The Young and the Restless

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The Young and the Restless

Creator(s) William J. Bell
Lee Philip Bell
Senior cast member(s) Jeanne Cooper
Doug Davidson
Melody Thomas Scott
Eric Braeden
Don Diamont
Kate Linder
Jess Walton
Peter Bergman
No. of episodes 8,910 (as of June 6, 2008)
Production
Executive producer(s) Josh Griffith
Head writer(s) Maria Arena Bell
Distributor Sony Pictures Television (Columbia TriStar Television 2001 until 2002, Columbia Pictures Television 1974 to 2001, and Screen Gems until name change in 1974)
Bell Dramatic Serial Company
Corday Productions
Running time 60 minutes (30 minutes from 1973 to 1980)
Broadcast
Original channel CBS
Premiere date March 26, 1973
Links
The Young and the Restless Official Website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

The Young and the Restless is a popular American television soap opera, first broadcast on CBS on March 26, 1973.[1] Young and the Restless was created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, who set their show in a fictional version of Genoa City, Wisconsin, a town near their annual vacation home in Lake Geneva.[2]

When it debuted, the show originally focused on the personal and professional lives of two core families in Genoa City: the wealthy Brookses and the poor Fosters. After a series of recasts and departures in the early 1980s, most of the original characters were written out and the show shifted to the Abbotts, the Newmans, and the Williams. One basic plot that has run throughout almost all of the show's history is the rivalry between Jill Foster Abbott and Katherine Chancellor.

The series was originally broadcast as half-hour episodes, five times a week. It was expanded to one-hour episodes on February 4, 1980. Young and the Restless is currently the highest-rated daytime drama on American television. As of 2008, it has appeared at the top of the weekly Nielsen Ratings in that category for more than 1000 weeks since 1988.[3]

Young and the Restless has won seven Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series; only General Hospital has won more times (nine).

Contents

[edit] Production

The show's healthy ratings are often attributed in part to the tight-knit writing and production staff.[citation needed] The show was groundbreaking for daytime serials in its lush production values. When it premiered in 1973, The Young and the Restless stood out from other soaps on the air for its visual darkness. Soap operas at the time tended to be comparatively brightly-lit in tone. The show lighted primarily the actors, and not the background settings, so as to focus the attention of the viewer on the emotions of the actors. Also, its glamorous sets utilizing fresh cut flowers, and wardrobe and hairstyles were a huge contrast to existing soap operas, which often set the action in a simple living room or kitchen set, where characters would discuss their world over a cup of coffee. It should also be noted that Young and the Restless is one of the only soaps that used an actual orchestra for the background music, a lavish expense for a soap in the '70s.

When the show began as 30 minutes in 1973, it was shot in what is referred to as "Live To Tape", meaning it was basically like a stage play that was filmed, with actors freezing in place during the "Black Space" where commercials would later be inserted by the network and affiliates. Later, after the show went to 60 minutes in February of 1980, the taping style changed, and it was shot scene by scene, and edited, with which the format stands to this day.

In 2001, Young and the Restless became the first - and, so far, only - daytime soap opera to be broadcast in high-definition.[4]

The April 2, 2008 episode of Young and the Restless was the first and only episode aired in a film look.

The show's budget is $1.25 million (USD) per week.

On October 9, 2008, Young and the Restless will air its 9,000th episode.

[edit] Executive producing and head writing team

For the most part, the writers and producers of the show have stayed unchanged since the 1980s. Throughout most of the show's history since its inception, creator William J. Bell served as both the Executive Producer and head writer for the show. He also had a number of executive producers over the years including John Conboy, H. Wesley Kenney, Edward J. Scott, David Shaughnessy and John F. Smith. Starting in the mid-80s, Bell was credited as "Senior Executive Producer".

As the show continued to reach new, record heights in 1987, co-executive producer H. Wesley Kenney defected to network television's #1 mainstay in the soap ratings, General Hospital. This was rather ironic, since the following year it was Young and the Restless that surpassed the longtime champ for the Nielsen ratings top spot, with Kenney not being able to be a part of his former show's ultimate success. However, Kenney did keep GH near the top of the pack during his two-year tenure as executive producer there.

Kay Alden took over as head writer after Bell stepped down in 1998. After Bell died in April 2005, Smith served as the sole executive producer.

In late February 2006, Lynn Marie Latham was promoted to head writer, while Alden and Smith served as co-head writers. In late August 2006, Latham was announced as the new executive producer (in addition to her writing role) by CBS Daytime Senior Vice President Barbara Bloom. More behind-the-scenes shakeups continued into September 2006 when Smith's contract as co-head writer wasn't renewed. Kathryn Foster, a long time producer and director since the 1980s, resigned in October 2006.

Alden quit the show in November 2006 and was hired by ABC Daytime in December 2006 to consult on All My Children and One Life to Live. After her consulting contract ended, Alden joined The Bold and the Beautiful as an Associate Head Writer. Josh Griffith, the show's former Creative Consultant, was named its new co-executive producer shortly after the departure of Smith. In June 2007, former supervising producer Edward J. Scott was chosen by Sony Pictures Television to join Days of Our Lives. Anthony Morina, episode director and husband of former series writer/story consultant Sally Sussman Morina, was named as producer shortly after Scott's departure (and later promoted to Supervising Producer).

