News
Les Moonves on Future of CBS Soaps: "We Believe They Will Be On For a Long, Long Time!"
Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins
Today at the TCA’s (Television Critics Association) press tour session for CBS, the network boss, Les Moonves spoke on the future, and his thoughts, on the two current daytime drama properties that air on the network … The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless!
Moonves related: “They’re doing well. They’re profitable. They were able, a few years back, to do the shows a bit more economically. Our daytime (soaps) have gone way up this year, and their profitability has gone way up. We believe those two soaps will be on for a long, long time. We don’t think the form is dead. Obviously, there are a lot less than there used to be, but we’re very pleased with what they’re doing.”
Doug Davidson (Paul, Y&R) jumped on his Twitter account to acknowledge Moonves statements to the press, stating, “Les Moonves is Da Man. He’s supported #yr #bb for all of his years @CBS. I know! I was there! #Straight shooter #great leader. @CBSDaytime”
So are you enthusiastic over Les Moonves support of Y&R and B&B? Do you think they will continue to thrive for a years to come on the network? Share your thoughts!
As long as the shows are making them money and there isn’t something else available that might make them more money than those shows– then yes they will be on. But if either of those two things changes, it will be bye bye. Because in the end all the matters to the networks is the bottom line. The key words in his statement is profitability.
Was he at the helm when Guiding Light and As the World Turns were taken off the air?
Yes. He axed ATWT so his wife could have The Talk. I do’nt watch
anything with Julie Chen!!! YawneR is worse than the soaps he and
his wife destroyed. If it was on the up and up, why have her host TT?
Yes, he was in charge. Funny that you would mention that. I vividly remember his comment when ATWT was cancelled: “Only the ‘special’ soaps will survive.” It came back to me as I read this quote from him. (BTW: I still don’t know what he meant by “special soaps” but clearly the group didn’t include the Oakdale folks).
I’ve always liked Doug Davidson and appreciate what he has done for Y&R over the years. However, I’m having a hard time becoming as supportive of Moonves as he did in his quote. Two years ago, it looked CBS would toss all of its soaps off the air. Now, Moonves and Angelica McDaniel gush on and on about how fantastic they are doing.
The ratings for the shows have improved but they are far below what they used to be. Moreover, from a creative angle, Y&R and B&B are barely watchable.
I’m not trying to be the voice of doom about this. I WANT these shows to survive but I just don’t see the improvements that Moonves and his crew keep fawning about. Moreover, I don’t really trust that Moonves is that supportive of these shows. They clearly have cut costs further (evident in the quality of what we see on the screen these days) and the shows must work somehow from a profit angle. However, I wouldn’t say they have made some HUGE comeback like his comment suggests.
Sorry, I just don’t put a lot of weight into these glowing remarks. I remember the hatch job done on ATWT and GL to well to do that.
I thought ATWT & GL were through Proctor & Gamble!!
Yes, P&G produced the soaps and CBS aired them on their network. P&G owns all copyrighted material connected to those two soaps. So when CBS decided to no longer air them on their network, P&G could have sold them to another network. But P&G wanted to get out the soap opera production end of things so they didn’t bother.
Thank you! I’m looking forward to another 40 years of the Young and the Restless!
…and at least 25 more years of B&B!!
I don’t care if it’s profitability! As long as they stay on!!! Of course, they have to make a profit….it is a business after all…everyone says that like its a bad thing!
Yes, nothing wrong with making money- and entertainment is a business. But supporting them as long as they make a profit, isn’t the same thing as supporting them through investment.
If this network was truly supporting the genre, they would invest the money in hiring the best writers, producers, directors, actors, and trades people they could. They would invest in high production values and promotions. They would be interested in developing new soaps— that is supporting the genre.
But just be willingly to air a Sony and Bell produced product as long as it makes money for you, and something else better doesn’t come along– is not IMO supporting the genre.
And trust me, there is a way to do invest in the genre and make money, but no network is willing to go there anymore. They will air what they have until they find a good reason not to.
So I don’t object to them wanting to make a profit– I object to them saying they are supporting the product when in fact they are not. They are profiting from it, not supporting it. Big difference.
Well said.
No, I don’t agree with Les at all. Onbothera shows they are breaking up marriages and turning teens into scrumbags. Nobody really work..The scripts look like what William Bell wrote and baby Brad picked up off the floor to use over and over. And getting rid of Hunter Tylo and her family, the only characters that can act.
Any business must remain profitable to ensure it’s future and it is no different in soaps. In addition to this, you must have good story lines or the actor/actresses are enticed to walk. Let’s hope the soaps do survive for years to come- long live the soaps!
HE CANCELLED ATWT’S. BRING IT BACK!!!!!! I don’t watch the talk and never will.
I wish he’d kept ATWT on the air…i miss Lilly, Holden, Lucinda, Luke,…i miss them all!!!
Don’t forget Barbara and Emily! I still miss my show!
They were great too…especially Barbara and when they did that Upstairs Downstairs Christmas special…i taped that and watch it every Christmas season.
Good news to hear!
