Devon Hamilton and Hilary Curtis

Devon and Hilary

Bryton James and Mishael Morgan as Devon and Hilary
The Young and the Restless character
Duration 2013–
Created by Jean Passanante and Shelly Altman[lower-alpha 1]
Introduced by Jill Farren Phelps
Profile
Other names Hevon

Devon Hamilton and Hilary Curtis are fictional characters and a supercouple from the American CBS soap opera, The Young and the Restless.[1][2][3] Devon is portrayed by Bryton James and Hilary is portrayed by Mishael Morgan. Referred to by fans on internet message boards, in magazines and on blogs by the portmanteau "Hevon" the pairing became quite popular in spite of their ill fated affair during Hilary's marriage to Devon's father Neil (Kristoff St. John). Introduced as a teenager in 2004, the character of Devon undergoes very little romantic development. In 2013, Hilary was introduced as the daughter of a woman from Neil's past seeking revenge on Neil, whom she blames for her mother's death. After a failed attempt to destroy the Winters family, Hilary and Devon reconcile and develop feelings for each other, only for her to marry Neil leading to Devon and Hilary's affair.

Development

Creation

According to Mishael Morgan, the producers were initially unsure of Hilary's long term viability and it was Morgan who suggested the pairing with Bryton James's Devon. Morgan said she felt the connection when they shared their first scenes in August 2013, though the show runners had not yet taken notice.[4] Morgan told James she thought their characters would end up together and James didn't see it happening because Devon and Hilary were enemies in the beginning. It wasn't until a producer told him they looked good together that James saw the potential. While Hilary had no problem going after Devon's family, she never directly targeted him and Morgan "played that she didn't want to hurt him." When Devon does actually accuse Hilary of trying to hurt his family, Morgan portrayed Hilary as being "hurt" even though it is true at the time.[5] By year's end, Devon and Hilary have formed a bond and Morgan said Hilary brings excitement to Devon's life.[6] It would be the very first "love story" for the character of Devon.[3] Having recently turned her life around, Devon manages to forgive Hilary for her past transgressions against his family.

Background

Though sharing a love interest with a relative is common practice in the soap opera genre, for the Winters family specifically, it had become a main staple in stories. Starting in the 1990s throughout the 2000s, brothers Neil (Kristoff St. John) and Malcolm Winters (Shemar Moore) were involved in a series of stories in which they fell for the same women. The earliest and most significant is their quadtrangle with sisters Olivia (Tonya Lee Williams) and Drucilla Barber (Victoria Rowell). Malcolm and Dru's affair during her marriage to Neil results in daughter Lily (Christel Khalil) -- raised by Neil. In the early 2000s, Neil has an affair with Malcolm's fiancée Alex Perez (Alexia Robinson). In 2011, Neil seduces Malcolm's (then Darius McCrary) fiancée Sofia Dupre (Julia Pace Mitchell) and gets her pregnant.[7] The trend continues with Devon and Neil when Devon has a one-night stand with Neil's former mistress Tyra (Eva Marcille) -- also Devon's foster aunt. James defends his character's actions reminding viewers that Neil and Tyra's relationship was an extramarital affair.[8] James also took into account Devon's age, romantic inexperience and immaturity at the time of his affair with Tyra and that his character did not make decisions like that often, unlike Neil.[9] James was initially open to the idea of Devon and Neil battling for Hilary's affections, because Devon could now come at Neil as his equal and enjoyed that the triangle put the father-son duo at odds after years of constantly supporting one another.[10]

Friendship and true love

"The way that I looked at it, it was pretty clear there was something going on with them. She seemed to care what Devon thought from the very beginning, without really knowing him too well. And I played that kind of genuinely and I think that they kind of picked up on that and started playing with that a little bit."[4]

