On 8/17/2025 at 7:40 PM, Broderick said:

I'd be inclined to say Y&R's best years were 1975 - 1979.  It was a unique and pretty show, and it always held my interest.  1980-1982 were pretty dreary.  Once the Abbotts were all assembled in 1982, it started a second upswing that really accelerated in 1984 and probably peaked in 1988.  

(Right now, from what LITTLE I've seen of it this year, it's plumb dreadful.)  

I like this! I have a major soft spot for that era, too, mainly because of Queen Lorie and Jill. And I also agree about the show once the Abbotts(My family) are assembled.

 

The Young and the Restless in the late ’80s/early ’90s was peak soap. The storylines were rich, the pacing was tighter, and the acting across the board (from the Newmans to the Abbotts) was magnetic. It really pulled viewers in and kept them invested for years. By the late ’90s/early 2000s the tone shifted a bit, but that earlier era was golden and set the foundation for why so many stayed hooked. 

21 minutes ago, asafi said:

The Young and the Restless in the late ’80s/early ’90s was peak soap. The storylines were rich, the pacing was tighter, and the acting across the board (from the Newmans to the Abbotts) was magnetic. It really pulled viewers in and kept them invested for years. By the late ’90s/early 2000s the tone shifted a bit, but that earlier era was golden and set the foundation for why so many stayed hooked. 

Y&R peak eras to me were 1984 through first half of 1986, 1990 through first half of 1994, second half of 1997 through 1998.

Second half of 1986 through 1989 Cricket ate the show.

Second half of 1994 through first half of 1997 Y&R got off-track due to Nick/Sharon eating the show and a storyline lull.

1998 Bill Bell stepped down and we know the rest.

I had no idea Terry Lester was on Dallas! Fun cameo as Rudy Millington - poor guy didn’t stand a chance against J.R.

5 minutes ago, asafi said:

I had no idea Terry Lester was on Dallas! Fun cameo as Rudy Millington - poor guy didn’t stand a chance against J.R.

6 months before his YR debut!

Does anyone know the air date of a scene when Traci & Danny returned and Lauren was naked in Danny's bed. Traci poured a bucket of champagne and ice on Lauren. Would The Vault have this clip?

9 minutes ago, Vee said:

Was Andrea not popular here? I thought she was a success and frankly thought that was part of why OLTL went after her to revamp Tina back then. Or was it the story that was famous vs. her Patty?

From what I know, Andrea Evans was not well-received as Patty. It was her 1985-1990 One Life to Live run that made her a soap superstar.

18 minutes ago, kalbir said:

From what I know, Andrea Evans was not well-received as Patty. It was her 1985-1990 One Life to Live run that made her a soap superstar.

Good to know. I always figured the Y&R stint put her in more demand, though I know Tina Lord made a star.

Andre's Patty was kind of like the Keith Robertson's Ted on BTG.

She came in right in the middle of a major story and just didn't present in the same way as Lillibet. To me, she just came across as kind of dull. The fragility and vulnerability of Lillibet's Patty wasn't there in Andrea's portrayal.

Andrea Evans was a bizarre recast for Patty. Kari Michaelsen from Gimme A Break would have been more believable as a replacement for Lilibet Stern than Evans or Stacy Haiduk. 

I thought Andrea Evans was a good casting choice for the show but Patty was the wrong role for her. I could've seen her having more success had they put her in a more youthful story with Traci, Lauren, Danny, etc. 

Part of the reason Andrea Evans wasn't accepted was the timing of her debut in the role of Patty, which was shortly before the huge confrontation scene with Jack where he ended up getting shot.  

Viewers spent over a year watching the character of Patty, as played by Lilabet, gradually change from a sweet and spirited young woman into a desperate woman trapped in a marriage that she had no idea would turn out the way that it did.  The way she play Patty during that period was a look of desperation and franticness that wasn't over the top nor unrealistic.

While Andrea did well in the scenes between her and Jack, had it been Lilibet... the scenes would have been even more top tier and memorable.   I also think that the momentum of the story was hindered because of a new Patty and we didn't care as much about the story.

Once the Jack story was over in the spring of 1984, her Patty was moved into the Danny/Traci/Lauren orbit... and she was more interesting... but the damage had already been done.

Edited September 4Sep 4 by Soaplovers

Marguerite Ray appears in this short film from 1971 about interviewing for a job. She appears at the 7:46 mark. I also recognize actress Sherri Alberoni as the friend at the beach at the beginning. The actress playing the lead Ruth looks familiar as does the actor who gives her the job.

 

On 8/18/2025 at 12:41 AM, Taoboi said:

Awwww really on those tanking years?

 

Though I do agree that John Abott's death was definitely a turning point. 

I always viewed 1998 to 2001 as Kay Alden trying to replicate Bill Bell's style with his umbrella stories, but with a somewhat quicker pace.   I have a feeling that she was now getting much more interference from the network during this time as well so she wasn't allowed to really develop her style of head writing.

The main element I noticed that Alden did that still plays out to this day was making Victor the main attraction where all roads ended with him.   One of the reasons was that she was the one to write his character, his dialogue, etc.. so she understood Victor the most and really centered the show around his character.

With that said, the 1998 to 2001 had some interesting successes for Alden with the glow up of Nina's character after her rock bottom in early 1998 with her moving on from Ryan, dating, writing a book, and enjoying her own company before she left for LA to adapt her book into a screen play.

And lastly.. the Tricia Denniston arc from mid 1998 to November/December 2001 was quite a masterful arc with every beat shown and played.  Alden took a character that Bill Bell created without a true purpose... and really made her a memorable late 90s character.   That whole arc showed that Alden was listening to Bill Bell when she was learning the ropes on the show on how to write a character/story arc.

Edited August 31Aug 31 by Soaplovers

Haven’t seen any new 90s episodes added to the Y&R Vault in a while. Any chance Sony might start dropping more classics, like they’ve done with B&B?