The Young and the Restless

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The Young and the Restless
Network	CBS, SOAPnet
Creator(s)	William J. Bell Lee Philip Bell
Executive producer(s)	Lynn Marie Latham Josh Griffith Edward J. Scott John Fisher Josh O'Connell Matthew J. Olsen
Head writer(s)	Lynn Marie Latham Scott Hamner Cherie Bennett Sandra Weintraub Janice Ferri Esser Natalie Minardi Slater Eric Freiwald Paula Cwikly Bernard Lechowick Sara A. Bibel Lynsey DuFour Linda Schreiber James Stanley Jeff Gottesfeld Chris Abbott Marina Alburger
Senior cast member(s)	No original cast members
Distributor	Sony Pictures Television Bell Dramatic Serial Company Corday Productions
Running time	60 minutes (30 minutes from 1973 to 1980)
Premiere date	March 26, 1973
No. of episodes	8606 (as of March 30, 2007)
The Young and the Restless Official Website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

The Young and the Restless (commonly abbreviated as Y&R) is an American television soap opera that has been broadcast on CBS since March 26, 1973; since that time, the show has been aired over 8,900 times. Y&R was created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, who set their show in a fictional version of Genoa City, Wisconsin, one of their annual vacation spots. Since late 1988, the show has been the highest-rated serial in the daytime ratings.

[edit] Production

The Y&R cast celebrate 18 years as the #1 US daytime drama. From left to right:
Top row: Lauralee Bell (Christine), Greg Rikaart (Kevin), Eyal Podell (Adrian), Bryton (Devon), Thad Luckinbill (J.T.), Michael Graziadei (Daniel), Ted Shackelford (William), Vincent Irizarry (David).
Second row: Christian LeBlanc (Michael), Tracey Bregman (Lauren), Kate Linder (Esther), Michelle Stafford (Phyllis), Adrienne Frantz (Amber), Kristoff St. John (Neil), Christel Khalil (Lily), Sharon Case (Sharon).
Bottom row: Daniel Goddard (Cane), Judith Chapman (Gloria), Amelia Heinle (Victoria), Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki), Don Diamont (Brad), Jerry Douglas (John), Peter Bergman (Jack), Darcy Rose Byrnes (Abby), Adrianne Leon (Colleen), Victoria Rowell (Drucilla).
Cast members not present: Hunter Allan (Noah), Eric Braeden (Victor) Jeanne Cooper (Katherine), Doug Davidson (Paul), Joshua Morrow (Nicholas), Jess Walton (Jill), Patty Weaver (Gina).

The show's healthy ratings are often attributed in part to the tight-knit writing and production staff. For the most part, the writers and producers of the show have stayed unchanged since the 1980s, with the only high-profile departure being William J. Bell himself, who retired from writing the program in 1998 after 25 years. (Bell stayed closely involved with the series, serving as Senior Executive Producer and Story Consultant until 2005 or shortly before that time).

The show was groundbreaking for daytime serials in its lush production values. When the show first aired, its glamourous sets utilizing fresh cut flowers, 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.

Y&R was the first and so far the only daytime soap opera to be broadcast in high-definition. Moving to HDTV broadcasts was a natural progression for the show, known for its visual nature.

[edit] Writing

[edit] Writing crew

The writing staff features primarily long-term, fan favorite characters. These characters, in many cases, have been played by the same actor since their introduction, allowing viewers to invest not only in the characters but actors, as well. Even actors that took over longterm roles from their original portrayers have managed to carve their own niche in the roles (notably Melody Thomas Scott, Jess Walton, Peter Bergman, and Judith Chapman).

After the show's initial success with the Brooks and Foster families in the 1970s, Bell made a successful segue and introduced the Abbotts as a new core family, as well as bringing Victor Newman to the forefront. The show found a new niche in the stories surrounding the Newman Enterprises and Jabot Cosmetics conglomerates, and focused on the problems in the relationships stemming from the business deals and love lives of its principal members. The show was twice nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for best written daytime serial and won it twice, in 2003 and 2006.

In late February 2006, Lynn Marie Latham was named the show's head writer, while Kay Alden and John F. 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 Vice President Barbara Bloom. More behind-the-scenes shakeups continued into September 2006 when Latham fired former head writer John F. Smith from his role as co-head writer. Kathryn Foster, a long time producer and occasional director since the 1980s, resigned in October 2006.

Alden was also fired by Latham. She was recently hired by ABC Daytime to consult on AMC and OLTL. Josh Griffith, the show's former creative consultant, was named its new co-executive producer shortly after the departure of Smith.

