The Young and the Restless

The Young and the Restless
Also known as Y&R
Genre Soap opera
Drama
Created by William J. Bell
Lee Phillip Bell
Written by Charles Pratt, Jr.
Tracey Thomson
Directed by Sally McDonald
Owen Renfroe
Conal O'Brien
Casey Childs
Michael Eilbaum
See below
Starring Present cast
Former cast
Theme music composer RC Cates
Sharon Farber
Rick Krizman
Dominic Messinger
Opening theme "Nadia's Theme"
by Barry De Vorzon and Perry Botkin, Jr.
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of episodes 10,657 (as of May 1, 2015)
Production
Executive producer(s) Jill Farren Phelps (2012–)
Charles Pratt, Jr. (2015–)
(and others)
Producer(s) Supervising Producers
John Fisher
Anthony Morina
Producer
Mary O'Leary
Coordinating Producer
Matthew J. Olsen
Associate Producer
Jimmy Freeman
See below
Location(s) CBS Television City
Los Angeles, California
Camera setup Multiple-camera setup
Running time 19 minutes (1973–80)
37 minutes (1980–present)
Production company(s) Bell Dramatic Serial Company (1973–present)
Corday Productions (1973–present)
Screen Gems (1973–74)
Columbia Pictures Television (1974–2001)
CPT Holdings, Inc. (1988-present)
Columbia TriStar Television (2001–02)
Sony Pictures Television (2002–present)
Broadcast
Original channel CBS
Picture format 480i SDTV (1973–2001)
1080i HDTV (2001–present)
Audio format Mono (1973–87)
Stereo (1987–present)
Original run March 26, 1973 – present
Chronology
Related shows
External links
Website

The Young and the Restless (often abbreviated as Y&R) is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin.[1] First broadcast on March 26, 1973, The Young and the Restless was originally broadcast as half-hour episodes, five times a week.[2][3] It expanded to one hour episodes on February 4, 1980.[4] In 2006, the series began airing encore episodes weeknights on SOAPnet[5] until 2013, when Y&R moved to Pop. Pop still airs the encore episodes on weeknights, starting July 1, 2013.[6][7] The series is also syndicated internationally.[8]

The Young and the Restless originally focused on two core families: the wealthy Brooks family and the working class Foster family.[2] After a series of recasts and departures in the early 1980s, all the original characters except Jill Foster Abbott were written out. Bell replaced them with the new core families, the Abbotts and the Williamses.[2] Over the years, other families such as the Newmans, Winters, and the Baldwin-Fishers were introduced.[9][10] Despite these changes, one storyline that has endured through almost the show's entire run is the feud between Jill Abbott Fenmore and Katherine Chancellor, the longest rivalry on any American soap opera.[11][12]

Since its debut, The Young and the Restless has won eight Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series. It is also 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 1,000 weeks since 1988.[13] As of December 12, 2013, according to Nielsen ratings, The Young and the Restless has been the leading daytime drama for an unprecedented 1,300 weeks, or 25 years.[14] On January 15, 2014, the series was in the middle of its final year of its 2010 contract, and was renewed by CBS through 2017.[15] Y&R is also a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, as several actors have crossed over between shows.

Production

To compete with the youthful ABC soap operas, All My Children, One Life to Live, and General Hospital, CBS executives wanted a new daytime serial that was youth oriented.[16] William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell created The Young and the Restless in 1972 for the network under the working title, The Innocent Years![16][17] "We were confronted with the very disturbing reality that young America had lost much of its innocence," Bell said. "Innocence as we had known and lived it all our lives had, in so many respects, ceased to exist."[18] They changed the title of the series to The Young and the Restless because they felt it "reflected the youth and mood of the early seventies."[18] The Bells named the fictional setting for the show after the real Genoa City, Wisconsin, which was located on their way from their then-home in Chicago to their annual summer vacation spot in Lake Geneva.[1]

The Young and the Restless began airing on March 26, 1973, replacing the canceled soap opera, Where the Heart Is.[4] Bell worked as head writer from the debut of the series until his retirement in 1998.[19] He wrote from his home in Chicago while production took place in Los Angeles, California. Originally, Bell wanted to shoot the series in New York, however, CBS executives felt that Los Angeles would be more cost effective.[8] John Conboy acted as the show's first executive producer, staying in the position until 1982.[4] Bell and H. Wesley Kenney became co-executive producers that year until Edward Scott took over in 1989. Bell then became senior executive producer.[4] Other executive producers included David Shaughnessy,[20] John F. Smith,[21] Lynn Marie Latham,[22] Josh Griffith,[23] Maria Arena Bell, and Paul Rauch.[24]

In the mid-1980s, Bell and his family moved to Los Angeles to create a new soap opera.[8] During this time, his three children, William Jr., Bradley, and Lauralee Bell, each became involved in soap operas. Lauralee Bell worked as an actress on The Young and the Restless. Bradley Bell co-created The Bold and the Beautiful with his father. William Bell Jr. became involved in the family's production companies as president of Bell Dramatic Serial Co. and Bell-Phillip Television Productions Inc.[8] "It's worked out very well for us because we really all worked in very different aspects of the show," William Bell Jr. said. "With my father and I, it was a great kind of partnership and pairing in the sense that he had a total control of the creative side of the show and I didn't have even the inclination to interject in what he was doing."[8]