Morgan on Hilary's early interaction with Devon

James was initially worried about fan reaction to the affair but both he and Morgan agreed the pairing only worked because Devon and Hilary's attraction had already been established before Hilary got involved with Neil.[5] After Hilary saves the young billionaire from identity theft at the hands of her former accomplice, Mason (Lamon Archey) and defends him against ruthless paparzzi, they end up spending Christmas and New Year's Eve together. Devon also defends Hilary against his sister Lily (Christel Khalil)'s attacks and even gives her a free room upgrade at his hotel, the Genoa City Athletic Club. The effort put into establishing their friendship made the attraction seem like a "natural thing" Morgan explained.[11] Devon can see through Hilary's "vindictive nature" and forgive her and Hilary craves that "unspoken acceptance."[5] Though the relationship seems like "old hat" for the Winters family, the actors and the writers insisted that Devon and Hilary shared undeniable true love. Devon is the kind of guy that Hilary will always be in love with Morgan explained; they have that "having sex on the kitchen floor love!" Hilary's feelings for Devon are a "different kind of love" because he provides the "excitement" and "adventure" that Hilary enjoys.[11] James believed the couple has "true love" and though they're betraying Neil, "it's the classic story -- you can't help who you fall in love with." Devon doesn't intend to hurt Neil, but his connection to Hilary is so strong that it is worth the sacrifice.[8][12] Morgan likened the dynamic to "Romeo and Juliet" and said "[Devon is] the love of her life."[13] James hoped the pairing would take on the original supercouple formula of splitting up and always reuniting but still having undying fan support.[3]

Storylines

The love triangle between Devon, Hilary and Neil Winters (Kristoff St. John) -- Devon's adoptive father -- was very controversial among viewers and was praised by most critics.

Obstacles and triangle with Neil

Devon and Hilary face several obstacles before becoming a couple. According to James, Devon initially has to work up the courage to tell Hilary how he feels and Morgan said they avoid owning their feelings "for whatever reason."[10][14] Devon is very straightforward about his attraction and even asks her on a date twice, with Hilary ultimately saying they should remain friends.[15] When Devon tries to confront Hilary again, he overhears her in bed with someone else—however, he doesn't know it's Neil.[5] Besides the bad "timing,"[16] Devon's jealousy over Hilary's apparent attraction to her boss Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) sends him into the arms of Esmeralda (Briana Nicole Henry). While Esmeralda assumes Devon and Hilary are sleeping together, Hilary doesn't know Devon's fling with Esmeralda is directly related to her kissing Jack. After seeing him with Esmeralda, Hilary assumes any possibility of a future is done.[17] While Devon's new billionaire status makes him seem like the obvious choice, the money scares the reformed Hilary away. It would look suspicious if Hilary chose to pursue Devon after putting him in the "friend zone".[10]

"There are such benefits to both of them! Neil is a man who is established and who is very admirable and has lived so much of his life, and he can teach her so much and help her grow as a person. And then you have Devon. He’s younger, he’s her peer and they can grow together which would be an interesting dynamic too."[18]

Morgan on the differences between Neil and Devon

The most significant obstacle for the couple is Hilary's brief romance and sudden marriage to Neil.[10] Then head writer Jean Passanante described it as a "great big mess, with much story opportunity" because of Hilary's dynamic with each member of the Winters family.[19] Upon discovering Neil and Hilary's affair, Devon is "kicking himself" for not pursuing Hilary hard enough. It would be impossible for Devon not to be affected by Hilary's relationship with Neil.[20] Morgan was surprised because she thought the triangle would involve Mason instead. Furious at the sight of them together, Devon exposes the relationship to Lily and her husband Cane (Daniel Goddard), accusing her of having both "daddy issues" and "mommy issues." Hilary and Neil's romance increases the tension between Devon and Hilary.[4]

