The Young and the Restless
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''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television
soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...
created by William J. Bell and
Lee Phillip Bell Loreley "Lee" June Phillip Bell (June 10, 1928 – February 25, 2020) was an American talk show host and soap opera creator. During her career on Chicago television, she hosted over 10,000 programs and, early in her tenure, worked five shows a da ...
for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wisconsin). First broadcast on March 26, 1973, ''The Young and the Restless'' was originally broadcast as half-hour episodes, five times a week. The show expanded to one-hour episodes on February 4, 1980. In 2006, the series began airing previous episodes weeknights on SOAPnet until 2013, when it moved to TVGN (now
Pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...
). As of July 1, 2013, Pop still airs previous episodes on weeknights. The series is also syndicated internationally. ''The Young and the Restless'' originally focused on two core families: the wealthy Brooks family and the working class Foster family. After a series of recasts and departures in the early 1980s, all the original characters except
Jill Foster Abbott Jill Abbott is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless''. The longest-running and only remaining original character, Jill was created and introduced by William J. Bell. Originally portrayed by Brenda ...
were written out. Bell replaced them with new core families, the Abbotts and the Williamses. Over the years, other families such as the
Newman family The Newman family is one of the core families on the American soap opera, ''The Young and the Restless'', which is set in the fictional town of Genoa City, Wisconsin. They were introduced in February 1980, when Victor Newman arrived in town. Even ...
, the Barber/Winters family, and the Baldwin-Fishers were introduced.Worlds Without End, p. 33 Despite these changes, one of its most enduring storylines was the four-decade feud between Jill Abbott and
Katherine Chancellor Katherine Chancellor is a fictional character from the CBS Daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', portrayed by Jeanne Cooper. Created and introduced by show creator William J. Bell in November 1973, Cooper's Katherine was introduced i ...
, the longest rivalry on any American soap opera. Since its television debut, ''The Young and the Restless'' has won 11
Daytime Emmy Awards The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (N ...
for Outstanding Drama Series. It is also currently the highest-rated daytime drama on American television, a rank it has held for 32 years as of the end of the 2019–20 season. As of 2008, it had appeared at the top of the weekly
Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
in that category for more than 1,000 weeks since 1988. As of December 12, 2013, according to Nielsen ratings, ''The Young and the Restless'' marked an unprecedented 1,300 weeks, or 25 years, as the highest-rated daytime drama. The serial is also a sister series to ''
The Bold and the Beautiful ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (often referred to as ''B&B'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera ''The Yo ...
'', as several actors have crossed over between shows. The serial aired its 12,500th episode on May 1, 2022. Currently, the series has been renewed by CBS to run through the 2023–2024 television season. Well-known celebrities that have made an appearance on the show include
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,
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,
Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...
,
Il Divo Il Divo (; ) are a multi-national classical crossover vocal group. The male quartet, which originated in the United Kingdom in December 2003, consists of tenors Urs Bühler, David Miller, and Sébastien Izambard. It also included baritone ...
,
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, and many others. Some well-known celebrities such as Eva Longoria,
David Hasselhoff David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on '' The Yo ...
,
Tom Selleck Thomas William Selleck (; born January 29, 1945) is an American actor. His breakout role was playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series ''Magnum, P.I.'' (1980–1988), for which he received five Emmy Award nominations ...
, and
Paul Walker Paul William Walker IV (September 12, 1973 – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He was known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise. Walker began his career as a child actor in the 1980s, gaining recogniti ...
got their jumpstart on ''The Young and the Restless''.


