9 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

Yes, that classic Y&R style that verged on camp but had an emotional core that kept you hooked...

I always equate it to the Ross Hunter/Douglas Sirk movies of the 50's.

ICAM! Just as I always equate Henry Slesar's writing on EON with classic film noir. Slesar and Bill Bell were the most stylistic HW's ever to work in soaps.

Edited Friday at 05:53 PM2 days by Khan

So today we had Sienna kidnapped by Mitch and kept in a motel room. Meanwhile Mariah was ruminating in a motel room.

They were the same set redressed. And it's the same set that has been used numerous times in the past few years.

A new low for Y&R budget mode.

3 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

So today we had Sienna kidnapped by Mitch and kept in a motel room. Meanwhile Mariah was ruminating in a motel room.

They were the same set redressed. And it's the same set that has been used numerous times in the past few years.

A new low for Y&R budget mode.

And, is there any point to the story that's happening to Mariah?

Tessa and Daniel was....nope. Didn't want to see that. Both actors deserve a way better story than that.

5 hours ago, Khan said:

Same here. I used to get annoyed over the show's dialogue, which I thought lacked humor and sass. However, after years of listening to so much shallow dialogue on all the soaps, including the current Y&R, I've come to regret not appreciating more how Bill Bell and Kay Alden crafted words for their actors that might not have sounded hip, but did illuminate the characters' states of mind.

I noticed that about the dialogue as well. All the characters spoke in proper English with sophisticated sentence structure which didn't sound like a natural conversation.

Unlike AMC and OLTL there were little cultural references, topical conversations or humor in the dialogue. I can't find it now but I recall a TV critic's article in which he watched all the soaps and criticized Y&R for being "too serious".

One word I used to use to define that era of Y&R was ‘plastic’. The way scenes were staged, the dialogue, the music it was like observing a sculpture- there wasn’t room for ‘imperfection’, and I loved it.

One thing I never understood is why it lost that lush, warm look (that DAYS used to have too in the late 90s IMHO). Aside from budget reasons, HD is often mentioned. But the 2006 episode still looked lush and warm to me so it’s hard to blame HD entirely?

One positive thing I will point out. Since I know there’s a lot of negative and it can be hard to see any positives. It does feel like JG is branching out to add more than one/two storylines to the show at once again which I do appreciate. Too bad all the storylines are absolute garbage.. but that’s one good thing I will say for now 😆

It’s not that I don’t like the occasional umbrella storyline here and there but they have to atleast make sense. This writer does not do umbrella storylines well. Also, something still needs to be done about the way the cast is being featured. So many characters only getting 5-6 episodes a month when they’re supposed to be in a major storyline is not acceptable!

1 hour ago, Aback said:

One thing I never understood is why it lost that lush, warm look (that DAYS used to have too in the late 90s IMHO). Aside from budget reasons, HD is often mentioned. But the 2006 episode still looked lush and warm to me so it’s hard to blame HD entirely?

I'm pretty sure it happened during the Jill Farren Phelps era when CBS tasked her with 'updating' the serial to look more 'modern', and part of that was removing that lusher look. Plus, budgetary reasons, of course.

October 22, 2012 (JFP's first credited episode):

January 15, 2015 (JFP's last credited episode as sole EP):

August 5, 2015 (JFP/Pratt as EPs):

And then it has continued on since then. CBS wanted a modern-looking soap, and instead, what they got was something that looked bland and horrible. At least when Edward J. Scott came back, some of that warmth was restored, which exists today. But the cameras and post need to be reverted if we truly want that feeling returned fully.

As of December 1, 2025:

As a mixture of the 2012 colouring and the January 2015 camerawork.

@Liberty City thank you for taking the time to explain this to me, I appreciate it. It reminds me of the whole controversy around the bland Netflix look. At least it's a trend concerning not exclusively Y&R.

Question: I think B&B also had that lush, warm look. Do you think it has maintained that look thanks to the Bells and the new studio?

Edited Saturday at 07:42 PM1 day by Aback

4 hours ago, Planet Soap said:

noticed that about the dialogue as well. All the characters spoke in proper English with sophisticated sentence structure

Dear God in heaven!

1 hour ago, Aback said:

@Liberty City thank you for taking the time to explain this to me, I appreciate it. It reminds me of the whole controversy around the bland Netflix look. At least it's a trend concerning not exclusively Y&R.

Question: I think B&B also had that lush, warm look. Do you think it has it maintained that look thanks to the Bells and the new studio?

You are more than welcome. Production and all that is included under its umbrella has always been a point of interest/passion of mine. The transition from NTSC to HD for The Bold and the Beautiful, for me, was handled well. But I also feel like the lush allure of that soap ended long before the transition. In relocating from Television City to Sunset Las Palmas, I do feel like it has maintained its look well, especially after the first week or two of filming, where I am sure adjustments were made. But the cameras at the latter studio are some of the highest quality, which is to their benefit. Also to their benefit is that their sets are permanent, so lights don't need to be re-established when a set is put up for use.

If/when The Young and the Restless does relocate from Television City, I do believe it'll be an improvement for them as well.

September 15, 2025 (Television City):

January 2, 2025 (Sunset Las Palmas):

6 hours ago, BoldRestless said:

Dear God in heaven!

LOL!!! I miss her.

I tried to watch the show over NYE. I did not survive the first commercial break. Camryn Grimes is still amazing, but the stories and look of the show are all soooo liveless. Seeing Ray Wise again gave me a good chuckle, though.

9 hours ago, Liberty City said:

I'm pretty sure it happened during the Jill Farren Phelps era when CBS tasked her with 'updating' the serial to look more 'modern', and part of that was removing that lusher look.

Jill Farren Phelps has said in interviews that she updated (her word, not mine) Y&R by getting rid of the old background music (which was classic, so big mistake), and she changed the Chancellor mansion by turning the entire set away from the fireplace and toward the foyer (in other words, turning the camera away from the broad shot (fireplace), and toward the foyer (which is a narrow shot). Not sure how that was an "update", but she has bragged about it. She also bragged about a few other "updates", but I can't remember the details.

The Chancellor house was also "remodeled" by Billy, however I believe that was after JFP left. But even after Billy's remodeling, TPTB stayed with the narrow shot (view toward the foyer). I'm always hoping someone will change the angle of the living room back to the original version.

But dear God in Heaven, even JFP's vision of Y&R was ten-times better than the lackluster garbage we've endured for the past several years.

Edited yesterday at 02:28 AM1 day by Tisy-Lish

Is this a fashion trend I missed??

1 hour ago, Tisy-Lish said:

The Chancellor house was also "remodeled" by Billy, however I believe that was after JFP left. But even after Billy's remodeling,

If I remember correctly, it was THAT remodel that finally got her fired.