Devon pines away as Neil and Hilary take several major steps in their relationship including moving in together and becoming engaged within a matter of weeks—which Devon and Lily are very much against. Lily later encourages the newly single Devon to seduce Hilary but he rejects the idea. Meanwhile, Cane urges Devon to come clean before it's too late and Devon kisses Hilary the night before her wedding to Neil but she rejects him. Hilary is tortured by Devon's admission because she can't deny that she feels the same way and she thinks marrying Neil will do away with her feelings for Devon. However, Hilary reminisces about the kiss as she and Neil are pronounced man and wife on June 25, 2014.[21] Devon wants to stop the wedding—not only because of his and Hilary's mutual feelings—but to avoid hurting Neil in the long run.[22] When a drunken Devon crashes their wedding party, Hilary traps him the elevator hoping to talk some sense into him. However, Hilary is terrified when admits he is in love with her.[23] Unable to ignore his feelings, Devon announces his plans to leave town hoping for a sign that Hilary wants him to stay. However, he is prepared to walk away if she doesn't.[24][24][25] Hilary begs him to stay, and they nearly sleep together. However, Devon is about to leave town again when Neil convinces him to stay. Devon is "torn" between keeping quiet and coming clean—knowing Neil would be hurt by the lies. Devon refuses to tell Neil himself because he feels it is Hilary's place to speak with her husband. Devon gets Hilary to admit her feelings and they share a romantic night when they get stranded on the side of the road after his car breaks down; their bond grows even stronger. "They truly enjoy each other" James said.[26] Meanwhile, Hilary has difficulty being intimate with Neil as Devon tries to move on by dating other women, making Hilary jealous. Devon gives Hilary an ultimatum promising to leave town for good unless she meets him at a bar outside of town. Shelly Altman said Devon and Hilary seem destined to be together. As Hilary confesses her love for Devon and they prepare to tell Neil, an accident leaves Neil blind.[27][28]

The Affair and fallout

Devon and Hilary finally give in and begin sleeping together on September 17, 2014.[11] Throughout the affair, Devon and Hilary are riddled with guilt, even more so when Neil is blind. They both feel obligated to Neil, for their own unique reasons. Hilary stays with Neil because he serves as a constant reminder of her past misdeeds—that reminder keeps her on the straight and narrow.[14] Hilary sticks with Neil out of obligation because the recovering alcoholic fills the void of her late alcoholic mother and abandoning him would feel like abandoning Rose all over again. Also, Neil is the "stable" choice for Hilary who fears Devon might not live up to her expectations.[12] Hilary feels guilty not only for rushing the relationship but also because he is so good to her—she doesn't want to hurt her hero. Once he is blind, Hilary can't abandon Neil when he needs her most.[11] Devon is also afraid to hurt his hero because Neil saved Devon's life by giving him a home. Neil is the first man Devon has ever called father and he doesn't want to crush him.[7][8]

Cane discovers the affair and urges them to end it while Cane's father Colin Atkinson (Tristan Rogers) blackmails Devon for money in exchange for his silence.[29][30] Hilary enlists nerdy accountant by day Gwen Randall (Nadine Nicole) to pose as Devon's girlfriend and Devon ends up sleeping with Gwen when Neil falsely leads him to believe that he and Hilary are trying to have a baby.[31] Neil discovering Hilary's birth control is just a preview of how complicated things can get.[32] However, Devon is prepared to deal with the fallout and is willing to fight to find happiness. Devon and Hilary go to extreme "emotional lengths" to protect each other which solidifies their love.[8] When Devon wants to wait until Neil can adjust to the news of his blindness being permanent, Hilary begins to crack under pressure because she feels "powerless."[33] During a business trip, Neil confronts them and they end up stranded during a blizzard after their plane crashes. The crash mirrors the destruction of the splintered family.[34] Head writer Charles Pratt, Jr. used the crash along with several other disasters as a way to reset the canvas.[35] Pratt also revealed he had gotten the impression that the actors involved felt the material had gotten repetitive so he wanted to progress the story.[36] Hilary's first instinct is to try to make amends and she shockingly claims that she never loved Devon or Neil and started the affair to hurt Neil. Devon and Hilary are forced to team up to help the alcoholic Neil avoid prison when he causes a car accident that kills Paul Williams (Doug Davidson) and Christine Blair (Lauralee Bell)'s unborn child which culminates in Hilary seducing and blackmailing the assistant district attorney.[34][37][38]