History

To compete with the youthful ABC soap operas, ''
All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2013, via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and ...
'', ''
One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...
'', and ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the longest-running American soap opera in production, and the second in American history after '' ...
'', CBS executives wanted a new daytime serial that was youth oriented. William J. Bell and
Lee Phillip Bell Loreley "Lee" June Phillip Bell (June 10, 1928 – February 25, 2020) was an American talk show host and soap opera creator. During her career on Chicago television, she hosted over 10,000 programs and, early in her tenure, worked five shows a da ...
created ''The Young and the Restless'' in 1972 for the network under the working title, ''The Innocent Years!'' "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." 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." The Bells named the
fictional setting Fictional locations are places that exist only in fiction and not in reality, such as the Dark Kingdom, Negaverse or Planet X. Writers may create and describe such places to serve as backdrop for their fictional works. Fictional locations are als ...
for the show after the real Genoa City, Wisconsin, a community on
U.S. Route 12 in Wisconsin U.S. Highway 12 (US 12 or Highway 12) in the U.S. state of Wisconsin runs east–west across the western to southeast portions of the state. It enters from Minnesota running concurrently with Interstate 94 (I-94) at Hudson, para ...
along the Illinois-Wisconsin state line located between their then-home in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
and their annual summer vacation spot in
Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...
. ''The Young and the Restless'' began airing on March 26, 1973, replacing the canceled soap opera, '' Where the Heart Is''. Bell worked as head writer from the debut of the series until his retirement in 1998. 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 City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
; however, CBS executives felt that Los Angeles would be more cost effective.
John Conboy John Conboy (March 1934 – January 2018) was an American soap opera producer until his death in January 2018. Career In 1982, Conboy left ''The Young and the Restless'' and became executive producer of the newly created CBS soap opera ''Capitol'' ...
acted as the show's first executive producer, staying in the position until 1982. Bell and H. Wesley Kenney became co-executive producers that year until Edward Scott took over in 1989. Bell then became senior executive producer. Other executive producers included
David Shaughnessy David Shaughnessy is an English actor, producer and director best known for his voice-work in '' Big Hero 6'', '' Big Hero 6: The Series'', ''Fallout 4'', ''Labyrinth'', ''Mass Effect'', ''Peter Pan and the Pirates'', ''Star Wars Rebels'', ''Th ...
, John F. Smith, Lynn Marie Latham, Josh Griffith,
Maria Arena Bell Maria Arena Bell (born March 10, 1963) is an American novelist, television and freelance writer. She is the former head writer and executive producer of the CBS Daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless.'' Biography Maria Arena Bell grew u ...
, and Paul Rauch. In the mid-1980s, Bell and his family moved to Los Angeles to create a new soap opera. During this time, his three children, William Jr.,
Bradley Bell Bradley Phillip Bell (born June 29, 1964) is an American television writer and producer. Bell is an eight-time Daytime Emmy Award winner and is executive producer and head writer for '' The Bold and the Beautiful'', an American soap opera. ...
, and
Lauralee Bell Lauralee Kristen Bell (born December 22, 1968) is an American soap opera actress. She was born in Chicago, Illinois, and attended The Latin School of Chicago. The only daughter of soap opera creators William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, and s ...
, 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 ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (often referred to as ''B&B'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera ''The Yo ...
'' 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. "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." 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. In 2012, former ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the longest-running American soap opera in production, and the second in American history after '' ...
'' 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. On August 15, 2013, it was speculated and reported by several online sources that Griffith had resigned as head-writer of the serial. Further speculation adds that Shelly Altman may take over as the new scribe, alongside
Tracey Thomson Tracey Thomson is an American television soap opera writer for CBS Daytime's ''The Young and the Restless''. She is sharing head-writing duties with Charles Pratt Jr. who originally hired her to be a script writer on ''All My Children''. In 2019 ...
