Aug 9, 2026 · 2 hr 31 min · 13 segments
A deluxe edition of **The Sprina Sessions** is live! 🎙️✨ Join Keila and Jasmine as they dive into all things *Beyond The Gates* and Trina Robinson on *General Hospital*. **The Rundown Includes:**…
But yeah, the last few weeks, I've really sat back and just observed the shows as a fan and a critic, and I will say the summer has been very dull for both shows.
And that might be applicable for all the soaps, to be honest with you, because the big issue is storylines stalling out, dragging out, repeating itself over and over and over again, and just wondering to ourselves, is there ever really a resolution to any of these stories that we're seeing on screen? And that applies to "GH" and "BTG" and all the soaps that we don't cover on a regular basis.
I think there's a dissatisfaction amongst fans about what we're not getting from these shows, that we're being underserved right now, and that reflects in the ratings, as we'll get to in just a moment.
But in a shift, in a possible positive direction for "The Young and the Restless," a show that we seldom talk about on the sessions, just a few weeks ago, the announcement came that the show has new head writers, and one is notable because currently they're writing as a breakdown writer for "Beyond the Gates." Jamie Giddens has been assigned as co-head writer of "The Young and the Restless" alongside former "GH" co-head writer Dan O'Connor, and their work will start to reflect on screen in the fall of 2026.
This is the first co-writer gig helmed by a Black man in soaps, which is incredible and sad a little bit to say it took this long for us to have the representation in that role.
Yes, congratulations to Jamie Giddens for that because that is quite an accomplishment.
But, you know, as you said, it's like why is that always the case with us when it comes to like, you know, it being something that takes this long to get to? And it's gonna be interesting to see like the way that he and Dan, well, you know, Dan O'Connor work with each other, like the way that they mesh together as a team.
And, and, and also it's gonna be-- The other thing too that's g- I'm gon- I, I find interesting about it is that we'll be y- 'cause we've, we've had, we've had him-- 'cause I'm, I wasn't really familiar with Jamie Giddens honestly until, um, until "Beyond the Gates." I'm sure, you know, I've, you know, seen him, like been, h- seen his work in other, you know, soaps and stuff in the past that I just was like watching here and there.
But, um, I think it's gonna be funny, you know, to see it because it's like Jam- we, we, you know, we're all familiar with Jamie from "Beyond the Gates." And then of course, like I said, I'm sure, you know, I know that there's people from, familiar with him from previous soap operas besides "Beyond the Gates." And then Dan, we are very familiar with him from "General Hospital." So it's gonna be w- it's gonna be neat to like watch those dynamics unfold, and it also will be kind of one of those things for us where we as viewers will-- It'll, it'll kinda give us that, um, that weird way of being like, "Hmm," like maybe, you know, like you could say like maybe it, maybe Dan wasn't the problem on "General Hospital." Like, you know, obviously I'm not saying that he is a problem, but like it's gonna be interesting to see like what, what they deliver.
Like I'm gonna be, I'm, I'm gonna be like really locked in to see like what their storylines look like with the two of them working together.
I think it'll be an interesting dynamic and it's gonna create some, it's, it's gonna create some competition 'cause imagine that, Chris is gonna be going up against his former co-head writer.
That's gonna be quite the- Some, some interesting stuff there.
Yes.
[laughs]
Mm-hmm
But yeah, the last few weeks, I've really sat back and just observed the shows as a fan and a critic, and I will say the summer has been very dull for both shows.
And that might be applicable for all the soaps, to be honest with you, because the big issue is storylines stalling out, dragging out, repeating itself over and over and over again, and just wondering to ourselves, is there ever really a resolution to any of these stories that we're seeing on screen? And that applies to "GH" and "BTG" and all the soaps that we don't cover on a regular basis.
I think there's a dissatisfaction amongst fans about what we're not getting from these shows, that we're being underserved right now, and that reflects in the ratings, as we'll get to in just a moment.
But in a shift, in a possible positive direction for "The Young and the Restless," a show that we seldom talk about on the sessions, just a few weeks ago, the announcement came that the show has new head writers, and one is notable because currently they're writing as a breakdown writer for "Beyond the Gates." Jamie Giddens has been assigned as co-head writer of "The Young and the Restless" alongside former "GH" co-head writer Dan O'Connor, and their work will start to reflect on screen in the fall of 2026.
This is the first co-writer gig helmed by a Black man in soaps, which is incredible and sad a little bit to say it took this long for us to have the representation in that role.
Yes, congratulations to Jamie Giddens for that because that is quite an accomplishment.
But, you know, as you said, it's like why is that always the case with us when it comes to like, you know, it being something that takes this long to get to? And it's gonna be interesting to see like the way that he and Dan, well, you know, Dan O'Connor work with each other, like the way that they mesh together as a team.
And, and, and also it's gonna be-- The other thing too that's g- I'm gon- I, I find interesting about it is that we'll be y- 'cause we've, we've had, we've had him-- 'cause I'm, I wasn't really familiar with Jamie Giddens honestly until, um, until "Beyond the Gates." I'm sure, you know, I've, you know, seen him, like been, h- seen his work in other, you know, soaps and stuff in the past that I just was like watching here and there.
But, um, I think it's gonna be funny, you know, to see it because it's like Jam- we, we, you know, we're all familiar with Jamie from "Beyond the Gates." And then of course, like I said, I'm sure, you know, I know that there's people from, familiar with him from previous soap operas besides "Beyond the Gates." And then Dan, we are very familiar with him from "General Hospital." So it's gonna be w- it's gonna be neat to like watch those dynamics unfold, and it also will be kind of one of those things for us where we as viewers will-- It'll, it'll kinda give us that, um, that weird way of being like, "Hmm," like maybe, you know, like you could say like maybe it, maybe Dan wasn't the problem on "General Hospital." Like, you know, obviously I'm not saying that he is a problem, but like it's gonna be interesting to see like what, what they deliver.
Like I'm gonna be, I'm, I'm gonna be like really locked in to see like what their storylines look like with the two of them working together.
I think it'll be an interesting dynamic and it's gonna create some, it's, it's gonna create some competition 'cause imagine that, Chris is gonna be going up against his former co-head writer.
That's gonna be quite the- Some, some interesting stuff there.
Yes.
[laughs]
Mm-hmm
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