News
Y&R's 11,000th Episode On Set Celebration: EP Mal Young Touches On Legacy, Vision, & Superlatives Of Top-Rated Soap!
Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com
Earlier this week on Thursday, members of the cast of The Young and the Restless along with a bevy of special guests that included: Y&R co-creator Lee Phillip Bell, Y&R EP and head writer, Chuck Pratt Jr, senior executive vp programming at Sony Pictures Television, Steve Kent, who oversees daytime’s Y&R and DAYS, and new Y&R EP Mal Young were all on hand for an afternoon celebration for the series 11,000th episode milestone.
With the number 11,000 made into delicious cupcakes for those to taste, the cast, crew, producers and press gathered together to honor this special moment in the series 43-year-history. Cast in attendance included: Melody Thomas Scott, Tracey E. Bregman, Bryton James, Christel Khailil, Greg Rikaart, Mara McCaffrey, Robert Adamson, Hunter King, Sean Carrigan, Melissa Ordway, Elizabeth Hendrickson, Eric Braeden, Kristoff St. John, Eileen Davidson, Peter Bergman, Gina Tognoni, Jason Thompson, Melissa Claire Egan, Kate Linder, Beth Maitland, Lauralee Bell, Daniel Goddard, and Mishael Morgan.
Viewers of the series witnessed on September 1st the airing of the 11,000th episode of the top-rated daytime drama which featured the tragic turn of events for the exited Justin Hartley’s character of Adam Newman.
Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com
For this on set celebration on stage 41 at CBS Television City, only two speeches were given: one by Mal Young. and the other by Steve Kent. While Kent recalled how his career lead him to be the champion of the series over at Sony Pictures Television, Young offered up thoughts on being a Brit in charge of Y&R, Bill Bell’s vision, and what makes Y&R most unique and beloved around the world.
Below are some excerpts from the the newest executive producer’s speech as he addressed the cast, press, CBS and Sony executive notables, and more in attendance:
Mal Young: “As the only Brit involved in the history of the show, Y&R is known all over the world. Growing up I knew about it, and heard about it. Recently, my wife (singer, Mari Wilson) was on tour in Jamaica and this woman came over to her and said, ‘Are you Nikki the stripper from The Young and the Restless?‘ So she called me up and said, ‘Is that a compliment, or not?’ (Laughs) I said, ‘With the lovely Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki) playing it, that’s a compliment!’ So, even in Jamaica we are huge.”
“There are so many amazing people that it takes to make 11,000 episodes of anything. We love you all … you are all hugely important to the show … but so is anyone who has been over the threshold of stage 41 and 43 at CBS over all these 43 years.”
Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com
“I will single out Bill Bell (Co-creator, Y&R). What an amazing vision he had. If you consider back in 1973, he came up with this amazing idea, and it was originally called The Innocent Years. They realized with what was going on in the world, The Innocent Years, didn’t really work. It was a few days after Y&R first came on to CBS, that the last Vietnam solider left and came back to America. We had kind of lost our innocence and the world was different, and that’s what grew into this new younger-type of soap which was The Young and the Restless. And I think that spirit of reflecting America, and reflecting all of these amazing characters as they have grown over 11,000 episodes has remained true to the spirit of the original vision of Bill and Lee Bell’s (Co-creator, Y&R), and that is my inspiration every day when we come over the threshold to these stages. I think, ‘What are we going to do today? What stories are we going to tell?”’
“If you were to binge watch Y&R – you need to get on your sofa with your pizza, and a lot of ice cream, and it’s going to be 10,126 ½ hours of TV, and if you were to watch it in one big go, it would take you 1 year, 1 month, and 26 days, and ½ hours to complete. That is a fun-feat we have pulled off, and we will continue to do so.”
Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com
“I was trying to find a superlative to describe in one word this fantastic show and what Bill Bell gave to us and the vision that he pulled out that gave us 11,000 episodes. I thought of ‘Amazeballs’, or ‘OMG!’ or ‘RAD!’ But that’s not going to be right coming out of a British person’s mouth. (Laughs) So there is one word I said I would never use around this place, but I am going to break that rule today, because it does best describe what you all are, and most importantly what the show is. The Young and the Restless is very, very ‘awesome”’!
So, what did you think of the excerpts from Mal’s speech? Y&R’s final stop on their 11K celebration tour which included retrsopective clip packages opening episodes of the series, the social media images of the cast showing the first episode number that they appeared in, and more? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, and look for video interviews with the cast next week at On-Air On-Soaps!
Y&R has become very good, it has gripping plots!
GH has a boring mess ……….. sigh
Total agree especially about GH…
This soap originally started with the Brookes and Foster families but by the 1980s so many actors left Bill Belll decided instead of recasting characters he introduced three new families the Newmans and the Abbotts and the Winters…and they have been front and center over 30 years now…fans tune in and can see familiar characters they love and enjoy….the years brought in new producers and writers and yet those same three families remain…this is why it remains the number one soap…meanwhile GH and Days depends on too many gimmicks and too many cast changes…Days Horton family is still there but not as many as there was in its hey day and some are completely forgotten…its Brady family isnt what it used to be…many newbies are introduced that dont work and written out…gimmick story telling like the three convicts is somewhat interesting but it just adds more gloom in doom in a show which focuses on too much darkness…i need some brightness in my Days and a touch of humor…GH has its good moments but the stories are all over the place and feel disjointed-the cast is bloated and they keep adding characters to move a story instead of utilizing the cast its had…a murder mystery at the hospital showed promise but where are all the doctors like Brad and Lucas who arent featured when this story is so front and center…both Days and GH are ok but they will never have the numbers like Y&R because that show has better continuation in its storytelling(but it does have a few problems keeping some characters involved like Lauren for example)…it isnt the great powerful soap like it was in its Bill Bell era but not of the remaing soaps are…it still above all the rest…it knows how to do drama and keep its fans tuning in tomorrow the way a good serial should,,,
What an accomplishment if they actually watched the entire series. That rich history would reveals the highs and lows of the program, what made it click and where its shortcomings were.
I do want to add that I felt it was a HUGE oversight or omission on the part of the 11,000th celebration to fail to show scenes from the first decade of the program or even cameo interviews with those original cast members who are still alive: they made the program work and I felt there should have been a tribute to them, hearing what they thought about the groundbreaking show, what were their memorable moments, etc. I hope Y and R NEVER FORGETS its past, its origins and its purpose.
Ron, I totally agree with you 100 percent, that would of been so awesome to show scenes from the first decade and bring in the actors/actresses that portrayed them. I am sorry to bring this up again, the show doesn’t feel the same as it use to…from the acting, the way it’s directed and missing the classic background music. Back in Y&R heydays, the actor’s with their fantastic acting along with the show’s direction and background music where the audience/fan’s were drawn into their lives and felt what the character’s were going through and wanted to continue to tune in and see what happened next, to me that era is gone and I continue to hope that it will happen again someday.
You are right on target regarding a few of the features that distinguished the show, especially the way a scene was directed and the use of background music. Someone else mentioned on this thread that the program has become so much more plot driven rather than character driven and there’s a great deal of truth to that. Right now (after watching the program as a kid when my mom watched it, and actually meeting and working with Bill Bell through a college gig) I am so distant from any character ties, not caring one bit what happens to any of them. Well, there are always 70s and 80s clips online here and there! Thanks for the written support.
Considering the show’s longevity I personally would rather heard from LPB herself and not Mal Young who’s been working on the show for what a minute?
The biggest difference between soaps then and now is now they are plot driven, while in the older days characters were the driving force behind plots instead of plots determining characters For examples they weren’t thinking lets do a story about abortion but rather what would happen to Ashley if she had an abortion– it is a subtle but big difference in how a story is told
If they would write for characters instead of using characters to tell stories the show would most likely make it to its 20,000 episode and beyond, as is, I don’t know, but if there is one soap that stands a chance of outlasting all of them — it would be this one.
