| The Bold and the Beautiful | |
|---|---|
The Bold and the Beautiful title card 2011-present |
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| Genre | Soap opera |
| Created by | William J. Bell Lee Philip Bell |
| Written by | Bradley Bell Michael Minnis Kay Alden |
| Starring | List of Cast Members |
| Theme music composer | Jack Allocco David Kurtz |
| Opening theme | "High Upon This Love" by Jack Allocco and David Kurtz |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English Spanish (SAP) |
| No. of seasons | 25 |
| No. of episodes | 6,231 (as of January 4, 2012) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Bradley Bell |
| Location(s) | CBS Television City Hollywood, California |
| Running time | Approx. 20 minutes (1987-present) |
| Distributor | Bell Phillip Television Productions Inc. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) (1987–2011) 1080i (HDTV) (2011-present) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original run | March 23, 1987 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987.
Set in Los Angeles, California, the show centers upon the Forrester family and their fashion house business Forrester Creations. The program features an ensemble cast, headed by its longest-serving actors Susan Flannery as Stephanie Forrester, John McCook as Eric Forrester, Katherine Kelly Lang as Brooke Logan, Ronn Moss as Ridge Forrester also known as the core four. The Bold and the Beautiful is also a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera The Young and the Restless, as several characters from each of the two shows have crossed over to the other since the early 1990s, and its title derived from Y&R.
Since its premiere on March 23, 1987, the show has become the most-watched soap in the world, with an audience of an estimated 26.2 million viewers.[1] As of 2010, it continues to hold on to the second-placed position in weekly Nielsen Ratings for daytime dramas. The Bold and the Beautiful has also won 31 Daytime Emmy Awards, including one for Outstanding Drama Series in 2009 and again in 2010, as well as in 2011.
On September 7, 2011, the series switched to high definition, making it the second-to-last American soap to make the switch, at the time.[2][2] Due to the cancellation of ABC's One Life to Live, B&B was the last American soap opera to make the transition. Among the five lasting American soaps, it is the youngest soap opera in the United States.
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Set in Los Angeles, California, The Bold and the Beautiful centers around the Forrester family and their fashion house business Forrester Creations. Stephanie Douglas, a strong-willed woman, daughter to a rich family, met her husband-to-be Eric Forrester, who aspired to become a fashion designer, while they both studied at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. The young lovers hurried to get married after Stephanie became pregnant. They moved to Los Angeles, California, where they established Forrester Creations, designing and producing upscale men and women's fashion, based on Eric's designing talent and Stephanie's financial funding. While winning international recognition, fame, and wealth with their work, the couple managed to raise four children in a happy and caring environment, including elder son Ridge, brother Thorne and younger sisters Kristen and Felicia. It was discovered years later, when the children were all adults, that Stephanie's (Stephanie Forrester) elder son, Ridge, was actually the biological child of Massimo Marone.
The pilot episodes of the show focused on the preparations of the wedding of the Forrester's eldest son, Ridge, to Caroline Spencer, the daughter of the media mogul Bill Spencer. At this time Ridge has already become a fashion designer and vice president of Forrester Creations. Many media outlets throughout the world, from the big television networks to the most honorable newspapers, to the last gossip newspapers publicize their wedding, declaring it as "the wedding of the year in the fashion world." Thousands of women see the pictures of Ridge in the newspapers and speculate on the identity of the woman who has won the heart of the man who has, until recently, been a playboy, and who has refused to settle for one woman.
One of these women is a chemistry student named Brooke Logan, who comes from a working class family and who lives with her single mother Beth, her siblings Storm, Donna and Katie in a typical American home in the San Fernando Valley in the city of Los Angeles. In an ironic twist of fate, Beth was Eric's college girlfriend before he married Stephanie. Brooke's life soon became a key element in the series. Originally from a middle-class background, her love affair with Ridge set up much of the storyline beginning in the first year. Every so often, Ridge and Brooke reunite only to break up due to circumstances, and Ridge invariably finds comfort (in most cases, this would lead to marriage) with another love of his life Dr. Taylor Hayes. In addition, the rivalry between Ridge's mother Stephanie and Brooke has played a key role in the drama since its inception. Following one of her breakups with Ridge, Brooke married his father Eric, who divorced Stephanie to do so. Brooke gave birth to two of Eric's children. They eventually divorced and Eric reconciled with Stephanie. Likewise, Brooke and Ridge resumed their pattern of an on-again-off-again relationship, in-between Brooke's relationship s with other men and Forrester family members, and Ridge's multiple reunions with Taylor. Eric eventually married Donna Logan and legally adopted her son Marcus but they later divorced due to their family's bitter history. Felicia and Kristen have chosen to venture their own paths leaving the family company to be ran by Ridge, Thorne, Rick, Marcus,and their families.
For many years Spectra Fashions was Forrester's main rival, headed by Sally Spectra. Sally, a larger-than-life character with outrageous clothes and a sizable red coiffure, helmed both comedic and dramatic storylines, with the help of ditzy receptionist Darla Einstein, and fashion designer Clarke Garrison, who fathered CJ Garrison, Sally's son. Though at first Sally and Stephanie Forrester were bitter enemies, in later years they developed a friendship; Sally even went to work at Forrester Creations after she finally made the decision to shut down her own company.