or Jean Passanante may be brought aboard as co-head scribe. 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. On September 18, 2014, former ''
All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2013, via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and ...
'', '' Santa Barbara'' and ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the longest-running American soap opera in production, and the second in American history after '' ...
'' head writer
Charles Pratt Jr. Charles Pratt Jr. (born January 6, 1955) is an American television writer, producer and director. In September 2014, it was revealed that Pratt had been hired as head writer and co-executive producer of ''The Young and the Restless''. In Septembe ...
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. On June 7, 2016, Serial Scoop announced that Phelps had been terminated from her position as executive producer; a replacement was not named at the time of their reporting. The following morning, Sony Pictures Television confirmed to several list of soap opera media outlets that Phelps had been let go from her position; British television producer Mal Young was announced as Phelps' replacement. Phelps' last appearance as executive producer was July 12, 2016, while Young's first appearance occurred the following day on July 13. On September 13, 2016, it was announced that Pratt was named as executive producer and show-runner of
Lee Daniels Lee Daniels (born December 24, 1959) is an American film and television producer, director and screenwriter. His first producer credit was ''Monster's Ball'' (2001), for which Halle Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress, making Daniels ...
' ''
Star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
''. The same day, Daytime Confidential revealed that former ''
Generations A generation is "all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively." Generation or generations may also refer to: Science and technology * Generation (particle physics), a division of the elementary particles * Gen ...
'' and ''
Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...
'' head writer Sally Sussman, who previously had positions with the show, such as Associate Head Writer, was in-talks to replace Pratt as Head Writer. On September 15, 2016, it was confirmed that Sussman was named as the soap's new head writer. On September 21, 2016, Daytime Confidential reported that after ten years since leaving the soap, Alden had been re-hired to be a story consultant under Sussman's regime. Sussman's tenure as head writer began taping on October 20, 2016, and began airing on December 7, 2016. On June 20, 2017, CBS announced its decision to renew the serial for three years. On July 31, 2017, it was announced that both Alden and Sussman would retire from their positions; Young was named as Sussman's successor as head writer. Sussman last aired as head writer on October 24, 2017. Young's tenure as head writer aired on October 25, 2017. In December 2018, Young announced his decision to leave the serial, citing that it was a "good time to move on", and cited his desire to pursue his own project. Anthony Morina was announced as executive producer, while Griffith was named co-executive producer and head writer. On January 30, 2020, CBS announced it had renewed the serial through 2024. In a statement, CBS Entertainment president
Kelly Kahl Kelly Kahl (born October 20, 1966) is an American television executive and film producer. He currently serves as the President of CBS Entertainment. Early life and education Kelly Kahl was born in Burlington, Wisconsin to Ronald and Barbara ...
stated: "It's a remarkable achievement and a testament to the extraordinary cast, gifted writers, talented producers and supremely passionate fans, as well as our tremendous partnership with 'Y&R'' studioSony Pictures Television." On March 20, 2020, after 32 years and over 1,500 consecutive weeks, ''The Young and the Restless'' was no longer the number-one soap opera in the United States, having been dethroned by ''The Bold and the Beautiful,'' which took 33 years since its 1987 debut to attain that position. ''The Young and the Restless'' then reclaimed the number-one spot the following week. On April 20, 2020, CBS announced plans to begin airing a week of vintage episodes, following the soap's shutdown, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
; production on the soap would resume in the summer of 2020. On December 1 of the same year, the serial aired its 12,000th episode. On August 19, 2021, it was reported that actress Briana Thomas had filed a lawsuit against Sony Pictures Television and
CBS Studios CBS Studios, Inc. is an American television production company which is a subsidiary of CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. It was formed on January 17, 2006, by CBS Corporation as CBS Paramount Television, as a renaming of the ...
, alleging sexual harassment on the set from showrunner Tony Morina. On September 29, 2022, a day before the premiere of ''The Young and The Restless''’ 50th Season, the show announced that they would be producing showcasts, an audio form of the show’s episodes. Episodes of the showcast will be available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.


