The Young and the Restless

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The Young and the Restless

Genre Soap opera
Creator(s) William J. Bell
Lee Philip Bell
Senior cast member(s) Jeanne Cooper
Doug Davidson
Melody Thomas Scott
Eric Braeden
Eileen Davidson
Kate Linder
Tracey E. Bregman
Tricia Cast
Thom Bierdz
Jess Walton
Peter Bergman
Tonya Lee Williams
Kristoff St. John
No. of episodes 9,191 (as of July 17, 2009)
Production
Executive producer(s) Maria Arena Bell
and Paul Rauch
Head writer(s) Maria Arena Bell,
Hogan Sheffer
and Scott Hamner
Distributor Bell Dramatic Serial Company and Corday Productions, Inc.
In Association With Sony Pictures Television (Columbia TriStar Television 2001 until 2002, Columbia Pictures Television 1974 to 2001, and Screen Gems until name change in 1974)
Running time 30 minutes (1973–1980)
60 minutes (1980–Present)
Broadcast
Original channel CBS & SOAPnet
Original run March 26, 1973 – present
Links
The Young and the Restless Official Website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

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

The soap opera is one of the very few TV shows to successfully write out their original cast, and to replace them with new ones. When it debuted, The Young and the Restless originally focused on the personal and professional lives of two core families in Genoa City: the wealthy Brooks family and the poor Foster family. After a series of recasts and departures in the early 1980s, most of the original characters were written out and the show shifted to the rivalry between the Abbotts and the Newmans. Other families such as the Williams, the Winters, and the Fisher/Baldwins were also introduced through the years. However, one basic plot that has run throughout almost all of the show's history is the feud between Jill Foster Abbott and Katherine Chancellor, one of the longest rivalries on any American soap opera.[3][4]

The series was originally broadcast as half-hour episodes, five times a week. It was expanded to one-hour episodes on February 4, 1980. The Young and the Restless is currently the highest-rated daytime drama on American television. As of 2008, it has appeared at the top of the weekly Nielsen Ratings in that category for more than 1000 weeks since 1988.[5]

The Young and the Restless also airs on SOAPnet weeknights at 7PM ET/PT and is syndicated internationally. The Young and the Restless has won seven Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series.

Contents

[edit] Production

Production summary
Start date End date Network Location Run time
(minutes)		 Notes
1973-Mar-26 1980-Feb-1 CBS Television Los Angeles 30 —
1980-Feb-4 Present 60 —

Taped at CBS Television City in Los Angeles since its debut, the show was groundbreaking for daytime serials in its lush production values. When it premiered, in 1973 The Young and the Restless stood out from other soaps on the air for its visual darkness. Soap operas at the time tended to be comparatively brightly-lit in tone. The show lighted primarily the actors and not the background settings, so as to focus the attention of the viewer on the emotions of the actors. Also, its glamorous sets utilizing fresh cut flowers, and wardrobe and hairstyles were a huge contrast to existing soap operas, which often set the action in a simple living room or kitchen set, where characters would discuss their world over a cup of coffee. It should also be noted that The Young and the Restless is one of the few soaps that used an actual orchestra for the background music (its sister soap Days of our Lives also used, and pioneered the use of in American soap operas, an orchestra for background music), a lavish expense for a soap in the '70s.

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

On June 27, 2001, The Young and the Restless became the first daytime soap opera to be broadcast in high-definition.[6] It remained the only daytime soap opera to do so until April 2009, when General Hospital began HD broadcasts. The April 2, 2008 episode of The Young and the Restless was the first and only episode aired in a film look.

[edit] Executive producing and head writing team

Further information: List of The Young and the Restless crew

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

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

Kay Alden took over as head writer after Bell stepped down in 1998. After Bell died in April 2005, Smith served as the sole executive producer. In late February 2006, Lynn Marie Latham was promoted to head writer, while Alden and Smith served as co-head writers. In late August 2006, Latham was announced as the new executive producer (in addition to her writing role) by CBS Daytime Senior Vice President Barbara Bloom. More behind-the-scenes shakeups continued into September 2006 when Smith's contract as co-head writer wasn't renewed. Kathryn Foster, a long time producer and director since the 1980s, resigned in October 2006.

