The Young and the Restless Celebrates 50 Years

The celebration continues for The Young and the Restless, the venerable CBS daytime drama that premiered fifty years ago on March 26, 1973, and for the past thirty-five years has been the top-rated soap opera among U.S. daytime television viewers. Its soap sibling, The Bold and the Beautiful, from the same creators, premiered in March 1987. Y&R, as it's popularly called, observed its fifty-year milestone with a multi-day scripted gala storyline, the return of fan-favorite cast members, a primetime special and a real-life party. Former cast members continue to return as guest stars, while The Young and the Restless 50th Anniversary Celebration is available for viewing on Paramount+.

Created by late husband and wife William J. Bell — who went by Bill, and was also head writer through early July 1998 — and Lee Phillip Bell, and set in the fictional Midwestern town of Genoa City, the series originally focused on two families, the middle-class Brookses and working-class Fosters. For many years now, two rival companies and their denizens have taken the spotlight: Newman Enterprises, a multiconglomerate headed by ruthless Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) and Jabot Cosmetics, whose co-CEO is Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman). The men also sparred over the same woman, but the undeniable chemistry between Braeden and Melody Thomas Scott, who started on the show playing stripper Nikki Reed, propelled the duo to supercouple status. Nikki and Victor are currently on their fourth marriage (Jack did marry her once).

Emmys.com contributor Libby Slate spoke with some of Y&R's longtime cast and production team members about the show — which has won eleven Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series and is nominated again this year — life on the set and the series' enduring popularity.

LAURALEE BELL

Lauralee Bell, who plays district attorney Christine Blair Williams, is the youngest of Bill and Lee Bell's three children and has costarred or recurred on Y&R from 1983 to the present. She won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class-Short Format Daytime Program as executive producer of a non-Y&R project, mI promise.

LS: You don't know much of a world without The Young and the Restless, do you? Even before you started on it, it was the family business.

LB: The Young and the Restless was always a part of our lives, but we were oddly removed, because we grew up in Chicago. It was very rare that I would ever come to the set before I started, and that's why I still feel like I'm a fan to this day.

LS: How do you think your parents being from the Midwest, and the show being set in the Midwest, affected the storylines?

LB: The show is based on relationships and other families, and I remember my dad saying, "If you have two different families from two different walks of life and they somehow intertwine together, you'll have endless stories." They're experiencing different lives. So because he laid that foundation — I'm not saying it's not everywhere, but good Midwestern people are all-in about family.

LS: Your family didn't pamper you, though. Your mom, who was a sixteen-time regional Emmy-winning talk show host in Chicago, would share her research with your dad on important social issues, to include in storylines. He made you the victim of a date rape.

LB: At that time, nobody had talked about date rape. Tackling this was groundbreaking. I felt a lot of pressure to make sure it was accurate. My mom helped my dad be more comfortable writing about social issues; [her belief was], if she could help even one person, it was worth it. It was probably hard for my dad to write for me. But I was the young good girl who this would have the most impact on, and if he was going to tell a story, he wanted it to be as true to reality as possible. We started to understand that if the audience trusts these characters, you have to use them to teach, and do more than just go in and out of bed, or for summer [youth-oriented] message storylines [such as the date rape], have kids frolicking around the pool.

LS: What stands out about the show for you, over these fifty years?

LB: That not only have we built such solid characters and families, but that a lot of the actors are still playing these parts. If you're a fan, these characters really are like a part of your family.

MELODY THOMAS SCOTT

Melody Thomas Scott, who plays businesswoman-philanthropist Nikki Newman, joined the show in 1979.

LS: How has the show evolved over your years on it?

MTS: Y&R has always interwoven the social issues of the day with dishing out the drama of Genoa City. That was very important to Bill and Lee. And I like to think that we have continued that tradition. Any long-running show knows that you have to change and tweak with the times. Bill's formula for success was always, "Fascinating characters, telling emotional, riveting stories, played by compelling, beautiful actors." Production values have had to change over the years due to time and money constraints. It's a much faster pace these days, but you'll still see a camera slowly panning past fresh flowers in the foreground!

LS: Could you comment on the enduring relationship of Nikki and Victor, and your enduring relationship with Eric? Why are viewers still so entranced by, and invested in, this onscreen couple?