Production


Videotaping and broadcasting

Taped at
CBS Television City Television City, alternatively CBS Television City, is an American television studio complex located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of Fairfax Avenue. Designed by architect William Pereira and Ch ...
, studios 41 and 43 in Hollywood since its debut on March 26, 1973, the show was packaged by the distribution company
Columbia Pictures Television Columbia Pictures Television, Inc. (abbreviated as CPT) was launched on May 6, 1974, by Columbia Pictures as an American television production and distribution studio. It is the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gem ...
, which has now been replaced by
Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production and distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures Entertainme ...
.Worlds Without End, p. 36. ''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." 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. ''The Young and the Restless'' stood out by using unique lighting techniques and camera angles, similar to Hollywood-style productions. 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. Conboy said he used lighting to create "artistic effects". Those effects made the series look dark, shadowy, and moody. ''The Young and the Restless look influenced the taping styles of other soap operas. When
H. Wesley Kenney Harold Wesley Kenney, Jr. (January 3, 1926 – January 13, 2015) was an American television producer and director whose career extended from the medium's formative years in the early 1950s, into the 2000s, and included thousands of episodes, both ...
replaced Conboy as executive producer, he balanced the lighting of the scenes. Due to the success of the series, CBS and its affiliates pressured Bell to lengthen the series from 30 minutes to a full hour. Bell attributed the show's fall from number one in the
Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
to this change, since the lengthening of the show led to the departure of a number of cast members. "The issue of performing in a one-hour show had not been part of their contracts," Bell said. This forced the show to recast multiple main characters and eventually phase out the original core families in favor of new ones. The show expanded to one hour on February 4, 1980, replacing the long-running serial '' Love of Life.'' On June 8, 1981, it moved to 12:30 p.m. Eastern, the slot occupied by ''
Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show fo ...
'' since its premiere in 1951, which ultimately led to the latter show moving to
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
after a disastrous experiment in another timeslot, alienating that program's loyal viewers. It airs 11:00 a.m. on most stations in the Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones, usually as a lead-in to the local noon news for most CBS stations outside the Eastern Time Zone (though some stations in the Central Time Zone opt to air it at 11:30 a.m.). Exteriors used in the late 1980s and early 1990s (and reused years later) included locations in and around
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, including
Allegheny General Hospital Allegheny General Hospital is a large urban hospital located at 320 East North Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the larger Allegheny Health Network. History Allegheny General Hospital, also known locally by the acr ...
,
One Oxford Centre One Oxford Centre is one of the major distinctive and recognizable features of Downtown Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, United States. The complex is named for Oxford Development, the developer and previous owner. Among the commercial tenants of O ...
, the Duquesne Club,
Hampton Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Hampton Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,470 at the 2020 census. History The first settlers of present-day Hampton Township in northern Allegheny County arrived in the mid to late ...
and the
state correctional institution - Pittsburgh State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...
. Phillip Chancellor died in the
Richland, Pennsylvania Richland is a borough in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Lebanon, Pennsylvania metropolitan statistical area. The population was 1,490 at the 2020 census. Geography Richland is located at (40.357122, -76.257187 ...
area, where the police chief was not told and believed the accident really happened. On June 27, 2001, ''The Young and the Restless'' became the first daytime soap opera to be broadcast in high-definition. In September 2011, its sister soap ''
The Bold and the Beautiful ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (often referred to as ''B&B'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera ''The Yo ...
'' became the last soap to make the transition from
Standard-definition television Standard-definition television (SDTV, SD, often shortened to standard definition) is a television system which uses a resolution that is not considered to be either high or enhanced definition. "Standard" refers to it being the prevailing sp ...
to
High-definition television High-definition television (HD or HDTV) describes a television system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since 1936; in more recent times, it refers to the g ...
before ''
One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...
'' ended its ABC run on January 13, 2012, and began its TOLN run online on April 29, 2013. On April 24, 2006, Soapnet began airing same-day episodes of the series. The final airing on SoapNet was on June 28, 2013. The soap has moved from SoapNet to TV Guide Network. The same day episodes begin airing on TVGN (now
Pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...
) weeknights on July 1, 2013.