After William J. Bell's 1998 retirement, a number of different head writers took over the position, including Kay Alden, Trent Jones, John F. Smith, Lynn Marie Latham, Scott Hamner, Josh Griffith, Maria Arena Bell, and Hogan Sheffer.[20][21][22][23][24][25][26]

In 2012, former General Hospital executive producer Jill Farren Phelps was hired as the new executive producer of the soap, replacing Bell. Griffith was also named the sole head writer.[27] On August 15, 2013, it was speculated and reported by several online sources that Griffith had resigned as head-writer of the serial.[28][29] Further speculation adds that Shelly Altman may take over as the new scribe, alongside Tracey Thomson or Jean Passanante may be brought aboard as co-head scribe.[30][31] On September 12, 2013, it was announced that Passanante and Altman were named head writers of the show, with Thomson promoted to co-head writer.[32]

On September 18, 2014, former All My Children, General Hospital and Santa Barbara head writer Charles Pratt, Jr. was named as the new head writer of the show. Passanante, Altman and Thomson have been demoted to breakdown writers. Pratt was also named as co-executive producer sharing the credit with Phelps.[33]

Videotaping and broadcasting

Taped at CBS Television City, studios 41 and 43 in Hollywood since its debut on March 26, 1973,[34] the show was packaged by the distribution company Columbia Pictures Television, which has now been replaced by Sony Pictures Television.[3][35] The Young and the Restless originally aired as a half-hour series on CBS and was the first soap opera to focus on the visual aspects of production, creating "a look that broke with the visual conventions of the genre."[2][3] Similar to the radio serials that had preceded them, soap operas at the time primarily focused on dialogue, characters, and story, with details like sets as secondary concerns.[2] The Young and the Restless stood out by using unique lighting techniques and camera angles, similar to Hollywood-style productions.[35][36] The style of videotaping included using out-of-the-ordinary camera angles and a large number of facial close-ups with bright lighting on the actors' faces.[2][35][36][37] Conboy said he used lighting to create "artistic effects".[36] Those effects made the series look dark, shadowy, and moody.[2][36] The Young and the Restless' look influenced the taping styles of other soap operas.[2] When H. Wesley Kenney replaced Conboy as executive producer, he balanced the lighting of the scenes.[37]

Due to the success of the series, CBS and their affiliates pressured Bell to lengthen the series from 30 minutes to a full hour. Bell attributed this change to the show's fall from number one in the Nielsen ratings, since the lengthening of the show led to the departure of a number of cast members.[2] "The issue of performing in a one-hour show had not been part of their contracts," Bell said.[2] This forced the show to recast multiple main characters and eventually phase out the original core families in favor of new ones.[2]

Exteriors used in the late 1980s and early 1990s (and reused years later) included locations in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, including Allegheny General Hospital, One Oxford Centre, the Duquesne Club, Hampton Township and the prison. Phillip Chancellor died in the Richland, Pennsylvania area, where the police chief was not told and believed the accident really happened.[38]

On June 27, 2001, The Young and the Restless became the first daytime soap opera to be broadcast in high-definition.[39] In September 2011, its sister soap The Bold and the Beautiful became the last soap to make the transition from SD to HD before All My Children ended its ABC run on September 23, 2011 and began its TOLN run online on April 29, 2013. On April 24, 2006, SoapNet began airing same-day episodes of the series.[5] The final airing on SoapNet was on June 28, 2013. The soap has moved from SoapNet to TV Guide Network.[40] The same day episodes begin airing on TVGN (now Pop) weeknights on July 1, 2013.[41][42]

Casting and story development

The 40th anniversary (2012/13) cast photo of The Young and the Restless.
Front row (l-r): Kristoff St. John, Michelle Stafford, Peter Bergman, Jeanne Cooper, Eric Braeden, Melody Thomas Scott, Joshua Morrow, Amelia Heinle, Billy Miller
Second row: Marcy Rylan, Angell Conwell, Bryton James, Tracey E. Bregman, Christian LeBlanc, Lauralee Bell, Doug Davidson, Sharon Case, Michael Muhney, Jessica Collins, Steve Burton, Jerry Douglas
Third row: Lamon Archey, Judith Chapman, Elizabeth Hendrickson, Greg Rikaart, Christel Khalil, Robert Adamson, Melissa Claire Egan, Redaric Williams, Hunter King, Jess Walton
Back row: Ted Shackelford, Blake Hood, Jessica Heap, Daniel Goddard, Ignacio Serricchio, Kate Linder, Marco Dapper, Max Ehrich.

