The Young and the Restless has been renewed by CBS for four more seasons, keeping the daytime drama on-air through 2024. The renewal means the show will also be sticking around to celebrate its 50th anniversary in March 2023.
Hot on the heels of the news NBC has renewed Days of our Lives through summer 2021, CBS is proving its loyalty to Y&R. It is not a surprise the soap opera will continue. After all, the show has been the No. 1 soap for the past 31 years.
Renewal announcement
On Thursday, CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl issued a statement letting Y&R fans know the soap opera was not going anywhere.
“Having the #1 show for any length of time in any daypart is a tremendous accomplishment. But The Young and the Restless has been daytime’s top drama for over three decades. The last time any other show was on top, Ronald Reagan was president, and the Berlin Wall was still standing. It’s a remarkable achievement and a testament to the extraordinary cast, gifted writers, talented producers, and supremely passionate fans, as well as our tremendous partnership with Sony Pictures Television,” Kelly expressed in the official press release.
Not long after CBS shared the news, a rep for Sony Pictures Television also issued their unwavering support for the daytime drama. Sony distributes the soap opera. Steve Kent, Senior Executive Vice President, Programming at Sony, said the company is thrilled to continue to bring Y&R and the iconic characters to viewers for years to come.b
Cast members send message to fans
Y&R cast members got together to send fans a special message following the four-year renewal. Tyler Johnson, Melissa Ordway, Hunter King, Donny Boaz, Mark Grossman, Sasha Calle, and Michael Mealor used Twitter to acknowledge the fans are the reason the show has been going strong for 47 years.
We're celebrating #YR's 4 year renewal here on set, and we have you to thank! We are so lucky to have amazing fans that tune in every weekday. Drop a ? below to join the party! pic.twitter.com/nPviqDofrF
— Young and Restless (@YandR_CBS) January 30, 2020
The cast was celebrating the good news on set when they recorded the video for fans. There is no way the soap opera could have stayed in the number one slot for decades without the loyal fan base, and the cast knows it.
Fans are not the only ones devoted to the CBS show. The cast is too. Several of the cast members have been with the show for more than a decade — Melody Thomas Scott, Joshua Morrow, and Peter Bergman all celebrated milestone anniversaries in 2019. Eric Braeden will celebrate his 40th anniversary at the show next month.
There may only be four soap operas left on the air, but the genre is far from dead. The multi-year renewal of The Young and the Restless proves daytime dramas are still good for business.
The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on NBC.