Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! But actually, what's headed toward CBS' The Young and the Restless in the months ahead is way better than wild animals. As new co-head writer Charles Pratt Jr. previews, the drama catapulting toward Genoa City is more of the "wild incident" kind.

The writer, whose material began hitting the canvas in mid-January, gave an exclusive interview to The Hollywood Reporter in which he explains that writing for Y&R has been an exciting challenge. "In the case of The Young and the Restless, I am stepping into a success story, years of being number one, and all that goes with that," he explains. "There is the legacy of the great [creator] Bill Bell, and players on the canvas who have been at it for years. Finding out what works is easy; maintaining and building on what works is the goal. The key with this show is to listen to the audience and reward them with the quality of storytelling the show has been known for ... inject some wild incident, and keep the stories coming from inside the characters. The show has a great cast, supportive network, top-notch crew, savvy writers, etc. It's all about collaboration, teamwork, and working together with a common mission; to inject new life and energy into a classic soap. This is my mantra. This is my goal."

As Cady McClain (Kelly Andrews) told Soap Central, Pratt's storylines are filled with cliffhangers, which the scribe agrees is an important cornerstone of soap writing. "My motto in daytime has always been make every day a Friday, so that our audience has to watch each and every day," he says. "That means more twists, cliffhangers and that primetime feel of 'What the heck are they going to do next?' If you stay within character, and keep the stories coming from character, and throw everything but the kitchen sink at them, an audience will start to identify with them and relate to them both as friends, and as people they want to see succeed or find love or survive unthinkable tragedies."

To find out exactly what Pratt has in store for the months ahead, check out his full THR interview here. And for more on what's headed toward Genoa City, check out this exciting promo video.

What do you think about Pratt's plans for Y&R? Do you agree with his opinion about what makes good soap opera? What would you like to see happen on the soap in the months ahead? Share your thoughts in our Comments section below, on our message boards, or by submitting Feedback..