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

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

By 2007, only four writers from the pre-Latham era: Sandra Weintraub, Eric Freiwald, Linda Schreiber and Natalie Minardi Slater, remained with the serial. Josh Griffith took over the executive producing duties after Latham was fired, but his tenure ended in September when it was announced that he would be replaced by Maria Arena Bell and Paul Rauch as co-executive producers. Bell and Rauch's episodes began airing on October 3, 2008.

With Maria Arena Bell at the helm, The Young and the Restless has seen the return of several long-time writers and directors; most notably Mike Denney, who was part of the directing team for nearly 20 years before Lynn Marie Latham had him relieved, as well as writer Janice Ferri Esser who was also relieved of her duties by Latham.

[edit] Current main crew

Head Writers Associate/Breakdown/Script Producers/Consultants Directors
Maria Arena Bell; Hogan Sheffer, Scott Hamner Natalie Minardi Slater, Paula Cwikly, Sandra Weintraub, Linda Schreiber, Eric Freiwald, Marla Kanelos, Beth Milstein, Jay Gibson, Amanda L. Beall, Janice Ferri Esser, Tom Casiello, Teresa Zimmerman, Lisa Connor Paul Rauch (Co-EP), Maria Arena Bell (Co-EP), Anthony Morina, John Fisher, Josh O'Connell, Matthew J. Olson, Bill Bell Jr. Mike Denney, Sally McDonald, Dean LaMont, Andrew Lee, Grant A. Johnson, Peter Brinckerhoff, Camille St. Cyr (Casting Director)

[edit] Executive producers

Duration Name
March 26, 1973 to 1976 William J. Bell
1976 to 1982 William J. Bell and John Conboy
1982 to 1986 William J. Bell and H. Wesley Kenney
1986 to December 2001 William J. Bell and Edward J. Scott
December 2001 to 2003 William J. Bell and David Shaughnessy
2003 to January 2004 William J. Bell, David Shaughnessy and John F. Smith
January 2004 to April 29, 2005 William J. Bell and John F. Smith
May 2, 2005 to May 12, 2006 John F. Smith
May 15, 2006 to October 3, 2006 No executive producer
October 4, 2006 to October 24, 2006 Lynn Marie Latham
October 25, 2006 to December 24, 2007 Lynn Marie Latham and Josh Griffith
December 26, 2007 to October 2, 2008 Josh Griffith
October 3, 2008 to Present Maria Arena Bell and Paul Rauch

[edit] Head writers

Duration Name
March 26, 1973 - 1997 William J. Bell
1997 - 1998 William J. Bell and Kay Alden
1998 - Autumn 2000 Kay Alden
Autumn 2000 - June 2002 Kay Alden and Trent Jones
June 2002 - August 5, 2004 Kay Alden, Trent Jones and John F. Smith
August 6, 2004 - February 15, 2006 Kay Alden and John F. Smith
February 16, 2006 - November 10, 2006 Lynn Marie Latham, Kay Alden and John F. Smith
November 13, 2006 - December 23, 2006 Lynn Marie Latham, Kay Alden and Scott Hamner
December 26, 2006 - December 24, 2007 Lynn Marie Latham and Scott Hamner
December 26, 2007 - April 14, 2008 Josh Griffith and Maria Arena Bell
April 15, 2008 - April 21, 2008 Josh Griffith, Maria Arena Bell and Scott Hamner
April 22, 2008 - May 9, 2008 Maria Arena Bell and Scott Hamner
May 12, 2008 - July 14, 2008 Maria Arena Bell
July 15, 2008 - August 8, 2008 Maria Arena Bell and Hogan Sheffer
August 11, 2008 - Present Maria Arena Bell, Hogan Sheffer and Scott Hamner

[edit] Cast

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

The original March 1973 cast consisted of a mixture of veterans and young, relative unknowns. The most notable cast member was Robert Colbert, star of the 1960s TV series The Time Tunnel, as Stuart Brooks. Dorothy Green, a frequent guest star in numerous 1950s-60s TV programs, was cast as Stuart's wife Jennifer, while veteran actress Julianna McCarthy played Liz Foster. The only original character remaining since the program's debut in 1973 is Jill Foster Abbott, who has been played by Jess Walton, the fourth actress the play the role, since 1987.

