Michael Corbett, well-known to soap fans for his runs as Warren Carter on Ryan’s Hope (Michael Pavel, Jr., 1979-81), Search for Tomorrow (1982-85) and Young and Restless (David Kimble, 1986-91) and who appeared most recently on Bold and Beautiful as Judge Evan Scott in 2023, has long collaborated with celebrity psychic medium Tyler Henry, who he originally met at a Christmas party back when Henry was an unknown. Blown away by the young man’s abilities, he signed on as Henry’s manager and created and produced the TV shows that catapulted him to fame. Now, the duo is teaming up once again for a new Netflix series debuting on September 17. Called Live From The Other Side With Tyler Henry, the show is, as the title implies, live. Corbett gave Digest the inside scoop.
Soap Opera Digest: Tell us about the genesis of this latest project.
Michael Corbett: For the past 10 years, I’ve been juggling acting and producing. I’ve been really lucky to be the executive producer on Tyler Henry‘s past two series — four seasons on the E! network and then last year, his series on Netflix [Life After Death With Tyler Henry]. This show idea came about because I produce his live tour around the country and we thought, “What a great idea if we could bring the feeling of a live tour where he reads audience members to television.” Netflix is now exploring doing live television programming on its streaming platform. So it became a great opportunity to combine the two ideas.
Digest: What do you think are the risks and the payoffs of the live format as a showcase for Tyler’s gifts?
Corbett: Wow, the risks are pretty scary. Because it’s live TV and anything could happen. There’s no safety net at all. That goes for not only Tyler‘s ability but also from our producing. Anything could go wrong in the control room. But when we pull it off with all the new technology, and Tyler is able to do readings on people that he has no idea who he is about to read, it’s pretty exciting and it’s a big payoff.
Digest: As a producer, how has the live aspect changed what goes into your behind-the-scenes role, if at all?
Corbett: I’ve never produced live television before so it’s very exciting because you have to do so much more preparation ahead of time. There’s nothing to be “fixed in post[-production].” And you only get one chance to do it, not like being on a set and you can do take after take after take.
Digest: You must be so proud of the amazing career Tyler has had to this point. What are your favorite memories of your collaboration thus far?
Corbett: I think the thing I’m most proud about with working with Tyler through these past few series and through his live tour is watching how much he’s grown as a talent and how much his ability is grown and how much he’s grown as a person. And I have grown along with him, learning so much more about television producing on each TV series.
Digest: What can you tease about what viewers can expect from the show this season?
Corbett: The big tease for this series is that no one is allowed to know who the guests are ahead of time. Tyler never knows who we have coming. We keep it all top-secret. But there will be lots of celebrities bringing their friends and family on for each episode. Every episode is going to be completely different because it’s a different celebrity with a different set of family and friends.
Digest: Well, congratulations! I think this show sounds very exciting.
Corbett: The thing that is so exciting for me is to be able to do both careers at the same time. I still get to be an actor on other shows. That is one set of skills and I love that. I’m looking forward to doing much more of it. Of course, one of my favorite things in life is playing a villain on daytime TV. But this is an entirely different skill set and it’s fun to be the boss on a TV show and help make the creative decisions right from the very beginning and then see them come to fruition on the screen. But overall, the best part is that I get to still do both!
Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Project Angel Food
Team Spirit: Corbett and Tyler Henry at Project Angel Food’s Angel Awards in 2018.
