Guiding Light,” “Another World,” “One Life to Live” and “General Hospital,” among others, has returned to the genre as a producer at “The Young and the Restless,” Soap Opera Network can confirm.
Back at the show’s studio for several months, sources initially indicated that Phelps had returned in a non-producing capacity after previously serving as the show’s executive producer from 2012-2016. However, following the news of Elizabeth Hendrickson directing at the drama series, with the actress sharing a list of names she wanted to thank for helping her throughout the process, including current executive producer and head writer Josh Griffith, who she said, “greenlit my goals from the start,” Hendrickson also included Phelps’ name among those thank yous.
Sources have subsequently confirmed Phelps’ return to the soap as a producer.
Receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in directing from Carnegie Mellon University, Phelps began her career in daytime television in 1974 as a production assistant at CBS’ “Guiding Light.” After three years in New York, she took her chance in Hollywood in 1977 to become a music director/supervisor at “General Hospital,” a position she held until 1984, when a similar opportunity arose at “Santa Barbara.” During her time at the NBC drama series, she held various positions, including producer, supervising producer, and eventually executive producer.
Taking her experience at the two Los Angeles County-based soap operas, Phelps returned to New York to become executive producer of “Guiding Light,” the daytime soap that began her career in television. She would go on to executive produce sister soap “Another World,” before ultimately landing back at ABC, this time as executive producer of “One Life to Live.” Successfully increasing the show’s ratings, particularly in the key Women 18-49 sales demographic where it consistently rivaled the network’s flagship soap “General Hospital,” Phelps was soon promoted at the network to become executive producer of said flagship.
During her time in Port Charles, Phelps helped successfully launch spinoff series “General Hospital: Night Shift” for SOAPnet, the now defunct cable network dedicated to same day episodes of current daytime dramas at night.
Following her exit from “General Hospital” in 2012, Phelps executive produced “Hollywood Heights,” a primetime drama for Teen Nick centering on a group of teens and young adults.
Several familiar names starred in the series including Melissa Ordway (“The Young and the Restless”), Brittany Underwood (“One Life to Live”), the late Cody Longo (“Days of our Lives”), Robert Adamson (“The Young and the Restless”), Hunter King (“The Young and the Restless”), Grayson McCouch (“As The World Turns”) and Tina Huang (“Days of our Lives”), among others.
Josh Griffith, who currently serves as executive producer and head writer of “The Young and the Restless,” worked alongside Phelps at “Hollywood Heights” as the show’s head writer. The series was produced by Sony Pictures Television, which announced in July 2012 that the duo would continue in those roles, but this time at the long-running daytime drama series, replacing Maria Arena Bell.
Throughout her career, Phelps received 14 Daytime Emmy Award nominations, including 11 wins. Five wins came from her work at “General Hospital,” with three others from “The Young and the Restless.”