Co-creators William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell centered The Young and the Restless around two core families, the wealthy Brooks' and the poor Fosters.[2][16][18] Bell borrowed this technique of soap opera building from his mentor, Irna Phillips.[35]

While casting for the series, Bell and executive producer John Conboy auditioned 540 actors for the 13 main characters.[43] They assembled the youngest group of actors ever cast on a soap opera at the time, hiring mostly unknown actors[44] who they considered "glamorous model types".[35] Chemistry between actors also factored into the criteria for casting.[36] The stories focused on the younger characters, with an emphasis in fantasy.[2][18] The fantasy element was reflected in the love story between Jill Foster and the millionaire Phillip Chancellor II; the Leslie Brooks, Brad Elliot, and Laurie Brooks love triangle; and Snapper Foster's romance with Chris Brooks.[2][36]

Sexuality also played a major role in the stories.[2][35][37] Formerly, soap operas did not delve into the sexual side of their romances. Bell changed that, first during his time as head writer of Days of our Lives and again on The Young and the Restless.[35] William Gray Espy's Snapper Foster is considered the "first to discover sex on a soap opera."[37] During the story, the character is engaged to Chris Brooks (Trish Stewart) and having a sexual relationship with Sally McGuire (Lee Crawford).[37] Other plots reflected sexual themes as well. For the first time in the genre, the dialogue and the story situations included explicit sexual themes such as premarital intercourse, sodomy, oral sex, impotence, incest, and rape.[2] The series also explored social issues. Jennifer Brooks underwent the first mastectomy on a soap opera.[36] Other social issue storylines included bulimia, alcoholism, and cancer.[45] Lesbianism was also touched on with Katherine Chancellor, who flirts with Jill while drunk in 1974 and has a brief relationship with Joann Curtis (Kay Heberle) in 1977.[45]

When the series lengthened from a half-hour to an hour in 1980, multiple cast members who portrayed characters from the original core families departed because their contracts only bound them to performing in a half-hour show.[2] A number of the characters were recast until one of the few remaining original actors, Jaime Lyn Bauer, who portrayed Laurie Brooks, decided to leave. When she announced her intention not to renew her contract, Bell decided to replace the original core families.[2] "As I studied the remaining cast, I realized I had two characters- Paul Williams, played by Doug Davidson, and Jack Abbott, played by Terry Lester- both of whom had a relatively insignificant presence on the show," Bell said. "They didn't have families. Hell, they didn't even have bedrooms. But these became the two characters I would build our two families around."[2]

The characters from the Abbott and Williams families were integrated into the series while the Brooks and Foster families, with the exception of Jill, were phased out. The continuity of the feud between Jill and Katherine, which began in the early years of the show, smoothed the transition.[2] The relationship between the two characters remained a central theme throughout the series and became the longest lasting rivalry in daytime history.[11]

Another character introduced in the 1980s was Eric Braeden's Victor Newman.[2][9] Originally, the character was "a despicable, contemptible, unfaithful wife abuser" who was intended to be killed off.[9] Braeden's tenure on the show was meant to last between eight and twelve weeks. "When I saw Eric Braeden's first performance- the voice, the power, the inner strength- I knew immediately that I didn't want to lose this man," Bell said. "He was exactly what the show needed. Not the hateful man we saw on-screen, but the man he could and would become."[9] Bell rewrote the story to save the character and put Braeden on contract. Victor's romance with Nikki Reed became a prominent plot in the series.[9]

With the success of another iconic character, Kimberlin Brown's Sheila Carter, Bell made daytime drama history in 1992 by successfully crossing her over from The Young and the Restless to his second soap, The Bold and the Beautiful. The success of the crossover was due, in part, to the creativity of Bell, as the nefarious character of Sheila was presumed to have died in a fire on The Young and the Restless.

In the 1990s, core black characters were introduced with the Barber and Winters families. Victoria Rowell (Drucilla Barber) and Tonya Lee Williams (Dr. Olivia Barber) were cast as the nieces of the Abbott's maid, Mamie Johnson, in 1990.[46] The brothers Neil (Kristoff St. John) and Malcolm Winters (Shemar Moore) were introduced as love interests for Olivia and Drucilla.[10] The Young and the Restless became popular among black viewers, which Williams and St. John attributed to the writing for the black characters.[10][47][48] "I play a CEO at a major corporation, that's something we don't see that often," St. John said. "And the show doesn't use the old African-American stereotypes that we have been seeing on TV, like the hustler, the pimp, the drug dealer. We have come a long way."[47] Though the characters held prominent positions in the fictional work place of Genoa City, they had little interaction with other characters outside of their jobs.[49]