The show had been known in the industry for its close-knit writing team that rarely changed; however, with Latham's ascension, some writers that had been with the show since the '80s were axed, including: Trent Jones, Sally Sussman, Jim Houghton and Marc Hertz. New writers were hired: Cherie Bennett, Jeff Gottesfeld, Scott Hamner, Lynsey DuFour, James Stanley, Tom Casiello, Paula Cwikly, Rick Draughon, Chris Abbott.

[edit] Writing process

Writing duties on Y&R are broken down into three parts: Head Writer/co-head writer/associate head writers, breakdown writers and script writers.

Lynn Marie Latham and Scott Hamner conceive the long-term story and write the thrusts, outlining their tale approximately a week at a time, along with their Associate Head Writers and the show's producers. Sometimes, there may be a story document for one particular plot, summarizing all of the major beats, but this isn't required for all stories.

Latham, Hamner and the breakdown writers then divide the week's thrust into five episodes. The breakdown writers outline an episode, breaking it down into acts and scenes, with a summary of the plot development. Sometimes, Hamner may choose to write a breakdown. Then the script writers take the breakdown and write dialogue for each scene.

[edit] Show history

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 Young and the Restless lighted primarily the actors, and not the background settings, so as to focus the attention of the viewer on the emotions of the actors. In its early years, The Young and the Restless centered upon the Foster and Brooks families. William and Elizabeth Foster had three children: Snapper, Greg, and Jill. Stuart and Jennifer Brooks had four daughters: Leslie, Chris, Peggy, and Lauralee (nicknamed Lorie and played by Jaime Lyn Bauer; her father would turn out to be Elizabeth Foster's brother, Bruce Henderson). At the core of the show was class struggle: the Brooks family was wealthy and in possession of the means of production while the Fosters were poor and alienated. The young cast was derided by some soap fans, who mocked the show by calling it "The Young and the Chestless". Leslie and Lorie fought over first Brad Eliot and then Lance Prentiss, a triangle stretched into four when Lance's sea captain brother Lucas arrived.

John (Jerry Douglas) and Jill Abbott (Jess Walton)

One of Y&R's first and longest-lasting storylines involved the rivalry between Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper) and Jill Foster (Jess Walton). In 1973 Jill (then played by Brenda Dickson) went to work as Kay's manicurist & paid companion to help her struggling family pay the bills. Kay was a boozy matron trapped in a loveless marriage to Phillip Chancellor (Donnelly Rhodes). Jill and Phillip fell in love but when Phillip was returning from obtaining a divorce in the Dominican Republic, Katherine 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, he married Jill and bequeathed her and their child Phillip III his fortune, but Kay successfully contested his decision. An embittered Jill became a vixen and the two ladies fought over beautician Derek Thurston. Jill then married tycoon John Abbott (Jerry Douglas) while Kay went through groundbreaking stories about alcoholism and facelifts. Years later Jill, after her two marriages to John were over and her son Phillip was dead from a car crash, went back to court and the judge declared she owned half of the Chancellor mansion. Jill and Kay fought over the new arrangement as well as Jill's son Billy dating Kay's granddaughter Mackenzie. In 2003 Jill discovered that Katherine was her birth mother, and told Billy and Mac moments before they consummated their relationship. In 2004 Jill's birth father Arthur Hendricks (David Hedison) briefly visited, and mother and daughter fought over him while Kay again battled her drinking problem.

Although Lorie Brooks was initially little more than the bad girl who tormented pure sister Leslie, she became a lead in her own right as she battled her sister over custody of Leslie's son Brooks, and battled her psychotic mother-in-law Vanessa (who even killed herself just to frame Lorie for the crime). Lorie acted and reacted based on her neuroses and was as much a child as a woman, naughty as well as sympathetic, a template for many future Y&R female leads. Most of the Brooks and Foster families had been recast again and again by the early 1980s, and when Bell decided to expand Y&R to an hour in 1980, many lead actors said they could not sustain themselves on an hour show. Bell told himself he would wait for one more major departure before making big changes. When Jaime Lyn Bauer quit in 1982 due to exhaustion, Bell took the opportunity to write out all of the Brooks and Fosters, save Jill. Gradually, the focus shifted from the Brooks and Foster families to the Williams, Newman and Abbott families and around their respective companies, Newman Enterprises and Jabot Cosmetics. Most members of the Williams family have been phased out, but the other two families remain. Y&R is one of the few shows in the history of daytime to eliminate their original core families and benefit from the result.

