Jill Farren Phelps is an Americantelevision producer. She is known for her work with Americansoap operas, having served as executive producer ofSanta Barbara,Another World,Guiding Light,One Life to Live,General Hospital, andThe Young and the Restless.

Jill Farren was born inNew York City and earned aBFA in directing fromCarnegie Mellon University inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania.^[1] She became a stage manager atMcCarter Theater inPrinceton, New Jersey before becoming a production assistant for various New York stage productions.^[1]

She began her television career in 1974 withGuiding Light as a production assistant. From 1977 to 1984, she served as anEmmy Award-winning music director on theABC Daytime dramaGeneral Hospital. In 1984 she joinedSanta Barbara where she ultimately rose to the position of executive producer.^[2] She has since worked as an executive producer at all three major U.S. television networks producing six daytime dramas, as well as two prime-time dramas on cable television.^[2]

Phelps has been theexecutive producer of six American television daytime dramas, a record in the soap industry, includingSanta Barbara (1987–1991),Guiding Light (1991–1995),Another World (1995–1996; resigned August 4, 1996),One Life to Live (1997–2001),General Hospital (January 2001–January 2012), and as of now,The Young and the Restless (October 2012–July 2016).^[2][3]

Additionally, she has served as executive producer of two prime time cable dramas, the first season ofSOAPnet's prime timeGeneral Hospital spin-offGeneral Hospital: Night Shift (2007) andNick at Nite'sHollywood Heights (2012).^[2] Phelps broke into the daytime television industry as a production assistant onGuiding Light. She served as a music director onGeneral Hospital^[4] and later onSanta Barbara before she started producing. During Phelps' time atSanta Barbara, the show won three consecutiveDaytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series (1988 - 1990). She scored four more Emmy victories in the same category while serving as executive producer atGeneral Hospital (2005, 2006, 2008, and 2012).^{[citation needed]}

On December 1, 2011, it was announced that Phelps' run in the television industry was coming to end, and that she would be replaced asGeneral Hospital's executive producer by formerOne Life to Live executive producerFrank Valentini.^[5][6] In January 2012, Phelps accepted a position as executive producer ofHollywood Heights, a night-time soap opera airing onNick at Nite.^[2] On July 26, 2012,Sony Pictures Television, which producedHollywood Heights, announced Phelps had been named executive producer ofThe Young and the Restless.^[7] Phelps was dismissed in June 2016, following the appointment of British television producer,Mal Young.^[3]

In 1984, Phelps was hired as a music director after previously working in a similar capacity atGeneral Hospital. She rose through the ranks, and was later promoted to producer. In 1987, when executive producerMary-Ellis Bunim was let go,NBC Daytime named Phelps executive producer.^[2] Under Phelps' leadership, the show saw a moderate increase in the ratings and won three consecutive Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series in 1988, 1989, and 1990.^[1]

After Robert Calhoun leftGuiding Light, Phelps, who had recently departedSanta Barbara, took over as executive producer in 1991.^[2][1]

While Phelps was executive producer atAnother World, the creation of an updated opening sequence and refreshed sets, along with casting and other changes, were credited with ratings improving in the key demographic of women 18–49 by 34%.^[8]

After Phelps resigned as executive producer ofAnother World, ABC Daytime hired her to be the executive producer ofOne Life to Live in 1997.^[2]

Phelps was named executive producer ofGeneral Hospital in 2001.^[2] During her tenure there, the show won four Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series (2005, 2006, 2008, and 2012).

One highlight of Phelps' time atGeneral Hospital was the addition of television and screen actorJames Franco to the cast. Franco has portrayed the mysterious Robert "Franco" Frank intermittently since 2009.^[9]

Phelps was replaced by formerOne Life to Live executive producer Frank Valentini in January 2012.^[5] The future of the show Phelps led for over a decade has been uncertain due to poor ratings, butGH was renewed in April, 2012 for another year.^[10]

In 2007, Phelps served as the executive producer for the first season of SOAPnet's prime timeGeneral Hospital spin-offGeneral Hospital: Night Shift.^[2]

In January 2012, Phelps was hired as executive producer ofHollywood Heights, a soap opera for Nick at Nite.^[2] The 80-episode limited series, which premiered on June 18, revolves around Loren (Brittany Underwood), a teen whose life is transformed after becoming a music star. Phelps shared producing duties with Hisham Abed and the show's head writer, fellow daytime drama veteranJosh Griffith, and she is working with several former daytime television actors on the show, most notably recurringGeneral Hospital cast memberJames Franco (ex-Franco).^[2][11]

In July 2012, following the firing of executive producer and head writerMaria Arena Bell and co-head writerScott Hamner, Sony Pictures Television appointed Phelps executive producer ofThe Young and the Restless, alongside the show's former head writer Josh Griffith.^[7] She was let go from the show in June 2016.^[12][13][14]

Phelps returned toThe Young and the Restless as a producer in August 2025.^[15][16][17]

In 2003, Phelps did not renew the contract of nonagenarian veteran screen and television actressAnna Lee, who had portrayed matriarchLila Quartermaine onGeneral Hospital for a quarter of a century. According to fellow cast memberLeslie Charleson, Lee had been promised the role for life by former executive producer Wendy Riche. Charleson said in 2007, "The woman was in her 90s ... they fired her, and it broke her heart. It was not necessary."^[18] Lee died ofpneumonia the following year, aged 91.

Among other changes atThe Young and the Restless, Phelps' (and head writerJosh Griffith) revamped some long-running sets. In 2012, the Newman Ranch was destroyed by fire in a storyline, withEntertainment Weekly noting, "Whowon't miss the way-too-compact Newman ranch?" The magazine praised the set's successor, Victor Newman's penthouse, calling it "a welcome step in the right direction".^[19]

However, polled fan reaction was largely negative to the 2016 revamp of the Chancellor mansion set.^[20] Phelps was dismissed in June 2016, following CBS' decision to promoteMal Young to the executive producer position.^[3]

As an executive producer, Phelps has been nominated for fifteenDaytime Emmy Awards and has won nine times (1988–1990, 2005–06, 2008, 2012, 2014–15).

• Jill Farren Phelps atIMDb

• 1950 births
• American women television producers
• Daytime Emmy Award winners
• Living people
• Television producers from New York City
• American soap opera producers
• 21st-century American women

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