The Young and the Restless celebrated 30 years as being the top-rated soap earlier this year. And, now, the serial has something else over which to be joyful!
YR launched on March 26, 1973 so that means the show is enjoying its 46th anniversary today! Congratulations to everyone at the show!
Here are five fun facts about the show that you may not know!
1. The (Not So) Innocent Years: Originally, YR creator William J. Bell wanted to name his show ‘The Innocent Years,’ but he realized that after the turbulent 1960s the age of innocence was gone. The show was called ‘Young and Restless Years’ before getting the moniker it has today!
2. Famous Alumni: Soaps have helped launch the careers of many famous actors and Y&R is no exception to that.
Some of the big names who’ve come out of Genoa City include David Hasselhoff (ex-Snapper), Tom Selleck (ex-Jed), Eva Longoria (ex-Isabella), and Shemar Moore (ex-Malcolm).
3. Abbott, Who? The Abbotts and the Newmans are the prime families on the show today, but when YR debuted in 1973, the two major clans were the wealthy Brooks family and the working class Fosters.
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After the show went to an hour and upon Jaime Lyn Bauer (ex-Lorie) leaving the show, the stories shifted to the Abbotts and Newmans.
4. A Bold Move: Bill and Lee Bell also created CBS soap The Bold and the Beautiful. It wasn’t a spinoff, but after the show was on its own for five years (reaching No. 3 in the ratings), the Bells decided to bring over the character of Sheila from Genoa City to Los Angeles, BB’s locale.
Over the years, Ashley (Eileen Davidson), Lauren (Tracey Bregman) Katherine (the late Jeanne Cooper), and others have visited B&B.
5. And The Emmy (Doesn’t) Go To: Bill Bell won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series in 1986. Alas, there’d been a error made by the accounting firm. (It was actually Guiding Light that won.)
Six years later in 1992, Bill Bell won not only the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmys but also the award for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series!
Soap Hub joins Y&R’s fans in wishing the show a happy anniversary!
The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS. Check local listings for air times.
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