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

[edit] Current cast members

Actor Character Duration
Peter Bergman Jack Abbott (#2) 1989-
Vail Bloom Heather Stevens 2007-
Eric Braeden Victor Newman 1980-
Bryton Devon Hamilton 2004-
Sharon Case Sharon Abbott (#2) 1994-
Judith Chapman Gloria Bardwell (#2) 2005-
Jeanne Cooper Katherine Chancellor 1973-
Doug Davidson Paul Williams 1978-
Eileen Davidson Ashley Abbott Newman (#1) 1982-1988, 1999-2007, 2008-
John Driscoll Chance Chancellor 2009-
Clementine Ford Mackenzie Browning (#4) 2009-
Adrienne Frantz Amber Moore 2006-
Daniel Goddard Cane Ashby 2007-
Michael Graziadei Daniel Romalotti 2004-
Stacy Haiduk Mary Jane Benson (#3) 2009-
Amelia Heinle Victoria Newman Hellstrom (#3) 2005-
Elizabeth Hendrickson Chloe Abbott 2008-
Christel Khalil Lily Winters Ashby (#1) 2002-
Christian LeBlanc Michael Baldwin 1991-1993, 1997-
Kate Linder Esther Valentine 1982-
Thad Luckinbill J.T. Hellstrom 1999-
Eva Marcille Tyra Hamilton 2008-
Billy Miller Billy Abbott (#4) 2008-
Joshua Morrow Nicholas Newman 1994-
Michael Muhney Adam Wilson (#2) 2009-
Emily O'Brien Jana Fisher 2006-2007, 2007-
Greg Rikaart Kevin Fisher 2003-
Melody Thomas Scott Nikki Newman (#2) 1979-
Kristoff St. John Neil Winters 1991-
Michelle Stafford Phyllis Summers Newman (#1) 1994-1997, 2000-
Tammin Sursok Colleen Carlton (#3) 2007-
Jess Walton Jill Foster Abbott (#4) 1987-

[edit] Recurring cast members

Actor Character Duration
Tatyana Ali Roxanne 2007-
Samantha Bailey Summer Newman 2009-
Anne Betancourt Estella Munoz 2008-
Wilson Bethel Ryder 2009-
Thom Bierdz Phillip Chancellor III 1986-1989, 2004, 2009-
Tracey E. Bregman Lauren Fenmore Baldwin 1983-1995, 2000, 2001-
Tricia Cast Nina Webster 1986-2001, 2008, 2009-
Hayley Erin Abby Carlton 2008-
Michael Fairman Patrick Murphy 2008-
Yani Gellman Rafael Torres 2008-
Karen Hensel Doris Collins 1994-2003, 2005, 2009-
Sean Kanan Deacon Sharpe 2009-
Vanessa Marano Eden Gerick 2008-
Jamia Simone Nash Ana Hamilton 2008-
John Rubinstein Dr. Charles Taylor 2009-
Raphael Sbarge Howard Aucker 2009-
Kevin Schmidt Noah Newman 2008-
Ted Shackelford Jeffrey Bardwell 2007-
Tonya Lee Williams Dr. Olivia Winters 1990-2005, 2007, 2008-
Cassius Willis Det. Gil Wallace 2008-

[edit] Awards

The serial has won 100 Daytime Emmys, along with 334 nominations. The following list summarizes awards won by The Young and the Restless:

[edit] Daytime Emmy Awards

[edit] Show

  • 2007 "Outstanding Drama Series" (tied with Guiding Light)
  • 2006 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
  • 2004 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 2002 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
  • 2001 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
  • 2000 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
  • 2000 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
  • 1999 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
  • 1998 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
  • 1997 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
  • 1997 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team" (tied with All My Children)
  • 1996 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
  • 1993 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 1992 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
  • 1989 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
  • 1986 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 1985 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 1983 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 1975 "Outstanding Drama Series"