Casting and story development

Co-creators William J. Bell and
Lee Phillip Bell Loreley "Lee" June Phillip Bell (June 10, 1928 – February 25, 2020) was an American talk show host and soap opera creator. During her career on Chicago television, she hosted over 10,000 programs and, early in her tenure, worked five shows a da ...
centered ''The Young and the Restless'' around two core families, the wealthy Brooks' and the poor Fosters. Bell borrowed this technique of soap opera building from his mentor, Irna Phillips. While casting for the series, Bell and executive producer
John Conboy John Conboy (March 1934 – January 2018) was an American soap opera producer until his death in January 2018. Career In 1982, Conboy left ''The Young and the Restless'' and became executive producer of the newly created CBS soap opera ''Capitol'' ...
auditioned 540 actors for the 13 main characters. They assembled the youngest group of actors ever cast on a soap opera at the time, hiring mostly unknown actors whom they considered "glamorous model types". Chemistry between actors also factored into the criteria for casting. The stories focused on the younger characters, with an emphasis in fantasy. The fantasy element was reflected in the love story between
Jill Foster Jill Abbott is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless''. The longest-running and only remaining original character, Jill was created and introduced by William J. Bell. Originally portrayed by Brenda ...
and the millionaire
Phillip Chancellor II A list of notable characters from the CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'' that significantly impacted storylines and debuted between March 1973 and December 1979. Brad Elliot Brad Elliot first appeared on March 26, 1973, and was port ...
; the
Leslie Brooks Leslie Brooks (born Virginia Leslie Gettman; July 13, 1922 – July 1, 2011) was an American film actress, model and dancer. Early life Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, her parents brought her to Southern California at an early age, where aroun ...
, Brad Elliot, and Lorie Brooks love triangle; and
Snapper Foster Snapper Foster is a fictional character on the CBS daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless''. An original character since the show's inception, the role was played by William Gray Espy from March 26, 1973 to September 26, 1975, and David ...
's romance with Chris Brooks. Sexuality also played a major role in the stories. 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 ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...
'' and again on ''The Young and the Restless''. William Gray Espy's Snapper Foster is considered the "first to discover sex on a soap opera." During the story, the character is engaged to Chris Brooks (
Trish Stewart Trish Stewart (born June 14, 1946) is an American television actress. She was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas. She is most recognized for her regular role as Chris Brooks Foster on the CBS soap ''The Young and the Restless''. She was part of th ...
) and having a sexual relationship with Sally McGuire (Lee Crawford). 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, impotence,
incest Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity ( marriage or stepfamily), ado ...
, and rape. The first two rape storylines that would be told on the serial were controversial at the time as they reflected a more introspective and analytic storytelling style, the first time rape storylines would be addressed in this manner in the genre. The first, in 1973–74, revolved around the rape of Chris Brooks and the aftermath, in which she entertained (and, eventually, rejected) the idea that she was perhaps at fault for her attack. The second, in 1976, involved Chris's sister Peggy (Pamela Peters Solow) and was meant to serve as a cut-and-dried story in which no viewer could justify this attack, committed out of the blue by an authority figure. The series also explored social issues. Jennifer Brooks underwent the first mastectomy on a soap opera. Other social issue storylines included
bulimia Bulimia nervosa, also known as simply bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging or fasting, and excessive concern with body shape and weight. The aim of this activity is to expel the body of calories eaten ...
,
alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...
, and cancer.Williams, p. 98 Lesbianism was also touched on with
Katherine Chancellor Katherine Chancellor is a fictional character from the CBS Daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', portrayed by Jeanne Cooper. Created and introduced by show creator William J. Bell in November 1973, Cooper's Katherine was introduced i ...
, who flirts with Jill while drunk in 1974 and has a brief relationship with Joann Curtis (Kay Heberle) in 1977. 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. A number of the characters were recast until one of the few remaining original actors, Jaime Lyn Bauer, who portrayed Lorie Brooks, decided to leave. When she announced her intention not to renew her contract, Bell decided to replace the original core families. "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 Terry Lester (April 13, 1950 – November 28, 2003) was an American actor. His best known roles include Jack Abbott on ''The Young and the Restless'', Mason Capwell on '' Santa Barbara'' and Royce Keller on '' As the World Turns''. Early life ...
- 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." 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. The relationship between the two characters remained a central theme throughout the series and became the longest lasting rivalry in daytime history. Another character introduced in the 1980s was
Eric Braeden Eric Braeden (born Hans-Jörg Gudegast; April 3, 1941) is a German-born film and television actor, known for his roles as Victor Newman on the CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', as Hans Dietrich in the 1960s TV series ''The Rat Patro ...
's Victor Newman. Originally, the character was "a despicable, contemptible, unfaithful wife abuser" who was intended to be killed off. 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." 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. With the success of another iconic character, Kimberlin Brown's
Sheila Carter Sheila Carter is a fictional character from ''The Young and the Restless'' and ''The Bold and the Beautiful'', American soap operas on the CBS network. Created by William J. Bell, the role was introduced in 1990 — by Edward J. Scott — under ...
, Bell successfully crossed her over from ''The Young and the Restless'' to his second soap, ''
The Bold and the Beautiful ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (often referred to as ''B&B'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera ''The Yo ...
'', in 1992. The success of the crossover was due 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 Victoria Lynn Rowell (born May 10, 1959) is an American actress. She began her career as a ballet dancer and model before making her acting debut in the 1987 comedy film ''Leonard Part 6''. In 1990, Rowell joined the cast of the CBS daytime soa ...
( Drucilla Barber) and
Tonya Williams Tonya Williams (born July 12, 1958) is a Canadian actress, producer, director and activist. Sometimes credited as Tonya Lee Williams, she is best known for her role as Dr. Olivia Barber Winters on the American daytime drama ''The Young and the ...
(
Olivia Winters Olivia Winters is a fictional character from the CBS Daytime soap opera, ''The Young and the Restless''. The role was portrayed by Tonya Williams, on contract beginning in June 1990, until agreeing with the show to drop to recurring status in 200 ...
) were cast as the nieces of the Abbott's maid, Mamie Johnson, in 1990.Williams, p. 103 The brothers
Neil Winters Neil Winters is a fictional character from ''The Young and the Restless'', an American soap opera on the CBS network. Created and introduced by William J. Bell, the role was portrayed by Kristoff St. John from 1991 until St. John's death in 20 ...
( Kristoff St. John) and
Malcolm Winters Malcolm Winters is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera, ''The Young and the Restless''. Originally and most recently portrayed by Shemar Moore, Darius McCrary took over between December 29, 2009, and October 17, 2011. Moore rep ...
(
Shemar Moore Shemar Franklin Moore (born April 20, 1970) is an American actor. His notable roles include Malcolm Winters on ''The Young and the Restless'' (1994–2005), Derek Morgan on ''Criminal Minds'' (2005–2016), and the lead role of Sergeant II Dani ...
) were introduced as love interests for Olivia and Drucilla. ''The Young and the Restless'' became popular among black viewers, which Williams and St. John attributed to the writing for the black characters.Worlds Without End, p. 93 "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." 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.Worlds Without End, p. 107