The show had been known in the industry for its close-knit team that rarely changed; however, with Latham's ascension, many crew members that had been with the show since the '80s were fired or quit: Joshua S. McCaffrey, Marnie Saitta, Trent Jones, Mike Denney, Janice Ferri Esser, Sally Sussman Morina, Jim Houghton, Marc Hertz, Sara A. Bibel. New crew members were hired: Neil Landau, Darin Goldberg, Brett Steanart, Valerie Ahern, Shelley Meals, Phideaux Xavier, Karen Rea, Cherie Bennett, Jeff Gottesfeld, Bernard Lechowick, Scott Hamner, Christian McLaughlin, Lynsey DuFour, Vincent Lechowick, James Stanley, Jenelle Lindsay, Tom Casiello, Paula Cwikly, Rick Draughon and Chris Abbott.

As of 2007, only four writers from the pre-Latham era: Sandra Weintraub, Eric Freiwald, Linda Schreiber and Natalie Minardi Slater, remain with the serial.

Due to the strike of the Writers Guild of America all of The Young and the Restless's staff writers have vacated their posts. Additionally, Lynn Marie Latham vacated her role as executive producer. The final episode of the Latham era aired on December 24, 2007. On February 13, 2008, it was confirmed that Latham, husband Bernard Lechowick, Lynsey DuFour and Marina Alburger had all been fired from the serial. Had the strike not occured, Jeffrey Stepakoff [3] and Randy Holland [4] would have joined the writing staff. Jack Myers: Writers Strike

Currently Josh Griffith is credited as executive producer for the series. Maria Arena Bell has been made Head Writer as of April 22, 2008.

[edit] Current main crew

Head Writers Other writers Producers/Consultants Directors
Maria Arena Bell; Hogan Sheffer (begins July 2008) Scott Hamner, Paula Cwikly, Cherie Bennett, Jeff Gottesfeld, Natalie Minardi Slater, Eric Freiwald, Linda Schreiber, Sandra Weintraub, James Stanley, Valerie Ahern, Christian McLaughlin, Darin Goldberg, Shelley Meals, Marla Kanelos, Beth Milstein, Lisa Seidman, Jay Gibson Josh Griffith (EP), John Fisher, Anthony Morina, Josh O'Connell, Matthew J. Olson, Steve Kent, Bill Bell Jr. Susan Strickler, Phideaux Xavier, Sally McDonald, Andrew Lee, Jim Sayegh, Jill Ackles, Dean LaMont, David Shaughnessy

[edit] Executive producers and head writers

The Young and The Restless Executive Producers
March 26, 1973-1976 William J. Bell
1976-1982 William J. Bell & John Conboy
1982-1984 William J. Bell & H. Wesley Kenney
1984-November 2001 William J. Bell (Senior EP) & Edward J. Scott (EP)
November 2001-mid 2003 William J. Bell (Senior EP) & David Shaughnessy (EP)
Mid 2003-early 2004 William J. Bell (Senior EP), David Shaughnessy & John F. Smith (Co-EP)
Early 2004-April 2005 William J. Bell & John F. Smith (Co-EP)
May 2005-May 12, 2006 John F. Smith
May 15, 2006-October 3, 2006 No EP Credited
October 25, 2006-December 24, 2007 Lynn Marie Latham (EP) & Josh Griffith (Co-EP)
December 26, 2007-January 28, 2008 Josh Griffith (Co-EP)
January 29, 2008-present Josh Griffith
The Young and The Restless Head Writers
March 26, 1973-1997 William J. Bell
1997-1998 William J. Bell (HW) & Kay Alden (Co-HW)
1998-2001 Kay Alden
2002-August 5, 2004 Kay Alden (HW), John F. Smith (HW), Trent Jones (Co-HW)
August 6, 2004-February 15, 2006 Kay Alden and John F. Smith
February 16, 2006-October 25, 2006 Lynn Marie Latham (HW), Kay Alden & John F. Smith (Co-HW)
October 26, 2006-November 10, 2006 Lynn Marie Latham (HW), Kay Alden, John F. Smith & Scott Hamner (Co-HW)
November 13, 2006-December 22, 2006 LML (HW), Alden & Hamner (Co-HW)
December 26, 2006-December 24, 2007 Lynn Marie Latham (HW) and Scott Hamner (Co-HW)
December 26, 2007-April 14, 2008 Josh Griffith (HW) and Maria Arena Bell (Co-HW)
April 15, 2008-April 21, 2008 Griffith (HW), M.A. Bell and Hamner (Co-HW)
April 22, 2008-May 9, 2008 M.A. Bell (HW) and Hamner (Co-HW)
May 12, 2008-present Maria Arena Bell

