The latest ratings are out for the week of August 17- 21, 2026. Two daytime dramas showed an uptick in total viewers week-over-week, while two did not, and General Hospital moved back into 3rd place over Beyond the Gates in the key women’s 18-49 ratings share, and tied with the CBS soap for 3rd place for the key women’s 25-54 ratings share.

According to Soap Opera Network via data supplied via Nielsen’s Live+Same Day, Big Date +Panel model, CBS’s The Bold and the Beautiful showed the most gains in total viewers adding +12,000 and bringing its year-over-year tally to +262,000. For the week of August 17, B&B had an average audience of 2,688,000 tuning-in.

The central story focused on Steffy Forrester (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) and Carter Walton (Lawrence Saint-Victor) bonding over their crumbling marriages while eachwas on drunken bender, they slept together. Meanwhile, Finn (Tanner Novlan) rushed back to Los Angeles from Monaco to salvage his relationship with his wife, and Daphne (Murielle Hilaire) turned around and headed back from the airport to reconcile with Carter after walking out on their marriage.

GENERAL HOSPITAL

Over at General Hospital, the ABC soap opera added +8,000 total viewers for the week with an average of 1,856,000 tuning-in from August 17 to 21. The series is still under the 2 million mark for the last few consecutive weeks. Year-over-year at this time, GH is -35,000 off the pace from 2025.

In story, there was drama across Port Charles with shifting alliances, explosive confrontations, and shocking revelations including: Jason (Steve Burton) quitting the mob and informing Britt (Kelly Thiebaud), Ric (Rick Hearst) getting jealous of Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) and Elizabeth’s (Rebecca Herbst) closeness, and Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Tracy (Jane Elliot) finding out Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) moved back into the Quartermaine gatehouse.

Photo: JPI

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

As for the top-rated The Young and the Restless, they remained the most-watched soap opera of all losing -14,000 for the week, but still up +90,000 year-over-year and averaging 3,027,000 viewers for the ratings week.

The Y&R drama centered around stories including; Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) causing chaos by declaring that Chancellor Industries belongs to the Abbotts, while the aftermath of Nick (Joshua Morrow) and Marie (Jade Harlow) night together in a seedy hotel which landed them both in rehab continues to haunt Nick.

Photo: CBS

BEYOND THE GATES

Finally at Beyond the Gates, the newest soap in the line-up lost only -1,000 in total audience for the week, with 1,647,000 tuning in and the series is considerably up year-over-year with +132,000.

Beyond the Gates featured a series of showdowns and explosive secrets coming to light including: Vernon Dupree (Clifton Davis) confronting a hospitalized Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett) about his intentions toward Dani (Karla Mosley), while Andre’s (Sean Freeman) dark past with Heather Armstrong (Ashley Jones) came to light.

So, what do you think of the latest ratings picture and performance of your favorite soap? Which daytime drama from broadcast television is piquing your interest the most? Which is not? Let us know via the comment section.

Shanice Johnson’s (Ernestine Morrison) brothers are coming to Fairmont Crest next week on all-new episodes of Beyond the Gates. Be on the lookout for Denzell Dandridge to make his debut as Lamont Johnson and Khiry Walker to debut n the role of Cedric Johnson on the Tuesday, September 8 episode.

In a video preview, Lamont and Cedric make quite a first impression on Dr. Ted Richardson (Keith D. Robinson), who are not so keen on the guy, who is dating their sister. Can Ted get Shanice’s siblings to have a change of heart about him? Stay tuned.

If Khiry Walker looks familiar, he has appeared in numerous television series, films and stage plays including Law & Order: Organized Crime and The Chair Company.  Denzell Dandridge has also appeared across film and television projects including: Street Code Broken, Coming of Age, itfactor and The Dirty D. Dandridge. In a fun fact, Denzell is actually the great-nephew of acclaimed and groundbreaking actress, Dorothy Dandridge.

In addition, Denzell Dandridge shared on his Instagram about his casting on the CBS soap opera, “All the long nights on set. Countless auditions. Thousands of No’s. But here it is… we finally got our YES.”

Since its inception, Beyond the Gates has focused on the stories of the Dupree and Richardson families, and now with the Johnson family coming into the picture, the series has a chance to expand more characters familial background and back-story to propel future storylines.

Beyond the Gates received 15 Daytime Emmy nominations at the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday night, October 30. The soap opera made Daytime Emmy history by racking up the highest nomination tally for its first time in the competition.

Now below, check out a preview for next week on Beyond the Gates which gives you a first look at Denzell Dandridge and Khiry Walker as Shanice’s brother. Do you hope the writers delve into the siblings story, or do you think they will just be in town to support their sister? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

Just when you think The Young and the Restless couldn’t make Nick Newman’s (Joshua Morrow) stay in rehab any worse than it is for him, now it looks like “hero” Nick is going to come to the rescue of his friend and addict, Marie Kirkland (Jade Harlow) in a major way, after the shocking ending on the Friday, September 4 episode of the top-rated CBS soap opera.

In story, Nick, who is craving a fix, runs into Marie. She tells Nick she understands his urge to use. Marie says she is skipping the group meeting today and Nick wants to know what is upsetting her. Marie fesses up that her husband is coming to visit her to discuss their divorce. She has already admitted that her husband named Logan (Tommy Walker) is a bully. Nick says he will stand up to him for her.

Marie tells him to not get involved in her mess, because Nick has to battle his own demons right now. As much as Nick presses her, she firmly tells him to not be in the room when she talks with Logan. She admits she wants to use so bad right now that she can’t see straight. However, she won’t. Marie fears if she does she will end up with nothing within the divorce. Just then, who should appear, but Logan.

Courtesy/CBS

LOGAN IS A BAD DUDE

Logan sees his wife and Nick looking too close for comfort. Nick introduces himself and Logan realizes Nick is from the rich and powerful Newman family and taunts him about exposing him being in a rehab facility, and what might happen if the word got out.

Next, Logan asks to speak to his wife alone. So, Nick leaves, but he really doesn’t. He just goes around the corner out of sight and listens in to the conversation. Logan is relentless on Marie. He wants to know if she bad mouthed him to Nick. Logan then proceeds to call her a “victim” and “trash.” He grabs her and asks if she’s already had sex with Nick (which she has) but she denies it. Now angered, he grabs her by her face.

Marie shoves Logan off of her, and he falls all the way back in the room and hits his head. Nick rushes in hearing the fight and sees Logan motionless on the floor. Marie tells Nick her husband was about to hit her and she panicked.

NICK IS HORRIFIED

Nick moves over to Logan’s body, and yells “Get up!” However, Logan doesn’t move. Nick feels for a pulse and doesn’t find one and Nick is stunned. Marie just stands there upset asking,  “Is he dead? Did I kill him?!” Nick looks up about to answer her, and we fade black.

Then, in the video preview for all-new episodes next week on The Young and the Restless, Nick must have called Michael Baldwin (Christian LeBlanc) to the rehab facility for legal advice; all leading him to want some answers for a potential murder charge. It would seem that noble Nick might take a murder rap for Marie!

So, does this infuriate you as a viewer, that Nick could wind up now with a murder charge after standing up for a woman he just met recently in a seedy motel during a drug binge? What do you think of this storyline now? Is Y&R ruining Nick’s addiction story played to perfection by Joshua Morrow with some trumped up drama we didn’t need, or do you like this next leg of the story? Share your thoughts via the comment section, but first take a look at this video preview of next week’s Y&R below.