Around the same time Bell phased out the originals, Eric Braeden arrived as the sinister tycoon Victor Newman who was so menacing to his wife Julia (Meg Bennett) that he locked her boyfriend Michael Scott in a bomb shelter constructed in the basement and forced him to watch Victor and Julia's bedroom via closed-circuit camera. Bell saw something in Braeden's performance and since the show had few strong male characters, elevated him to star status. Soon after, Victor went to a strip club and met brash yet innocent Nikki Reed. Played by Erica Hope, Nikki had gone through a number of second-tier stories (killing her rapist dad, getting a sexually transmitted disease from Paul Williams, joining a cult) but as played by Melody Thomas Scott was a naughty anti-heroine in the Lorie Brooks mold. She married Victor in a lavish 1984 wedding and their love-hate relationship suffered many divorces, affairs and remarriages involving everyone from Abbotts to blind Kansas farm women to gynecologists. After over a decade apart, they reunited in 1998 and have basically been together since.

The Y&R mid-program bumper, coinciding with the 2004 CBS Daytime ad campaign, The Look That's Got You Hooked. The eyes in this picture are those of Sharon Case.

[edit] Behind the Scenes at Y and R

[edit] Minority characters

The Young and the Restless is also one of the few soaps to have successfully integrated a number of African American actors into its cast. In the mid-1980s Y&R created a storyline which revolved around a young black man (portrayed by Phil Morris) being made up in whiteface to bring down a mafia kingpin, but most of the characters were written out within a few years. In 1989, Generations earned critical acclaim for casting an entire African American family from the show's inception. Established hits like The Young and the Restless were criticized as the show had a low number of minorities. In the early 1990s, the introduction of the Barber sisters, Olivia (Tonya Lee Williams) and Drucilla (Victoria Rowell) proved to be very successful and they interacted fairly well with the established characters when given the dialogue and the situations to do so. Olivia and Drucilla were tied to one of the two black characters on the show at the time as they were the nieces of the Abbott maid, Mamie Johnson (played by Marguerite Ray, then Veronica Redd). Nathan Hastings, the other black character on the show before 1990, was married off to Olivia, before dying in a hit and run car accident in 1996. Two more black characters, Neil Winters, played by former Generations alum Kristoff St. John and Malcolm (Shemar Moore), would be introduced in 1991 and 1994 respectively.

Critics of Y&R continued to deride the show even after its integration, noting that, most of the time, the core black characters largely interacted with themselves only. In the case of Winters siblings Neil and Malcolm, and Barber sisters Olivia (Tonya Lee Williams) and Drucilla (Victoria Rowell), they were shown to usually just swap each other's partners when a "shake-up" was needed in the romantic scheme of the story. This led to a seemingly neverending love quadrangle between the four characters that gained the nickname "Four Square" from fans and critics alike. Later actions have proven that this choice was due to the supposition that it was ostensibly "too controversial" to have an interracial pairing. Indeed, a pairing in the late 1990s between Neil Winters and Victoria Newman was axed by CBS executives, who were rumored to have received many angry phone calls and letters by viewers in the South. In 2004, a love affair between web designer Phyllis Abbott (Michelle Stafford) and chemist Damon Porter (Keith Hamilton Cobb) was prominently featured, despite concerns that the interracial pairing would be scrapped just like the one that was written before. While the romance between Phyllis and Damon did eventually come to an end, the writers followed up by having Phyllis's son Daniel become involved with Drucilla and Malcolm's daughter Lily. Daniel and Lily married in 2006.

The show has been less successful with incorporating Asian American characters. In 1994 the Vietnamese Volien family was introduced to the show, consisting of Luan and her two children, Keemo and Mai. Luan married Jack Abbott (who was the father of her son Keemo), but was killed off in 1996 and her two children were written out soon afterward. Currently, the only Asian character in the cast is Ji Min Kim, played by Eric Steinberg.

[edit] Social issues

Unlike other soaps in the 1980s or 1990s, Y&R avoided preachy social issues. When they did touch on such issues as abortion or the homeless crisis or AIDS, it was only as a plot device with a few facts and statistics thrown in for effect. For instance, when Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson) aborted Victor's child in the 1980s, any viewers or scholars who may have looked for a serious story on the pros and cons of abortion would have been disappointed. Ashley only aborted her baby because her lover Victor's wife, Nikki, was then terminally ill, and Ashley did not want to cause her pain. After learning of her abortion, Victor ripped her to shreds, causing a devastated Ashley to lose her mind and wind up in an insane asylum (in true soap fashion, she married her psychiatrist).