[edit] Individuals

[edit] TV Soap Golden Boomerang Awards

[edit] Writers Guild of America Awards

  • 2003 "Best Daytime Serial" Written by Kay Alden, Trent Jones, John F. Smith, Jerry Birn, Jim Houghton, Natalie Minardi, Janice Ferri, Eric Freiwald, Joshua McCaffrey, Michael Minnis, Rex M. Best
  • 2006 "Best Daytime Serial" Written by Kay Alden, John F. Smith, Janice Ferri, Jim Houghton, Natalie Minardi Slater, Sally Sussman Morina, Sara Bibel, Eric Freiwald, Linda Schreiber, Joshua S. McCaffrey, Marc Hertz, Sandra Weintraub
  • 2008 "Best Daytime Serial" Written by Lynn Marie Latham, Scott Hamner, Bernard Lechowick, Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld, Jim Stanley, Natalie Minardi Slater, Lynsey Dufour, Marina Alburger, Sara Bibel, Sandra Weintraub

[edit] Storyline

Main article: The Young and the Restless storylines

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

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

After a series of recasts and departures in the late 1970s-early 1980s, the Brookses and the Fosters were phased out, and two new core families were introduced: the Abbott and the Williams families, and later the Newmans. The Abbott–Newman family rivalry also extended to the corporate warfare between their respective companies, Jabot Cosmetics and Newman Enterprises. Core African American characters, the Barbers and the Winters, were later introduced in the 1990s. The latest family to be introduced in the early 2000s were the Fisher/Baldwin Family.

Show creator William J. Bell resigned as head writer in 1998, and since 2002, The Young and the Restless has suffered audience erosion. Despite remaining the most watched daytime drama on American television since 1988, later head writers such as John F. Smith and Lynn Marie Latham began to rely on several highly publicized, retcon storylines to attract more viewers. Notable retcons introduced in the 2000s include revealing that Kay is Jill's actual birth mother, and Phillip II and Jill's baby was switched at birth.

[edit] Broadcast history

[edit] Early Years, 1973-80

In spring 1973, CBS decided to discontinue production on two of its four in-house serials; one of these was the controversial Where the Heart Is, a show reminiscent of Peyton Place's sex-driven intrigue that focused on multiple-married characters and incestuous themes. In its place, the network sought a youth-oriented, Los Angeles-based (most soaps at the time still recorded in New York City), socially relevant show, and Screen Gems/Columbia, which had considerable success with NBC's Days of our Lives, got the job as packager. CBS (successfully) insisted that the show be taped at CBS Television City and not at Columbia's Hollywood Studios (which Columbia was in the process of closing down at the time, after it bought majority control of Warner Brothers' Burbank studios). The Bell family wanted to tape The Young and the Resltess at Warner Brothers/The Burbank Studios (which neighbors NBC Burbank, where Days was moved to after the closedown and sale of the Columbia Hollywood studios), but Screen Gems and CBS declined their request.

The Young and the Restless 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.

The Young and the Restless's ascent was slow, but got major boosts from missteps made by the rival networks. First, NBC sent Jeopardy! to a mid-morning slot in January 1974, with the briefly-popular Jackpot! taking its place, only to eventually lose much of the old audience. Next, Password on ABC made the bad decision to convert to an all-celebrity format in November of that year, a move that would lead to its cancellation the following June. 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 The Young and the Restless's continued audience growth.

By summer 1975, ABC and NBC changed up their shows at Noon/11, offering two lightweight games that audiences shied away from, thereby enabling The Young and the Restless to enter the Nielsen serial top three. For its part, NBC would enter into a string of low-rated disasters at that timeslot for the next several years (among them an attempt to revive Jeopardy! in 1978-79), while ABC similarly struggled until it moved The $20,000 Pyramid there in January 1978. However, Pyramid's time was running out, and the former hit game wrapped up six years on the network in June 1980. The only parts of the country where The Young and the Restless experienced some trouble were those Eastern time zone markets where affiliates plugged the show into the network's half-hour access break at 1 p.m./Noon (in order to free the Noon hour for local newscasts); there, ABC's All My Children would somewhat hinder The Young and the Restless's progress, especially when the former show expanded to an hour in April 1977.

[edit] Rise to the Top, 1980s

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

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

[edit] Eroding ratings and the negative impact of the O.J. Simpson trial, 1990s

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, The Young and the Restless knocked General Hospital off the throne to gain the crown; it has held it ever since. However, the triumph has been mitigated considerably by negative developments: The Young and the Restless'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). The Young and the Restless has not been the sole victim of these trends, nor even the main one; all U.S. daytime network serials have witnessed similar declines in their ratings.