Executive producers and head writers

Name Years Production Notes/Contributions
Executive producers
 William J. Bell 1973–2005 As being the show's creator and longtime head writer (until 1998), he served as the main executive producer while working alongside of other executive producers. He wasn't credited as an executive producer until 1982 when his credit began appearing with H. Wesley Kenney. Served as solo EP from 1986 to 1987 after the departure of Kenney. He received the title of "senior executive producer" when Edward Scott became EP and remained credited with the title until 2004 when he returned to the executive producer credit with John F. Smith as co-executive producer. William J. Bell died on April 29, 2005 and on the following Monday, his credit as EP was edited from the show; he was still living when those episodes were filmed.
John Conboy 1973–82 Served as the show's first executive producer while credited with the "produced by" credit as the title of executive producer was credited hardly on any soaps (other than a small few), until the mid-1970s to 1980s. It was under his run when CBS wanted Y&R expanded from 30 minutes to an hour with the cancellation of Love of Life. Also the show switched from the live-to-tape filming technique to pre-recording episodes, a practice that remains in effect to this date as with all soaps. John departed in 1982 to produce his newly created soap Capitol, which was later cancelled to make room for Y&R's sister show The Bold and the Beautiful.
H. Wesley Kenney 1982–86 Guided the show with more action-driven story direction inspired in large part by the more action oriented soap General Hospital which was a ratings smash at the time. The change to more action storylines are believed to be what helped the show win daytime emmy awards in 1983, 1985 and 1986. Began crediting the show's cast in alphabetical order, a standard that remains to this date. Ceased the fade to next scene transition effect within the show's episodes. Had artist Sandy Dvore, who designed the art drawing photos in the shows main title, to design the show's signature stylized brush stroke logo on Y&R merchandise in 1982, leading to the debut of the logo in the show's main title in January 1984.
Edward J. Scott 1987–2001 Debuted on the show in 1976 as an associate producer eventually becoming the "produced by" producer under John Conboy until 1987. Briefly filled in as EP for H. Wesley Kenney in 1986. Helped the show rise to co-#1 in 1987 with General Hospital in ratings before it solely dethroned GH as #1 in 1988 and has since remained there. Retired the longtime art drawings cast montage of the opening credits in 1988. Began the practice of crediting production principals on opening scenes of the show and adding the cast members' real-life names to the opening credits in 1999. Ceased the last commercial break between the last scene and end credits. Converted the show into HDTV in 2001, making it the first soap in history to do so. Returned from 2004 to 2007 as "supervising producer", a position he previously had briefly in 1987. Real-life husband of actress Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Reed Newman).
David Shaughnessy 2001–04 Assumed executive producer position after serving as a producer and supervising producer since 1991. The Bell Dramatic Serial Co. production logo began appearing with end credits under his run. He managed to score brief returns by veteran actors such as Jaime Lyn Bauer, William Gray Espy, Meg Bennett and James Houghton (who wrote on the show between 1991 and 2006), all of whom who left the show back in the 1970s and 1980s, for brief storylines in 2002 and 2003. Debuted "next episode" preview scenes in 2003, a practice started with the ABC soaps in 1998.
John F. Smith 2003–06 Became co-executive producer with William J. Bell and David Shaughnessy while still serving as co-head writer with Kay Alden and Trent Jones (until 2004). Worked as a writer on the show since the early 1980s. Still maintained the co-EP title after William J. Bell's passing in 2005. Stepped down in 2006 as EP while remaining as co-head writer until November 2006.
Lynn Marie Latham 2006–07 Brought on as a "creative consultant" under John F. Smith in November 2005; Latham would later fire Smith as co-head writer in 2006. Promoted to head writer with Kay Alden and Smith in February 2006, then promoted to executive producer, becoming the show's first female EP in October 2006, after the show went that summer without an EP. Tenure as EP/HW was criticized by viewers and insiders for damaging the show's history with out-of-text writing, firing several longtime cast and crew members in favor of several unknowns, and doing too much favoritism. She was fired when she abandoned her post as EP to go on strike for the 2007-08 writer's strike.
Josh Griffith 2006–08 Brought on by Lynn Marie Latham as her co-executive producer in 2006. Assumed full producer duties in December 2007, when Latham was fired. He also served as head writer with Maria Arena Bell during the 2007-08 writers strike. Remained as EP when Bell became sole head writer until he was fired when it was learned that he was tampering with Bell's stories; this was also known as former EP Edward Scott, who is friends with Griffith, was said to be doing the same thing on Days of Our Lives, leading to his departure from that show.
Paul Rauch 2008–11 The veteran producer debuted as Maria Arena Bell's co-executive producer in October 2008. It was established that his role as co-executive producer would be to only foresee everything with the production of the show while Bell was solely responsible for the stories. This was the only time Paul ever been a co-EP and his first stop back to soap operas in six years since his 2002 departure from Guiding Light. He opted not to renew his contract with Y&R after three years with the show and stepped down in May 2011.
Maria Arena Bell 2008–12 Bell is the wife of William Bell, Jr., the oldest son of William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell. Under her run, she brought the show's fictional Jabot Cosmetics to life by teaming up with a real cosmetics marketing company to help distribute the products. Named head writer in December 2007. Bell was named executive producer in October 2008, after Josh Griffith was ousted for tampering with her stories. Bell brought along veteran producer Paul Rauch to help her with the production of the show while she mostly focused on the stories. She was known for steering away from character-driven storylines in favor of plot-driven ones, which was criticized. From 2008 to 2010, she was credited as co-executive producer as well as Rauch, while her credit appeared first. Bell was let go in July 2012; an official reason was never given for her departure, however many sources speculate it was due to the controversial pairing of characters Sharon and Victor Newman (Sharon Case and Eric Braeden).[50] The final episode under Bell's direction was broadcast on October 11, 2012.[51]
Jill Farren Phelps 2012–present Named executive producer in July 2012 upon the dismissal of Maria Arena Bell. This marked the second CBS soap opera Phelps executive produced, with the first being Guiding Light from 1991 to 1995. While Maria Arena Bell was still credited, Phelps began her tenure by August as she made several immediate casting changes (such as hiring Robert Adamson and Hunter King), two young actors she worked with on the primetime soap Hollywood Heights, respectively). By October, she was still uncredited as executive producer although her first episode aired on October 12, 2012,[51] and received her first official credit on October 23, 2012.

