The Young and the Restless has achieved many significant accomplishments over the decades. Today, the longtime CBS daytime ratings success story is marking another one.
The Young and the Restless Milestone
YR is turning 47 today, having debuted on March 26, 1973. The series, created by the late William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, was groundbreaking in its tone and presentation. It took the genre to new heights and has given daytime fans some of soaps' most memorable characters.
Here's a look at five fun facts you may not know about the show.
Mad Man
Bill Bell worked in Chicago advertising prior to meeting Irna Phillips, the creator of radio dramas including The Guiding Light, which segued into television. Bill wrote with Phillips for many years on As the World Turns before leaving Oakdale and moving to Salem and another of Phillips' co-creations, where he became Days of our Lives' head writer.
A Soap By Any Other Name
The original title of the show was The Innocent Years. Bill Bell changed it to The Young and the Restless after realizing that following the turbulent 1960s, the world was no longer innocent.
Social Issues
YR has always combined social issues with storytelling and entertainment. Lee Phillip Bell hosted a talk show in Chicago in which topical issues were discussed. The subject matter on her show helped provide Bill Bell with story ideas. YR has tackled breast cancer, alcoholism, HIV/AIDS, homelessness, Alzheimer's disease, and many other subjects.
Famous Alumni
Many actors from The Young and the Restless have gone on to find success in genres outside of daytime.
Those stars include David Hasselhoff (ex-Snapper) of Baywatch fame; actress/producer/director Eva Longoria (ex-Isabella), who starred on Desperate Housewives, Telenovela, and Grand Hotel; and Shemar Moore (ex-Malcolm) of Criminal Minds and S.W.A.T.
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