The pace of the decline was sped up considerably in 1994 and 1995 by the relentless coverage of O.J. Simpson following the murder of his ex-wife Nicole and Ron Goldman in June 1994. The televised daily courtroom trial of O.J. Simpson lasted from from January 1995-October 1995. The series was pre-empted every day by the trial and was instead broadcast at various times during the night (sometimes beginning at odd times such as 2:18 a.m.) or not at all. Many viewers did not know when to set their VCRs and simply gave up watching the show for good.

[edit] Controversial Storylines, 2009

In February 2009, long-time fan-favorite, Brad Carlton, portrayed by Don Diamont since 1986, was killed off the show.

Also in 2009, Neil Winters, a loyal, kind, and trust-worthy businessman portrayed by Kristoff St. John, completely out-of-character, cheats on his wife Karen after only a few weeks of marriage. Karen divorces him immediately.

Throughout 2009, several outlandish and dark storylines regarding Victor Newman's son Adam have garnered negative as well as positive reactions from viewers.[7]

In June 2009, Victor Newman's son, Adam, who for months was gaslighting Ashley, frightens her by dressing up as Victor's recently deceased wife Sabrina. Ashley, several months pregnant, falls from the stairs and seems to immediately miscarry the pregnancy on the floor. Weeks later, she still believes she is pregnant due to an hysterical pregnancy.

Adam, feigning blindness, is caught by a doctor who discovers several needle wounds in his eyes. Adam tells his very savvy father that he was attacked in jail on several occasions by inmates who stabbed his eyes with needles. An intelligent Victor incredulously believes this bizarre explanation.

In yet another plastic surgery plot, Mary Jane appears in Genoa City and strikes up a sexual relationship with Jack Abbott. The viewer learns that Mary Jane is in fact Patty Williams, who was married to Jack in the 1980s and shot him several times. The actress who plays Mary Jane however, is much taller than the actress who played Patty Williams. Jack and Patty's own brother Paul Williams, have no idea who she is, despite the fact that her voice would still be the same after plastic surgery. However his plot has been done before with Sheila Carter posing as Phyllis Newman in 2007 and the series has dealt many times with twins and look alikes.

Finally, in what could be the most controversial storyline ever, Adam, a presumed heterosexual who had only shown interest in women until then, also has gay sex on June 29, 2009 with another gay character, so as to gain his trust. This is the first gay sex scene on this series (the love scene is not shown on camera). This turn of events prompted Adam's portrayor, Chris Engen, to immediately quit the show and the character, which is followed by an immediate recast of the character.[8]

To add to the latest controversy... the "real" Phillip Chancellor III, who died some 20 years ago, is actually alive and had Cane Ashby pretend to be him. He returned on the 4th of July claiming to have faked his death because he didn't want to disappoint anyone. Then he revealed to Nina that he is infact gay and left for that reason.

