The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City. First broadcast on March 26, 1973, The Young and the Restless was originally broadcast as half-hour episodes, five times a week. The show expanded to one-hour episodes on February 4, 1980. On March 17, 2006, the series began airing previous episodes weeknights on Soapnet until the closure on December 31, 2013, when it moved to TVGN. From July 1, 2013 until 2019, Pop aired previous episodes on weeknights. The series is also syndicated internationally.
The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera The Young and the Restless; several characters from each of the two shows have crossed over to the other since the early 1990s. Set in Los Angeles, California, the show centers upon the Forrester family and their haute couture business.
Sharon Case is an American actress and former model. At the age of 17, Case began working as a model, relocating briefly to Japan, before pursuing an acting career. She is best known for her roles on daytime television soap operas, scoring parts in the serials General Hospital and As the World Turns during the early stages of her career. In 1994, she stepped into the role of Sharon Newman on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, which she still plays. Case, who is considered a leading actress in the series, won the 1999 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance.
Eric Braeden is a German-American film and television actor, known for his roles as Victor Newman on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, as Hans Dietrich in the 1960s TV series The Rat Patrol, Dr. Charles Forbin in Colossus: The Forbin Project, as Dr. Otto Hasslein in Escape from the Planet of the Apes, and as John Jacob Astor IV in the 1997 film Titanic. He won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1998 for Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the role of Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless.
William Joseph Bell was an American screenwriter and television producer, best known as the creator of the soap operas Another World, The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful.
Wilma Jeanne Cooper was an American actress, best known for her role as Katherine Chancellor on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless (1973–2013). At the time of her death, she had played Katherine for over 40 years, and her name appears on the list of longest-serving soap opera actors in the United States.
Katherine Chancellor is a fictional character from the CBS Daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by Jeanne Cooper. Created and introduced by show creator William J. Bell in January 1974, Cooper's Katherine was introduced in an effort to increase the show's struggling ratings. When Bell's plan proved successful, Cooper was signed to a contract. Cooper went on to become one of the longest-running cast members in the show's history, ending her nearly 40-year run on May 3, 2013, five days before her death.
Victor Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. He has been portrayed by Eric Braeden since 1980. Initially a guest character who was to last for eight to twelve weeks, Victor has evolved into the soap opera's leading male figure. Created by William J. Bell as a "despicable, contemptible, unfaithful wife abuser", the character was planned to be killed off and never heard of again. However, after Bell saw Braeden's performance, he decided to sign the actor onto a contract. Braeden was hesitant to work on a soap opera, but eventually signed a contract, and has remained on the series as a regular cast member for over 40 years. The character is widely described as a ruthless villain, while loving to those he holds dear. Over the years, he has also been the center of several controversial plots and relationships.
Paul Williams is a fictional character on the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Paul was introduced to the show on May 23, 1978, and has been portrayed by Doug Davidson until 2020. Initially, Paul was a "bad boy", who had a romance with Nikki Reed, giving her an STD. The relationship ended, but the two have remained friends since. After a year on the series, Bell gave the character a proper backstory, surname and family. This included his notoriously unstable sister Patty Williams. After a failed marriage to April Stevens —who gave birth to his daughter Heather Stevens —focus turned towards Paul's career as a private investigator, as well as his relationship and eventual marriage to and later divorce from Lauren Fenmore. Paul's string of unsuccessful romances with women—including his ill-fated bride Cindy Lake, and Cassandra Rawlins, the wife of one of his clients—continued. Over the years, Paul continued to become heavily involved in various storylines as a private investigator.
Jill Abbott is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. The longest-running and only remaining original character, Jill was created and introduced by William J. Bell. Originally portrayed by Brenda Dickson, when Dickson departed in 1980, the role was first recast with Deborah Adair. Dickson returned in 1983 and, although she stated that she would never leave the role again, she was replaced by Jess Walton in 1987, who continues in the role to present time.
Esther Valentine is a fictional character from the American CBS Daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless. The role has been portrayed by actress Kate Linder since April 8, 1982. For over three decades, Esther has been known as the long-serving maid, housekeeper and confidant for businesswoman Katherine Chancellor.
