Originally examining the lives of the wealthy Brooks and the poor Fosters, a series of recasts and departures in the early 1980s turned the focus of The Young and the Restless to the Abbotts and the Newmans, including the corporate rivalry between their two respective companies.
[1] Newspaper publisher Stuart Brooks (played by Robert Colbert) and his socialite wife Jennifer (Dorothy Green) had four daughters: Leslie (Janice Lynde), a pianist; Lauralee "Lorie" (Jaime Lyn Bauer), an author; Christabel "Chris" (Trish Stewart), a journalist; and Peggy (Pamela Peters Solow), a college student.
Sisters, Leslie and Lorie fought over first Brad Eliot (Tom Hallick) and then in another love triangle with Lance Prentiss (John McCook).
The show's longest-running storyline was the rivalry between a young manicurist Jill Foster Abbott (Brenda Dickson, Jess Walton) and wealthy socialite, Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper).
Kay was a boozy matron trapped in a loveless marriage to Phillip Chancellor II (John Considine later Donnelly Rhodes).
As a result of the ruling, an embittered Jill became a vixen and the two ladies began an intense rivalry, blaming each other for the death of Phillip II.
DNA results proved the woman claiming to be Katherine was not related to Jill, starting a series of events that dramatically reshaped the Chancellor family.
Phillip III revealed he had faked his death to hide the fact that he is gay, a plot that did not make sense, and that was very negatively received by long-term fans.
[citation needed] When Jaime Lyn Bauer, who played Lorie, quit in 1982 due to exhaustion, Bell took the opportunity to write out all of the Brooks and Fosters, save Jill.
Police Detective Carl Williams (Brett Hadley) and his wife Mary (Carolyn Conwell) had their hands full with their promiscuous teenage son Paul (Doug Davidson).
She married Victor in a lavish 1984 wedding and their love-hate relationship has gone through the birth of two children, Victoria (Heather Tom/Sarah Aldrich/Amelia Heinle) and Nicholas (Joshua Morrow), as well as many divorces, affairs, and remarriages.
Meanwhile, the insecure Traci became involved in a love triangle with her rival Lauren and rock star Danny Romalotti (Michael Damian), before marrying gardener-turned-business executive Brad Carlton (Don Diamont).
Longtime fan favorite Terry Lester, who played Jack Abbott, left the show in 1989 and blamed her partly, claiming that the excessive airtime given to Cricket drowned out the other performers.
Chris, who was saving herself for marriage, then had an unconsummated romance with Scott Grainger (which ended abruptly when he was revealed to be her half-brother) and was later a victim of a "date-rape" where Derek raped Christine.
At one point in 1996, the show hinted at a romance between Christine and the much older Victor Newman, but negative viewer reaction killed the story.
[citation needed] As a response, Tonya Lee Williams and Victoria Rowell joined The Young and the Restless in the early 1990s as the Barber sisters, Olivia and Drucilla, nieces of the Abbott's maid Mamie Johnson (Veronica Redd).
[citation needed] Indeed, a pairing in the late 1990s between Neil Winters and Victoria Newman was axed by CBS executives, who were rumored to have received many angry phone calls and letters by viewers in the South.
[citation needed] In 2004, a love affair between Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) and chemist Damon Porter (Keith Hamilton Cobb) was prominently featured, despite concerns that the interracial pairing would be scrapped just like the one that was written before.
From 1999 to 2004, David Lago played Raul Guittierez, a member of a Cuban family who became part of a circle of friends that included Billy, Mackenzie, J.T.
In 1994, the Vietnamese Volien family was introduced to the show, consisting of Luan (Elizabeth Sung) and her two children, Keemo (Philip Moon) and Mai (Marianne Rees).
Luan and Jack quickly rekindle their old flame and get married in a ceremony that incorporated Vietnamese and Western traditions, and then she is suddenly diagnosed with a terminal unnamed disease.
While heavy recasting is considered to have doomed some series such as Ryan's Hope and Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, The Young and the Restless' has been successful at replacing some of its lead characters with other actors.
And Jess Walton, who took over the role of Jill Foster Abbott after original cast member Brenda Dickson was fired in 1987 amid a fallout with producers, has earned two Emmys.
The role of Colleen Carlton, Brad and Traci's daughter, who had been played by Lyndsy Fonseca for several years was recast in January 2006 with Adrianne Leon.
1999 brought forth a new teen scene on The Young and the Restless, including Jill Abbott's now teenage son Billy Abbott, his rich girlfriend Brittany Hodges, his friend Raul Guittierez, Raul's girlfriend Rianna Miner, and the "plain Jane" oddball Mackenzie Browning, later revealed to be Katherine Chancellor's granddaughter.
Victor found himself at odds with his children - Nicholas and Victoria - as well as Nikki and his longtime rival Jack over his unethical business dealings in his life.
Victor's downfall forced him to explore some of his inner demons, including coming face-to-face with his now elderly father, played by veteran character actor George Kennedy.
Despite his inexperience, Victor was impressed by Adam's educational background and work ethic and brought him into the Newman Enterprises Senior Management team.
In 2004, Jill's birth father Arthur Hendricks (David Hedison) briefly visited, and mother and daughter fought over him while Kay again battled her drinking problem.
Victims trapped inside the rubble were: Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman), Sharon Abbott (Sharon Case), Nicholas Newman (Joshua Morrow), a pregnant Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle), Adrian Korbel (Eyal Podell), Noah Newman (Hunter Allan), Amber Moore (Adrienne Frantz), Paul Williams (Doug Davidson), Lauren Fenmore Baldwin (Tracey E. Bregman), Detective Maggie Sullivan (Tammy Lauren), Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper), Cane Ashby (Daniel Goddard) and J.T.