Sharon Newman is a
fictional character on the
American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by
Sharon Case. Introduced by creator the late
William J. Bell as the
love interest for
Nicholas Newman, the character made her onscreen debut on the episode that aired March 28, 1994. Initially portrayed by
Monica Potter, both her and
Heidi Mark had short stints on the show before Case took over, and continues to play Sharon today. Sharon's original storyline outline was written by William J. Bell, who stepped down as the head-writer in 1998. Case experienced brief intense contract negotiations and her fate on the show remained in question, at the time. The pairing of Sharon and Nick are popular with viewers, having developed into a
soap opera supercouple. They were married in 1996, and suffered several tumultuous events including infidelity on both of their parts, a stillborn child and the death of their own child,
Cassie Newman, who died in a tragic car accident in 2005. After the death of their child, Nick closed up on Sharon and had an affair with another woman, then left her. The storyline was praised by critics however ended up striking a nerve with fans of the couple. Despite the break-up, they have remained close. A Love triangle developed between Nick, Sharon and his mistress,
Phyllis Summers Newman was praised, and it was deemed the best love triangle by
Soap Opera Digest, who praised the levels of infidelity explored. They shared three children together, Cassie,
Noah, and
Faith Newman.