It’s been almost eight months since “The Young and the Restless’” Adam Newman was declared dead following a horrific showdown and subsequent car crash with Billy Abbott. And since most of the town believed he’d perished in the fiery accident, they’ll be getting quite a shock when the very-much-alive CEO — now played by former “Passions” star Justin Hartley — makes a surprise return to Genoa City, which Soap Opera Network has exclusively learned will take place on Wednesday, November 5!

In late January, MTV gave a series order to its pilot “Finding Carter,” which follows a teenage girl named Carter (Kathryn Prescott) who discovers that the woman who has been raising her isn’t actually her mother at all. With the pick up, actress Cynthia Watros was forced to vacate the role of “The Young and the Restless'” Kelly Andrews, a role currently portrayed by Cady McClain (ex-Dixie Martin, “All My Children”), as the filming schedule would have conflicted with that of the CBS daytime drama series – “Carter” films in Georgia while “Y&R” films in California. Thankfully, Watros’ decision has paid off. The network announced today that it has picked up the series for a second season that will consist of 12 all-new episodes like it did during its first season. In the series, Watros portrays Carter’s biological mother who seeks to reacquaint herself with her daughter.

There’s no doubt that the Daytime Emmy Awards play a large part of the daytime industry, but just how prevalent is the golden statue when it comes to the every day work lives of the people who make up the genre? Soap Opera Network spoke with performers, writers, producers and more to get their take on how often and how much the Emmys impact their work lives. Does the event and its promised accolades inspire them to work harder? Do they keep the Emmys in mind when filming, writing and performing scenes? And are the Emmy awards really necessary for the industry? There are varying opinions, so read on to find out what some of the genre’s heavy hitters had to say!

Forget about the sun, BBQ flames and bikini-clad bodies: The one thing that will be heating up the most this summer is CBS’ “The Young and the Restless.” From shocking secrets, babydaddy drama, rip-roaring returns and more, the CBS sudser is pulling out all of the stops in the weeks to come — and Soap Opera Network spoke with several cast members to get the exciting scoop!

When word had it that Cameron Mathison (ex-Ryan Lavery, “All My Children”) had been spotted on the set of CBS’ “The Young and the Restless” in late April, the rumor mill immediately lit up with speculation that the actor had secretly met with show producers and had signed on to portray the contract role of Adam Newman (previously portrayed by Michael Muhney). Earlier today, Mathison took to Twitter to clear up said rumors while visiting Israel for a friend’s wedding.

In an interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” which aired this weekend in its entirety and was conducted by her former “All My Children” co-star Cameron Mathison (ex-Ryan Lavery), actress Cady McClain (Kelly Andrews, “The Young and the Restless”; ex-Dixie Martin, “AMC”) talks about her new book, “Murdering My Youth: A Memoir,” where she reveals that her parents used her for financial gain, how her years of sexual abuse at the hands of her father nearly led her down an emotional breaking point after filming love scenes at “AMC,” and how her marriage to “General Hospital’s” Jon Lindstrom (Kevin Collins) has helped her grow.

Recently ousted from CBS’ “The Young and the Restless” after just five months back on the job, David Tom (Billy Abbott) reveals in an exclusive interview with CBS Soaps In Depth the reason he was let go from the drama series and whether or not he’d be willing to give daytime another shot.

It is with great sadness to report that “All My Children’s” Matthew Cowles (Billy Clyde Tuggle) has died. The actor, who was married to actress Christine Baranski (“The Good Wife) for more than 30 years, passed away on Thursday, May 22 at the age of 69. He is survived by his wife and their two daughters, Isabel and Lily.

Fans hoping to see Michelle Stafford make a grand return to “The Young as the Restless” as Phyllis have a bitter pill to swallow: With the actress now on contract as “General Hospital’s” Nina, it seems the CBS sudser she formerly called home has decided to move on!

“The Young and the Restless” fans have gotten to know quite a bit about Sean Carrigan’s Dr. Ben “Stitch” Rayburn since the actor joined the show nearly a year ago, but when Soap Opera Network recently caught up with the Virginia native, he revealed that there’s much more — and we mean much more — to Stitch than meets the eye. Read on for details about the shocking secret the doc has been hiding from Victoria (Amelia Heinle) and what it’s been like for Carrigan to work with Genoa City’s patriarch, Eric Braeden (Victor Newman)!