One social issue which was too hot for the Y&R audience of the mid-'70s was homosexuality. In the mid-1970s, lonely society matron Kay Chancellor befriended an overweight, unhappy housewife named Joann Curtis. Kay moved Joann into her home and helped her get a better self-image. Soon, Kay's son Brock wondered about all the time the ladies were spending together, as Kay planned a special vacation to Hawaii for herself and Joann. The ratings dropped and outraged fan letters poured in. Bell quickly dropped the relationship, wrote out Joann, and the show stabilized.

[edit] Lauralee Bell

A relatively controversial fixture on the show for several decades was Bell's daughter, Lauralee. Lauralee debuted in 1983 in a bit part as photographer Joe Blair's teenage cousin Christine (aka Cricket). As Lauralee grew up, Christine became more and more prominent, to the point where 1988 storylines had 4 different men madly in love with her. Longtime fan favorite Terry Lester (ex-Jack Abbott) left the show in 1989 and blamed her partly, claiming that the excessive airtime given to Cricket drowned out the other performers. Christine married rock star Danny (Michael Damian) then private investigator Paul Williams (Doug Davidson), became an attorney and asked people to refer to her as "Chris", but remained a somewhat saccharine central heroine. At one point in 1996 the show hinted at a romance between Christine and the much older Victor Newman—negative viewer reaction killed the story. Later Christine became involved with Michael Baldwin (Christian LeBlanc), who had stalked her years earlier. This led to a controversial storyline where Paul, angry at his ex-wife's new love, raped Christine. Many fans could not believe heroic Paul would ever do such a thing, and were upset by scenes which said that the two had simply had "rough sex" that Christine could not admit she wanted. Christine and Paul reunited but eventually split for good. By 2004 or so, Lauralee Bell's marriage and children, as well as a successful clothing store, diminished her onscreen airtime and paved the way for other characters. In early 2005 she announced her move from contract to recurring status.

[edit] Recasting

While heavy recasting is considered to have doomed some series such as Ryan's Hope and Love is a Many Splendored Thing, many would agree that Y&R's casting choices were some of the best in the genre. Most important characters were played by the same actor for decades; if they left the show, the characters left with them. When leads were recast, the replacements were often popular and remade the character in their own image, such as Peter Bergman's Jack Abbott, Susan Walters' Diane Jenkins or Jess Walton's Jill Foster Abbott.

When Y&R did make the occasional casting blunder, such as the brief 1997 replacement for Heather Tom's Victoria Newman, Sarah Aldrich, the mistake was quickly rectified when Tom returned to the show (when Tom left the show again in 2003, the show cast former All My Children star Amelia Heinle to play Victoria). The recast of Mackenzie Browning from Ashley Bashioum to Rachel Kimsey, met a so-so reception from fans, yet ratings stayed flat. Kimsey was recently released from her contract and the role will not be recast in the near future. In 2004, Joan Van Ark joined the cast as Gloria Fisher, Michael Baldwin's hardscrabble mother, remaining until early 2005. She was replaced by Judith Chapman, and fans quickly accepted Chapman in the role of her more high profile predecessor. The role of Colleen Carlton, who had been played by Lyndsy Fonseca for several years (and was enrolled in a popular teenage romance with heartthrob J.T. Hellstrom, played by Thad Luckinbill) was recast in 2006 with Adrianne Leon (ex-Brook Lyn, General Hospital); this recast also generated mixed reviews.

In February 2006, Davetta Sherwood took over the role of Lily Winters from the recently-departed Christel Khalil. Although viewers responded to Sherwood, her rumored backstage shennanigans resulted in her dismissal and the return of her predecessor, Khalil.

In late 2006, Y&R recasted the role of popular daytime villainess, Sheila Carter. Originally played by Kimberlin Brown on both Y&R and The Bold and the Beautiful, the character was recently handed over to Michelle Stafford, who also plays Phyllis Summers Newman. Although this recast was mainly storyline-directed, fans of Sheila have expressed mixed opinions regarding Brown's absence in the role.