Mary,
You are right-on with your post here! If anyone lasts, it will be Y and R… and here’s wishful thinking that we’ll return to the era of character-driven stories.
No Pratt sighting. He’s so out of there soon…
I’ve been watching y.r . For a very long time and since Jeanne Cooper was on there playing two different characters I loved it then she was Mrs. C. The person everyone fell in love with but now she is gone. I will always remember her character. The writers of the soap have done a great job never had they made it Boring but dramatic, romantic and interesting!!!!!! Keep it going .
Tony, given what has transpired in the past week, your comment was 100% correct and a great observation.
To Y&R fans that bitch about Pratt & Mal—
I will happly send Shelly Altman and Jean Passanante back to Y&R.
Yes, Pratt & Mal to GH and Shelly and Jean to Y&R ..
What a deal!! You’ll love it !!
I have been moved beyond words by Mal Young’s speech . I am so glad that he acknowledged that there is an international audience for all these beloved soap operas . here are just a few countries that young and the restless airs in : Australia , France , Jamaica , Belgium , Switzerland , Quebec ( canada ) … it used to air in New Zealand . I am sure it airs in other countries too . Bold and the beautiful is aired in almost every country around the world . Days of our lives used to air in France and New Zealand , it still airs in Australia and came back in South AFRICA recently . General hospital used to air in Australia and New Zealand , France tried 3 times with it but ended up cancelling it all 3 times ( low ratings ) . The French discovered the daytime soap genre when the very first daytime soap started there back in october of 1985 , the soap in question was Santa Barbara and the french loved it , it was a smash it over there . Marcy Walker , A Martinez , Robin Wright and all the others graced the covers of all the french tv magazines back then . The french had no soap opera digest or any magazine devoted to soaps so the french tv magazines of the day regularly featured front covers and articles on the soap . Now the french have the young and the restless , bold and beautiful to enjoy and had until the beginning of this year days of our lives but it was cancelled in France this year although it was winning its timeslot . I would wish that Young and restless could release on a streaming platform like youtube all the episodes from 1973 to 1993 so that all viewers from the us and around the world can watch or rewatch these classic episodes . This should be done for all these soaps . These great soaps should be made available worldwide . Think of icons like Guiding light , As the World turns , All my children , Another World . These soaps should be passed down to the next generations but if we don’t rerun them of course they will be lost for good . With streaming platforms available now i can’t believe we can’t access these soaps . Long live the daytime soapies !
Nicholas, How I wish they would stream all the present and the past soaps from the beginning, that would be so wonderful but I don’t think it will happen. As I am aging, I notice I am looking to the past more, lol…
The writing still sucks – still too plot-driven and schizoid for this long-time viewer
BTW – the shows is still down in demos and viewers.
News
Susan Flannery and Ian Buchanan Visit the Set of ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’; Daytime Emmy Winners Reflect on Show Then and Now
The one and only Susan Flannery (ex-Stephanie Forrester) dropped in to see her former co-stars on The Bold and the Beautiful at their Sunset Las Palmas Studio in Hollywood, along with her good friend and another B&B co-star Ian Buchanan (ex-James Warwick) on Tuesday October 20.
It was the first time in a very long time that The four-time Daytime Emmy winning actress was reunited with Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke), Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy), executive producer and head writer, Brad Bell, Jennifer Gareis and even her TV sister, Alley Mills (Pam, B&B now Heather, GH) showed up for the day too!
Flannery played the Forrester matriarch from 1987 until 2012. It was then that after playing the part of Stephanie for 25 years that Susan made the decision to retire from acting and in one of the most heartbreaking sendoffs, passes away from lung cancer in Brooke’s arms in November of 2012. During her B&B tenure, Flannery won 3 of her 4 Daytime Emmys, the other being for her first soap role as Laura Horton on Days of our Lives back in 1975.