MTS: I am so fortunate to have Eric Braeden in Nikki's life and, more importantly, my life. He is sheer magic. To have an acting partner such as Eric for all these decades ... it's extraordinary. I also have to mention that most elusive word: chemistry. Believe me, we feel the sparks flying around us just as the audience does. In the early days, I think the viewers were intrigued with us because we were the opposites that attracted. But what developed, and is still as strong as ever, is absolute trust in each other. If Eric goes off-book, he knows that I will follow suit. It doesn't matter what is happening in the scene. We could be having a huge fight, or sometimes, in a scene with no dialogue at all. It's very hard to explain, but the closest I can come to it is this: When Eric and I are in a scene together, our souls dance with each other. We are both so grateful.

PETER BERGMAN

Peter Bergman, who plays Jabot Cosmetics co-CEO Jack Abbott, began on Y&R in 1989. He has won three Daytime Emmys as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

LS: How has the show evolved over your years in the cast?

PB: We've gotten a little more sophisticated; the audience is more sophisticated. We used to be able to tell some rather Gothic romances. It's harder to do that now, because the audience wants realism. Yes, they want to dream, and live through the lives of these characters. But they need it to be plausible.

LS: Soap opera casts often say their colleagues are a family. Is that the case here?

PB: I've spent almost thirty-four years here. My daughter was four weeks old when I started the show. So these people I work with have watched me grow up with my family. They knew about my losses, about my victories, my kids' successes. At the same time, I knew that they'd just gotten divorced or just gotten married or had a child. If you want to really see what a family Y&R is, go to the set right after one of our actors dies. The shared anguish is so powerful, because we all felt it, together. It was like we all lost a family member. Kristoff St. John [Jabot executive Neil Winters] is gone. Jeannie Cooper [grand dame Katherine Chancellor] is gone. Oh, my God.

LS: Why do you think the show has lasted so many years?

PB: It is just amazing to me that we've kept the people's attention for all this time. It's stunning. There's a continuity there, characters who people literally grew up with, who are still a regular part of the show. They had shared life experiences, and we did it in their living rooms.

BRYTON JAMES

Bryton James was eighteen years old when he joined the show in 2004 as Devon Hamilton, who grew up in foster care and was eventually adopted by Drucilla (Victoria Rowell) and Neil Winters. He has won two Daytime Emmy Awards, as Outstanding Younger Actor and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama Series.

LS: What was it like being given such a hard-hitting storyline right away?

BJ: It was very special. The only thing I knew about daytime soaps was they had very adult, very romantic, involved storylines. So to be thrown straight into a story that was as important as dealing with foster care, I was very humbled and honored.

LS: You later had another strong storyline, where you went deaf because of meningitis and then regained your hearing with cochlear implants.

BJ: That storyline was the most difficult. One of the most gratifying things that's ever happened to me being on the show is, I had a fan come up to me when I was out eating and leave a note on my table — just dropped it off and walked away. It said that they were deaf and had grown up that way, and that they were watching and a fan of the show, and that I was doing a good job. That just meant the world to me.

LS: Why do you think Y&R has lasted fifty years? Quite a cause for celebration!

BJ: I think the overall celebration is a testament to the storytelling we've been doing for the last fifty years. It shows that our show really has an ear to the fans. It starts with the stories, the characters and relationships that Mr. Bell created. The writing has continued to tell those stories — relatable, meaningful stories that the fans have championed and supported for this long. So that, combined with our production value — I think in every department, we're top tier. And then, the fans. [Their dedication] is why we are celebrating this milestone, and why I think we will continue to celebrate milestones. I know I can speak for all the cast. We really couldn't be more grateful to them to have the jobs that we do.

KATE LINDER

In 1982, Kate Linder was hired for one day's work on Y&R, playing a then-unnamed maid at Katherine Chancellor's dinner party. In 2023, she's still going strong, having just celebrated forty-one years on the show as Esther Valentine. For the Television Academy, she is currently a governor of the Performers peer group and previously was a governor of the Daytime Programming peer group. She has served on numerous committees, among them Diversity, Governors Ball and Membership, and was chair of the Daytime Emmy Awards committee.

LS: You are the embodiment of the saying, "There are no small parts." How did you manage to take a one-day role and stick around for forty-one years and counting?

KL: You can't look at the end result. I take what is happening that day and do it to the best of my ability. The casting director, Tom Palmer, said he had a role for me that was so small, if you blinked, you'd miss me. Later, he told me he talked about me at seminars, because, he said, "Most people would not have done what you did and taken the role. They would have said, 'Oh, I'm not doing that.'"

I've treated my whole career that way. I will take a smaller thing if it's something that has meaning, or something that's good, because I like to do different things and keep working and striving and growing.