See also: List of soap opera recasts

[edit] Ratings erosion

Along with every other daytime soap, Y&R has suffered audience erosion, with particularly noticeable losses from 2000 to the present day. The show, in response to the bleeding, took some power away from longtime backstage brass like Edward J. Scott and Kay Alden, instead relying on head writer John F. Smith and later (in 2006) head writer/executive producer Lynn Marie Latham. Another highly publicized move was the rehiring of Shemar Moore (Malcolm Winters) for a limited run. Moore was extremely popular with African-American viewers, and the show lost a healthy chunk of that demographic upon his 2002 departure. Although fans were happy to see him return, Malcolm's new storyline garnered mixed reviews at best, and the ratings barely nudged. In another high-profile storyline, Nick (Joshua Morrow) and Sharon Newman's (Sharon Case) teenaged daughter Cassie (Camryn Grimes), was killed off. In spite of rave reviews from the soap press, the ratings remained consistent. In August 2006, the show killed off 25-year veteran Jerry Douglas (who had played patriarch John Abbott). These episodes nudged Y&R to some of its highest ratings in some time.

Since July 2006, a new controversial storyline involving Brad Carlton (Don Diamont) and his true identity as George Kaplan has been playing out. Fans are reported to have mixed emotions over the introduction of Nazis to the storyline.

In 2007, the show began to reintroduce infamous story plots to draw back some devoted fans. The infamous Jack vs. Victor war began to surface in November 2006, with Jack secretly manipulating Victor's new company, NVP, and Victor wanting revenge. The writers also realized the name "phillip chancellor" was too important to forget about, bringing back the character, igniting the infamous story line of Kay vs. Jill. With the death of John Abbott in 2006, the "estate inheritance" storyline, made famous with many characters in the 1980's, including Kay, Jill, Nina. Reports of Heather Tom returning to her role of Victoria Newman Carlton began circulating in August 2006.

[edit] Crossovers

Y&R And B&B

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

• 1992
  • Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown) was the first major character to cross over to B&B. Sheila appeared on Y&R from 1990-1992 (returning as a guest in 1993, 1994 and 1995), and again in 2005-2006. She was on B&B from 1992-1998, with shorter-lived stints in 2002 and 2003.
  • Molly Carter (Marilyn Alex) appeared on B&B several times after her daughter, Sheila, was revealed to be living in Los Angeles.

• 1993
  • Brad Carlton (Don Diamont) crossed over to B&B to confront Sheila Carter about the photos of his tryst with Lauren Fenmore (Tracey E. Bregman).
  • Dr. Scott Grainger (Peter Barton) briefly appeared on B&B while vacationing with Lauren in Catalina Island. His character was killed off during this crossover.

• 1995
  • Lauren Fenmore (Tracey E. Bregman) crossed over to B&B, where she stayed until 1999, and briefly returned to the show in 2002 and 2004. She had appeared on the show several times prior to her becoming an actual cast member, mostly due to Sheila's crossover in 1992.

• 1998
  • B&B's Brooke Logan (Katherine Kelly Lang) crossed over to Y&R to meet with Victor Newman. Victor crossed over to B&B as well.
  • Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) crossed over to B&B to meet with Eric Forrester.

• 2000-2001
  • Dr. Tim Reid (Aaron Lustig), who was Phyllis Summers' therapist, moved to Los Angeles on B&B, and helped Morgan DeWitt (Sarah Buxton).

• 2004
  • Lauren Fenmore (Tracey E. Bregman) appeared on B&B to help cover up Jackie Marone's one night stand with Deacon Sharpe.

• 2005
  • B&B's Eric Forrester (John McCook) crossed over to Y&R twice. Once to warn Michael Baldwin (Christian LeBlanc) about Sheila Carter, and a second time to attend the wedding of Michael and Lauren Fenmore.
  • Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper) crossed over to B&B to meet with Massimo Marone (Joseph Mascolo) & Stephanie Forrester (Susan Flannery) about the ownership of Forrester Creations.
  • Lauren's mother, Joanna Manning (Susan Seaforth Hayes), appeared on B&B. She also reappeared on Y&R in December 2005 to attend her daughter's wedding to Michael Baldwin.

• 2006
  • B&B's Amber Moore (Adrienne Frantz) crossed over to Y&R and is currently working for Lauren's boutique.

• 2007
  • Lauren appeared on B&B in January 2007.
  • Y&R's Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson) crossed over to B&B in early March when Eric Forrester put plans in motion to launch a fragrance line for his new fashion house, Forrester Originals. Ashley's sister, Traci (Beth Maitland), also appeared on B&B in March, while talking to Ashley on the phone.