Marriage, Hilary's disappearance and amnesia

Entertainment Tonight Canada featured a behind the scenes look at the couple's wedding in 2015 where Morgan defended the marriage by claiming that Hilary "was in love with Devon before she got married to Neil!"[39]

With Neil free, Hilary can't hide her feelings and reveals that she left Devon to give him a chance at salvaging a relationship with his family. They reunite, but not wanting to repeat their past mistakes, they go public with the relationship. Pratt said Hilary and Devon would pursue their love even if it means losing their loved ones.[40] Devon and Hilary become engaged in June 2015 after her divorce, as Neil plots revenge.[41] Neil has Colin drug Devon at his bachelor party and record him going to bed with a hooker. Devon is so distraught that he snaps at Hilary during the wedding planning. Lily forces him to admit what happened and convinces him to keep quiet because he doesn't know what really happened.[42][43] Colin intends to blackmail Devon for money, however, at the last minute, Neil changes his mind and orders Colin to delete the video and gives his blessing as Devon and Hilary wed on August 17, 2015. Devon has plans to come clean himself, but changes his mind at the altar.[44] Neil interrupts the ceremony to give his blessing. Devon and Hilary are finally married and leave on their honeymoon to Virgin Gorda.[45] James said the couple's wedding really "solidifies them."[1] However, Neil follows them and confronts Hilary with the video of Devon going to bed with a prostitute and Hilary doesn't believe it. Though Devon is worried when he doesn't hear from Hilary, he becomes the prime suspect when Hilary goes missing.[45] Devon returns to Genoa City to avoid being arrested and unbeknownst to him and everyone else, Neil followed the couple on their honeymoon. After his failed attempt to turn Hilary against Devon, she runs from him and falls off a cliff forcing Neil to save her. Neil secretly flies Hilary back to the United States where he hires Dr. Simon Neville (Michael E. Knight) to awaken her from a coma. After months of failed attempts to locate Hilary, Devon and Hilary are reunited when she turns up at the hospital but she is suffering from amnesia and believes she is still married to Neil leaving Devon devastated. Devon is furious to learn Neil is behind Hilary's kidnapping and plans to turn him in when Hilary talks him out of it. After Devon walks in on Hilary and Neil sleeping together, he serves her with divorce papers but she suddenly remembers her feelings for Devon and refuses to sign them.

Reconciliation and business dealings

Though hesitant to trust her, Devon and Hilary team up with Neil and Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson) to develop Neville's miracle drug. Meanwhile, Hilary also convinces Devon to donate to Jack and Neil's foundation in support of rehabilitation centers and she also vies for a seat on the board of directors but Devon interferes fearing the trouble she could cause. Hilary's health begins to decline and she collapses in Devon's arms and they learn she is dying. Devon fires Neville and gets another doctor to save his wife. It is later revealed that Hilary bribed a lab technician to falsify reports to rush the drug to market. To avoid a lawsuit, Devon and Hilary settle out of court with the victims of the failed medical trial. In September 2016, Devon buys the GC Buzz and makes plans to shut it down until Hilary convinces him to keep it on the air and just change the way they tell stories. Devon goes a step further and decides to make Hilary lead anchor. Hilary becomes obsessed with keeping viewers happy and spiking ratings which goes against Devon's wishes of telling stories without destroying peoples lives.[46] Meanwhile, Devon enlist Hilary's new assistant Mariah Copeland (Camryn Grimes) to help keep Hilary on the straight and narrow. Hilary and Mariah clash over how to handle the revelation that her mother Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) has secretly been raising her ex-husband Nick's (Joshua Morrow) presumed dead son. When Hilary edits an interview with Sharon's husband Dylan McAvoy (Steve Burton) to smear Sharon to get back at Mariah, a furious Devon fires her. According to Bryton James, Devon reaches his breaking point because "She's literally twisting people's words, and Devon won't stand for that."[46]

