CBS Daytime Soaps

CBS daytime soaps include the two highest rated daytime dramas of the late 20th and early 21st century as well as the two longest running soap operas on daytime television.

Sursok portrays a legacy character on a CBS soap operas.

The CBS daytime soaps lineup includes The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful and As the World Turns. The fourth soap opera in this lineup was Guiding Light which ended its record 72 year run on CBS in September, 2009.

Created by William J. Bell and his wife Lee, Y&R debuted on CBS in the early 1970s. The show features several prominent families from the Abbotts to the Newmans to the Williams, Baldwins and Chancellors. Y&R consistently rates as the number one drama not only for CBS, but for all of daytime. The show edged out General Hospital in the late 1980s and remained firmly entrenched with fans both foreign and domestic.

Despite the popularity of the show and the high ratings, Young and the Restless faced budget cuts and reduced salaries impacting the rest of the industry in 2008 and 2009. Veteran actress Melody Thomas Scott actually left the show for a time during contract negotiations over a reduction in salary in 2009.

Not technically a spinoff of The Young and the Restless, William J. Bell created The Bold and the Beautiful with his son Bradley. Bradley Bell continues to be the main creative force behind the show while his wife Maria works as head writer on Y&R. B&B is the only 30 minute daytime drama remaining on television. The 30 minute format has served the show well since its debut in the late 80s. It is the only soap opera to debut in the 80s that also remains on the air as of 2009.

Consistently earning high ratings overseas, The Bold and the Beautiful focuses primarily on the Forrester family and their fashion design business as well as romantic issues. Many characters from Young and the Restless have crossed over including stints by Eileen Davidson as Ashley Abbott and Tracey E. Bergman as Lauren Fenmore. Both actresses transplanted to B&B for a time as their Young and the Restless characters.

As the World Turns debuted on CBS in 1952 with actor Don Hastings, Eileen Fulton and Helen Wagner in the roles they would continue to play for more than 50 years. In 2009, Hastings’ veteran character Dr. Bob Hughes began experiencing symptoms related to Alzheimer’s, leading fans to wonder whether Wagner who turned 90 in 2008 would be featured more prominently in the storylines.

The Hughes family, remains central to the storylines of the show. ATWT was created by Irna Phillips, the mother of daytime television and the soap opera format. Although many head writers have come and gone over the years, ATWT manages to maintain a balance of storylines for all age groups from the teen dramas to the romances of the seniors and everything in between.

The 72 year old soap opera shuttered in 2009 after earning multiple awards and accolades throughout its record-breaking run. The soap opera was created by Irna Phillips as a radio drama and later became a television soap opera. Unfortunately sagging ratings and a crippling economy finally took its toll on the grand dame of soap operas.

At one point in time, all three major networks featured daytime dramas. Throughout the 21st century, CBS led the way in the daytime ratings war. NBC’s soap operas dwindled to Days of Our Lives only. On ABC veteran soaps began to droop in the ratings, but remain very popular with the fans. With Y&R consistently winning the number one slot, arguably, CBS daytime soaps are the number one choice for soap fans.

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