On Thursday, The Young and the Restless celebrated a significant milestone despite being shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The CBS Daytime drama aired for the first time 47 years ago, and the show celebrated the moment with fans on social media. In a tweet, it thanked viewers for their loyalty and support for the soap opera throughout the nearly five decades since its debut. Several of the show’s actors also took to their accounts to share congratulations and happy memories from their time helping bring the fictional Genoa City and its residents to life.
Kyle Abbott actor, Michael Mealor, tweeted about the show’s anniversary.
“Absolutely incredible! Proud to be a blip in this monumental milestone! Congratulations to @YandR_CBS and to all of the fans! We love you!” he wrote.
Actress Eileen Davidson, who portrays Ashley Abbott, shared a beautiful throwback picture of herself with the soap’s creator Bill Bell. She credited him along with his wife Lee Phillip Bell , who recently passed away at the age of 91, with changing her life. In the black-and-white photo, a young Davidson held hands with the legendary creator.
Meanwhile, Paul Williams portrayer, Doug Davidson, retweeted a fan’s video of an edited Y&R opening featuring several of the soap’s veteran actors.
Viewers loved helping mark such an important day. Many shared some of their favorite things about watching, and most also included how long they’ve watched the show.
“I have watched from the beginning and will continue to watch from my dying day,” pledged one fan.
“Fav soap opera- loved when I got to stay home from school on sick days and watch with my grandma. She wrote a letter to the show once because she was so upset about a storyline with Victor and Nikki,” another recalled.
“Happy 47th Anniversary…I have watched this show from the beginning due to my mom. She loved this show…Keep it up…Take Care,” remembered a third longtime viewer.
When the show first aired, it was only half an hour long, airing every weekday. However, the format switched to one hour long episodes in early 1980. Today’s leading families are the Newmans, Abbotts, and Chancellors. However, they weren’t always the upper crust of Genoa City. Originally the Brooks family was well-to-do, and the Foster family was working class. Jill (Jess Walton) is part of the Fosters, and all the other original characters are no longer included in the soap’s storylines.
Y&R recently got renewed for four years, through 2024, which will take the soap to its 51st birthday.
