On Thursday, December 19, “The Young and the Restless'” Billy Miller said goodbye to his character Billy Abbott for the last time as the actor filmed his final scenes on the daytime drama series, which is set to air on Thursday, January 30, 2014 – the first day of the all important February sweeps ratings period. In a newly released interview with Soap Opera Digest, Miller reveals why he left the daytime soap and the role that won him not one, but two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

Set to the tune “Too Darn Hot (RAC Mix)” by Ella Fitzgerald, OWN has released a new teaser trailer for season 2 of “Tyler Parry’s The Haves and the Have Nots,” starring former “One Life to Live” actress Tika Sumpter (ex-Layla Williamson). Set to premiere Tuesday, January 7, 2014, the addictive primetime soap opera brings viewers back to Savannah, Georgia and the complicated dynamics between the rich and powerful Cryer family and the friends and enemies they surround themselves by. The series also stars John Schneider, Renee Lawless, Crystal Fox, Eva Tamargo (ex-Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald, “Passions”), Angela Robinson, Peter Parros (ex-Ben Harris, “As The World Turns”; ex-Ben Price, “One Life to Live”), Gavin Houston (ex-Remy Boudreau, “Guiding Light”; ex-Sly Thomas, “General Hospital”), Aaron O’Connell, Tyler Lepley and Jaclyn Betham.

With just 10 days to go before it goes dark for good, one piece of several puzzles surrounding the end of SOAPnet was where some of the shows currently airing on the cable network would land once it said goodbye. In a press release, Pivot announced earlier this week that it has landed the rebroadcast airing rights to “Veronica Mars,” which joined the SOAPnet lineup in March 2012. In announcing its agreement with Warner Bros. Television, producers of the series, the network also announced that it has picked up rerun rights to “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” which starred former “All My Children” actress Sarah Michelle Gellar (ex-Kendall Hart), as well. “Mars” starred Kristen Bell in the title role.

“The Bold and the Beautiful’s” Kristolyn Lloyd has packed up and left Los Angeles for a move to the east coast -New York and Boston to be exact. The actress, who remains a recurring cast member on the CBS Daytime drama series with her role Dayzee Leigh, announced earlier this week that she was headed to the Big Apple for new adventures. “Goodbye Los Angeles! I’ll miss your warm summer days in the Winter and your beautiful city lights! Let’s not be strangers…,” tweeted the Lloyd before her flight departed La-La Land.

Ryan Carnes is returning to “General Hospital” as Lucas Jones and now we have an airdate for when fans can expect to see him back in Port Charles.

“General Hospital” head writer Ron Carlivati tweeted about a newcomer hitting Port Charles and now Soap Opera Network has the details! Per a rep for the show, actor/model Ryan Paevey is joining the cast of the soap in the contract role of Nathan West, a detective working for the Port Charles Police Department.

Although it had long been rumored, Disney/ABC Domestic Television made it official today that it has canceled “Katie,” the daytime talker hosted by Katie Couric. “While production will continue on ‘Katie’ through June 2014, we’ve mutually agreed that there will not be a third season of the show,” the company and Couric’s team said in a joint statement. “We’re very proud of everyone’s contributions to making ‘Katie’ the #1 new syndicated talk show of 2012-2013, and we look forward to the rest of the season.”

Hartley Sawyer will soon be departing “The Young and the Restless,” a CBS representative confirms to Soap Opera Network. First reported by Daytime Confidential, we’re told that Sawyer is currently wrapping up his run as Kyle Abbott, the son of Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman).

“As The World Turns” alum Jesse Lee Soffer (ex-Will Munson) is sure making a name for himself outside of daytime television. As previously reported, the actor is starring in NBC’s newest police procedural, “Chicago P.D.,” which is scheduled to premiere on Wednesday, January 8, 2014 at 10:00 PM ET/PT. The series follows a group of men and women of the Chicago Police Department’s elite Intelligence Unit, combatting the city’s most heinous offenses – organized crime, drug trafficking, high profile murders and beyond. Leading the cast is Jason Beghe as Detective Sgt. Hank Voight, who is at ground zero of the war on crime in Chicago.

TVGN is proving why it’s now the “the new way to watch soaps.” With the network already picking up encore airing rights to “The Young and the Restless” this past summer, and “The Bold and the Beautiful” earlier this month, the network plans to provide soap fans with even more “soap” for their viewing pleasure courtesy of the new documentary, “Who Shot the Daytime Soap?” Airing Monday, December 16 at 8:00 PM ET/PT, preceded by airings of “B&B” at 6:30 PM ET/PT and “Y&R” at 7:00 PM ET/PT, the documentary tackles the history of daytime soap operas as told by those who were there during the good times, the bad times and the new times.