Executive producers and head writers


Awards

The serial has won 165 Daytime Emmys, among 360 nominations. The following list summarizes 82 Daytime Emmy awards won by ''The Young and the Restless'':


Daytime Emmy Awards


TV Soap Golden Boomerang Awards

* 2006 "Hall of Fame Inductee"
Eric Braeden Eric Braeden (born Hans-Jörg Gudegast; April 3, 1941) is a German-born film and television actor, known for his roles as Victor Newman on the CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', as Hans Dietrich in the 1960s TV series ''The Rat Patro ...
( Victor Newman)


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 Sandra Weintraub Roland is an American soap opera writer and producer. She is most notable for her writing on CBS's The Young and the Restless, which she has written in different positions since 1998. In the 1970s she was also notable for her clo ...
* 2008 "Best Daytime Serial" Written by Lynn Marie Latham, Scott Hamner, Bernard Lechowick, Cherie Bennett, Jeff Gottesfeld, Jim Stanley, Natalie Minardi Slater, Lynsey Dufour, Marina Alburger, Sara Bibel, Sandra Weintraub


International Broadcast


Canada

In Canada, the
Global Television Network The Global Television Network (more commonly called Global, or occasionally Global TV) is a Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. It is currently Canada's second most-watched private terrestrial television network after C ...
airs new episodes a day ahead of the US broadcast. 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 Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
which airs the program on a same-day-as-CBS basis.


Caribbean

In
Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wa ...
, Channel 5
Great Belize Television Great Belize Television, or as it is locally known, Channel 5, is a Belize City-based local television station established in December 1991. Channel 5 airs mostly American and Caribbean programs, as well as a variety of locally produced programs. ...
airs the soap, while rival Channel 7 Tropical Vision Limited also airs the soap. In
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...
, the show formerly aired on CVMTV. In
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
, the show airs weekdays on CBS and has been airing in Trinidad and Tobago since the 1980s. In 1988, 70 percent of Trinidadians and Tobagonians 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.


Oceania

In Australia, ''The Young and the Restless'' airs after ''
Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...
'' on
Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...
. It previously aired on the
Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...
from April 1, 1974, to February 23, 2007, before joining the W lineup from April 2, 2007, to August 17, 2012. On July 20, 2012, it was announced that the show would move to Arena on August 20 that year after W rebranded as
SoHo Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was deve ...
. Episodes are approximately one week behind those airing in the US at present. In New Zealand, ''The Young and the Restless'' aired alongside ''Days of Our Lives'' on
TVNZ 1 TVNZ 1 ( mi, Te Reo Tātaki Tahi) is the first national television channel owned and operated by the state-owned broadcaster Television New Zealand (TVNZ). It is the oldest television broadcaster in New Zealand, starting out from 1960 as indep ...
from August 25, 1975, to 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 The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
, aired from 1987 to 1989 on
ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...
.


