'Young and the Restless' celebrates 35 years of drama, success

Jet, April 7, 2008 by Clarence Waldron

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After 35 years, soap opera fans still can't get enough of the steamy and shocking "The Young and the Restless."

The soap has been the No. 1 daytime drama series for nearly 20 years and is seen daily by 5.6 million viewers in the United States. It's also the No. 1 daytime drama among Black viewers with 1.6 million fans tuning in every day.

The CBS soap has dealt with everything from betrayal and backstabbing lies to hard-hitting topics such as date rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, drug addiction, illiteracy, HIV testing, breast cancer and Internet predators.

Emmy and NAACP Image Award-winning actor Kristoff St. John joined the series in 1991 in the role of Neil Winters, a high-placed executive at Newman Enterprises. In some of the show's most emotionally intense episodes, his character overcame alcoholism and a tempestuous relationship with his wife, Drucilla, played by actress Victoria Rowell.

St. John explains the show's lasting appeal. "The show is sexy, stylish, has flavor, pizzazz and is an amazing piece of artwork. If you watch it for a couple of days straight, you will be hooked."

His character's hottest scandal was when Neil's brother, played by actor Shemar Moore, "slept with my wife while she was under the influence of cold medicine. She thought my brother was me," St. John says. The couple had a child, but Neil didn't realize the baby wasn't his.

The series is a hit with Black viewers, St. John says, because the Black characters are not stereotypical, but are well rounded and multi-dimensional. "I play a CEO at a major corporation, that's something we don't see that often. And the show doesn't use the old African-American stereotypes that we have been seeing on TV, like the hustler, the pimp, the drug dealer. We have come a long way."

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The series focuses on the ongoing saga, including the competition and shocking scandals, of three wealthy families, the Newmans, the Abbotts and the Chancellors in Genoa City, Wisconsin.

"The Young and the Restless" is also a hit among celebrities, including Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, Aaron Neville and Smokey Robinson.

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Franklin has been watching the drama unfold everyday for about 20 years. "I love the storyline and all of the players, the Newmans, the Abbotts, all of them."

She tunes in no matter where she is. "I like it because if I am traveling on my tour bus, I can watch it and it's like being at home. The show is fabulous."

She particularly loves to watch actors St. John as business executive Neil Winters and Eric Braeden as billionaire Victor Newman.

"Kristoff St. John is fabulous on the show. I just love him. He's a cool and nice guy, too. He comes to my concerts and parties whenever I am in Los Angeles."

As far as Braeden, she says, "He plays the ruthless character, Victor. He's got all the mega-money; he's running everything over there in Genoa City. Everything is under Victor's control. He's something else," she laughs.

Aaron Neville told JET: "For 20 years now my schedule has revolved around "The Young and the Restless." The suspenseful storyline and the ruthless characters are what first caught my attention ... Victor Newman is the ultimate ... I had the honor of performing on "The Young and the Restless" in the fall of 2006, and it was the genuine people I met while making that appearance that has created one of the most memorable experiences of my career." When Neville returns to his native New Orleans in May to perform at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, he's going to find time to tune in during the day to see what's going on in Genoa City, he says.

Among the actors who have appeared on "The Young and the Restless" and then rose to fame on other TV shows or movies are Shemar Moore, Victoria Rowell, Vivica A. Fox, Eva Longoria and Tom Selleck.

Josh Griffith, the show's executive producer, told JET that the key to the show's appeal stems from the vision of its creators the late William Bell and his wife, Lee Phillip Bell.

"They started the show with such a rich tapestry, such wonderful characters with a wonderful family connection. It has never really veered that far away from the roots that the Bells set down."

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Discussing the show's wide appeal, he adds, "People have stayed with it and they have fallen in love with this world.

The stories are always so character-driven that they feel honest and relatable and are always exciting and romantic to the audience."