The Young and the Restless: Story Line Makes it Best Soap on TV

I have been a big fan of The Young & Restless soap opera since almost the beginning. Y&R made its debut in 1973, when I was just 18. I remember trying to catch the show during my lunch break where I worked. The one good thing about soaps is that if you miss an episode, you can watch a few days later and catch up on everything.

Y&R is centered around 2 rival families, the Newman's and the Abbott's, in the town of Genoa City, Wisconsin. Victor Newman, played by Eric Braeden, is a ruthless business man who is used to getting his way and will stop at nothing to make sure he does. Victor is head of Newman Enterprises and nothing to him, not even family, is more important than his company. His business competitor and rival is the Abbott family. The Abbott family used to own Jabot Cosmetics but lost it due to some bad business deals. Jack Abbott, played by Peter Bergman, son of Jabot Cosmetics founder John Abbott, is Victor's worst enemy. There is nothing Victor wouldn't do to ruin Jack and vise versa. Victor is married to Nikki Reed, played by Melody Thomas Scott, and they have been married and divorced twice. Victor met Nikki when she worked at a strip club when she was very young. Victor took her under his wing and transformed her into a classy lady. In between their marriages, Victor and Nikki were both married to other people. Nikki was once married to Victor's enemy, Jack Abbott and Victor was once married to Jack's sister, Ashley. But through it all Victor and Nikki always come back to each other.

Another main story line on the show has been about the love-hate relationship between Katherine Chancellor and Jill Foster Abbott. Katherine Chancellor, played by Jeanne Cooper, is a recovering alcoholic and owner of Chancellor Industries. Katherine and Jill, played by Jess Walton, have a long history of hating each other. Their story goes back to years ago when then a young Jill Foster worked for Katherine in her home. Jill fell in love with Katherine's husband, Phillip, and while Katherine was staying drunk, they had an affair and Jill became pregnant. Katherine tried to kill herself and Phillip in a car accident, but only Phillip died. This started the long feud between Katherine and Jill. But recently Jill, in search of her biological mother, found out that Katherine was her biological mother and their relationship changed. Katherine had given the infant Jill to someone else to raise after she was born because Jill's father was not Katherine's husband. Jill's son, Phillip, died several years ago but in the past few months Jill found out that the son she raised was not her biological son because Katherine swapped babies shortly after Phillip was born. Her real son was alive and is now reunited with Jill. Jill and Katherine still continue a rocky relationship, but stand by each other during trying times.

It is these and other story lines that just keep the Young & Restless interesting to watch. Characters may come and go, but the drama is still there. Some well-known actors have had roles on Y&R. From 1975 through 1982, David Hasselhoff played William "Snapper" Foster, Jill Foster's brother. Y&R is also known for bringing people back who have "disappeared" for extended periods of time. In the last few months, Drucilla Winters, played by Victoria Rowell who has been on and off the show since 1990, fell off a cliff and is presumed dead. It will be interesting to see if and how they bring her back this time. You never know who is next in line to "disappear". The show also does stories that are true to life. Several years ago, Katherine Chancellor was having a face lift and Jeanne Cooper, who plays Katherine, was having a face lift in real life. Jeanne allowed the cameras to film her actual surgery and that is what they used on the actual show. I have watched story lines about a young girl being killed by a drunk driver and the aftermath of the family dealing with the loss of a child. I think stories like these is what keeps people interested in TheYoung & Restless.

The Young & Restless has been in the top daytime drama slot for years and since 1988 has held the #1 ranking. The show and some of its actors have won many awards through the years. I only hope that this soap opera does not go off the air anytime soon. It would be a very hard act to follow. I couldn't imagine not getting my fix of the Newman's and Abbott's on a daily basis.