Photo: Bell-Phillip TV
As for Ian Buchanan, he played Dr. Warwick, psychiatrist, from 1993 to 1999. He returned for other runs in 2014 and 2017. Buchanan took home his Daytime Emmy in 1997 for his work as James. Soap fans also remember, Ian as mobster Duke Lavery on General Hospital, and Dr. Greg Madden on All My Children,
Both Susan and Ian shared their thoughts on coming back to The Bold and the Beautiful, for Susan 14 years later since he exited and for Ian close to 9 years since his last appearance below.
Susan said, “It’s definitely like coming home in a way, even though it’s not the same studio. It’s really lovely to see old faces and old faces with new faces. It takes you back mentally. You start remembering what it was like back then, even things like how much your feet would ache at the end of the day from wearing six-inch heels. It was just lovely to be back and see everybody.”
Photo: Bell-Phillip TV
Ian expressed, “It’s a mind trip, you know. When I was sitting looking at the big Forrester set, it was like stepping back in time, almost. It takes you back mentally, and you start remembering what it was like when you were here before.”
“It’s lovely to see all these people again, even if you don’t know everybody,” explained soap vet Buchanan. “There’s something really special about coming back and seeing the show and the people who have been part of it for so long.”
So, happy to see Susan and Ian with some of their former castmates? Do you think Stephanie and Brooke is one of the greatest frenemy stories in daytime history? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Beyond the Gates
Tabitha Brown and Kandi Burruss Guest Star on ‘Beyond the Gates’ for Dani’s ‘Welcome to Your Life’ TV Special; What Could Go Wrong?
As previously announced, Beyond the Gates is bringing chef, author and actress Tabitha Brown and Grammy Award-winning songwriter, singer and actress Kandi Burruss to Fairmont Crest in a special episode of the CBS daytime drama airing Thursday, October 22.
In the episode, Dani’s (Karla Mosley) best friend Pamela Curtis (Cady McClain), arranges a “Welcome to Your Life” television special for her. As it turns out, Brown will play the show’s host, Tia Allen, while Burruss takes on the role of Dani’s first modeling agent, Kalista Kilroy, who turns the celebration of her life into a bad trip down memory lane.
Dani’s parents Anita and Vernon (Tamara Tunie, Clifton Davis), sister Nicole (Daphnee Duplaix), and daughters Chelsea (RhonniRose Mantilla) and Naomi (Arielle Prepetit) all join the show to celebrate and support her but also witness how things so south. Also appearing in the episode are Molly Figueroa as Tatum Stewart and fan-favorite Anita Williams (Tunie) impersonator Jackie Tyree!
PhotoL JPI
THE 411 ON TIA AND KALISTA
Speaking with TV Insider, about their soapy experience in Fairmont Crest, Tabitha Brown previewed about her host with the most, “Tia is very professional, but she’s a girl’s girl. She is a protector of women and wants to tell their stories in a beautiful way, but she also wants to make sure they’re seen in a very good light.”
However, Burruss previews that Kalista arrives with a score to settle. “She’s spicy,” shared the recording artist. “I always love playing somebody that has come to start trouble. It’s always fun to play a villain of sorts, but Kalista feels like she’s been done wrong and she’s hurt by what she feels has been done to her. So Kalista is stirring up trouble, but she feels justified putting Dani on blast. Kalista is ready for some payback.”
Beyond the Gates is produced by CBS Studios, as part of the CBS Studios/NAACP Venture, in partnership with P&G Studios, a division of Procter & Gamble. Created by head writer Michele Val Jean, executive producers include Val Jean, Sheila Ducksworth, Julie Carruthers, Tracey Thomson, Leon W. Russell, Derrick Johnson, Anna Saalfeld and Lela Coffey.
Beyond the Gates is broadcast weekdays on CBS (2:00-3:00 PM, ET/1:00-2:00 PM, PT) and is available to stream on Paramount+**.