Sally's daughter Macy Alexander, a singer, underwent many traumas, most notably alcoholism. Having an on-again-off-again marriage to Thorne Forrester, whom she eventually lost to Brooke, Macy went abroad into hiding with her father Adam. After being discovered in Italy, Macy relocated back to Los Angeles where she reunited with Thorne Forrester before developing an interest in fellow recovering alcoholic, Deacon Sharpe, whom she married. Weeks later, Macy was gravely injured at a nightclub where she was headlining as a singer. She went into a coma and it was implied that her family pulled the plug off-camera.
In recent years, the Spectra family and friends have been supplanted by the introduction of Massimo Marone and his entourage. Marone, a billionaire shipping magnate who was a childhood friend of Stephanie dated her in college. They slept together once just before Stephanie first slept with Eric Forrester, and after forty-something years, a medical crisis revealed Massimo was Ridge's biological father. Shortly thereafter, Jacqueline Payne, a former lover of Massimo, arrived on scene and announced that her son, Dominick "Nick" Payne, a captain at Marone Industries, was also fathered by Massimo. Unlike Ridge, Nick wasn't a businessman and took the surname Marone.
In 1986, CBS was on the hunt to replace Capitol, and contacted several writers and producers for proposals. Paul Rauch created Grosse Pointe as a replacement. During her absence from Ryan's Hope, Michael Brockman, former President of CBS Daytime, asked Claire Labine to develop a new serial in 1986. Her proposal was entitled 'Celebration' but never made it to the air. Had it been greenlit, Jane Greenstein would have been Assistant to the Head Writer like she was on General Hospital. William J. Bell created The Bold and the Beautiful, which was originally titled Rags.
The show typically uses the traditional soap opera look, featuring constructed sets such as the Forrester Mansion, the Shady Marlin, and the Forrester Creations offices. Like other soap operas, B&B is usually taped 3–4 weeks in advance. In recent times, the show has increased shooting on location, in the way fellow CBS soap Guiding Light did in its final two years. Many of the characters have taken trips to the fictional "Bikini Beach" which is actually a nearby California beach, and there have been scenes around the Forrester Creations building which appear to be shot somewhere on the lot or inside of CBS Television City. B&B has been shot at Stage 31 At Television City for its entire run so far.[3]
"High Upon This Love," the theme song of The Bold and the Beautiful, was written by Jack Allocco and David Kurtz and features a prominent saxophone sample played by Eric Marienthal. From November 1998 to July 1999 in the United States, a vocal version of the theme song performed by Dionne Warwick was played during the end credits.
The title sequence for the first seventeen years was designed by Wayne Fitzgerald and featured still photos of the show's current cast members interspersed with photos from fashion shoots, and scenes of Los Angeles; the theme tune was updated in 2001, and the cast photos were replaced occasionally. On July 2, 2004, the theme was revamped to go along with a completely revamped title sequence, a photo shoot feature a photographer and model along with video headshots of the current contract players. Upon the new opening the headshots displayed the character names only at first, but would list their real names later on. On February 21, 2011, the opening and theme music was revamped again; a collaboration between Bell-Philip Productions and CBS Digital, the opening is a CGI fashion show featuring models and the contracted cast members (also listing the players real and character names) who appear grouped by certain cores in the sequences and positioned throughout the room. The sequence was subtly updated on September 7, 2011 to accommodate the show's transition to high definition (the sequence was already shot in HD; the show still remained in standard definition).
The show has enjoyed success by focusing on telling stories involving the core Forrester family, in particular sticking to a core group of characters: Stephanie, Eric, Brooke, Ridge, Taylor, Thorne, Macy and, in recent years, Logan's sister, Amber, Bridget, Bill Jr, Jackie and Nick. However, the show has been criticized at times for not having a well-developed "B" storyline and for, at times, overexposing the core characters. Unlike other US soaps currently on the air, it is not uncommon for The Bold and the Beautiful to devote entire shows or even a week's worth of shows to a single storyline.
The show has also been criticized for the sometimes breakneck speed in which it changes story lines, in particular with changes in romantic pairings. Several leading soap critics, including Carolyn Hinsey, have lauded the show for knowing when a story isn't working, and changing or ending the story as a result (such as Bridget and Ridge's romance in 2003).
Recasting is an ongoing fixture on the show. In the show's 23 year history, many characters have been played by two or more actors, often leading to a viewer backlash. One such instance was the 2004 recast of Bridget Forrester from Emmy-winner Jennifer Finnigan to relative newcomer Emily Harrison. Viewers did not adjust well to the new Bridget, and Harrison was soon downgraded to recurring status. The mistake was rectified later that year when former The Young and the Restless star Ashley Jones stepped into the role. Jones has consistently remained with the show since. The Bold and the Beautiful has also had many other successful recasts, such as Winsor Harmon's Thorne Forrester, Lesli Kay's Felicia Forrester and Patrick Duffy's Stephen Logan. The recast of Rick Forrester from Emmy-winning Justin Torkildsen to ex-Days of our Lives star Kyle Lowder in 2007 met a mixed reaction from fans. It was announced in July 2007 that Nancy Sloan was being replaced by two-time Emmy winner Heather Tom; Tom is famous for portraying Victoria Newman on Y&R from 1991–2003. Tom is now on The Bold and the Beautiful as Katie Logan, the younger sister of Brooke and Donna Logan. Tom first aired on August 30, 2007. In December 2007, Tom, who had only signed a three-month deal initially, renewed her contract through 2011.