Europe

In the United Kingdom, ''The Young and The Restless'' has aired on many TV channels starting in 1990, when episodes from 1987 debuted on
Galaxy A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, dark matter, bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Greek ' (), literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar System ...
in a regular weekday timeslot, 14:30-15:30 (and repeated in the early hours of the following morning). When BSB merged with Sky in November 1990 to form BskyB, the soap moved to Sky's flagship channel
Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
and aired at 11:00-12:00 weekdays until the end of 1992. When BskyB's original three-year contract to air the soap expired, Sky chose not to renew it. In 1993, ''Y&R'' was picked up by satellite channel, UK Living (then known as simply Living, now
Sky Witness Sky Witness is a British pay television channel owned and operated by Sky, a division of Comcast. The channel primarily broadcasts drama shows from the United States, aimed at the 18–45 age group. An Italian version of Sky Witness, named S ...
) in a primetime timeslot 20:00-21:00, picking up where Sky left off. This lasted until late 1995. In 2007, Zone Romantica, now
CBS Drama RealityXtra (formerly CBS Drama) is a British free-to-air television channel that centres its programming on American television shows produced by CBS. It is the sister channel of CBS Reality and is owned in partnership by AMC Networks and Para ...
, began broadcasting the show weekdays our 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
n favor of repeating shows such as Dynasty and Dallas in the daytime N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...
It was attracting around 18–20,000 viewers at midnight in the last week of its broadcast in the UK in August 2010. In Italy ''The Young and the Restless'' aired as ' from February 1983 to February 1984 on
Italia 1 Italia 1 (Italian pronunciation ) is an Italian free-to-air television channel on the Mediaset network, owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. It is oriented at both young and adult people. Italia 1 was launched on 3 January 1982 and, originally, was o ...
, from October 1984 to June 1995 on
Rete 4 Rete 4 (in English Network 4) is an Italian free-to-air television channel operated by Mediaset Italia and owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. Presently the director is Sebastiano Lombardi. Programs TV Programmes (currently) Rete 4's streng ...
, in the summer of 1995 on
Canale 5 Canale 5 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel of Mediaset, owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. It was the first private television network to have a national coverage in Italy in 1980. On 4 December 2012, Mediaset launched Canale 5 HD, a ...
and from April 1998 to October 2009 again on Rete 4. They were US episodes shown from autumn 1979 to March 1986, from November 1989 to December 1993 and from November 1998 to January 2007. In France, the show airs as ' on free-to-air channel TF1.


Theme music and other music

" Nadia's Theme" has been the
theme music Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...
of ''The Young and the Restless'' since the show's debut in 1973. The melody, originally titled "Cotton's Dream", was composed by
Barry De Vorzon Barry De Vorzon (born July 31, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and composer. His earliest hit compositions were "Just Married" (1958), written with Al Allen and recorded by Marty Robbins, which reached number 26 on ''Billboar ...
and
Perry Botkin Jr. Perry Botkin Jr. (April 16, 1933 – January 18, 2021) was an American composer, producer, arranger, and musician. The tune " Nadia's Theme", composed by Botkin and Barry De Vorzon, peaked at No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1976 and bec ...
for the 1971 theatrical film '' Bless the Beasts and Children''. The melody was later renamed "Nadia's Theme" after the American Broadcasting Company television network's sports summary program '' Wide World of Sports'' lent the music for a montage of Romanian gymnast
Nadia Comăneci Nadia Elena Comăneci Conner (born November 12, 1961) is a Romanian retired gymnast and a five-time Olympic gold medalist, all in individual events. In 1976, at the age of 14, Comăneci was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10 ...
's routines during the
1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...
; 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. The song remained unchanged, save for a slight remix in 1988 and a three-year stint in the early 2000s, when an alternate, more
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
y arrangement of that tune was used, using portions of the longer closing version of the original theme. An LP album was published in 1976 by
A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
. The track list contains two titles of the French composer
Michel Colombier Michel Colombier (23 May 1939 – 14 November 2004) was a French composer, arranger, and conductor. Career Colombier wrote the scores of several motion pictures and TV productions. He also wrote chamber music and ballets. With composer Pierre H ...
, ''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, and Kimberlin Brown came and went without being added). In mid-February 2017, the current form of opening credits were updated to honor the history on CBS Daytime and to carry them into the future as they approach the 44th anniversary.