Head writers

Years Head writer(s)
March 26, 1973–97 William J. Bell
1997-98
1998-2000 Kay Alden
2000-02
2002-06
2006
2006-07
2007-08
2008-12
2012-13
2013–15
2015–

Awards

The serial has won 116 Daytime Emmys, along with 360 nominations. The following list summarizes awards won by The Young and the Restless:

Daytime Emmy Awards

Category Recipient Role Year(s)
Outstanding Drama Series 1975,[52] 1983,[53] 1985,[54] 1986,[55] 1993,[56] 2004,[57] 2007,[58] 2014[59] 2015[60]
Outstanding Individual Director in a Daytime Drama Series Richard Dunlap 1975,[61] 1978[62]
Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989,[63] 1996,[64] 1997,[65] 1998,[66] 1999,[67] 2001,[68] 2002,[69] 2011[70]
Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team 1992,[71] 1997,[65] 2000, 2006,[72] 2011,[70] 2014[59]
Lead Actor Peter Bergman
Eric Braeden
Christian LeBlanc
Doug Davidson
Billy Miller 		Jack Abbott
Victor Newman
Michael Baldwin
Paul Williams
Billy Abbott		 1991,[73] 1992,[74] 2002[69]
1998[66]
2005,[75] 2007[58] 2009[76]
2013[77]
2014[59]
Lead Actress Jess Walton
Michelle Stafford
Jeanne Cooper		 Jill Foster Abbott
Phyllis Summers
Katherine Chancellor		 1997[65]
2004[57]
2008[78]
Supporting Actor Shemar Moore
Greg Rikaart
Kristoff St. John
Billy Miller		 Malcolm Winters
Kevin Fisher
Neil Winters
Billy Abbott		 2000[79]
2005[75]
2008[78]
2010,[80] 2013 (tied with Scott Clifton)[81]
Supporting Actress Beth Maitland
Jess Walton
Michelle Stafford
Sharon Case
Amelia Heinle		 Traci Abbott Connolly
Jill Foster Abbott
Phyllis Summers
Sharon Newman
Victoria Newman		 1985[54]
1991[73]
1997[65]
1999[82]
2014[59]
Younger Actress Tracey E. Bregman
Tricia Cast
Heather Tom
Camryn Grimes
Christel Khalil
Hunter King		 Lauren Fenmore
Nina Webster
Victoria Newman
Cassie Newman
Lily Winters
Summer Newman		 1985[54]
1992[74]
1993,[56] 1999[67]
2000[79]
2012[83]
2014[59]
Younger Actor Kristoff St. John
David Tom
David Lago
Bryton James		 Neil Winters
Billy Abbott
Raul Guittierez
Devon Hamilton		 1992[74]
2000[79]
2005 [75]
2007[58]
Lifetime Achievement Award William J. Bell
Jeanne Cooper
Lee Phillip Bell		 creator
Katherine Chancellor
co-creator		 1992[74]
2004[57]
2007[58]

TV Soap Golden Boomerang Awards

Writers Guild of America Awards

Broadcast

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 3:00 pm, Central Time.

In Canada, the Global Television Network airs new episodes a day ahead of CBS in the United States. Most Global stations use The 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 and Labrador which airs the program on a same-day-as-CBS basis.

In Jamaica, the show airs on CVMTV at 7pm.

In Trinidad, the show airs weekdays on CBS at 12:30 on a same-day-as-CBS basis. It has been airing in Trinidad since the 1980s. In 1988, 70 percent of Trinidadians who had access to a television watched daily episodes of The Young and the Restless, a series that emphasized family problems, sexual intrigue, and gossip.[84]

Oceania

In Australia, The Young and the Restless airs before Days of Our Lives on Arena at 12PM AEST. It previously aired on the Nine Network from April 1, 1974 to February 23, 2007, before joining the W line-up on April 2, 2007 to August 17, 2012, On July 20, 2012 it was announced that the show would move to Arena on August 20, 2012 after W rebranded as SoHo. Episodes are approximately seven months behind those airing in the U.S. at present.

In New Zealand, The Young and the Restless aired alongside Days of our Lives on TV ONE and ended on November 6, 2009. The soap was approximately four seasons behind the CBS season due to being preempted by holiday and sporting programming.

In the Philippines, aired from 1987 to 1989 on ABS-CBN.