[edit] Cast

See also: List of The Young and the Restless cast members and List of The Young and the Restless characters
2007-2008 Young and the Restless cast photo. Top row (l-r): Ted Shackelford, Tammy Lauren, Bryton, Christel Khalil Second row: Greg Rikaart, Judith Chapman, Kate Linder, Amelia Heinle, Thad Luckinbill, Vincent Irizarry, Eyal Podell, Daniel Goddard, Tammin Sursok Third row: Nia Peeples, Kristoff St. John, Jeanne Cooper, Eric Braeden, Melody Thomas Scott, Jess Walton, Emily O'Brien Bottom row: Doug Davidson, Vail Bloom, Christian LeBlanc, Tracey E. Bregman, Joshua Morrow, Adrienne Frantz, Michelle Stafford, Michael Graziadei, Sharon Case, Peter Bergman, Hunter Allan, Don Diamont, Darcy Rose Byrnes
2007-2008 Young and the Restless cast photo.
Top row (l-r): Ted Shackelford, Tammy Lauren, Bryton, Christel Khalil
Second row: Greg Rikaart, Judith Chapman, Kate Linder, Amelia Heinle, Thad Luckinbill, Vincent Irizarry, Eyal Podell, Daniel Goddard, Tammin Sursok
Third row: Nia Peeples, Kristoff St. John, Jeanne Cooper, Eric Braeden, Melody Thomas Scott, Jess Walton, Emily O'Brien
Bottom row: Doug Davidson, Vail Bloom, Christian LeBlanc, Tracey E. Bregman, Joshua Morrow, Adrienne Frantz, Michelle Stafford, Michael Graziadei, Sharon Case, Peter Bergman, Hunter Allan, Don Diamont, Darcy Rose Byrnes

The original March 1973 cast consisted of a mixture of veterans and young, relative unknowns. The most notable cast member was Robert Colbert, star of the 1960s TV series The Time Tunnel, as Stuart Brooks. Dorothy Green, a frequent guest star in numerous 1950s-60s TV programs, was cast as Stuart's wife Jennifer, while veteran actress Julianna McCarthy played Liz Foster.

Among the current cast members, longtime veteran actress Jeanne Cooper, who plays Katherine Chancellor, has been on contract with Young and the Restless since Fall 1973. The other current senior cast members who joined the show in the 1970s are Doug Davidson (Paul Williams, 1978) and Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman, 1979). Eric Braeden joined Young and the Restless as Victor Newman in 1980 after becoming notable for his roles in The Rat Patrol and Colossus: The Forbin Project, as well as a variety of guest starring roles in numerous primetime TV shows during the 1970s.

The only original character remaining since the program's debut in 1973 is Jill Foster Abbott, who has been played by Jess Walton since 1987. Katherine Chancellor, played by Jeanne Cooper debuted on-screen in November 1973. Cooper is the show's longest-serving actor.

[edit] Current cast members

Further information: Current Characters of the Young and the Restless
Actor Character Duration
Peter Bergman Jack Abbott (#2) 1989-
Vail Bloom Heather Stevens 2007-
Eric Braeden Victor Newman 1980-
Bryton Devon Hamilton 2004-
Sharon Case Sharon Abbott (#2) 1994-2003, 2003-
Judith Chapman Gloria Bardwell (#2) 2005-
Jeanne Cooper Katherine Chancellor 1973-
Doug Davidson Paul Williams 1978-
Don Diamont Brad Carlton 1985-1996, 1998-
Chris Engen Adam Wilson 2008-
Adrienne Frantz Amber Moore 2006-
Daniel Goddard Cane Ashby 2007-
Michael Graziadei Daniel Romalotti 2004-
Amelia Heinle Victoria Newman Hellstrom (#3) 2005-
Elizabeth Hendrickson Chloe Mitchell 2008-
Vincent Irizarry David Chow 2007-
Christel Khalil Lily Winters (#1) 2002-2005, 2006-
Christian LeBlanc Michael Baldwin 1991-1993, 1997-
Kate Linder Esther Valentine 1985-
Thad Luckinbill J.T. Hellstrom 1999-
Raya Meddine Sabrina Costelana 2008-
Joshua Morrow Nicholas Newman 1994-
Emily O'Brien Jana Hawkes 2006-2007, 2007-
Nia Peeples Karen Taylor 2007-2008, 2008-
Eyal Podell Professor Adrian Korbel 2006-
Greg Rikaart Kevin Fisher 2003-
Melody Thomas Scott Nikki Newman (#2) 1979-
Kristoff St. John Neil Winters 1991-
Michelle Stafford Phyllis Summers Newman (#1) 1994-1997, 2000-
Tammin Sursok Colleen Carlton (#3) 2007-
Jess Walton Jill Foster Abbott (#4) 1987-

[edit] Recurring cast members

Actor Character
Tatyana Ali Roxanne
Tracey E. Bregman Lauren Fenmore Baldwin
Darcy Rose Byrnes Abby Carlton
Jerry Douglas Alistair Wallingford
Ted Shackelford Jeffrey Bardwell
Patty Weaver Gina Roma

[edit] Upcoming cast members

Actor Character Status Source
Cynthia Sikes Zara Costelana Guest: June 19-24, 2008 [5]
Eileen Davidson Ashley Abbott Temp. returns June 19, 2008 [6]
Eva Marcille Tyra Hamilton Debuts June 25, 2008 [7]
Jamia Simone Nash Ana Hamilton Debuts June 25, 2008 [8]

[edit] Notable former cast members

Actor Character Duration
Penn Badgley Phillip Chancellor IV 2000-2001 (recurring)
Eddie Cibrian Matt Clark (#1) 1994-1996
Lyndsy Fonseca Colleen Carlton (#1) 2001-2004 (2004-2005; guest)
Vivica A. Fox Stephanie Simmons 1995
Cam Gigandet Daniel Romalotti 2004 (guest)
David Hasselhoff Dr. Snapper Foster (#2) 1975-1982
Shemar Moore Malcolm Winters 1994-2002, 2004-2005
Eva Longoria Parker Isabella Braña Williams 2001-2003
Monica Potter Sharon Abbott 1994 (recurring)
Tom Selleck Jed Andrews 1974-1975
Paul Walker Brandon Collins 1992-1993

