Y&R Character Returns That Totally Underwhelmed Fans

Published on October 8, 2020. Updated November 23, 2021

When a character leaves a soap, fans can be devastated; however, with the soap opera world being a revolving door, it doesn’t take long for a character to make a big return. Some character returns can be epic, while others can leave fans rolling their eyes. Below are some Young and the Restless (Y&R) character returns that totally underwhelmed fans.

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12. Chloe Mitchell

Perhaps Chloe’s return was less explosive in 2019 because Y&R fans knew she was really alive all along. She and Kevin exited the soap in 2017, with Fisher returning with Bella now and again. So, when Mitchell came back to Genoa City there was a bit of drama and tension between her, Adam, and Chelsea, but within mere episodes, she and Lawson were back to being besties, and Mitchell became a guest star in the Adam and Chelsea show.

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11. J.T. Hellstrom

The J.T. murder “cover-up” was a pretty interesting storyline from 2018 to 2019. Was he alive? Wasn’t he? Were the ladies going to come forward? Who was going to be the first to crack? Turned out, it was Phyllis, and then when Hellstrom ended up alive, returning to the little town in 2019, everyone (including fans) was taken aback. He kidnapped the ladies on their way to prison, was exposed for having mental health issues, and his domestic abuse turned out to be one big misunderstanding! Of course it was! It’s the land of soaps! But after a hiatus of about a year, J.T. came back (to finish off the storyline), and then skipped town again within a blink of an eye. Then the entire thing was simply swept under the rug. After what all these women went through, it just seems odd that they all moved on so quickly! Including J.T.!

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10. Colin Atkinson

When Colin arrived in Genoa City in 2010, he burst on the scene with an explosive storyline. Over the years fans have come to learn that if there’s money involved, Colin is ready to scoop into his old bag of tricks around scheming and plotting. He screws up constantly with Jill; however, there is an endearing quality about Atkinson that makes whatever he does forgivable to both fans and Jill alike. While he is on recurring status with Y&R, his return in 2019 was lacklustre. It was no fault of actor Tristan Rogers, but Colin wasn’t really given a good quality storyline. Instead, he played a side role when it came to son Cane’s affair/pregnancy storyline.

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9. Jill Fenmore

Jill is a character on the show and has seen and done it all in the land of Genoa City. Her return to the Y&R to celebrate the soap’s 45th Anniversary in March 2018 didn’t have much substance, and as of late, Jill’s storylines have centered helping out her son Billy when he’s in deep trouble. With that said, anytime Jill is on screen, she sparkles. Most fans will take her any way they can get her!

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8. Abby Newman

Taking maternity leave in 2018 to have her second baby, Melissa Ordway was off the Y&R for some time, thus Abby flew to Paris in a very dramatic way after the disastrous breakup she had with Scott Grainger. When she returned, she didn’t have much going on in terms of storyline, just the same old/same old in Abby vying for her daddy’s attention in the boardroom.

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7. Scott Grainger

Speaking of Scott, when he returned to Genoa City in 2017, he came back to town with a huge storyline that involved blackmail, a hostage situation, and The Moustache. As some months wore on, Scott’s storyline fizzled, and Y&R fans haven’t seen him since. Here’s hoping his next return isn’t as underwhelming.

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6. Tessa Porter

Tessa Porter exploded on the Genoa City scene in 2017, and had some incredible storylines that included an interesting love triangle between boyfriend at the time Noah Newman and BFF (his sister) Mariah, as well as a human trafficking story, and an interesting angle around stealing Mariah’s journal. Sadly, Tessa took some time off-screen, and when she returned, it took a very long while for her to get into the groove and finally embark on a romance with Mariah. Many fans wondered if the storyline had been dropped. Thankfully, it didn’t, but the fact that the writers sat on it for a while did leave many confused.

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5. Phillip Chancellor III

When Phillip Chancellor III returned in 2009, exposing Cane and their plot to cover up his demise, Y&R fans were stunned. If the fact that he was alive wasn’t enough, exposing he had been homosexual all along was another reveal for audiences as well. Despite all this, Phillip’s stay in Genoa City didn’t last too long, and it was clear that him coming back from the grave had more to do with Cane and Lily, as well as Jill and Kay, than really bringing Phillip back.

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4. Mackenzie Hellstrom

Mackenzie returned during the Y&R 45th Anniversary episodes in 2018 and many fans have been anxiously awaiting more screen time for this character. The storyline around J.T.’s murder and cover-up had been intense; however, Mac’s role in the entire thing wasn’t overly amazing. She’s basically played a side role, making her return less than incredible.

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3. Billy Abbott

Billy Abbott had a brief hiatus in 2014 as actor Billy Miller stepped out of the role and former (teenaged) Billy, played by actor David Tom, stepped in. Tom’s reprisal of the part was hyped up quite up a bit; however, when he finally began playing Billy Abbott again, he didn’t quite live up to the expectations in the long run. After mere months, Tom was replaced by Burgess Jenkins, who was eventually replaced by today’s current Billy Abbott, Jason Thompson.

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2. Ronan Malloy

Ronan Malloy was an interesting character on the Y&R, appearing onscreen from 2010 to 2012. Nina Webster placed the baby boy on the black market for adoption and when it was revealed who he really was, the storyline made for an interesting one. Ronan would take a brief hiatus in 2012, and return later on in the year, only placed in storylines that needed him because of his role as a cop. Ronan eventually disappeared from the Y&R, which was quite underwhelming to fans.

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1. Gloria Bardwell

Gloria Bardwell had an incredible return in late 2017 where the character dived back into storylines in and around the holiday season. She began mixing it up with her family, and in a unique twist, she also had a brief affair with nemesis Jack Abbott. Sadly though, things fizzled in Gloria’s world, and she was simply dropped from storylines. Here’s hoping this doesn’t happen again. Gloria is a dynamic character that adds both drama and humor to any storyline!