Y&R to air classic episodes

[Soapsuds]

This is from 81 but not sure what month

 

https://www.tvguide.com/videos/play/young-and-the-restless-1981/

[lucaslesann23]

1981, They were already at an Hour for a year already right?

[YRfan23]

Sadly I'm probably wrong about the Vanessa suicide being the same week, but either way I hope we do get other characters and stories!   yes the show was already an hour this point.

if they can show this, they can easily show the episode with Victor and the Dungeon if they do an all victor week (which they are probably planning on doing anyways,)

[soapfan770]

Reading those recaps reminds me of who strange the whole Barbara Ann Harding story was. Didn’t Paul end up sleeping with her? 
 

Hopefully we’ll get to see the very best of Vanessa Prentiss in this episode.

 

 

[BoldRestless]

 

LOL... "mother"

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[will81]

Pretty sure Vanessa jumped in November 81. Either way this is exciting. Even with edits, it will be amazing to see

This is from the month before, September 1981

Yeah I just looked and pretty sure it is the week of Nov 2 - 6 1981. 

 

This is the week prior to Vanessa killing herself

[GLATWT88]

I actually find the older episodes exciting to watch, especially since I really only got into soaps in the early-mid 2000s, but watched a bit of DAYS and GH in the 90s when my sister would watch. I know some people argue that the older episodes will not attract new viewers, which is probably true especially since they're not running week long edited storylines, but instead theme weeks around characters so there's not much connection, continuity or conclusion for new viewers to really get into. But I don't think soaps in their current state would attract much new viewers. I think the hope (if even possible) is to lure back some of the viewers they've lost recently. I by no means am a YR fan, although the CBS soaps (B&B, GL and ATWT) have been my favorites to watch and I watched them pretty regularly between 2003-06 and on and off since then. I actually found myself enjoying these one off Y&R episodes. They really show how great soap operas really were...the masquerade even as a one off was exciting for me to watch even though I knew nothing of what had occurred leading up to those events, but I guess knowing the characters helps.

 

I think instead of theme weeks surrounding characters, Y&R should consider theme weeks around popular storylines. They can air 5 of the more exciting episodes of a particular storyline over the course of the week with actors providing commentary at the beginning and even halfway point to fill in viewers. I know this is probably time consuming and not worth the effort from CBS, but it would be exciting for me. These old episodes finally made me understand why YR has been #1 all these years. Honestly, when I started watching soaps I always wondered why YR was ranked so high, aside from its production value in comparison to some of the soaps, I didn't find it that interesting a lot of the time. Now I get it and I definitely see that it was holding onto viewers from its past. 

[Soapsuds]

And the opening...the closest I could get...

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[lucaslesann23]

When did YR stop airing live?

[soapfan770]

It never did actually. By the time Y&R premiered I think ATWT and EON were the only live soaps on the air.

[lucaslesann23]

ohhh, Thanks, I thought they did the live airings in the 70s.

[Soapsuds]

The 1996 episode that aired on Friday was pulling a 7.7 rating and 28 share. As some have said it wasn't as good as previous but the show was still pulling big numbers. 

[Khan]

How sad is it that a re-airing of an episode from the first Reagan administration has us more excited about Y&R than anything going on in the present day?

[DramatistDreamer]

Little Orphan Nikki is wearing that jumpsuit, lol!  And Norman Bates, er, her fiance is beyond creepy but that scene was riveting, which is more than I can say for the current iteration of Y&R.

[will81]

They did live to tape back then. So pretty much taped the show as if it were live, but they could still stop for any big mistakes