[edit] Broadcasts outside the United States

  • In Australia, The Young and the Restless airs on Foxtel's W. Channel at 12pm, and on the timeshift channel, W2, at 2pm. Repeats of each day's episode air the following morning at 7:05am and an omnibus edition airs at 7:50am on Saturdays. It previously aired on Channel 9 from April 1, 1974 to February 23, 2007, before joining the W. line-up on April 2, 2007. Episodes are 9 months behind those airing in the US at present.
    Main article: Screening of daytime US soap operas in Australia
  • In Belgium, the show airs on RTBF-La Une as "Les Feux de l'amour" at 12:00 (dubbed in French).
  • In Belize, Channel 5 Great Belize Television airs it on schedule with the US at 1:00 pm Central Time. Rival Channel 7 Tropical Vision Limited airs on schedule as well at 2:00 pm, Central Time.
  • In Canada, Global TV airs new episodes a day ahead of CBS in the United States. Most Global stations use The Young and the Restless as a late-afternoon lead-in for their local newscasts[citation needed], but times vary by market. It also airs on NTV in Newfoundland and Labrador which is one day ahead, and on E! (Canada) in Kelowna, British Columbia, which is not one day ahead.
    • In the French-speaking province of Quebec, a dubbed version airs on TVA, with the title Les Feux de l'amour (Fires of Love), about eight years after initial airing.
  • In Cyprus the show started from the 1986 season in June 1992 from private channel ANT1 Cyprus and continued until 2002 when ANT1 decided to drop all its foreign soap operas after the end of Santa Barbara.
  • In Finland the show airs on MTV3 under the title Tunteita ja tuoksuja ("Senses and scents").
  • In France, the show screens on TF1 as "Les Feux de l'amour" (Fires of Love) at 13:55 Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (dubbed in French). The episodes are 3 years behind the US.
  • In Germany, the show aired on ZDF from March to December 2008. The network canceled the show because of bad ratings. The episodes were two years behind the US and the show is known as Schatten der Leidenschaft (Shadows Of The Passion).
  • In Greece, the show airs on ET1 (Public TV Channel) at 17:00. Episodes are six years behind the US. It's known as Ατίθασα νιάτα (literally Untameable Youth).
  • In India, the show began airing in February, 2007 on Zee Cafe at 20:00. The channel started with episodes from the 2004-2005 season.
  • In Italy, the show airs at 10:10 in the morning on Rete 4, using the Italian title Febbre d'amore (Love Fever). Episodes are two years and five months behind the US. The Young and the Restless's first Italian broadcast was in 1983.
  • In the Republic of Macedonia, episodes from 1998 and 1999 were shown on Sitel TV a couple of years ago. Currently, reruns are shown.
  • In New Zealand, The Young and the Restless airs on TV ONE. Episodes are four years behind the US.
  • In Norway, The Young and the Restless aired on FEM (TV channel) from 2007-2008 .
  • In Poland, The Young and the Restless aired from September 1997 to August 2000 on Polsat, with 780 episodes broadcast. On September 1, 2008 the network began airing the show again, starting from episode 7090 of March 2001. The Polish title is Żar młodości, which translates into Fervor of Youth.
  • In Romania, the show is aired on Pro TV at 16:00 as "Tânăr şi neliniştit" and it is aorund 5 years behind the show in the U.S.
  • In Serbia, the show airs on B92-as "Mladi i nestašni" at 12:03, from 2007.
  • In Slovenia, the show airs on Kanal A as Mladi in nemirni. Episodes currently air from the second half of 2006.
  • In South Africa, the show airs on e.tv at 17:10. The Young and the Restless was moved from the 17:30 timeslot to the 17:10 timeslot, after Passions was canceled in South Africa on 12 September 2008. The show was originally aired in South Africa in the early 1990s, dubbed into the Afrikaans language, and entitled 'Rustelose Jare' (Restless Years). In 1999 The Young and the Restless was canceled but the show returned to South African television screens in June 2004, with no overhead foreign translations. Episodes are between 11 and 12 months behind that of the USA.
  • In Sweden, the show aired on tv4 and tv3 from 2002-2005. The show was called Makt och begär, which means Power and desire.
  • In Switzerland, the show airs on TSR at 11:10 as "Les Feux de l'amour" and is 3 years behind the U.S.
  • In Turkey, the show used to air on TRT 2. It was called "Yalan Rüzgarı", which means "Wind of Lies". The name was derived from the initials of The Young and the Restless.
  • In the United Kingdom, The Young and the Restless airs on the digital channel Zone Romantica since September 3, 2007.

[edit] Theme song and other music

Main article: Nadia's Theme

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

Botkin wrote a rearranged version of the piece specifically for The Young and the Restless's debut, which has basically remained unchanged, save for a three-year stint in the early 2000s, when an alternate, more jazzy arrangement of that tune was used. The closing stinger of that arrangement has been used as a mid-show bumper since around 2004.

All background music for the show has been composed by first, Don McGinnis, Jerry Winn, and Bob Todd, with Jack Alloco and Jez Davidson assuming the duties in the 1980s. During the 1980s, the show employed a mixture of the original score and new pieces composed by Alloco and Davidson. However, Alloco and Davidson kept all background music within a classical theme, to provide continuity. Two soundtrack albums were released, one in 1974 by Pickwick International Records, and another in 1998 by Paradigm Records. The 1974 release contained many pieces from the original score by Winn, McGinnis, and Todd, while the 1998 release was made up entirely of compositions by Alloco and Davidson. The music composed by Alloco and Davidson makes up 90 percent of the show's score today, supplemented by occasional music from other sources. Music from Winn, McGinnis, and Todd is also still used occasionally. Other background pieces were also utilized from the film soundtrack "Bless The Beasts And Children", an instrumental version of the movie's title tune was used often in the show's early years, last being used in February, 2001. A song titled "Universal Mind" from the Mystic Moods album Awakening (also composed by Winn, McGinnis, and Todd) was used frequently in the first ten years of the show.