Other shows/films

• Michael Baldwin (Christian LeBlanc) crossed over to As The World Turns to argue part of a custody case involving Jack Snyder and Julia Larrabee.
• As The World Turns character Alison Stewart crossed over to Y&R on February 22, 2007, played by a different actress than previously played on ATWT, then returned to As The World Turns in March.
• As The World Turns character Emily Stewart (Kelley Menighan Hensley) crossed over to Y&R in March 2007.
• Cast members Melody Thomas Scott, Peter Bergman, Joshua Morrow and Shemar Moore, along with B&B's Hunter Tylo and Barbara Crampton, appeared as themselves on the CBS sitcom The Nanny (1997)
• In an episode of the sitcom The King Of Queens, several Y&R cast members appeared in Doug Heffernan's (Kevin James) dream.
• In an episode of the CBS sitcom Becker, Dr. John Becker develops an interest in the show while waiting to participate in jury duty.
• In 1976, the show played a unique role in the film, Taxi Driver, where the Robert DeNiro character, Travis Bickle, is seen undergoing a transformation while watching the show in his apartment.
• In the 1983 film Mr. Mom, unemployed automotive engineer Jack Butler (Michael Keaton) comments "I can't believe people watch this stuff", after seeing Y&R in passing. By the next scene, he has become a regular viewer. Eventually, Jack and newfound friend Joan (Ann Jillian) engage in a hilarious parody of soap operas in general with music from Y&R playing in the background. The spoof 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.
• In the late 1980s- early 1990s many actors from Y&R appeared on the CBS Drama Diagnosis Murder in which Victoria Rowell's character on Diagnosis Murder, Dr. Amanda Bently, won a walk-on appearance on Y&R.

[edit] Theme song

Main article: Nadia's Theme

The theme song, Nadia's Theme, is probably the best-known theme song in daytime television, and has become iconic; save for a three-year stint in the early 2000s, when an alternate arrangement of that tune was used, the melody has remained unchanged. The melody, written by Barry De Vorzon and Perry Botkin, Jr., originated as a piece of incidental music for the 1971 theatrical film Bless the Beasts and the Children called Cotton's Dream. Botkin later adapted this piece of music as the theme to The Young and the Restless. It would later be used as accompanying music during gymnast Nadia Comaneci's floor exercises at the 1976 Summer Olympics, and given the alternate title Nadia's Theme.

[edit] Title sequence

The Young and the Restless logo, seen from 1984 to 1999.

The opening title sequence has also become well-known. For many years, since the show's debut, the opening showcased the characters, drawn by an artist, on a white background. Starting in 1984, the sequence 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 replaced with live-action shots of the characters in formal or semi-formal wear, still on a white background, in 1988.

The current Y&R title screen, used since 2003.

Beginning in 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). For the most part, the mentality of the soap opera producers in general is to keep a certain image of a soap opera character or actor constant in order to keep good publicity, and thus the real names of the actors, shown next to their pictures, were long discouraged, as it interfered with the "escapist" tone of the genre. This did not deter the show's producers and in early 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. In 2004, Y&R's sister show The Bold and the Beautiful began airing the performers' names on the opening credits, the only soap besides Y&R to do so.

In 2003, when Y&R introduced the current sequence, execs stated that the new format meant it would be quick and easy to update the cast as it changed. However, despite several cast changes, the opening credits have only been updated twice (last updated in 2004) in three years. In June 2006, for the first time in well over two years, Y&R updated the opening credits.

