The Young and the Restless

more than a classic soap opera. maybe, a cultural phenomenon. or an ocean. because, for me, except Jeanne Cooper and Eric Braeden, the series is a huge Rubick cube, full of new presences, confuse conflicts, frozen time and old fights, relative friendships. a series with a life of 44 years is out of any definition. first, because it is the series of its fans. second, because, like each illusion/fairy tale, it is a source of alternative life events, different by generation who discovers it. short, endless series. maybe, the most seductive soap opera if you do not ignore its impressive longevity.

I have watched Young & Restless since almost the very beginning. When I was in Elementary school I'd run home from the bus stop to watch it with my Mother. I feel as though I've grown up with most of these people. Y&R has improved so much over the years with the added realism of the story lines by adding in humor and clever little comments that us ordinary folks might say in daily life. So many other soaps are so dramatic because they seem like they're always trying to win an Oscar. The story lines on other soaps are not like real life and perhaps that's what some people like but for me I like having something I can relate too.

Y&R has the best actors/actresses and writers. My only hope is one day they start releasing episodes on DVD.

I have been a viewer of Y&R since the inception. I spent many years overseas, and still managed to follow the show. Lately I have been extremely disappointed in the choice of actors for the roles of Billy Abbott and Phyllis Newman. Billy Abbott is the epitome of the charming bad boy that all women love. Michelle Stafford is the ultimate bad girl that we all love to hate! The new actors chosen for these roles are grossly inadequate. Instead of being charming, the new Billy is a whiny preppy, not at all made for the role. He is painful to watch. The new Phyllis is trying to be bad. She just comes off as annoying. What can you do to convinve Billy Miller and Michelle Stafford to return to their roles? They were the BEST!! Do whatever it takes; they are sorely missed!

This is one of those soaps that keeps you hooked. (It's the only one I watch, though.) The writing, performances, and storylines are all crisp and first rate. Eric Braeden is perfect as Victor Newman, and the rest of the cast does well too. It keeps you hooked by developing new ones just as others are beginning to wind down, and most of them are intertwined, as the new ones are frequently related to the old ones.

My favorite couples in the show are Nick/Sharon and Billy/Mac. I think they are great together. Other characters such as Michael Baldwin, Christine Blair, and Paul Williams make for a good mix.

All in all, a good soap whose writers know how to keep you hooked.

When I was five years old I used to come home for lunch and my mom would be watching this television show. I would be sitting at the lunch table and I didn't exactly watch it, but by osmosis it stuck with me. I kept coming home at the same time every day for lunch for years to come. And I became fascinated by The Young and the Restless. When you are subjected to it every day for eight years, you get to know it and grow to have a love hate relationship with the show. Now that I am a grown man, it is almost embarrassing to say that I still watch this show, but it is true and I still have a love hate relationship with the damn thing. And even though I am the only one to comment on it, I know there are many other guys that watch this show as much as I do. How many times have you heard a guy say " I wish I could have sex as much as Victor." For me that was a lot. Most of the guys that I went to high school with were closet Y&R guys. They couldn't get enough of it. I really don't know what it is about the show that has kept me watching it for years, but there is something addictive about it. It would be easy and very macho of me to say that the sole reason is because of the beauties like Trish and Sharon and Grace walking around with their smooth stomachs and their provocative clothing, but that wouldn't be entirely correct. They are great to look at but it is more. And to really get the appeal of this show, look no further than Jack and Victor.

Jack and Victor have been going quibbling for as long as I have been watching. Jack and Victor have stolen women from each other ( Nicki, Diane ), they compete for business ( Jabot ) they work at the same office, and they generally hate each other. When Victor says Jack's name he literally spits it out. " The site of you disgusts me Jackabbot! " he was heard saying once. And he has to say his name in one syllable, as if saying it properly is too distasteful. Sure, Paul and Christine, Brad and whoever he is sleeping with, Jill and Kay, Billy and Mac, Michael Baldwin and his sneaky ways, Nick and Victoria, Malcolm and Neil, Olivia, and the rest of the cast is fun in their own right, but it is Jack and Victor that are the fun ones. I just wish that once, just once, Jack could win straight out. Not losing in the end, but actually has one clear cut victory over Mr. Money Bags. That would be refreshing.

Y&R is the kind of show that you turn off every once in a while because it takes them six months to resolve an issue that should be done with in a matter of days. And sure time is a big problem in this show. Victor can leave the office and get home in time to see Nicki crying over whatever she is crying about this time, even though she was crying when Brad was in the room only five minutes ago. But Newman Enterprises should be in town and they live in the country. And most characters are annoying at one point or another and no one is faithful, but hey, we can overlook those things because we are addicted.

It really is a fun show to watch and if you haven't seen it by now, then just start watching it, you'll pick up on what you need to know in about a week.