[edit] Notable celebrities who have had contract roles

Actor Character Duration
Robert Colbert Stuart Brooks 1973-1983
Francesco Quinn Tomas Del Cerro 1999-2001
Elizabeth Sung Luan Volien Abbott 1994-1996
Tammin Sursok Colleen Carlton (#3) 2007-
Joan Van Ark Gloria Bardwell (#1) 2004-2005

[edit] Deceased cast members

Actor Role Date of Death
John Gibson Jerry "Cash" Cashman May 17, 1986
Karl Bruck Maestro Ernesto Faustche April 21, 1987
Joy Garrett Boobsie Caswell Austin February 11, 1993
K.T. Stevens Vanessa Prentiss June 13, 1994
Norma Donaldson Lillie Belle Barber November 22, 1994
Michelle Thomas Callie Rogers December 23, 1998
Margaret Mason Eve Howard March 26, 1999
Logan Ramsey Joseph Anthony June 26, 2000
Terry Lester Jack Abbott (#1) November 28, 2003
Elizabeth Harrower Charlotte Ramsey December 10, 2003
Candice Daly Veronica Landers (#2) December 14, 2004
Brock Peters Frank Lewis August 23, 2005
Darlene Conley Rose DeVille January 14, 2007
Lanna Saunders Betty Andrews March 10, 2007
Michael Evans Col. Douglas Austin September 4, 2007

[edit] Crossovers

Young and the Restless and The Bold And The Beautiful

There have been several crossovers between The Young And The Restless and sister show The Bold And The Beautiful:


  • 1992
    • The Bold And The Beautiful: Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown) was the first major character to cross over to The Bold And The Beautiful. Sheila appeared on Young and the Restless from 1990-1992 (returning as a guest in 1993, 1994 and 1995), and again in 2005-2006. She was on The Bold And The Beautiful from 1992-1998, with shorter-lived stints in 2002 and 2003.


    • The Bold And The Beautiful: Molly Carter (Marilyn Alex) appeared several times after her daughter, Sheila, was revealed to be living in Los Angeles.


  • 1993
    • The Bold And The Beautiful: Brad Carlton (Don Diamont) crossed over to confront Sheila Carter about the photos of his tryst with Lauren Fenmore (Tracey E. Bregman), fearing that he would lose custody of his daughter, Colleen, if they became public. Although Brad's threats were enough to make Sheila give up the photos, Lauren later discovered that there was still more evidence proving their affair.
    • The Bold And The Beautiful: Dr. Scott Grainger (Peter Barton) and Lauren Fenmore were vacationing on Catalina Island where they were shocked to find Eric Forrester and Sheila Carter also on a romantic retreat. The character Scott Grainger died during this crossover, but not before he forgave Sheila for her past and begged Lauren not to reveal their history to Eric.


  • 1995
    • The Bold And The Beautiful: Lauren Fenmore (Tracey E. Bregman) crossed over to The Bold And The Beautiful, where she stayed until 1999, and briefly returned in 2002 and 2004. She had already appeared on the show several times prior to her becoming an actual cast member, mostly due to Sheila's crossover in 1992.
    • The Bold And The Beautiful: Brad Carlton made another brief crossover when James Warwick (Ian Buchanan) called Lauren from Sheila's dungeon.


  • 1998


  • 1999


  • 2000-2001


  • 2003


  • 2004
    • The Bold And The Beautiful: Lauren Fenmore (Tracey E. Bregman) received an angered phone call from the husband of her employee Jacqueline Payne Marone, who demanded to know if the two had really gone out drinking the night before like he was being told. Although she was caught off-guard, Lauren said they had, assuming Jacquie had a good reason for lying to her huband. In truth, Jacquie had told her husband this to help cover up her one night stand with Deacon Sharpe Sean Kanan.


  • 2005
    • Lauren's mother, Joanna Manning (Susan Seaforth Hayes), appeared on both The Bold And The Beautiful and Young and the Restless (the latter in December to attend her daughter's wedding to Michael Baldwin).


  • 2006


  • 2007
    • The Bold And The Beautiful: Traci (Beth Maitland), Ashley Abbott's sister, also appeared in March, while talking to her sister on the telephone.


  • 2008


  • Possible Connection
    • The actor Robert Clary played Pierre Roulland on Young and the Restless from 1973-1974 before playing Pierre Jourdan on The Bold And The Beautiful from 1990-1992. Whether or not the two characters are related is unknown.



Young and the Restless and As The World Turns

There have been three noteable crossovers between Young and the Restless and As The World Turns:


  • Year Unknown


  • 2007
    • Young and the Restless: The character of Alison Stewart met with Amber Moore on February 22, 2007. (Note: Alison was played by a different actress than before on "As The World Turns". The "new" Alison then returned to Oakdale in March.
    • Young and the Restless: Emily Stewart (Kelley Menighan Hensley) sought-out Amber Moore at Crimson Lights Coffeehouse, in Genoa City, in March 2007. She wanted to know the whereabouts of her sister Alison, but Amber pretended not to know. Once Emily was gone, Amber called Alison to give her a heads-up.