Reception and impact

Critical

"They are vibrant, fun, sexy and filled with so much chocolaty goodness it gives us a toothache. The Young and the Restless would be smart to market this pairing and use them as an anchor for storylines in their age group. The late 20s/early 30s set has a boredom issue, and Hevon is the cure to that."[47]

TV Source Magazine on the couple's appeal

Commonly known by the portmanteau "Hevon" (Hilary + Devon), the couple's popularity skyrocketed rather quickly and they received nearly universal critical praise. Soaps in Depth took notice of their chemistry in their very scenes in August 2013.[48] TV Fanatic's also praised the chemistry and urged the writers to go forward with a romantic pairing.[49] Jeevan Brar of The TV Watercooler said Hevon was "the show's best new pairing in years."[3] Luke Kerr of Daytime Confidential said "Hilary (Mishael Morgan) and Devon (Bryton James) are making a splash" as the show's "next epic supercouple" despite the dramatic decline in "supercouple" worthy pairings in daytime as a whole.[2] Nelson Branco listed Devon and Hilary as "Best Couple" in 2014, while the pairing also appeared on the "Best Couples" list for both Daytime Confidential and TV Source Magazine in 2014. However, TV Source hoped for less angst in the couple's future.[47][50][51] CBS listed the duo in their "16 Sexiest TV Couples of All Time" list.[52]

"The dawn of long marriages seems to have passed in soap operadom. Sad but true. Perhaps Hevon is one of the few potential young pairings that can break this pattern, this notion that supercouples are extinct."[53]

Gingersnap on Hevon's potential

One writer, Gingersnap, praised the decision to pair the African American Hilary with an African American male, instead of reverting to the typical interracial pairing. She declared "Urban drama, angst, and sexy off the charts chemistry galore has come right back to Y&R with a fiery diligence!" While Gingersnap insisted that there was nothing wrong with interracial love, she said "I'm sick of black women being valued and rewarded only when white [men] desire them and vice versa for black men." The writer also credited James and Morgan's acting with making her believe that Devon is Hilary's "soul mate" and likened the pairing to the "brown skinned Romeo Montague to brown skinned Juliet Capulet." She continued, "You know a couple is worth weight in pure gold if the actors can have great eye sex.… Even if they only have a three minute scene without uttering dialogue to one another. It's that abyssal deep."[53] She later explained of the couple: "Alas Hilary and Devon's story brought seeded a hope that brown skinned woman could be coveted by a brown skinned man, desirable, wanted and appreciated. Devon worshiped Hilary like a queen, a goddess. To see these characters show affection, to kiss was beautiful, a representation humanizing an experience rarely depicted, shedding light on Hilary and Devon as a phenomenon, as a promised beacon in the predominately white driven daytime world."[54] Ashley Ellibe said that the pairing gave fans "the audacity to hope." While previous writing regimes did not recognize it, "Devon Hamilton is a catch" Ellibe stated. "James has proven that along with the sometimes emotional storylines he's been given, he can also be the romantic daytime hunk his fans knew he would be if given the chance."[55]

Devon and Hilary's affair received positive reviews while response to triangle with Neil was mixed. Jeevan Brar listed Devon and Hilary's affair as one of the "Best" Soap Moments in 2014. Brar said "Y&R has given fans an actual couple to root for in 2014 after many pairings that were quickly thrown together without any emotional attachment from the viewers or the characters."[56] Daytime Confidential listed the affair at #7 on its list of the "10 Best Soap Storylines of 2014."[57] TV Guide's Michael Logan described the triangle as "Daytime's hottest and juiciest mess."[23] Carol Cassada of Bubble News admitted that the storyline with Hilary made her invest in the character of Devon and root for the pairing of Devon and Hilary.[58] Navell Lee of BuzzWorthy Radio also praised the storyline as "one of the hottest love triangles on “Y&R” to date."[28] However, Soaps In Depth disapproved of the writers completely doing away with Hilary's feelings for Neil. "A triangle made up of two equally appealing couples is a triangle that can run years!"[59]