Europe

In the United Kingdom, The Young and The Restless has aired on many TV channels starting in 1990, when episodes from 1987 debuted at 14:30 on BSB Galaxy in a regular weekday timeslot. When BSB merged with Sky in November 1990, the soap moved to Sky's flagship channel Sky One and aired at 11:00 weekdays until the end of 1992. When BSB's original 3-year contract to air the soap expired, Sky chose not to renew it. In 1993, Y&R was picked up by UK Living (then known as simply Living, now Sky Living) in a prime-time 19:30 slot, picking up where Sky left off. This lasted until late 1995. In 2007, Zone Romantica, now CBS Drama began broadcasting the show at 10am 3pm and 12 Midnight weekdays [four years behind US]. In 2009, when CBS went into partnership with and took over the Chellozone Channels the show was relegated to just one showing a day at 12 midnight [in favor of repeating shows such as Dynasty and Dallas in the daytime]. It was attracting around 18-20,000 viewers at midnight in the last week of its broadcast in the UK in August 2010.

African/Eastern

In India, the show began airing in February 2007 on Zee Café at 20:00. The channel started with episodes from 2004.

In South Africa, the show airs on e.tv from 16:40 to 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). In 1999 The Young and the Restless was canceled but the show returned to South African television screens in June 2004, with no overhead foreign translations. As of June 2014, episodes are screened 9 months behind the US. Because of "continual viewing" with no breaks, South African audiences will catch up with the US broadcast by mid 2016.

Theme song and other music

Main article: Nadia's Theme

"Nadia's Theme" has been the theme song of The Young and the Restless since the show's debut in 1973.[4][8] The melody, originally titled "Cotton's Dream", was composed by Barry De Vorzon and Perry Botkin, Jr. for the 1971 theatrical film Bless the Beasts and Children. The melody was later renamed "Nadia's Theme" after the ABC television network's sports summary program Wide World of Sports lent the music for a montage of Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci's routines during the 1976 Summer Olympics;[85] despite the title, Nadia never performed her floor exercises using this piece of music. Instead, she used a piano arrangement of a medley of the songs "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" and "Jump in the Line."

Botkin wrote a rearranged version of the piece specifically for The Young and the Restless' debut.[8] The song remained unchanged, save for a three-year stint in the early 2000s (decade), when an alternate, more jazzy arrangement of that tune was used, using portions of the longer closing version of the original theme.[8]

An LP album was published in 1976 by A&M Records. The track list contains two titles of the French composer Michel Colombier, Rainbow and Emmanuel, a success track which he wrote in memory of the death of his son.

In late September and early October 2012, upon the show's 10,000th episode, the current form of opening credits were updated. In the years prior, fans criticized them for their lack of updates and cast additions (some contract players, such as Adrienne Frantz, came and went without being added).

Ratings

As of 2010, The Young and the Restless has managed over 1,000 consecutive weeks in the #1 spot for daytime dramas.[86] On the week ending April 6, 2012, The Young and the Restless was watched by a new low of an average of 3,960,000 viewers for the week, beating its previous low of 4.209 million in October 2011, as well as being the only week to date below 4 million viewers.[87] Currently, the show is still the most-watched daytime drama; and for the season 2011–12, has a household rating of 3.5, and 1.5 for the Women 18–49 demographic.[88] As of 2008, the Tuesday episodes of The Young and the Restless on average is the most-watched daytime drama showing.[89]

When introduced during the 1972–73 season, the show was at the bottom of the ratings, but rose rapidly: ninth by 1974–75 and third by 1975–76. By 1988–1989 it had dethroned long-time leader General Hospital as the top-rated soap, a position it has held ever since. During the week of December 2, 2013, the series celebrated their twenty-fifth year as the number one daytime drama.[90] The Young and the Restless airs every weeknight on Pop, where it averaged 362,000 viewers from July to September 2013.[91]