[edit] Cast

Further information: Current characters of The Young and the Restless

Further information: List of cast members of The Young and the Restless

Further information: List of The Young and the Restless characters

[edit] Current cast members

[edit] Recurring cast members

[edit] Comings and goings

Coming

Going

[edit] Deceased cast members

[edit] Before they were stars

[edit] Notable celebrities who have had regular roles

[edit] Notable celebrity cameos

• A1, a British boy band, appeared at the prom in 2002.
• Chris Botti played at Michael and Lauren's wedding 2005.
• Wayne Brady and his 'real life' mother visited with Paul and Mary Williams on Mother's Day 2003.
• Peter Cincotti appeared in 2003 to surprise Christine.
• Robert Clary (of Hogan's Heroes fame) was part of the series original regular cast members when the show premiered.
• Colby Donaldson (of Survivor: The Australian Outback) flirted in 2004 with Brittany before noticing her scar at the opening of the Rec Center.
• Josh Gracin, former American Idol contestant, appeared as a cowboy in June 2006.
• Wayne Gretzky appeared as Wayne on November 12, 1981.[1]
• Il Divo appeared in 2005 to surprise Nikki.
• Jewel appeared on May 31, 2006 to sing at a benefit in memory of Cassie Newman.
• Brian Jordan of the Atlanta Braves appeared as himself on the show on 2 or 3 different occasions.
• George Kennedy appeared as Victor's father in 2003.
• B. B. King appeared in 2001.
• Darlene Koldenhoven appeared and sang while Nikki walked down the aisle in 2002.
• Kenny Lattimore and Chanté Moore appeared in December 2003 as special guests at Neil and Dru's wedding.
• Reichen Lehmkuhl of The Amazing Race has played Katherine Chancellor's bartender.
• Tara Lipinski, Olympic Gold medalist, playing Megan Dennison's friend Marnie in 1999.
• Rich Little; appeared in the 1980s when Brad's ex-wife, Lisa, had him mimic Brad's voice on a tape.
• Michael McDonald; appeared in the 1980s, performing "Sweet Freedom" during Danny Romalotti's concert.
• Jerri Manthey of Survivor: The Australian Outback discussed a Jabot promotional contract with Jill.
• Lionel Richie appeared in 2001 at a club visited by Sean Bridges and Jill.
• Smokey Robinson appeared in 2004 to give J.T. advice about the music business.
• Jesse Ventura appeared as himself in 2001.
• Luke Walton appeared as himself in 2006, played a pick-up game of basketball with Neil Winters.
• Lee Philip Bell appeared as herself on the September 11, 2006 episode.
• Will Kirby of Big Brother appeared on the October 23, 2006 episode, talking to Jack at Jabot.
• Aaron Neville appeared as himself, singing at the opening of Neil and Dru's jazz club "Indigo" on October 27, 2006.
• Sylvia Browne appeared as herself for several episodes
• Glenda Hatchett appeared as a judge on the episode seen on December 14, 2006

[edit] Ratings

As of 2006, Y&R has managed 900 consecutive weeks in the #1 spot and 18 consecutive years.

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.

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

1995 Ratings

[edit] Scheduling History

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 shot 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. Y&R, 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.

Y&R'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 Y&R 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 Y&R 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 Y&R' 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 Y&R 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 Y&R 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 hinder Y&R's progress, especially when the former show expanded to an hour in April 1977.

CBS rewarded Y&R's performance with an expansion to a full hour, on February 4, 1980. In so doing, it opted to counter AMC and its sister show, Days (on NBC) head-to-head directly at the 1-2/Noon-1 timeframe, 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 Y&R 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 widsom 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 Y&R at all.

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, Y&R knocked GH off the throne to gain the crown; it has held it ever since. However, the triumph has been mitigated considerably by negative developments: Y&R'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). Y&R 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 bombing 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.

Probably in an effort to maximize audience potential (such as teenagers and people home from early work shifts), a few CBS affiliates show Y&R 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.

The only Central, Mountain and Pacific time zone stations that air Y&R on the 11:30 a.m. feed are three CBS-owned-and-operated afffilates: KCBS in Los Angeles, WBBM in Chicago, and KTVT in Dallas-Fort Worth.

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

In Canada, Global TV airs the newest episodes one day earlier than CBS in the United States. Those who subscribe to Bell Express Vu or any other satellite TV provider can watch Y&R at (all times Eastern) 11 a.m. (NTV), 12:30 p.m .(CBS), 2 p.m. (CBS/CH) in Vancouver/Victoria, B.C., 4:30 p.m. (Global) in Toronto/Ottawa/Hamilton, 5:30 p.m. (Global) in Winnipeg, 6 p.m. (Global) in Vancouver.

[edit] Head Writing & Executive Producing Team

Y&R Executive Producers

• March 26, 1973 - Late 1970s: William J. Bell and John Conboy
• Late 1970s-Mid 1990s: William J. Bell
• Mid 1990s-2001: W. J. Bell (Senior Executive Producer) & Edward J. Scott (Executive Producer)
• 2001-2003: W. J. Bell (Senior Executive Producer) & David Shaughnessy (Executive Producer)
• 2003 - April 2005: William J. Bell & John F. Smith (Co-Executive Producer)
• May 2005-May 12, 2006: John F. Smith
• May 15, 2006-September 2006: No Executive Producer
• September 2006- Present: Lynn Marie Latham (Executive Producer) & Josh Griffith (co-executive producer)

