The Young and the Restless

To compete with the youthful ABC soap operas, All My Children, One Life to Live, and General Hospital, CBS executives wanted a new daytime serial that was youth oriented. William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell created The Young and the Restless in 1972 for the network under the working title, The Innocent Years! "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." 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; however, CBS executives felt that Los Angeles would be more cost effective. John F. Smith, Lynn Marie Latham, Josh Griffith, Maria Arena Bell, and Paul Rauch. In the mid-1980s, Bell and his family moved to Los Angeles to create a new soap opera. In 2012, former General Hospital executive producer Jill Farren Phelps was hired as the new executive producer of the soap, replacing Bell. Griffith was also named the sole head writer. 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 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, Santa Barbara and General Hospital head writer Charles Pratt Jr. was named as the new head writer of the show. Passanante, Altman and Thomson have been demoted to breakdown writers. Pratt was also named as co-executive producer sharing the credit with Phelps. 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' Star. The same day, Daytime Confidential revealed that former Generations and Days of Our Lives 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 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 studio] Sony 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; 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, 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. On October 9, 2024, it was announced Scott would return to the soap as a senior producer. The serial aired its 13,000th episode on November 13 of the same year. In September 2025, it was announced long-time director Sally McDonald had been promoted to co-executive producer alongside Griffith. ==Production==

Videotaping and broadcasting Taped at CBS Television City, studios 41 and 43 in Hollywood since its debut on March 26, 1973, the show was packaged by the distribution company Columbia Pictures Television, which has now been replaced by Sony Pictures Television. 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." 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". 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 became the last soap to make the transition from Standard-definition television to High-definition television before One Life to Live 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 same day episodes begin airing on TVGN (now Pop) weeknights on July 1, 2013. ==Development==

, Bryton James, Sharon Case, Amelia Heinle, Joshua Morrow, Melody Thomas Scott, Eric Braeden, Peter Bergman, Eileen Davidson, Beth Maitland, Jason Thompson, Michelle Stafford, Jess Walton Middle row: Kate Linder, Melissa Claire Egan, Sean Dominic, Camryn Grimes, Mark Grossman, Lauralee Bell, Tracey E. Bregman, Christian LeBlanc, Susan Walters, Michael Mealor, Mishael Morgan, Michael Graziadei, Melissa Ordway Back row: Kelsey Wang, Conner Floyd, Cait Fairbanks, Courtney Hope, Brytni Sarpy, Trevor St. John, Greg Rikaart, Elizabeth Hendrickson, Rory Gibson, Zuleyka Silver, Allison Lanier Co-creators William J. and Lee Phillip Bell centered The Young and the Restless around two core families, the wealthy Brooks' and the poor Fosters. 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". The brothers Neil Winters (Kristoff St. John) and Malcolm Winters (Shemar Moore) were introduced as love interests for Olivia and Drucilla. "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." In the 2000s, the serial shared several crossovers with As the World Turns. First, in 2005, Michael Baldwin (Christian LeBlanc) made a two-day guest appearance on As the World Turns, appearing as Keith Morrissey's (Kin Shriner) attorney. Two years later, the characters of Alison (Marnie Schulenburg) and Emily Stewart (Kelley Menighan Hensley) appeared, introducing Schulenburg in the role of Alison; The Bold and the Beautiful Amber Moore (Adrienne Frantz), who began appearing on The Young and the Restless the year prior, was also involved in the storyline. In July 2025, it was announced Bryton James would appear on Beyond the Gates as Devon Winters. He appeared during the August 11 episode. ==Themes==

Sexuality played a major role in the stories. 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. Lesbianism was also touched on with Katherine Chancellor, who flirts with Jill while drunk in 1974 and has a brief relationship with Joann Curtis (Kay Heberle) in 1977. ==Staff==

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 (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 • 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 airs new episodes a day ahead of the American 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 which airs the program on a same-day-as-CBS basis. Caribbean In Belize, Channel 5 Great Belize Television airs the soap, while rival Channel 7 Tropical Vision Limited also airs the soap. In Jamaica, the show formerly aired on CVMTV. In Trinidad and Tobago, 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 on Arena. It previously aired on the Nine Network 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. 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 from August 25, 1975, to April 1988 where it moved to TVNZ 2, but it returned to TVNZ 1 from 2005 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, aired from 1987 to 1989 on ABS-CBN. Europe In the United Kingdom, The Young and The Restless has aired on many TV channels starting in 1990, when episodes from 1987 debuted on Galaxy 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 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) 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, began broadcasting the show weekdays [four years behind US]. In 2009, when CBS went into partnership with and took over the Chellozone Channels the show was relegated to just one showing a day [in favor of repeating shows such as Dynasty and Dallas in the daytime]. It was attracting around 18–20,000 viewers at midnight in the last week of its broadcast in the UK in August 2010. In Italy The Young and the Restless aired as '''' from February 1983 to February 1984 on Italia 1, from October 1984 to June 1995 on Rete 4, in the summer of 1995 on Canale 5 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. In Turkey, the show aired on the public broadcast network TRT under the name of '''' (meaning The Wind of Lies), utilising the abbreviation of the name of the original show. ==Music==

"Nadia's Theme" has been the theme music of The Young and the Restless since the show's debut in 1973. 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. In March 2023, the opening title sequence was updated in celebration of the soap's 50th 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's Jeopardy! (original version, hosted by Art Fleming) and ABC's Password (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 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, 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 in the Central Time Zone or the second half against the first part of All My Children 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 as the top-rated soap, a position it held until 2020. In 2010, it marked its 1,000th consecutive week in the top 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, 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; 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. ==Media mentions==

• The show was mentioned in the lyrics of Carlene Carter's "Every Little Thing" song in 1993. ==See also==