Ratings history

Season Rating Season rank
1972–73A 5.0 15th
1973–74 6.2 13th
1974–75 8.4 9th
1975–76 8.6 3rd
1976–77 8.7 4th
1977–78 7.8 5th
1978–79 8.6 3rd
1979–80 8.8 3rd
1980–81 7.8 6th
1981–82 7.4 5th
1982–83 8.0 4th
1983–84 8.8 3rd
1984–85 8.1 3rd
1985–86 8.3 2nd
1986–87 8.0 2nd
1987–88B 8.1 1st
1988–89 8.1 1stC
1990–91 8.1 1st
1991–92 8.2 1st
1992–93 8.4 1st
1993–94 8.6 1st
1994–95 7.5 1st
1995–96 7.6 1st
1996–97 7.1 1st
1997–98 6.8 1st
1998–99 6.9 1st
1999–00 6.8 1st
2000–01 5.8 1st
2001–02 5.0 1st
2002–03 4.7 1st
2003–04 4.4 1st
2004–05 4.2 1st
2005–06 4.2 1st
2006–07 4.2 1st
2007–08 4.1 1st[92]
2008–09 3.7 1st[93]
2009–10 3.8 1st[94]
2010–11 3.6 1st[95]
2011–12 3.5 1st[88]
2012-13 3.6 1st[88]
2013-14 3.4 1st[88]
2014-15 3.5 1st[88]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "The Young and the Restless". E! True Hollywood Story. 2001-05-20. E!.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 Simon, Ron; Thompson, Robert J.; Spence, Louise; Feuer, Jane (1997). Morton, Robert, ed. Worlds Without End: The Art and History of the Soap Opera. New York, New York: Harry N Abrams. pp. 150–151. ISBN 0-8109-3997-5.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Billboard Books. pp. 476–482. ISBN 0-8230-8315-2.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming From 1948 to the Present. Fourth Edition. Penguin Books. pp. 931–934. ISBN 0140249168.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Martin, Denise (March 17, 2006). "Sudser Slides to SoapNet". Variety magazine. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  6. ↑ O'Connell, Michael. "'The Young and the Restless' Moves From Soapnet to TV Guide Network". Retrieved April 3, 2013\date=June 28, 2013. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  7. ↑ Bibel, Sara (June 28, 2013). "'The Young & the Restless' Moves to TVGN for Exclusive Basic Cable Airings Beginning Monday, July 1". Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 "The Young and the Restless 35th Anniversary Salute" (PDF). Los Angeles Times. April 9, 2008. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Worlds Without End, p. 33
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Black Stars Heat Up Daytime Soaps". Jet. October 13, 1997. pp. 52–56.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Y&R: Famous Plots – Kay/Jill Feud". Youngandtherestless.com. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
  12. ↑ "Y&R: Famous Plots". Global.com. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  13. ↑ Coleridge, Daniel (April 26, 2004). "TV Guide Editors' Blogs – Daniel's Dish". TV Guide.
  14. ↑ http://www.cbs.com/shows/the_young_and_the_restless/about/1001688/
  15. ↑ url=http://www.cbs.com/shows/the_young_and_the_restless/news/1001782/
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Matelski, Marilyn (1988). The Soap Opera Evolution:America's Enduring Romance with Daytime Drama. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers. p. 164. ISBN 0-89950-324-1.
  17. ↑ "Timeline". [Sony]. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Cassata, Mary; Irwin, Barbara (1996). Hoffman, Peter, ed. The Young and the Restless Most Memorable Moments. Los Angeles, California: General Publishing Group. p. 9. ISBN 1-881649-87-3.
  19. ↑ Dorothy Catherine Anger (1999). Other Worlds: Society Seen Through Soap Opera. University of Toronto Press. pp. 67–68. ISBN 978-1-55111-103-2.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Oei, Lily (December 5, 2001). "Exec replaces Scott". Variety magazine. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Gladden, Chelsea P. "Ask the Writers!". Sony. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Gladden, Chelsea P. "Checking in with Lynn...". Sony. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Soap Watch". Entertainment Weekly. February 22, 2008. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Branco, Nelson (May 27, 2009). "Soap Whisperer". TV Guide Canada. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  25. ↑ Oei, Lily (March 4, 2004). "Ellen the talk of the Emmys". Variety magazine. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  26. ↑ McClintock, Pamela; Oei, Lily (March 14, 2007). "Daytime Emmy Nominations". Variety magazine. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  27. ↑ "Jill Farren Phelps Named Executive Producer And Josh Griffith Named Head Writer Of "THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS," The Number One Daytime Drama". Market Watch. Marketwatch.com. July 26, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  28. ↑ SOD (August 15, 2013). "Y&R Head Writer Out". Soap Opera Digest. Soapoperadigest.com. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  29. ↑ Giddens, Jamey (August 15, 2013). "RUMOR REPORT: Is Josh Griffith IN or OUT at The Young and the Restless?!". Daytime Confidential. Daytimeconfidential.zap2it.com. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  30. ↑ Simms, Richard M. (August 15, 2013). "Y&R Headwriter Out?". Soaps It Depth#CBS Soaps In Depth ICBS Soaps In Depth. CBS.soapsindepth.com. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  31. ↑ Giddens, Jamey (August 15, 2013). "Will Shelly Altman Assume Head Writer Duties at The Young and the Restless?". Daytime Confidential. Daytimeconfidential.zap2it.com. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  32. ↑ SOD (September 12, 2013). "Y&R Officially Names New Head Writers". Soap Opera Digest. Soapoperadigest.com. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  33. ↑ Giddens, Jamey (September 18, 2013). "Chuck Pratt Gets Head Writer Gig and an Executive Producer Credit at The Young and the Restless". Daytime Confidential. Daytimeconfidential.zap2it.com. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  34. ↑ "Shows–CBS Television City". Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 35.4 35.5 35.6 Worlds Without End, p. 36.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 36.4 36.5 36.6 Soares, Manuela (1978). The Soap Opera Book. New York, New York: Harmony Books. pp. 29–31. ISBN 0-517-53331-6.