Last week, Soap Opera Network featured an exciting interview with “The Young and the Restless’” Cady McClain (Kelly Andrews), but the actress had MUCH more to say regarding her new CBS soap role — as well as a slew of other topics, including the tragic second ending of “All My Children,” where she played Dixie Cooney for over 25 years. Read on to get additional scoop on a variety of subjects from “Y&R’s” newest star!

During “The Young and the Restless’” recent 41st anniversary celebration, Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott) told Soap Opera Network that he’s one of the luckiest men in daytime. And if you look at his embarrassment of riches — an impressive 33 year career in soaps, numerous Emmy nominations and wins, exciting storylines, and talented co-stars — it’s easy to see what he means. But lately, he’s been feeling exceptionally blessed. Read on to find out why!

“The Young and the Restless” viewers were recenlty hit with a one-two punch regarding the role of Kelly Andrews: Current portrayer Cynthia Watros was officially announced as stepping out of the role in order to take part in MTV’s new series “Finding Carter,” while Emmy winner Cady McClain (Dixie, “All My Children;” Roseanna, “As the World Turns”) was announced to be stepping into the role of the grieving mother! Soap Opera Network took part in McClain’s very first “Y&R” press conference, and the actress dished on how she landed the exciting role, how she feels about replacing Watros, working with her former Pine Valley co-stars in Genoa City and her experience saying goodbye to “AMC” and Dixie once and for all. Read on for the scoop!

Oh, snap! Former “All My Children” actress Jill Larson (ex-Opal Cortlandt) is set to appear on “The Young and the Restless” next week during the sudser’s major fashion show crossover storyline with “The Bold and the Beautiful,” and it seems her alter ego will be quite the force to be reckoned with! Soap Opera Network caught up with the actress to get the details on her exciting guest-starring role, so read on to find out how she’ll impact some of Genoa City’s most popular characters!

If you’re one of the fans impatiently waiting for Cady McClain (ex-Dixie Cooney, “All My Children”) to make her debut as “The Young and the Restless’” Kelly Andrews on Wednesday, April 16, then you’ll be happy to know that the actress has shared some fun behind-the-scenes info on her new gig!

There’s been some behind the scenes buzz that perhaps Jon Lindstrom (Kevin Collins, “General Hospital”) and Cady McClain (Kelly Andrews, “The Young and the Restless;” Dixie, “All My Children”) recently had a secret wedding ceremony, but it’s a mere rumor no longer: Lindstrom has revealed that McClain is in fact his brand new wife!

Earlier tonight, Watros confirmed our suspicions by tweeting to her fans that she will indeed be leaving the CBS soap. But CBS wasted no time in recasting the role – an hour later Senior Vice President of CBS Daytime Angelica McDaniel announced that former “All My Children” veteran Cady McClain (ex-Dixie Martin) will be replacing her!

Had ABC not canceled “All My Children” back in 2011, and Prospect Park didn’t decide to cancel it again in 2013, Agnes Nixon’s “All My Children” would have celebrated its 44th anniversary today. Susan Lucci, who portrayed matriarch Erica Kane on the soap, was the only original cast member from the first season of “AMC” that had remained with the show without interruption since its debut on January 5, 1970 through its final ABC broadcast on September 23, 2011.

Former “All My Children” star Cady McClain (ex-Dixie Cooney) announced recently that her short film, “Flip Fantasia,” has been accepted into the 9th Annual Macon Film Festival, which will be held from February 27 – March 2, 2014 and will take place at the Cox Capitol Theatre, The Douglass Theatre and The 567 Center for Renewal in downtown Macon, GA. Describing the film she wrote, produced and directed on her website, McClain says, “I made this as a labor of love right out of my heart.” She adds, “It’s a love song to NYC, to my wild youth, to crazy people I have known that changed my life, to being raw, to innocence, to friendship, to true hearts, to broken hearts, and to the pain of having to deal with the hardest parts of life when you are very, very young… as I did.”

You’ve already heard from Debbi Morgan and Cady McClain, but what about the other stars of “All My Children” who’ve recently learned that Prospect Park will not be forging ahead with a second season of the supposed “anytime” soap opera. Putting together all the tweets (at the time of this posting), Soap Opera Network has compiled a list of what some of the actors are saying about the demise of “AMC” 2.0 on social media.