Drucilla Winters is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Created by William J. Bell as an effort to add more African American characters to the cast, the role was portrayed by Victoria Rowell. Rowell left the role in 2000 to pursue other projects and Alexia Robinson was introduced as Alex Perez, a replacement character, shortly after. Rowell later returned in August 2002.
Kate Linder is an American actress, best known for her role as Esther Valentine on The Young and the Restless, which she has played since 1982. After appearing in the soap opera for more than 40 years, she is one of the longest serving actors on an American soap opera. Linder received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008, and was honored at The Hollywood Museum in 2022.
Mackenzie Browning is a fictional character from the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. The role was most recently portrayed by Kelly Kruger, who portrayed the role from February 19, 2002, to July 1, 2003, and from March 28, 2018, to January 11, 2019. Previously, the role was portrayed by Ashley Bashioum from 1999 to 2002 and 2004 to 2005, Nicole Tarantini temporarily in 2001, Rachel Kimsey from 2005 to 2006 and Clementine Ford from 2009 to 2010.
Cane Ashby is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. He is portrayed by Australian actor Daniel Goddard, who had auditioned for Brad Snyder on As the World Turns but was recommended for a role on The Young and the Restless instead. The role was to be portrayed as an American, but Goddard's Australian descent influenced the character's background. Former head writer Lynn Marie Latham introduced him during the episode airing on January 12, 2007 as an Australian bartender in search of his family. Latham created Cane as the son of Phillip Chancellor II and Jill Abbott but the character's background was rewritten by Maria Arena Bell in 2009, re-establishing him as the son of Colin and Genevieve Atkinson.
Chloe Mitchell is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network. Introduced by former executive producer Edward J. Scott as the daughter of trusty Chancellor family maid, Esther Valentine, the character was born onscreen on July 27, 1990. Portrayed by twins, Darla and Sandra Greer, until 1991, upon her brief return in 1994, child actress, Danielle Ryah, portrayed the role. On February 6, 2008, executive producer/head writer Josh Griffith introduced a new character, Chloe Mitchell, played by former All My Children actress, Elizabeth Hendrickson. That August, a change in storyline revealed Chloe was Kate, having legally changed her name while offscreen, when the character was away in boarding school. Upgraded from recurring to contract status, Hendrickson became an integral part of the cast.
Rex Sterling is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network. He was portrayed by Quinn Redeker from July 1987 to the character's exit in December 1994. He reprised the role in July 2004 for a one-episode guest appearance.
Tucker McCall is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network. Introduced by former head writer Maria Arena Bell, the character debuted during the episode airing on December 2, 2009, portrayed by William Russ. The character was slated to be a new businessman and billionaire, leading to speculation that Tucker would become a replacement character for icon Victor Newman, as Braeden's future with the series was in jeopardy at the time. However, Tucker ended up being a new character who would be revealed as Katherine Chancellor's long lost son. Russ was let go shortly after his debut because producers wanted to take the character in a different direction, resulting in the hiring of Stephen Nichols as his replacement. After nearly a decade hiatus, McCall returned to the show. From 2022 to 2024, McCall was portrayed by former OLTL actor, Trevor St. John.
Genevieve Atkinson is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Created by former head writer Maria Arena Bell as the mother of Cane Ashby, the role was portrayed by Genie Francis, who is widely known for her three-decade long portrayal of Laura Spencer on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. Francis was excited to join The Young and the Restless, expressing disappointment in her former daytime role and saying that her fan base would "follow whatever she does." She made her first appearance during the episode airing on May 27, 2011.
Sam Gibson is a fictional character from the American soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by Sean Patrick Flanery. He made his first appearance on April 18, 2011. Introduced by head writer Maria Arena Bell, Sam was created as a love interest for Sharon Newman while she was a fugitive. A rural veterinarian, Sam takes Sharon, posing under the alias Sheri Coleman, into his barn. They eventually fall in love; but she is located and arrested. Although they remained friends, the relationship ended when she returned to Genoa City. Flanery was let go after a few months, last airing on November 4, 2011.