Fan reaction

Less than a year after they first shared the screen together, and even before they were officially a couple, Devon and Hilary had amassed a very vocal fan base. By July 2014, James, Morgan and the pairing of Devon and Hilary made their debuts in online fan polls from We Love Soaps and TV Source Magazine.[60][61] In September 2014, Devon and Hilary debuted on the CBS Soaps in Depth fan poll.[62] The duo peaked would eventually peak at #1 on the TV Source poll in November 2014 and January 2015 on both the couples and the actors polls.[63][64] "Hevon" were voted the #1 couple in the February 23, 2015 issue of CBS Soaps In Depth interrupting Cane and Lily's nearly three year long reign on top of the poll while James and Morgan were both voted #1 on the "Top 5" actors and actresses polls.[8][65] The pairing ranked at #10 on We Love Soaps list of the 25 Most Popular Couples for the year and were the only Y&R pairing to rank in the top 10, and the only African American to make the list overall.[66] Devon and Hilary won the Fan Favorite Award for "Most Romantic Duo" at the 42nd Daytime Emmy Awards in 2015.[67] Morgan admitted that she thought her character would be killed off in the plane crash while James said that their substantial fan base made them safe.[5] 64% of Soaps In Depth readers believed Devon and Hilary could make a relationship work, despite their past. Most readers thought the pair had strong "enough chemistry" to survive anything.[68] While the affair turned some viewers against the pairing—most viewers began rooting for the couple again once the affair was exposed.[13]

Controversy

However, Ashley Ellibe of TV Source blasted the writers for the quick shift when the pairing was seemingly abandoned in favor of Neil and Hilary when Josh Griffith was replaced as head writer leaving Devon on the sidelines as Hilary and Neil started an affair, moved in together, professed their love and married within a span of 6 weeks.[55] Not only did the writers incorrectly assume all viewers would believe Hilary could choose Neil over Devon, but Ellibe also accused the writers of inserting a "proven lead" character like Neil because they didn't think Hevon was appealing enough on their own. Ellibe questioned the decision to pair Neil and Hilary over Hevon despite Neil's string of failed pairings. According to Ellibe, making Neil blind made it much worse. "Not because it kept Hilary and Devon apart, but because that was the SOLE purpose of the plot" she said. Though the writing encouraged viewers to sympathize with Neil, "The only thing [fans] saw was the heavy handed guilt trip the writers laid on anyone who dared to prefer Hilary with [Devon]" Ellibe said.[55] While Neil's motives in pursuing Hilary were clear, Hilary's motives were hard to understand and the character's point of view was never explained. Ellibe argued that fans were "creeped out" by Neil and Hilary's relationship because without Hilary's point of view, it seemed like she was being manipulated. Next, the story became stagnate with the writers skipping various opportunities for progression while Hevon faced even more obstacles, interruptions and revising of history before even becoming an official couple.[55]

"We're not intentionally playing those actors less. But budget is budget. Money is money, and that affects some decisions. Sometimes a story is really thriving so other stories that are finishing up or moving into a new area will temporarily slow down. Actresses get pregnant. Certain things get in there and mess with us as we rebuild the show, but these characters and actors are of great importance to us."[36]

Pratt's controversial statements about the lack of airtime for minority characters.