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 37.4 Williams, Carol Traynor (1992). It's Time for My Story. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers. p. 31. ISBN 0-275-94297-X.
  38. ↑ Owen, Rob (February 21, 2014). "TV Q&A: 'Bates Motel,' 'The Young & the Restless' and Patrice King Brown". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  39. ↑ Prikios, Karen Anderson (June 25, 2001). "Finding the art in HDTV". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
  40. ↑ "Y&R Leaving SOAPnet This Summer!". Soaps in Depth. June 26, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  41. ↑ "Starting July 1 watch same day episodes of #YR weeknights". TVGN Twitter. June 26, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  42. ↑ "Exclusive Countdown To Y&R Clip From TVGN!". Soap in Depth. June 26, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  43. ↑ Denis, Paul (1985). Inside the Soaps. Don Mills, Ontario, Canada: Citadel Press. pp. 116–119. ISBN 0-8065-0940-6.
  44. ↑ Gilbert, Annie (1979). All My Afternoons. New York, New York: A & W Publishing. pp. 152–162. ISBN 0-89104-098-6.
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 Williams, p. 98
  46. ↑ Williams, p. 103
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 Waldron, Clarence (April 7, 2008). "'Young and the Restless' Celebrates 35 Years of Drama, Success". Jet. pp. 56–59.
  48. ↑ Worlds Without End, p. 93
  49. ↑ Worlds Without End, p. 107
  50. ↑ "Huge Shakeup at Y&R!". Soap Opera Digest. August 20, 2012. pp. 4–5.
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 Logan, Michael (August 27, 2012). "Exclusive: New Boss Jill Farren Phelps Reveals What's in Store For The Young and the Restless". TV Guide. TVGuide.com. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
  52. ↑ "1975 Emmy Winners & Nominees". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  53. ↑ "1983 Emmy Winners & Nominees". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 54.2 "1985 Emmy Winners & Nominees". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  55. ↑ "1986 Emmy Winners & Nominees". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 "1993 Emmy Winners & Nominees". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 57.2 "2004 Emmy Winners & Nominees". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  58. ↑ 58.0 58.1 58.2 58.3 "2007 Emmy Winners & Nominees". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  59. ↑ 59.0 59.1 59.2 59.3 59.4 "Daytime Emmys 2014: The Winners List".
  60. ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (Apr 26,2015). "Daytime Emmys: Days and Y&R Split Best Drama, GH Wins 3 Acting Awards, B&B Tops Soap Opera Pack". tvline.com. Retrieved $1 $2. Check date values in: |date=, |accessdate= (help)
  61. ↑ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming From 1948 to the Present. Fourth Edition. Penguin Books. p. 1067. ISBN 0140249168.
  62. ↑ McNeil, p. 1075.
  63. ↑ McNeil, p. 1095–1102
  64. ↑ "1996 Emmy Winners & Nominees". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  65. ↑ 65.0 65.1 65.2 65.3 "1997 Emmy Winners & Nominees". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  66. ↑ 66.0 66.1 "1998 Emmy Winners & Nominees". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  67. ↑ 67.0 67.1 "1999 Emmy Winners & Nominees". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  68. ↑ "2001 Emmy Winners & Nominees". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  69. ↑ 69.0 69.1 "2002 Emmy Winners & Nominees". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  70. ↑ 70.0 70.1 "And The Daytime Emmy Winners Are!". SoapOperaDigest.com. June 20, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  71. ↑ McNeil, p. 1111
  72. ↑ "2006 Emmy Winners & Nominees". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  73. ↑ 73.0 73.1 "1991 Emmy Winners & Nominees". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  74. ↑ 74.0 74.1 74.2 74.3 "1992 Emmy Winners & Nominees". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  75. ↑ 75.0 75.1 75.2 "2005 Emmy Award Winners". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  76. ↑ "2009 Daytime Emmys". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  77. ↑ "Lead Actor in a Drama Series". June 16, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  78. ↑ 78.0 78.1 "2008 Daytime Emmys". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  79. ↑ 79.0 79.1 79.2 "2000 Emmy Winners & Nominees". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  80. ↑ "2010 Daytime Emmys". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  81. ↑ "Supporting Actor in a Drama Series". June 16, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  82. ↑ "1999 Emmy Winners & Nominees". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  83. ↑ "'General Hospital' scores 5 Daytime Emmys, including best drama; 'Today,' 'Jeopardy!' also win". Associated Press. June 23, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  84. ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/766507/The-Young-and-the-Restless
  85. ↑ Nadia Comăneci at Olympic.org
  86. ↑ The Young and the Restless To Mark 1000 Weeks on Top! – The Young and the Restless News – Soaps.com
  87. ↑ New Lows For DAYS/Y&R; Another Horrible Week For Soaps | Soap Opera Network
  88. ↑ 88.0 88.1 88.2 88.3 88.4 Ratings: New Low For DAYS in Women 18-49 Viewers | Soap Opera Network
  89. ↑ Daytime's 40 Most Popular Shows | Soap Opera Network
  90. ↑ The Deadline Team (December 12, 2013). "‘General Hospital’ Overtakes ‘The Young And The Restless’ For First Time In More Than Six Years". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  91. ↑ http://finance.yahoo.com/news/big-brother-dark-young-restless-161800237.html
  92. ↑ Daytime Ratings: Week of April 28 Edition | Soap Opera Network
  93. ↑ http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2009/01/09/soap-opera-ratings-for-december-29-2008-january-2-2009/10582/
  94. ↑ Ratings: DAYS Rebounds From Bad Week | Soap Opera Network
  95. ↑ Ratings: Soaps Down in Total Viewers | Soap Opera Network

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Young and the Restless.
Wikinews has related news: The Young and the Restless celebrates 35 years: Wikinews interviews three actresses