‘The Young and the Restless’ Creator William Bell Never Saw an End to the Soap
As the saying goes “All good things must come to an end.” This doesn’t mean, however, that someone responsible for creating something special can’t dream about it going on forever. This was exactly the case for William Bell, the creator of the hit daytime soap, The Young and the Restless. Bell, who passed away in 2005, was proud of what he accomplished, and rightfully so. Now that the show is celebrating 50 years on the air, his daughter, Lauralee Bell, is talking about how her father never saw an end to the soap.
The series is celebrating its 50th anniversary
Rarely does any television show last for 50 years, but that is just what The Young and the Restless has done so far. The show recently celebrated five decades of entertaining viewers, and TV Insider can report that there was a huge event in honor of the milestone. More than 60 soap stars got together in Los Angeles for the red carpet party, including Tracey Bregman, Melody Thomas Scott, Sean Carrigan and more.
Over the years, The Young and the Restless has won eleven Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series and remains one of the highest-rated daytime dramas on U.S. television. Why is it such a popular show? Well, over the years, fans have seen some pretty famous faces such as Eva Longoria and David Hasselhoff. Let’s not forget the fact that the ever-evolving storylines never get boring. In fact, they are the perfect mix of drama, romance, and even a little comedy. No wonder fans can’t get enough.
Bell never saw an end to the soap
The first episode of the series premiered on March 26, 1973, and fans were hooked. Bell’s daughter, who plays the character of Christine Blair on The Young and the Restless, is overjoyed at carrying on her father’s legacy. According to Deadline, she recently spoke of her hardworking father, saying of herself and her brother, Bradley, who is the head writer of Y&R’s sister show, The Bold and the Beautiful that “We’re representing dad in such big way.”
Bell looked back on her memories of her dad and how he felt about the show, and she also said “Did dad ever consider that he wouldn’t be here at one point and did it make him feel a little bit better knowing that Brad and I were all in? Did he ever have a moment where he was like, ‘It’s gonna be okay because my kids got me?'” It was in the same interview that Bell spoke about whether her father ever envisioned the show ending, saying that “He wouldn’t have seen an end.”
Bell believed he had created the perfect formula for a long-lasting show
Bell’s daughter knew that her dad hoped the show would last forever, and she made sure to mention why this was, saying that “he always felt like if he established these really strong core characters … specifically two families from totally different backgrounds … he would have endless stories. I think he always felt like he could spin webs and bring in a person here and there to help prolong the show.”
Although Bell herself knows that the day will come when The Young and the Restless has to end, she doesn’t let herself think about it. She does know that she needs to be realistic and accept the fact that it will eventually happen, however, for now, Bell is basking in the fact that her dad created something so special, and even though it won’t go on forever, we hope that there are plenty more years of The Young and the Restless still to come.
