The Young and the Restless

Okay, I know, it's just a silly soap opera, but my family and I have watched this show forever, so I'm kind of attached to it. I remember almost every story line since 1986 (I was 8 years old). This show is like any other soap opera - once you get into it, you like it and are interested in what's going on, but if you just flip past while channel surfing, it's going to look pretty lame.

The Young and the Restless first aired in 1973. William J. Bell is the show's executive producer, and I believe he was head writer until a couple years ago, when he retired from that position, to be replaced by Kay Alden. The show airs on CBS and Global.

For the most part the show is about two very large and powerful family-owned companies in Genoa City, USA. Jabot Cosmetics (owned by the Abbotts), and Newman Enterprises (owned by the Newmans). Almost every character in the show either works for one of these companies or is dating or married to someone who does. The only exceptions are a couple of lawyers, a private investigator, nannies, butlers, and the local restaurant owner, Gina.

The majority of conflicts in this show are family related. There is always tension between the Abbotts and Newmans, and that often gives rise to many juicy story-lines. There are also many stories about marriages failing and custody battles. This is the one thing that really separates Y&R from many other soaps. Other soaps, like, Days of our Lives, have "bad guys" who mess up people's live for no apparent reason other than the fact that they are "bad." The characters in Y&R for the most part are good, and only get evil and crazy under dire circumstances. In more than a couple instances when there has been "bad guys," they've brought them back and reformed them into nice, well adjusted members of society.

The Young and the Restless has been nominated for 244 Daytime Emmy Awards, and has won a total of 78.

Famous people to have held roles on the show include David Hasslehoff, Tom Selleck, and Vivica A. Fox.

Here's what most of the cast looks like right now:

The Abbott Family
• Peter Bergman as Jack Abbott, 1989 - Present
• Eileen Davidson as Ashley Abbott, 1982-1988, 1998 - Present
• Jerry Douglas as John Abbott, 1982 - Present
• Jess Walton as Jill Foster Abbott, 1987 - Present
• David Tom as Billy Abbott, 1999 - Present

The Newman Family
• Eric Braeden as Victor Newman, 1980 - Present
• Sharon Case as Sharon Newman, 1994 - Present
• Camryn Grimes as Cassie Newman, 1997 - Present
• Joshua Morrow as Nicolas Newman, 1994 - Present (member of boy-band 3-Deep)
• Melody Thomas Scott as Nicki Newman, 1979 - Present
• Heather Tom as Victoria Newman, 1991 - Present (real-life sister of David Tom, above)

Others
• Jeanne Cooper as Katherine Chancellor, 1973 - Present (the only remaining original cast member)
• John Castellanos as John Silva, 1989 - Present
• Doug Davidson as Paul Williams, 1979 - Present
• Lauralee Bell as Christine Williams, 1983 - Present (daughter of Producer William J. Bell)
• Tricia Cast as Nina Webster
• Don Diamont as Brad Carlton, 1985 - 1996, 1998 - Present
• Christian LeBlanc as Michael Baldwin, 1991 - 1993, 1997 - Present
• Scott Reeves as Ryan McNeil, 1991 - Present
• Ashley Bashioum as Mackenzie Browning, 1999 - Present
• Kristoff St. John as Neil Winters, 1991 - Present
• Shemar Moore as Malcolm Winters, 1994 - Present
• Toyna Lee Williams as Olivia Winters, 1990 - Present (former host of The Polka Dot Door)

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There are of course many other actors and there is much more information available on the web. Please see www.imdb.com, www.cbs.com, or www.youngandtherestless.com to learn more.