The Young and the Restless Celebrates 52nd Anniversary; In its 1973 Premiere it Was Listed as, “The New Morality Will Be A Frequent Issue in This Serial About Upper-Middle Class Adults”

Today, March 26th marks the 52nd anniversary of CBS daytime’s The Young and the Restless. The series premiered on this date back in 1973 and was the brainchild of William J. Bell and his wife, Lee Phillip Bell who were co-creators of the show, with Bill Bell being its head writer.

When it premiered, TV Guide listed in their description for the newest daytime drama to hit the airwaves; “The new morality will be a frequent issue in this serial about upper-middle Class adults – and the impact they made on their lives by the appearance of a mysterious stranger. Robert Clary guest stars. Written by William J. Bell (Days of our Lives).

The cast included: Robert Colbert (Stuart Brooks), Dorothy Green (Jennifer Brooks), Janice Lynde (Leslie Brooks), Jaime Lyn Bauer (Lorie Brooks), Trish Stewart (Chris Brooks), Pam Peters (Peggy Brooks), Juliana McCarthy (Liz Foster), William Grey Espy (Snapper Foster)
James Houghton (Greg Foster), Brenda Dickson (Jill Foster), Tom Hallick (Brad Eliot), Lee Crawford) Sally McGuire, and Robert Clary (Pierre Roulland), Donnelly Rhodes (Phillip Chancellor), Jennifer Leak (Gwen Sherman) and more.

When Y&R premiered it was a half-hour soap, and eventually was expanded to one hour in 1980, which saw major families phased out and the Abbotts, Williams and the Newman families eventually brought in to bolster and change the landscape of the show.

Throughout its run, Y&R has won over 165 Daytime Emmy Awards, In the newest Nielsen ratings for the week of March 10-14 2025, the soap holds steady as the number #1 daytime drama, Current ratings show Y&R up slightly in key demo ratings 18-49 and 25-54 vs 2024 at this time. Check out the ratings data at SON here.

The Young and the Restless current cast is led by the iconic Eric Braeden (Victor Newman), Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman), Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott), Sharon Case (Sharon Collins), Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers), Joshua Morrow (Nick Newman), Beth Maitland (Traci Abbott), Mark Grossman (Adam Newman), Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea Lawson), Bryton James (Devon Hamilton), Christel Khalil (Lily Winters), Tracey Bregman (Lauren Fenmore), Christian LeBlanc (Michael Baldwin)and more.

Taking to their account on X, Y&R offered this message to its fans, “Happy 52nd Anniversary #YR! Thank you fans – appreciate you! Keep watching.”

Check out the evolution of Y&R’s opening credit sequences for 50 of its 52 years below.

Let us know, did you watch The Young and the Restless from its beginning? If not, when did you first start checking out the stories and the characters of Genoa City? Does the soap remain one of your all-time favorites? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

Today, March 26th marks the 52nd anniversary of CBS daytime’s The Young and the Restless. The series premiered on this date back in 1973 and was the brainchild of William J. Bell and his wife, Lee Phillip Bell who were co-creators of the show, with Bill Bell being its head writer. When it premiered, TV Guide listed in their…