Other shows/films



[edit] Awards

Over its run, Young and the Restless and its cast and crew have earned many awards. The following list summarizes awards won by Young and the Restless:

[edit] Daytime Emmy Awards

[edit] Show

  • 2007 "Outstanding Drama Series" tied with Guiding Light
  • 2006 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
  • 2004 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 2000 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
  • 1997 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team" tied with All My Children
  • 1993 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 1992 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
  • 1986 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 1985 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 1983 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 1975 "Outstanding Drama Series"

[edit] Individuals

[edit] TV Soap Golden Boomerang Awards

[edit] Writers Guild of America Awards

  • 2003 "Best Daytime Serial" Written by Kay Alden, Trent Jones, John F. Smith, Jerry Birn, Jim Houghton, Natalie Minardi, Janice Ferri, Eric Freiwald, Joshua McCaffrey, Michael Minnis, Rex M. Best
  • 2006 "Best Daytime Serial" Written by Kay Alden, John F. Smith, Janice Ferri, Jim Houghton, Natalie Minardi Slater, Sally Sussman Morina, Sara Bibel, Eric Freiwald, Linda Schreiber, Joshua S. McCaffrey, Marc Hertz, Sandra Weintraub

[edit] Storyline

Main article: The Young and the Restless storylines

When The Young and the Restless premiered in 1973, the show revolved around the dramas which befell two families: the wealthy Brooks and the poor Fosters. Patriarch Stuart Brooks was an upper class newspaper publisher while matriarch Liz Foster was a single parent struggling to pay the bills.

The rivalry between Liz's daughter Jill and socialite Katherine "Kay" Chancellor became one of the show's first and longest-lasting storylines. Kay was a boozy matron trapped in a loveless marriage to Phillip Chancellor II. After Jill went to work as Kay's paid companion, she and Phillip fell in love. After he returned from obtaining a divorce in the Dominican Republic, Kay picked him up at the airport, and in an attempt to kill both Phillip and herself, drove the car off a cliff. On his deathbed, Phillip married Jill and bequeathed her and their love child his fortune. Kay ended up getting a judge to declare that Jill and Phillip's marriage was illegal since Kay was drunk when signing her divorce papers. After the ruling, the rivalry between the two ladies spiraled out of control, each blaming the other for Phillip's death.

After a series of recasts and departures in the late 1970s-early 1980s, the Brooks and the Fosters were phased out, and two new core families were introduced: the Abbott and the Williams families, and later the Newmans. The Abbott–Newman family rivalry also extended to the corporate warfare between their respective companies, Jabot Cosmetics and Newman Enterprises. Core African American characters, the Barbers and the Winters, were later introduced in the 1990s.

Show creator William J. Bell resigned as head writer in 1998, and since 2002, Young and the Restless has suffered audience erosion. Despite remaining the most watched daytime drama on American television since 1988, later head writers such as John F. Smith and Lynn Marie Latham began to rely on several highly publicized, retcon storylines to attract more viewers. Notable retcons introduced in the 2000s include revealing that Kay is Jill's actual birth mother, and Phillip II and Jill's baby was switched at birth. In 2007, the show began a new storyline with the Clear Springs explosion, promoted as "The Young and the Restless: Out of the Ashes". Several of Genoa City's most prominent residents were trapped under the collapse, though none were killed.

[edit] Broadcast history

[edit] Early Years, 1973-80

In spring 1973, CBS decided to discontinue production on two of its four in-house serials; one of these was the controversial Where the Heart Is, a show reminiscent of Peyton Place's sex-driven intrigue that focused on multiple-married characters and incestuous themes. In its place, the network sought a youth-oriented, Los Angeles-based (most soaps at the time still recorded in New York City), socially relevant show, and Screen Gems/Columbia, which had considerable success with NBC's Days of Our Lives, got the job as packager. Young and the Restless, the result of such planning, began on March 26 at Noon Eastern Time/11 am Central with the handicap of inheriting the affiliate clearance problems attained by WtHI, especially in conservative small-to-medium-sized markets. It also faced a long-standing audience favorite, with which, ironically, it is now co-owned (via Sony): NBC's Jeopardy!, which had for years been daytime's number-two game.

Young and the Restless's ascent was slow, but got major boosts from missteps made by the rival networks. First, NBC sent Jeopardy! to a mid-morning slot in January 1974, with the briefly-popular Jackpot! taking its place, only to eventually lose much of the old audience. Next, Password on ABC made the bad decision to convert to an all-celebrity format in November of that year, a move that would lead to its cancellation the following June. Perhaps the luckiest occurrence to allow Young and the Restless to get a foothold, though, was NBC's decision to air a press conference by President Gerald Ford in January 1975 at the Noon hour, with ABC and CBS declining. This landed Young and the Restless some of Jackpot!'s annoyed fans, eventually paving the way for that program's relocation and eventual cancellation later in the year. More importantly, though, was the fact that Jackpot! had appealed strongly to a demographic of young housewives and mothers, a group whose shift in viewing allegiances would be crucial for Young and the Restless's continued audience growth.