[edit] Title sequence

The Young and the Restless logo, seen from January 2, 1984 to December 23, 1999.

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

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

The "red curtain" title card, used from December 24, 1999 until March 28, 2003.

Beginning on December 24, 1999, in an unprecedented move for a main title sequence of a daytime soap opera, the names of the principal cast members were mentioned (whereas previously the main title only showed the cast members' faces). The 1999 version also included live-action shots of the characters, but featured in front of a wind blowing satin red curtain as the background.

On March 31, 2003 the opening credits were given a complete makeover, now featuring black-and-white footage from the series with the actors' names in lower case in red at either the top or bottom of the screen (a possible throwback to the shows early years when the cast members sketches were also black and white).[10] Before and after the footage of the actors is the silhouette of a woman in a form-fitting dress walking toward the camera, shown from the neck down. Although the producers have never confirmed the woman's identity, cast member Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) has admitted to being the woman in question. The opening was last updated to reflect new additions to the cast in June 2006. In an interview in December 2008, co-executive producer Maria Arena Bell stated that updating the opening is "on our minds, for sure. We’re hopeful we can get to that very soon."[11]

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

[edit] Closing title

Since the very first episode in 1973, the end credits were always featured on the left side of the screen while the right side consisted of art drawings (1973-84), the familiar brush stroke logo (1984-94/1999-), and the live action cast montage (1994-99) on the right side of the screen. A longer cut from "Nadia's Theme" was played over the close, along with the aforementioned announcement "Join us again for The Young and the Restless". As with all daytime soaps until the late 1990's, cast and crew wasn't credited in every episode, sometimes the only thing featured in the credits were the copyright info with the production companies listed and the fact the show was taped at CBS Television City. Since 1999, CBS has done away with the classic close in favor of inserting a network promo with the credits listed on the network billboard at the bottom of the screen (the right side from 1999-2005), this is a procedure that has become standard among most channels. However, most international networks still broadcast the traditional closing credits.

[edit] Ratings

As of 2008, The Young and the Restless has managed 1000 consecutive weeks in the #1 spot and 20 consecutive years.[12] Despite this, the show reached a record low of 4,380,000 viewers on Friday, June 13, 2008. The previous lows were 4,392,000 viewers on Friday, October 17, 2008, 4,487,000 viewers on Friday, September 19, 2008, 4,491,000 viewers on Friday, May 9, 2008, 4,548,000 on Thursday, October 16, 2008, 4,563,000 viewers on Friday, October 3, 2008, and 4,805,000 viewers on Friday, August 31, 2007.

When introduced during the 1972–73 season, the show was at the bottom of the ratings, 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.

In Mid December, The Young and The Restless celebrated 20 consecutive years, every single week at #1 in the daytime ratings, with no sign of letting up.

Main article: List of US daytime soap opera ratings

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

Serial Household Rating (Time Slot) Network
General Hospital 16.0 (3-4pm) ABC
All My Children 10.2 (1-2pm) ABC
One Life to Live 10.2 (2-3pm) ABC
Guiding Light 7.9 (3-4pm) CBS
The Young and the Restless 7.3 (11:00-12:00pm) CBS

1995 Daytime Serial Ratings

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

[edit] Latest ratings

Nielsen ratings Week of April 27, 2009 (Compared to last week/Compared to last year)

  1. The Young and the Restless: 5,664,000 (+447,000/-348,000)
  2. The Bold and the Beautiful: 3,981,000 (+400,000/-111,000)
  3. Days of our Lives: 3,051,000 (+62,000/+192,000)
  4. General Hospital: 3,000,000 (+229,000/-122,000)
  5. All My Children: 2,751,000 (+145,000/-33,000)
  6. As the World Turns: 3,023,000 (+355,000/-92,000)
  7. One Life to Live: 2,583,000 (+105,000/-81,000)
  8. Guiding Light: 2,355,000 (+303,000/-228,000)

[edit] References in popular culture

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

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

In "Weird Al" Yankovic's film UHF one of the shows on the U62 line-up is "The Young and the Dyslexic", an obvious parody of the Young and the Restless.