Y&R Head Writers

• March 26, 1973 - 1997: William J. Bell
• 1997 - 1998: William J. Bell (head writer) & Kay Alden (co-head writer)
• 1999 - 2001: Kay Alden
• 2002 - August 5, 2004: Kay Alden, John F. Smith, Trent Jones
• August 6, 2004 - February 15, 2006: K. Alden and John F. Smith
• February 16, 2006- September 2006: Lynn Marie Latham (Head Writer), Alden & John F. Smith (co-head writers)
• September 2006- December 25, 2006: Lynn Marie Latham (head writer), Alden (co-head writer), Scott Hamner (co-head writer)
• December 26, 2006 -Present: L. M. Latham and Scott Hamner

[edit] Awards

[edit] Daytime Emmy Awards

[edit] Show

• 2006 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
• 2004 "Outstanding Drama Series"
• 1997 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team" TIED with All My Children
• 1993 "Outstanding Drama Series"
• 1986 "Outstanding Drama Series"
• 1985 "Outstanding Drama Series"
• 1983 "Outstanding Drama Series"
• 1975 "Outstanding Drama Series"

[edit] Individuals

• 2005 "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" Christian LeBlanc (Michael Baldwin)
• 2005 "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" Greg Rikaart (Kevin Fisher)
• 2005 "Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series" David Lago (Raul Guittierez)
• 2004 "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers Abbott)
• 2002 "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott)
• 2000 "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" Shemar Moore (Malcolm Winters)
• 2000 "Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series" David Tom (Billy Abbott)
• 2000 "Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series" Camryn Grimes (Cassie Newman)
• 1999 "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" Sharon Case (Sharon Newman)
• 1999 "Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series" Heather Tom (Victoria Newman)
• 1998 "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" Eric Braeden (Victor Newman)
• 1997 "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" Jess Walton (Jill Foster Abbott)
• 1997 "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers Romalotti)
• 1993 "Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series" Heather Tom (Victoria Newman McNeil)
• 1992 "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott)
• 1992 "Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series" Kristoff St. John (Neil Winters)
• 1992 "Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series" Tricia Cast (Nina Webster Kimble)
• 1991 "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott)
• 1991 "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" Jess Walton (Jill Foster Abbott)
• 1985 "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" Beth Maitland (Traci Abbott)
• 1985 "Outstanding Ingenue in a Drama Series" Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren Fenmore)

[edit] TV Soap Golden Boomerang Awards

• 2006 "Hall of Fame Inductee" Eric Braeden (Victor Newman)

[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] Broadcasts outside the United States

• In Australia, Y&R aired on the Nine Network at 14:00. Episodes were eight-and-a-half months behind those airing in the US. In January 2007, it was announced that Nine would drop Y&R in favor of new talk show The Catch-Up. Pay TV distributor Foxtel will pick up the show beginning in April on its W. Channel.

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 Canada, Y&R airs on the Global Television Network, new episodes air one day before CBS airs the newest episode, which means the newest episode on CBS airs is the repeat of the episode that aired on Global the other day. It also airs on CHEK TV at the same time as CBS but is not one day ahead. Times vary by market and often do not match CBS's airtimes, a rare exception to the Canadian preference for simultaneous substitutions. Most Global stations instead use Y&R as a late-afternoon lead-in for local news (between 16:00-18:00 local time)
  • In the French-speaking province of Quebec, a dubbed version airs on TVA almost ten years after initial airing.
• In France, the show screens on TF1 as "Les Feux de l'amour" (Fires of Love) at 14:00 (dubbed in French).
• In Greece, the show airs on ET1 (National TV) at 16:00. Episodes are four years behind the US.
• 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 in the morning on Rete 4, using the Italian title "Febbre d'amore". At the end of December 2006 episodes from 21st through 25th February 2005 were shown (1 year and 10 motnhs behind).
• In New Zealand, Y&R airs on TV ONE. Episodes are four years behind the US.
• In Romania, the show used to be aired on Pro TV as "Tânăr şi neliniştit".
• In Slovenia, the show airs on Kanal A as Mladi in nemirni.
• In South Africa, the show airs on e.tv at 17:30. Episodes are one year behind the US.
• In Switzerland, the show airs on TSR at 11:10 as "Les Feux de l'amour".
• In Turkey, the show aired on TRT. It was called "Yalan Rüzgarı", which means "Wind of Lies". The name was derived from initials Y&R.

[edit] See also

• List of cast members of The Young and the Restless
• List of The Young and the Restless characters

[edit] External links

• Official website
• CBS Daytime: Y&R
• Toni's Y&R Spoiler Site