As I was leaving that day, Ed Scott, the producer at the time, followed me out and said, "Are you available tomorrow?" So that wasn't planned. That second day I did things I knew how to do, such as pouring wine; I knew how to twist it, from flying. [Linder also worked as a flight attendant part time.]

LS: And as you kept returning, you added humor, at a time when comedy in soaps was nonexistent.

KL: In the beginning, I hardly had any lines. And I knew I had to do something; I couldn't just keep opening the door and saying, "Mr. So-and-so is here." I knew if I did something and they didn't like it, I'd be gone. But I just had to. I would ask [the props department] for different items, such as a spoon with melted chocolate on it. The doorbell rings, and I'm going to the door, trying not to get chocolate on myself. I actually remember Bill saying to me one day, "I know what you're doing, and it's okay, but don't go too far."

LS: So you take advantage of even the smallest opportunity, bring your own creativity to a role and take risks. Anything else to help forge a long entertainment career?

KL: Esther has both taught me and reinforced what I already felt, that no matter what, you never give up. I think we've learned that from each other. Also, every day is a different day. It's a new day. Treat it as a new beginning.

DIRECTOR SALLY McDONALD

Sally McDonald began working on Y&R in 1989 as a production supervisor for CBS, then was hired as a Y&R associate director around 1994 before becoming a director in 1996. She has directed more than 1,500 episodes of the show and has won eight Daytime Emmy Awards as part of the Y&R directing team.

LS: How do you keep things fresh, after so many episodes of the same show?

SM: Every episode educates you in some way. After twenty-seven years of directing, I should be Yoda. But I really do learn something with each show. What I would do again, and most importantly, what I would not: certain shots, certain movements, certain acting notes.

We learned to respect and value the art of daytime drama, courtesy of Mr. Bell. We haven't always agreed on everything — that would be impossible — but we do always achieve the best scenes. A good script/character debate makes my day. It engages you and reminds you of the common cause.

LS: How has the show evolved, technically, over the years?

SM: The cameras have evolved into these beautiful digital, high-definition beasts that provide a wonderful, deep texture for our show. The collective group truly turns in a work of art each episode. Y&R has always had a unique, rich look that no other daytime drama has. Our sound has become quite refined, as well. So many machines and gadgets that clean up extraneous sounds. The human voice is so bountiful through the microphones and processors they now use. Our production day has transformed to be much leaner than before. In the '80s to early 2000s, it would take an average of eleven hours in the studio to complete one episode, producing five shows in five days. Fast forward a couple of decades, and we have figured out how to deliver an episode and a half in just about nine hours. We produce five to six episodes in four days, depending on the week and complexity of the episodes. It's quite remarkable. We have not skimped on our production values; we just move through the day faster! It can be quite grueling for the cast, especially if they are scene heavy on any particular day, but they always get it done.

PRODUCER MATTHEW J. OLSEN

Matthew J. Olsen has worked on Y&R since 1998, beginning as an executive assistant, and from 2006 has risen the production ranks to his current position as a producer. He has shared in three of the show's Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series. For the Television Academy, he has served two terms as a Daytime Programming peer group governor, co-chaired the Daytime Emmy Awards committee and served on the Activities, Budget Review and Membership committees.

LS: You've experienced the show from both the office side and, later and longer, the production side.

MJO: I was Bill's assistant when I first started. I was fortunate enough to work directly for him. He worked in the big corner office here with one of his long-term writing partners, Jerry Birn. They'd worked together in the Chicago ad days. They were constantly pitching each other ideas throughout the day, straight across my forehead. It was a fascinating experience to listen to and watch these guys operate, and [witness] how excited they would get about ideas.

And here's the quintessential Bill Bell. The [on-air] episode would be interrupted by something, as a high-speed chase does nowadays. And Bill Bell would call up KCBS and ask for the head of the news department: "Get my show back on the air!" Only Bill Bell would be able to do that. It definitely worked a few times. He was proud of what he was putting on the air, and he wanted his audience to see it!

LS: What did you learn from Bill on set that you're still using now?

MJO: Knowing where the story is going, making sure it's told in the studio, that the actors have the subtext with them and that we're getting what we need, as we photograph the show. And that we might just get a little something fun for the fans.

LS: I know those of you on the show share a familial bond. How do you characterize your relationship with the fans?

MJO: Well, you know that old adage, the page to the stage. We take the script, and we make this television show, but I feel like the fans are holding up our stage. And without them, of course, we wouldn't be here. I'm forever grateful for that. The actors and producers interact with fans over the years at fan events and other things. And just to see the excitement is so satisfying. It makes you feel good about what you're doing.