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The Young and the Restless (often abbreviated as Y&R) is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real-life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin. The Young and the Restless was originally broadcast on March 26, 1973, as half-hour episodes, five times a week. On February 4, 1980, the show expanded to one-hour episodes five times a week and is syndicated internationally. With that said, for almost 45 years, this daytime soap provides diehard fans with salacious storylines, drawing audiences regularly, since the very beginning. Some claim to have never missed an episode which is pretty incredible since there have been well over 10,000! Thank G-d for DVRs and Tivos! Whether you have seen every episode or not, there's no question you probably missed some facts over the 4 decades... 1. The Young and the Restless (1973) incorporated her 1980s facelift into its storyline, including actual footage of the surgery. All Rights Reserved. Credit: CBS Photo Archive - via sheknows.com When Jeanne Cooper (Katherine) decided to have a facelift, rather than going out on leave and replacing her with a stand-in, the producers wrote a storyline in which Katherine had a facelift, complete with hospitalization and recovery. 2. Jeanne Cooper's Real Hollywood Star Jeanne Cooper star (CTV News) In 1993, Jeanne Cooper (Katherine) became the first daytime actor to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 3. From Babies To Children To Teens All In The Blink Of An Eye The Young and the Restless Wiki - Fandom One of the favorite plot devices is to send children away to boarding school or out of town to live with former characters only to have them return a short time later as teenagers. Among those involved in this type of plotting were Victoria Newman (age ten returned a year later as an eighteen-year-old), Nick Newman, Billy Abbott, Lily Winters, Noah Newman, and Abby Newman/Abbott. 4. Kate Linder While On The Soap, Also "Flies The Friendly Skies" As A Flight Attendant Kate Linder (Esther) has continued to work as a United Airlines flight attendant during her entire 30-plus-year tenure on the show. Since April 1982, when Kate Linder got her role on the show delivering her line,"Dinner is served" where she was asked back day after day since becoming a regular cast member of the top-rated daytime drama's cast, however, unbeknownst to most, she continues to fly the friendly skies of United on weekends while simultaneously appearing on the soap opera, according to Kate Linder's official biography page. 5. It Was The First U.S. Soap Opera And Daytime Program To Be Shown In HDTV. Photo: The Young and the Restless Wiki - Fandom 6. Ironically, It Was First Called "The Innocent Years" theyoungandtherestless.wikia.com According to "The Young and the Restless: Most Memorable Moments," a book that recounts the major plot lines, issues, couples, friendships, and families depicted on the popular soap opera, creator William J. Bell claimed, “We were confronted with the very disturbing reality that young America had lost much of its innocence. Innocence as we had known it and lived it all our lives had, in so many respects, ceased to exist.” So instead, they went with "The Young And The Restless" because the current title “reflected the youth and mood of the early seventies.” An Iconic Episode of 'The Young and the Restless' Airs on Friday! CBS Returns to the "Classics" with Victor & Nikki's First Wedding (We Love Soaps) 7. Two Real-Life Siblings Played A Married Couple Heather Tom played Victoria Newman from 1990 to 2003 while her brother David was cast as Billy Abbot from 1999 to 2014. Fortunately for the real-life siblings, their characters didn’t become romantic until after Heather had left the role and was replaced by Amelia Heinle. (LittleThings) 8. Jeanne Cooper Was The Longest-Performing Actress On The Show Until Her Death In 1973, Jeanne starred as Katherine Chancellor for four decades, with the occasional substitute filling in along the way. Her final performance was May 3, 2013, just five days before she passed away on May 8, 2013. Jeanne's death was written into the series with her actual son, Corbin Bernson, playing the priest who officiated her funeral as Father Todd. (LittleThings) 9. One Actress Portrayed Two Different Characters Simultaneously Blog Talk Radio In 1983, Veleka Gray portrayed two different characters simultaneously: Patti's psychiatrist Dr. Sharon Reaves, and hotel manicurist Ruby. Unusually, the characters were neither look-a-likes nor related, they were involved in different storylines, and shared no scenes together. 10. Forever Fans Former talk show hostess Oprah Winfrey said she was a huge fan of The Young and the Restless (1973) and that "Kay Chancellor"--Cooper's character--was her favorite. Baseball Hall of Fame Shortstop Cal Ripken is also one of the show's biggest fans. 11. American Bandstand? YouTube Michael Damian was spotted on American Bandstand by Y&R producers who created the role of rocker Danny Romalotti specifically for him. 12. Additional Celebrity Cast Members November 1974: L-R: American actors Deidre Hall, Tom Selleck, and Jaime Lyn Bauer, co-stars of the daytime television drama series, 'The Young and the Restless,' pose together outdoors, Los Angeles, California. Selleck has his arms around his co-stars' waists. (Photo by Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Getty Images) Tom Selleck, David Hasselhoff, Eva Longoria, Shemar Moore and Paul Walker have all been members of the Y&R cast. David Hasselhoff - Soaps.com - SheKnows 13. Additional Celebrity Guests Unknowns Little Richard, Ted Shackelford, Judith Chapman ("The Young and the Restless" Set Guest Starring Little Richard - CBS Television City Los Angeles 6/11/08©Aaron Montgomery/jpistudios.com air date 6/27/08 - CBS.com) Wayne Gretzky, Pat Benatar, Little Richard, Enrique Iglesias and Katy Perry have all guested on the show. Wayne Gretzky: Pop Icon (includes Y&R cameo) - 1984 - YouTube 13. The Series Explored Social Issues Jennifer Brooks (Played by Dorothy Green) underwent the first mastectomy on a soap opera. Despite having a mastectomy, character Jennifer died of breast cancer in 1977. Other social issue storylines included bulimia, alcoholism, and cancer. Lesbianism was also touched on by Katherine Chancellor, who flirts with Jill while drunk in 1974 and has a brief relationship with Joann Curtis (Kay Heberle) in 1977. Other story situations other than explicit sexual themes such as premarital intercourse and impotence, incest, and rape. (Source: WTKR.com and IMDb and LittleThings)