Some critics and fans accused the writers of outright racism. Gingersnap blamed the writing when the couple's "great love" was overlooked or seemingly dismissed in Aaron Foley's article about diversity in daytime. Unlike her white counterparts, Hilary "was the only unhappily married." Gingersnap also viewed the writing as an "obvious attempt to dirty up a brown couple's forbidden love" by refusing to develop the couple beyond their early friendship before trying to water down their popularity with the affair.[54] Ellibe who voiced similar thoughts accused the writers of never truly investing in Devon and Hilary. Ellibe said that while daytime had been lacking a young African American couple that was popular enough to be showcased as a much as their white counterparts—with Hevon, "Y&R has that right in the palm of their hands and are doing everything they can to demolish it. And for what?"[55] After the plane crash, viewers saw a dramatic decline in airtime for all the African American characters—Devon and Hilary included which led to fan debate on social media accusing the writers of showing the pairing less because they are black.[36] Gingersnap said the series had become a "Once A Week Minority Madhouse Exhibit."[54] CBS Soaps In Depth also noted that while the issues with airtime seemed to improve once the network took notice of Devon and Hilary's popularity, the writers fell back into the pattern of only airing the Winters family once a week not long after. "They are yet again being written as also-rans."[69] Head writer Chuck Pratt sparked further controversy when he seemingly attributed the lack of airtime to budgetary restraints and Mishael Morgan's real-life pregnancy.[70] In January 2016, the creators of the couple's official fan site ceased operations indefinitely, feeling as if the writers and producers were not truly invested in writing for the couple outside of how they affected Neil. The site owners also accused Pratt of dismissing fan outcry by resetting the triangle, and having an amnesiac Hilary fall in love with Neil who had recently kidnapped her.[71]

Fan campaign

"There’s a bigger issue at hand here. Why, if there really are budget issues, is the Black family the first to be cut on The Young and the Restless? Why is Mishael being punished for being pregnant in 2015? Why is Pratt so shocked at the support for Hevon?"[72]

Hevon Nation questioned why Winters and Hevon saw decreased airtime.

On April 5, 2015, the couple's fan site Hevon Nation launched the "More for Hevon" Twitter campaign in hopes of increasing the pairing's airtime. While The Young and the Restless had been the number 1 ranked daytime drama for over 20 years, the fan site attributed the show's long term success to the large portion of African American viewers. "We need to let CBS Daytime and YR know that receiving kudos for having black characters on their roster isn't enough. Where is the airtime? Where is the writing? Where is the investment?"[73] While the campaign was initially scheduled to last for a week, the fans extended the campaign beyond the launch week to get attention of the producers to fix the situation. Participants who could not participate live due to other obligations were instructed to use TweetDeck to schedule Tweets to be sent out at specific times during the hours in which the series aired on a daily basis. The tweets were directed towards CBS Daytime as a whole including vice president Angelica McDaniel and Chuck Pratt.[74] The fan site cited Pratt's controversial interview with Michael Logan as the reason for launching the campaign. "We saw the blatant lack of airtime and scenes. It was clear that the Winters and Devon/Hilary were not on Pratt’s list of characters to write for."[72] By July 2015, the problems with airtime seemed to have worsened with James and Morgan being featured in only 12 out of 65 episodes during the months of April and June. Another bulletin from the site accused the producers of harboring "unconscious bias" incorrectly assuming viewers can't root for pairings who don't look like them. "It's not intentional. Most times it's not malicious. It's racism's gentler, kinder little brother. However, how else can you explain a couple as popular and beloved as Hevon being back burned and essentially erased at the height of their popularity?"[75] The site owners also questioned the decision from a business standpoint considering the recent successes of prime time drama Empire and comedy Black-ish both of which had ethnically diverse casts.[72]

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  30. ↑ "Colin Blackmails Devon!". News. CBS Soaps In Depth. Bauer Media Group. 18 (48): 6. December 1, 2014.
  31. ↑ "Could Hilary Lose Devon?". News. CBS Soaps In Depth. Bauer Media Group. 18 (50): 6. December 15, 2014.
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  71. ↑ Christie (January 2016). "HN signing off". Hevon Nation. Archived from the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  72. 1 2 3 "This is an excerpt taken from an interview Chuck Pratt and Jill Phelps gave that was released this week. Insulting, isn't it?". Hevon Nation. May 15, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
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Notes

  1. ↑ While seeds for the couple's story were planted during Josh Griffith's tenure, Devon and Hilary's actual romance doesn't start until the summer of 2014 during Passanante and Altman's tenure.

See also

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