GL and ATWT were much better soaps than Y&R. I have never watched TT and don’t intend to.
I do’nt care how people spin this: The fact is that he killed ATWT and gave his
wife a show that took the place of it. All of the doubters may change thei minds
when there is talk of a spinoff of The Talk. The best way to save the soaps is to
not support the other crap.
Beyond the Gates
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
Soap opera fans are always clamoring for when Dancing with the Stars reveals their cast each season, that they would include a familiar face from daytime drama, but it rarely happens, if ever, anymore.
Over the last several years, the series has leaned heavily into casting celebrities with massive TikTok or Instagram followers, which in turn, have helped this season and last have their best ratings numbers in years.
But, how about for next season’s cast of Dancing with the Stars, that it could include newly-awarded Daytime Emmy winner, Ambyr Michelle (Eva Thomas) of Beyond the Gates?
Photo: CBS
LOVE OF DANCE TO LOVE OF ACTING
Michael Fairman TV spoke to Michelle about her dance background and if she would love a shot at lifting the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy during Wednesday’s November 11, livestream chat on the Michael Fairman Channel.
Ambyr explained to fans (who joined in on the live chat), how she began her show business career. “I started off as a dancer, first and foremost. Acting wasn’t really something I wanted to go after. I did plays when I was younger, but it was just something we did in school, but I really wanted to be a dancer. I moved out to LA to dance, and I fell out of love with dance, which was so weird.”
This year’s Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series winner, added, “I was like, ‘What is going on?’ I moved all the way out here for dance. I found I was forcing myself to go to dance class, and I just didn’t have the passion for it. I was working at this restaurant at the time, and one of my coworker was like, ‘What about taking an acting class out here?'”
Next, Ambyr took the coworker up on the idea. “So, I took an acting class and I fell in love with it that day,” shared Michelle. “I was like, ‘I want to do this for the rest of my life.’ I thought, I would love to book a role, of course, as a dancer, but I think acting has a little bit more longevity.”
Photo: ABC
A SHOT AT THE LEN GOODMAN MIRRORBALL TROPHY
When the talked turned to if Ambyr would consider or be interested in appearing on the ballroom dance competition series, she piped up with, “I would love to do Dancing with the Stars! Pick me!”
As those in the live chat rallied around this idea, it made us think, Ambyr could be the first contestant from Beyond the Gates, and someone representing the soaps. It checks off so many boxes! To which Ambyr replied, “That would be beautiful.”
You can check out the full conversation with Ambyr below.
So, what do you think soap fans? Can we make sure Ambyr’s name gets in front of the producers and casting director for next season’s Dancing with the Stars? Would you like to see her in the competition? If so, who would be your dream pro professional dance partner for her? Let us know in the comment section.
The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.
According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.
Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.
Photo: CBS
MORE BY THE NUMBERS
In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .
BEYOND THE GATES
Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:
Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).
Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.
Photo: ABC
GENERAL HOSPITAL
Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:
Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.
Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.
Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.
Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.
However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.
So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Antonio Sabáto Jr., the former Jagger Cates of General Hospital and GH: Night Shift, and the former Dante Damiano of The Bold and the Beautiful has issued his first public statement since the incident involving his son, Jack’s arrest in Alaska for a fatal hit-and-run.
Jack is the son of Sabáto Jr. and Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, and according to court documents obtained by KTUU Jack, was allegedly driving a white Chevy Tahoe when he hit and killed Carl Simmonds, 42, near an intersection in Anchorage around 5:35 a.m. on Monday, November 9.
The reports indicated that Jack fled the scene — but later decided to called the cops to say he hit “something” that “suddenly appeared in the road” while he was “doing late-night DoorDashing.”
Photo: NBC
Now, Antonio has taken to his Instagram breaking his silence on the situation, sharing, “At this time, my family and I are navigating an extremely sensitive and deeply personal matter.”
He added, “As a father, my love for my children remains unconditional, and my priority is the well-being of my family. We ask that the public and members of the media honor our privacy during this difficult time and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.”
The soap alum concluded, “I also wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who tragically lost his life. My thoughts and prayers are with them as well. We sincerely appreciate your compassion, understanding, and respect for the privacy of everyone affected.”
Jack Sabáto was arraigned in court on Tuesday, November 10 with bail set at $5,000, and a no-driving order and the potential of $5,000 penalty fees if he fails to attend future court appearances.
Antonio is the father to Jack, 34, daughter, Mina Sabato, 24 and son, Antonio Sabáto III, 15.
This is a developing story. You can check out Antonio’s official statement below.
So, let us know your thoughts on this tragic hit-and-run, which claimed the life of another man, and Antonio’s statement, via the comment section below.
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‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run
Y&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
‘Days of our Lives’ Kyle Pryor Debuts as Dominic Marino and Says of Alleged TV Mom, “Deidre Hall is the Absolute OG, Amazing” (Exclusive)
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
‘Days of our Lives’ Veteran James Reynolds Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis
Y&R’s Matt Cohen Talks Role as Compassionate Zookeeper in Rom-Com ‘Christmas at the Zoo’
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General Hospital3 days ago‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
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