The relatively small cast has led to many romantic pairings and love triangles involving family members and in-laws. Additionally, many of the show's story lines have featured siblings or a parent/child in love with and/or competing for the affections of the same character.
Some of the most controversial examples:
The character Brooke Logan has famously had romantic entanglements with three men of the Forrester family:
In addition, Brooke had an affair with her daughter, Bridget's first husband, Deacon Sharpe, which produced Brooke's daughter Hope Logan. The affair between Deacon and Brooke lasted nearly a year. The affair between Eric and her began with Eric sleeping with an already barely conscious, tipsy Brooke, who called out Ridge's name in her sleep. Eric misinterpreted and slept with her while she was in this state. Ridge also slept with Brooke when she was drugged and unconscious while she was dating Nick. Brooke also accidentally slept with her daughter Hope's first boyfriend Oliver Jones while they were wearing masks at a masquerade party, thinking it was Ridge. After that Thomas Forrester fell in love with his father's wife, and Brooke and Thomas kissed a few times. Thomas lied that she and Brooke had made love on a deserted island after their plane went down. Brooke was also engaged to James Warwick in 1994. Most of Brooke's relationships have been Forrester/Marone (both Marones and Forresters are intermingled since Ridge is really a Marone) men. The misunderstanding comes from the fact that Brooke has married the same men in the one family more than one time. Ridge she's married approximately 4–5 times, Eric 3 times, Grant one time, Nick one time, and Thorne one time. So in other words Brooke has married her same ex's who she's had a prior relationship with over and over again. These are the several marriages and sexual relationships the viewers are primarily referring to.
In November 2011, Bradley Bell announced that the there would be changes to the show's current characters in 2012. It first began when Patrick Duffy decided to leave his role of Stephen Logan in order to return to TNT's new version of Dallas. Bell then decided that the role would not be recast but gave the character a storyline-dedicated exit. As part of the show's new direction, Bell let go cast members who characters received lack of storyline or been in the back burner such as Brandon Beemer as Owen Knight, and Aaron D. Spears as Justin Barber, who have already or scheduled to receive storyline dedicated exits in the near future. Bell then decided to bring back Todd Mckee as Jake McClaine. Bell had also brought back veteran soap actor, Jacob Young as Rick Forrester in September 2011 who finished up on ABC's now defuct soap, All My Children.
Nominated for over two hundred prizes and accolades since its debut, the series has won several awards over the years, including the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series thrice, once in 2009 and again in the years of 2010 and 2011.[4] The writing team also won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series Writing in 2010.[4] Susan Flannery has personally won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series on three separate occasions.[4]
Upon its debuted as the replacement of former soap opera Capitol in the CBS Daytime lineup, The Bold and the Beautiful ended eighth in the final year ratings. Initially CBS' lowest-rated soap, its numbers were still respectable and began to climb. By 1993, after a successful crossover involving villain Sheila Carter from The Young and the Restless, it had climbed to third. By the mid-to-late 1990s, following yet another crossover, it moved up to second and since has consistently remained there.[5] Throughout the 2000s (decade), The Bold and the Beautiful and all the other remaining network daytime dramas have witnessed a steady erosion of viewers, mainly due to vastly altered viewing habits induced by cable networks and alternative genres such as reality, court shows, and talk shows on minor network affiliates.[6]
It is currently the only American soap opera since the cancellation of Port Charles with a running time of 30 minutes and was the last remaining American soap broadcasting in the 4:3 standard definition picture format, until the show upgraded to 16:9 HiDef definition in September 2011.
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| DVD name | Episodes | Box set release dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Region 2 | Region 4 | ||
| Fan Favorites Collection | 21 | September 3, 2008[7] | November 19, 2008[8] |
| Best of Weddings | 25 | March 11, 2009[9] | April 1, 2009[10] |
| Most Shocking Moments | 25 | N/A | October 2010 |
| Catfights and Brawls | 25 | N/A | December 2010 |
| The Best of Brooke, Ridge & Taylor | 25 | N/A | March 2011 |
In addition to that the series is released from the very beginning in Germany and Sweden.[11] All DVD sets contain 25 episodes. The first Box was released on April 29, 2011 in Germany.[12] Sweden will follow with it's release on November 23, 2011.[11] In the meantime, a release for the second Box in Germany was set for October 14, 2011.[13] The company Fernsehjuwelen further announced a release for the third Box for February 17, 2012 and named for the forth Box April 27, 2012 as the release date.[14]
There have been several crossovers between The Bold and the Beautiful and its sister show, The Young and the Restless:
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