By summer, ABC and NBC changed up their shows at Noon/11, offering two lightweight games that audiences shied away from, thereby enabling Young and the Restless to enter the Nielsen serial top three. For its part, NBC would enter into a string of low-rated disasters at that timeslot for the next several years (among them an attempt to revive Jeopardy! in 1978-79), while ABC similarly struggled until it moved The $20,000 Pyramid there in January 1978. However, Pyramid's time was running out, and the former hit game wrapped up six years on the network in June 1980. The only parts of the country where Young and the Restless experienced some trouble were those Eastern time zone markets where affiliates plugged the show into the network's half-hour access break at 1 p.m./Noon (in order to free the Noon hour for local newscasts); there, ABC's All My Children would somewhat hinder Young and the Restless's progress, especially when the former show expanded to an hour in April 1977.

[edit] Rise to the Top, 1980s

When the long-running soap Love of Life was canceled on February 1, 1980, CBS rewarded Young and the Restless's performance with an expansion to a full hour the following Monday. In so doing, it opted to counter AMC and Young and the Restless's sister show Days of Our Lives (on NBC) head-to-head directly at the 1-2/Noon-1 time frame, marking the first time in nearly a quarter-century that the network placed a full-length show in the 1-1:30/Noon-12:30 slot. To those stations that carried the feed directly, namely the Eastern time zone affiliates again, it experienced at best mixed results, while Central time zone stations often tape-delayed the feed one day in order to keep the show in its original slot of 11 a.m., which meant that ABC's Family Feud, then daytime's highest-rated game, gave the soap considerable opposition.

With the less-than-impressive results, CBS reinstated the affiliate break to its traditional time network-wide and, taking into account the local stations' desire for scheduling flexibility, gave them the option of running Young and the Restless at either Noon/11 (the preference of most) or 12:30/11:30 (mostly in the Eastern time zone), on different feeds. Beginning on June 8, 1981, the arrangement proved highly popular with fans all over the U.S., and the show has stayed put ever since. The wisdom of CBS' decision was confirmed by the continued downfall of NBC's ratings at midday and the eroding popularity of Feud, which by this time aired also as a five-day-per-week syndicated strip on local stations in the early-evening Access slots, something which likely brought the Richard Dawson-hosted game overexposure and consequent audience backlash. Also, another family-and-youth-oriented serial, ABC's Ryan's Hope, had never performed to network expectations in its 12:30/11:30 slot and proved no threat to Young and the Restless at all.

[edit] Steady but Eroding, 1990s-present

All this propelled the soap to the top among CBS' serials, and, after General Hospital spent most of the 1980s on the top of the Nielsens, in 1988, after 15 years on the air, Young and the Restless knocked General Hospital off the throne to gain the crown; it has held it ever since. However, the triumph has been mitigated considerably by negative developments: Young and the Restlesss's ratings have declined steadily since that time. From 1988 to 2006, the show lost a significant share of its audience, from eight million viewers to about six million, despite only attracting nominal competition from the two other traditional networks. This has occurred because of the explosion of viewing alternatives available to cable television viewers, which increased choices dramatically. Further, the steady increase in percentage of women working outside the home has cut the show off from a large segment of its historic audience (and the formerly preferred demographic of advertisers such as food and household products). Young and the Restless has not been the sole victim of these trends, nor even the main one; all U.S. daytime network serials have witnessed similar declines in their ratings. The pace of the decline was sped up considerably by the events on and following the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, with all-news cable news networks swelling their audiences with around-the-clock coverage of the pursuit of Al-Qaeda and the Iraqi War.

[edit] Alternate Timeslots, Multiple Rebroadcasts (TV/Online)

Probably in an effort to maximize audience potential (such as students and people home from early work shifts), a few CBS affiliates show Young and the Restless at 4 p.m. local time, finding it to be a viable lead-in to their 5 p.m. local newscasts. These include KMOV in St. Louis, WAFB in Baton Rouge, La., WLKY in Louisville, Ky,, and WRAL in Raleigh/Durham, N.C.

Only six Central, Mountain and Pacific time zone stations presently air Young and the Restless on the 11:30 a.m. feed: KCBS in Los Angeles, WBBM in Chicago, KTVT in Dallas-Fort Worth, KOLR in Springfield, Mo.,WHBF in Quad Cities, IA/IL and WTVF in Nashville, Tenn. The first three are stations owned and operated by CBS.

In Honolulu, CBS affiliate KGMB airs Young and the Restless at 1 pm local time, rather than at 11:30 am.

In Colorado Springs, Co., CBS affiliate KKTV aires Young and the Restless at 2PM local time.

Those unable to view Young and the Restless on CBS Daytime may watch it instead on the all-soap cable channel SOAPnet, which airs that day's episode at 7 p.m. ET, repeating that airing at 6 a.m. ET and Midnight ET Also, a block of the entire previous week's episodes airs Saturday evenings between 7 p.m. and Midnight. The network picked up Young and the Restless in April 2006, its first CBS serial.

In late June, 2007, Young and the Restless became available for viewing full episode on CBS online Audience Network. Episodes are placed online the day of being broadcast usually between 5 and 6 p.m. EST and are removed after one week.

All of the above mentioned services, however, are only available within the United States.

