List of The Young and the Restless characters introduced in 2014
All characters are introduced by executive producer Jill Farren Phelps and head writers Shelly Altman and Jean Passanante.
[1] Ian Ward, portrayed by Ray Wise, made his first appearance on January 23, 2014, as a former cult leader, believed to be the biological father of Dylan McAvoy (Steve Burton) and former lover of Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott).
[2] Michael Fairman of On-Air Soaps wrote that, "Now this is actually good casting if you look at the eyes of Ray Wise and Steve Burton!
[3] Jillian Bowe of Zap2it wrote that, "Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) and Dylan (Steve Burton) will soon have another family reunion in Genoa City.
"[5] Soap Opera Digest described Ian as a "charismatic former cult leader who seduced a teen Nikki, resulting in the son he never knew he had (Dylan)".
Ian later overhears Summer Newman (Hunter King) talking about being confused about her future, and he gives her a business card for The Path, the present-day version of his cult.
McKenna, known for his portrayal of Joey Buchanan on One Life to Live, announced his casting on social media site Twitter on January 17.
Atkinson's casting in the recurring role was announced in March, slated to be a cameraman working with Avery Bailey Clark (Jessica Collins).
[15] In an interview with On-Air On-Soaps before his debut, Atkinson revealed that Austin would also be involved in a storyline with Summer Newman (Hunter King).
It is then revealed that Austin is the unknown person posting comments, and he later kidnaps Avery and makes her confess to freeing the man that killed his mother years prior.
Avery's boyfriend Dylan McAvoy (Steve Burton) rushes to save her, despite warnings from police chief Paul Williams (Doug Davidson).
Tension quickly rose on their union as Summer became increasing jealous when Austin develops a friendship with Cassie's twin sister Mariah Copeland, whom she strongly dislikes.
A casting call for the role released in April described him as "an African-American doctor in his late 30s to early 40s, handsome, intelligent, and a highly capable surgeon".
[18][19] Tilford's casting in the recurring role was later announced in May, slated to be Leslie Michaelson's (Angell Conwell) new husband whom she met online.
[18][20][21] Upon the news of Tilford's casting, Jillian Bowe of Zap2it wrote, "So much for my idea of Nate Jr being Leslie's secret husband on 'The Young and the Restless.
"[22] Shortly after breaking off her engagement with Neil Winters (Kristoff St. John), Leslie reveals that she met a doctor named Barton Shelby on an online dating website, and they later decided to get married.
[23] Elrod, who joined The Young and the Restless as a regular, was previously noted for his roles in the feature Argo (2012) and the television series Men in Trees.
[24] A spokesperson for the soap opera stated that "Viewers can expect Joe to have more than a few tricks up his sleeve as he crosses paths with several key ‘Y&R’ characters.
[25] Joe Clark arrives in Genoa City from Chicago and was first seen at Crimson Lights, and immediately caught the attention of Mariah Copeland.
Months later, it is revealed that Joe planted the money in the closet to secure his relationship with Lily, knowing that Cane would be implicated in Hilary's disappearance.
The character's debut was to coincide with the plot involving the return of Adam Newman (portrayed by Justin Hartley at the time), after a long period off screen.
Sage is first seen covered in a long scarf at the hospital's chapel, after which she takes an item that Adam's wife, Chelsea Lawson (Melissa Claire Egan), had left behind.
Adam could pass off as another man in order to avoid law enforcement after he accidentally killed Billy's daughter in a car accident.
Riddled with grief, Sage grows distant from Nick; the pair eventually reconcile and plan to adopt a child in an attempt to build their family together.
[31] Sage Warner (Kelly Sullivan), a woman who has been living with Constance for years since the death of her parents, is involved in the scheme to pass Adam off as Gabriel.
[38] Gwen first appears as someone Hilary Curtis (Mishael Morgan) enlists to pretend to be Devon Hamilton's (Bryton James) girlfriend.
[39] Tobias is a Jabot Cosmetics employee, working as a lab tech for Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson) who is developing a new fragrance.
The casting call for Tobias, released in October, described the character as a lab technician in his mid 20s to early 30s who is "quirky" but also has a "cold, calculating energy about him".
[40] In response, On-Air On-Soaps likened this description to the character Damien Spinelli (Bradford Anderson) from General Hospital with "an edge".
After showing up at an event at the Genoa City Athletic Club intoxicated, Tobias leaves and is involved in a fatal car crash.