Ratings

''The Young and the Restless'' entered CBS' daytime lineup at 12 noon/11 a.m. Central in March 1973, a timeslot where two popular game shows,
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's ''
Jeopardy! ''Jeopardy!'' is an American game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead given genera ...
'' (original version, hosted by
Art Fleming Arthur Fleming Fazzin (May 1, 1924 – April 25, 1995) was an American actor and television host. He hosted the first version of the television game show ''Jeopardy!'', which aired on NBC from 1964 until 1975 and again from 1978 to 1979. E ...
) and ABC's ''
Password A password, sometimes called a passcode (for example in Apple devices), is secret data, typically a string of characters, usually used to confirm a user's identity. Traditionally, passwords were expected to be memorized, but the large number of ...
'' (revival of the 1960s hit with Allen Ludden as host), vied for the top spot in the ratings. Quite a number of CBS affiliates in the Eastern Time Zone had for years been running local newscasts at noon, despite CBS giving them a 30-minute break one hour later, at 1 p.m., for that purpose. With that scenario, at first, ''The Young and the Restless'' was at the bottom of the ratings, inheriting ''Where the Heart Is low numbers and affiliate clearances. However, the youthful and sexually-driven storylines, which appealed perfectly to CBS' desired
key demographic The key demographic or target demographic is a term in commercial broadcasting that refers to the most desirable demographic group to a given advertiser. Key demographics vary by outlet, time of day, and programming type, but they are generally co ...
of younger women, helped it to rise rapidly, surging to ninth by 1974–75 and third by 1975–76. This eventually led to both ''Jeopardy!'s'' and ''Password's'' cancellations during 1975; a succession of shows (of varying formats) on both networks failed to make any significant impact for the next five years, other than perhaps ABC's ''
The $20,000 Pyramid ''Pyramid'' is the collective name of a series of American television game shows that has aired several versions domestically and internationally. The original series, ''The $10,000 Pyramid'', debuted on March 26, 1973, and spawned seven subseq ...
,'' which aired at noon/11 from 1978 to 1980. Apart from a dip to sixth in 1980-81 (its first full season at a full hour, when the first half went against ABC's then-top-rated ''
Family Feud ''Family Feud'' is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson. It features two families who compete to name the most popular answers to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes. The show has had three separate runs, th ...
'' in the Central Time Zone or the second half against the first part of ''
All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2013, via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and ...
'' in the Eastern), it has been one of the five highest-rated soaps since the 1975–76 season. After ''Feud's'' decline beginning in 1984 (it would be canceled the next year) and the eventual plateauing of ''AMC'' and NBC's ''Days of Our Lives,'' the latter of which did undergo a brief resurgence in the mid-1980s, ''Y&R'' widened the ratings lead to the point where ABC and NBC never caught up again, both eventually ceding the Noon/11 time slot back to their local stations by the 1990s. By 1988–89 it had dethroned long-time leader ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the longest-running American soap opera in production, and the second in American history after '' ...
'' as the top-rated soap, a position it held until 2020. In 2010, it marked its 1,000th consecutive week n the #1 spot for daytime dramas. During the week of December 2, 2013, the series celebrated its 25th consecutive year as the number one daytime drama. ''The Young and the Restless'' airs every weeknight on
Pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...
, where it averaged 362,000 viewers from July to September 2013. 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. 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. As of 2008, the Tuesday episodes of ''The Young and the Restless'' on average is the most-watched daytime drama showing.


Ratings history

* (debut) * Tied in rating (8.1) with ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the longest-running American soap opera in production, and the second in American history after '' ...
''; however ''General Hospital'' drew more viewers in millions. * ''The Young and the Restless'' was number-one solo (for the first time) for the 1988–89 and retained this position until 2020.


See also

*
CBS Daytime CBS Daytime is a division within CBS that is responsible for the daytime television block programming on the CBS' late morning and early afternoon schedule. The block has historically encompassed soap operas and game shows. Schedule NOTE: All tim ...
* List of ''The Young and the Restless'' cast members * List of ''The Young and the Restless'' characters * List of longest-serving soap opera actors


References


External links

*
''The Young and the Restless''
at
CBS Daytime CBS Daytime is a division within CBS that is responsible for the daytime television block programming on the CBS' late morning and early afternoon schedule. The block has historically encompassed soap operas and game shows. Schedule NOTE: All tim ...
*
''The Young and the Restless Daily Recaps''

''The Young and the Restless''
at
TVGN The American cable television, cable and satellite television network Pop (American TV channel), Pop was originally launched in 1981 as a barker channel service providing a display of localized electronic program guide, channel and program listings ...

''The Young and the Restless''
a
Yahoo! TV

''The Young and the Restless''
at the
W. Channel SoHo was an Australian pay television channel. Originally launched as FX in 1995 and oriented towards classic programming, it was rebranded as W. and shifted its focus to women's programming on 1 November 2003. Later, on 20 August 2012, it was ...

Full episodes of ''The Young and the Restless''
Available only to U.S. viewers
In depth audio interview with Eric Braeden (Dec 2007)

''The Young and the Restless'' Official Fan Wiki
at CBS Wiki {{DEFAULTSORT:Young and the Restless, The 1973 American television series debuts 1970s American drama television series 1980s American drama television series 1990s American drama television series 2000s American drama television series 2010s American drama television series 2020s American drama television series American television soap operas CBS original programming English-language television shows Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television shows set in Wisconsin Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series winners Television series created by William J. Bell Television productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic Television shows filmed in Los Angeles