[edit] Broadcasts outside the United States

Main article: Screening of daytime soap operas in Australia
  • In Belgium, the show airs on RTBF-La Une as "Les Feux de l'amour" at 12:00 (dubbed in French).
  • In Belize, Channel 5 Great Belize Television airs it on schedule with the US at 1:00 pm Central Time. Rival Channel 7 Tropical Vision Limited airs on schedule as well at 2:00 pm, Central Time.
  • In Canada, Global TV airs the newest episodes one day earlier than CBS in the United States, which means the newest episode that CBS airs is the repeat of the episode that aired on Global the previous day. Most Global stations use Young and the Restless as a late-afternoon lead-in for their local newscasts, but times vary by market. It also airs on NTV in Newfoundland which is one day ahead and on E! (Canada) in Kelowna, British Columbia which is not one day ahead.
    • In the French-speaking province of Quebec, a dubbed version airs on TVA, with the title Les Feux de l'amour (Fires of Love), about eight years after initial airing.
  • In Finland the show aired on Finnish-language channel MTV3 under the title Tunteita ja tuoksuja ("Senses and scents").
  • In France, the show screens on TF1 as "Les Feux de l'amour" at 13:55 (dubbed in French).
  • In Germany, the show airs from 11:35am to 12:00pm weekdays on ZDF. The network will only show 25 minutes (parts one episode in two) the day in German synchronization. The Episodes are two years behind the US and the show is known as Schatten der Leidenschaft (Shadows Of The Passion).
  • In Greece, the show airs on ET1 (Public TV Channel) at 16:00. Episodes are five years behind the US. It's known as Ατίθασα νιάτα (literally Untameable Youth).
  • In India, the show began airing in February, 2007 on Zee Cafe at 20:00. The channel started with episodes from the 2004-2005 season.
  • In Italy, the show airs at 11:40 in the morning on Rete 4, using the Italian title Febbre d'amore (Love Fever). Episodes are two years behind the US. Young and the Restless's first Italian broadcast was in 1983.
  • In the Republic of Macedonia, episodes from 1998 and 1999 were shown on Sitel TV a couple of years ago. Currently, reruns are shown.
  • In New Zealand, Young and the Restless airs on TV ONE. Episodes are four years behind the US.
  • In Norway, Young and the Restless airs on FEM (TV channel).
  • In Poland, Young and the Restless aired in the mid-1990s on Polsat as "Zar Mlodosci", which means "Fervor of the Youth".
  • In Romania, the show is aired on Pro TV as "Tânăr şi neliniştit".
  • In Serbia, the show airs on B92-as "Mladi i nestašni" at 12:03, from 2007.
  • In Slovenia, the show airs on Kanal A as Mladi in nemirni. Episodes currently air from June 2005.
  • In South Africa, the show airs on e.tv at 17:30. The show was originally aired in South Africa in the early 1990s, dubbed into the Afrikaans language, and entitled 'Rustelose Jare' (Restless Years). The show returned to South African television screens in June, 2004, with no overhead foreign translations. Episodes are between 11 and 12 months behind the US.
  • In Sweden, the show aired on tv4 and tv3 from 2002-2005. The show was called Makt och begär, which means Power and desire.
  • In Switzerland, the show airs on TSR at 11:10 as "Les Feux de l'amour" and is 3 years behind the U.S.
  • In Turkey, the show aired on TRT 2. It was called "Yalan Rüzgarı", which means "Wind of Lies". The name was derived from the initials Y&R.
  • In the United Kingdom, Young and the Restless has aired on the digital channel Zone Romantica since September 3, 2007.

[edit] Theme Song and Other Music

Main article: Nadia's Theme

"Nadia's Theme" has been the theme song of Young and the Restless since the show's debut in 1973. The melody, originally titled "Cotton's Dream", was written by Barry De Vorzon and Perry Botkin, Jr. as incidental music for the 1971 theatrical film Bless the Beasts and Children. The melody was later renamed "Nadia's Theme" after the ABC television network lent the music for Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci's performance during the 1976 Summer Olympics.[9]

Botkin wrote a rearranged version of the piece specifically for Young and the Restless's debut, which has basically remained unchanged; save for a three-year stint in the early 2000s, when an alternate, more jazzy arrangement of that tune was used. The closing stinger of that arrangement is still used as a mid-show bumper.

Much of the show's background music comes from Rescue Records artists, including Blaire Reinhard, Girl Next Door, Beth Thornley, and Tena Clark.

[edit] Title sequence

The Young and the Restless logo, seen from September 10, 1984 to October 29, 1999.
The Young and the Restless logo, seen from September 10, 1984 to October 29, 1999.

The opening title sequence has also become well-known. For many years since the show's debut, it showcased the characters, drawn by an artist, on a white background. For the first year, the character's portraits were seen behind the The Young and the Restless title. For the remaining years until 1984, the characters' headshots were seen to the right of the show's title.

Starting in 1984, the sequence both began and ended with an interlocking Y and R painted on the white canvas in a sweeping brush motion. The logo (and in the earlier years, the drawings) were done by artist Sandy Dvore. The drawings were now sketched with a lighter shade of gray than the previous sketches. The drawings were replaced with live-action shots of the characters in formal or semi-formal wear, still on a white background, in 1988.

The "red curtain" title card, used from November 1, 1999 until March 21, 2003.
The "red curtain" title card, used from November 1, 1999 until March 21, 2003.

Beginning on November 1, 1999, in an unprecedented move for a main title sequence of a daytime soap opera, the names of the principal cast members (for that day's particular episode) were mentioned (whereas previously the main title only showed the cast members' faces). The 1999 version also included live-action shots of the characters, but in front of a red curtain in the background.