The show is referenced in a 1970s episode of The Jeffersons and in a episode from around 1979 on Three's Company.

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

On a 1989 episode of Full House, the character of DJ (Candace Cameron-Bure) quotes "What is this, the young and the restless junior high". There's also another episode in the series from where Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) writes a story about DJ and her boyfriend Steve and titles it "The Young and the Jealous".

In a 1992 episode of Beverly Hills 90210, Brandon's boss played by (James Pickens, Jr.) quotes something like "Tell them to never disturb me while I'm in the middle of watching The Young and the Restless".

On the October 17, 1994 episode of The Nanny, Fran played by (Fran Drescher) accidentally took a baby from a foreign woman in the subway and later just when Fran is about to be arrested, her soap opera knowledge saves her when she quoted an example from The Young and the Restless. The show would eventually have another episode featuring Y&R with the actual actors appearing on the May 7, 1997 episode "The Heather Biblow Story".

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

On the game show The Price Is Right, which airs before The Young and the Restless on most CBS stations, if a contestant spun the Big Wheel hard enough to go around several times before stopping, host Bob Barker would often quip that CBS would have to "cut into The Young and Restless." The show itself was also the theme of a 1992 showcase to celebrate its 5,000th episode.

In 1993, Carlene Carter scored a hit with the song Every Little Thing, with the second verse consisting of the words The "Young and Restless" on my TV set, refering to the show.

The name of the 2002 album of the American pop punk band Good Charlotte, The Young and the Hopeless is likely a parody of the title of the soap opera The Young and the Restless

The Young and the Restless is one of the shows watched and used as reference by the alien character Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill while getting to understand human culture, in the Animorphs book series.

[edit] See also

Search Wikinews Wikinews has related news: The Young and the Restless celebrates 35 years: Wikinews interviews three actresses

[edit] References

  1. ^ "CBS Daytime: The Young and the Restless - FAQ". http://www.cbs.com/daytime/yr/about/faq/. Retrieved on 2007-05-05. 
  2. ^ "The Young and the Restless". E! True Hollywood Story (E!). 2001-05-20. 
  3. ^ "Y&R: Famous Plots - Kay/Jill Feud". Youngandtherestless.com. http://www.theyoungandtherestless.com/show_guide/famous_plots_detail_437.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-25. 
  4. ^ "Y&R: Famous Plots". Global.com. http://yr.globaltv.com/About/FamousPlots.aspx#katherine. Retrieved on 2009-02-26. 
  5. ^ Coleridge, Daniel (2004-04-26). "TV Guide Editors' Blogs - Daniel's Dish". TV Guide. http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Daniels-Dish/Daniels-Daytime-Emmy/700001052. Retrieved on 2007-05-06. 
  6. ^ Prikios, Karen Anderson (2001-06-25). "Finding the art in HDTV". Broadcasting & Cable. http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA90337.html?display=Special+Report. Retrieved on 2007-05-13. 
  7. ^ Soap Opera Digest, June 2009.
  8. ^ Soap Opera Digest, June 2009.
  9. ^ Nadia Comaneci at Olympic.org
  10. ^ In 2005, The Bold and the Beautiful began airing the performers' names on the opening credits, the only other American soap to do so.
  11. ^ Maria Arena Bell opening comment, TV Guide Canada
  12. ^ The Young and the Restless To Mark 1000 Weeks on Top! - The Young and the Restless News - Soaps.com

[edit] External links

v • d • e
The Young and the Restless
Current characters
(in order of first appearance)
Current cast
(respective to characters)
Recurring characters
Notable past characters
Popular couples
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Executive producers: Paul Rauch and Maria Arena Bell — Head writers: Maria Arena Bell, Hogan Sheffer and Scott Hamner — Created by: William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell.
Related articles
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U.S. daytime soap operas currently on the air
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