So, looking forward to this special episode of Beyond the Gates when Dani is put on a blast during a blast from her past and Welcome to Your Life TV special? Share your thoughts via the comment section.
For months now, Days of our Lives has teased the character of Dominic Marino. In recent weeks, viewers learned that Marino is on the down low working with Sami Brady’s (Alison Sweeney) apparent fiancé ‘Dante Vitali (Franco LoPresti), and that he is the never-before-heard-of child of Stefano DiMera (the late Joseph Mascolo) and Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall)!
Up until now, the Peacock streaming soap opera has never revealed his face, but that all seemed to change on the Tuesday, October 2o episode of DAYS. In story, Dante met Sami’s parents for the first time, Roman (Josh Taylor) and Marlena.
He shows them a photo of Dominic, which he happened to have on his own phone and even commented he kind of looked like he could be Marlena’s son. The photo, which has quickly made it around Soap Twitter/X, revealed that British-born actor Kyle Pryor is the man in the photo and eagle-eyed viewers actually located said photo on Pryor’s Instagram.
Photo: Peacock
Deadline revealed Pryor started taping at the end of 2025 and will first be seen in the role, on air Monday, November 2. In addition, Days will celebrate its 61st Anniversary with two special episodes featuring Dominic’s arrival, as well the returns of Tony and Anna DiMera, played respectively by Thaao Penghlis and Leann Hunley, on Friday, November 6 and Monday, November 9.
Those in the know, are are that Pryor previously held series regular roles on Australia’s Home and Away, and the UK’s Hollyoaks and guest starred on Emmerdale. In an ironic twist, Pryor appeared in the series Spartacus: Blood and Sand which is the same action series his apparent TV brother, Dan Feuerriegel (EJ DiMera), once appeared in before coming to DAYS.
So excited to see Kyle Pryor take on the role of Dominic Marino as Days of our Lives sets its anniversary story to kick-off with is arrival in Salem? Share your thoughts in the comment section. And in case you missed our latest conversation with Conner Floyd (Chad DiMera) he weighs-in on how Dominic’s appearance will shake things up in Salem. You can check that out below.
‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Cast Dish on Steffy, Finn & Carter, Daphne Baby Drama! (Exclusive)
2026 Daytime Emmy Awards: ‘Extra’ Partners with NATAS for Pre-Ceremony Red Carpet Stream; Week of Segments Leading to Ceremony and Post-Coverage
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Presenters Announced
Could Kristen Vaganos and Josh Kelly Be Exiting ‘General Hospital?’
Susan Flannery and Ian Buchanan Visit the Set of ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’; Daytime Emmy Winners Reflect on Show Then and Now
Tabitha Brown and Kandi Burruss Guest Star on ‘Beyond the Gates’ for Dani’s ‘Welcome to Your Life’ TV Special; What Could Go Wrong?
‘Beyond the Gates’ Stars Lami and RhonniRose Mantilla Cover Raye’s ‘Nightingale Lane’ in New Music Video
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Stands Up to Brooke, ‘I Have Spent My Entire Life Sacrificing My Happiness for Yours. But No More!’
Days of our Lives’ Conner Floyd Talks Dominic Marino Mystery, Chad and Belle, and Susan Seaforth Hayes (Exclusive)
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: What Has Happened to Jill?
‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Cast Dish on Steffy, Finn & Carter, Daphne Baby Drama! (Exclusive)
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS: Adam Delivers Sally’s Baby as Billy Reels from Jill’s Health Crisis in Tearjerker Episode
‘Days of our Lives’ Reveals Kyle Pryor Cast as Dominic Marino
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Finn Blows a Gasket After Steffy Reveals She’s Gone Ahead and Become Carter and Daphne’s Surrogate
‘Beyond the Gates’ and Daytime Emmy Nominee Mike Manning to Chat Live on the Michael Fairman Channel
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