On March 21, 2003 the opening credits were given a complete makeover, now featuring black-and-white footage from the series with the actors' names in lower case in red at either the top or bottom of the screen (a possible throwback to the shows early years when the cast members sketches were also black and white). In 2004, Young and the Restless's sister show The Bold and the Beautiful began airing the performers' names on the opening credits, the only soap besides Young and the Restless to do so.

For over 25 years, the announcer for the show's opening and closing credits was Bern Bennett, who would tell viewers to "Join us again for The Young and the Restless." In 2003, Bennett retired and CBS hired former casting assistant Marnie Saitta for the job of announcer. In 2006 Marnie Saitta was replaced by cast members announcing for the show.

[edit] Ratings

As of 2008, Young and the Restless has managed 1000 consecutive weeks in the #1 spot and 20 consecutive years.[10] Despite this, the show reached a record low of 4,491,000 viewers on Friday, May 9, 2008. The previous lows were 4,742,000 on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 and 4,805,000 viewers on Friday, August 31, 2007.

When introduced during the 1972–73 season, the show was at the bottom of the ratings (as most debuting serials usually start out), but rose rapidly: ninth by 1974–75 and third by 1975–76. It remained a strong and increasingly important part of CBS daytime's lineup and by 1988-1989 had dethroned long-time leader General Hospital as the top-rated soap, a position it has held ever since.

Main article: List of US daytime soap opera ratings

Daytime History: Highest Rated Week (November 16-20, 1981) (Nielsen Media Research)

Serial Household Rating (Time Slot) Network
General Hospital 16.0 (3-4pm) ABC
All My Children 10.2 (1-2pm) ABC
One Life to Live 10.2 (2-3pm) ABC
Guiding Light 7.9 (3-4pm) CBS
The Young and the Restless 7.3 (12:30-1:30pm) CBS

1995 Daytime Serial Ratings

Rank/Serial Avg. Millions Of Viewers (Per Episode)
The Young and the Restless 7.155
All My Children 5.891
General Hospital 5.343
The Bold and the Beautiful 5.247
One Life to Live 5.152

[edit] Latest Ratings

Week of April 28–May 2, 2008 (Compared To Last WK/Compared To Last YR)

  1. Days of our Lives– 5,305,000 (-28,000/-99,000)
  2. One Life to Live– 3,977,000 (+197,000/+238,000)
  3. As the World Turns – 2,949,000 (+33,000/+105,000)
  4. General Hospital – 2,896,000 (-132,000/-642,000)
  5. The Bold and the Beautiful– 2,699,000 (-185,000/+183,000)
  6. The Young and the Restless – 2,590,000 (-71,000/-486,000)
  7. All My Children – 2,468,000 (+2,000/-562,000)
  8. Guiding Light – 2,352,000 (-22,000/-212,000)

[edit] Cultural references

The Young and the Restless has been referenced in several movies and TV shows. For example, many TV programs use a variation of the Young and the Restless name in some of their episode titles, including "The Jung and the Restless" from Charmed and "The Young & The Tactless" from Will & Grace. In the 1976 film Taxi Driver, Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) kicks his TV while watching a scene from Young and the Restless between Jill Foster and Brock Reynolds.

In The Simpsons' episode "Pygmoelian", the opening sequence of the soap opera It Never Ends parodies that of Young and the Restless. The titles have also been parodied on the Australian sitcom Kath and Kim.

Young and the Restless is also parodied in the 1983 film Mr. Mom. After unemployed automotive engineer Jack Butler (Michael Keaton) becomes a regular viewer, watching actual footage featuring the characters of Victor Newman, Nikki Reed, Kevin Bancroft. Eventually he and his newfound friend Joan (Ann Jillian) engage in a spoof of soap operas in general with music from Young and the Restless playing in the background. The parody gradually includes Jack's wife Carolyn (Teri Garr), who shoots him, his former supervisor Jinx (Jeffrey Tambor), who was going to give him his old job back, and Carolyn's boss Ron (Martin Mull), who leaves with her.

The set of Young and the Restless and the show was used in Entourage for the character of Mrs. Ari to show her as a possible return to acting as she used to be a regular on the show in her early acting career.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ CBS Daytime: The Young and the Restless - FAQ. Retrieved on 2007-05-05.
  2. ^ "The Young and the Restless". E! True Hollywood Story. E!. 2001-05-20.
  3. ^ Coleridge, Daniel (2004-04-26). TV Guide Editors' Blogs - Daniel's Dish. TV Guide. Retrieved on 2007-05-06.
  4. ^ Prikios, Karen Anderson. "Finding the art in HDTV", Broadcasting & Cable, 2001-06-25. Retrieved on 2007-05-13. 
  5. ^ Cynthia Sikes Casting News
  6. ^ Eileen comes back
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ [2]
  9. ^ Nadia Comaneci at Olympic.org
  10. ^ The Young and the Restless To Mark 1000 Weeks on Top! - The Young and the Restless News - Soaps.com

[edit] External links

v • d • e
The Young and the Restless
Current characters (contract)
Recurring characters
Crew
Executive Producter: Josh Griffith, Head Writers: Maria Arena Bell, Hogan Sheffer.
Created by: William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell.
Related articles
v • d • e
U.S. daytime soap operas currently on the air