Judging from next week’s promo and episode synopses, it’s clear thatThe Young and the Restlesshas completely forgotten why fans watch, and it has no intention of remembering any time soon. The business machinations happening right now between the Newmans, the Abbotts, and Cane Ashby are still taking up the lion’s share of the screentime each episode.
That was admittedly broken up by the briefly fun murder mystery when it turned outCarter was theYoung & the Restlessculprit who killed both Damian and Chance. Yet, even that development created more of a problem for the show, which has seemingly lost its way. Gone are the fun romances, the great characters, and the high stakes that people actually care about.
Hopefully,newThe Young & the Restlessproducer Jill Farren Phelpscan change that, but she has her work cut out for her. Next week’s episode synopses certainly don’t seem to indicate that the soap’s main focus on business will change any time soon.
What’s Happening This Week On The Young & The Restless: August 11-15
I’ll save you some time: What’s happening is more discussions about hostile corporate takeovers and shady business maneuverings. It’s disappointing, but at this point, are any of us surprised? While the move back to Genoa City has finally opened up the show beyond the French estate setting for a few other storylines, the primary focus is still on Cane Ashby and the grenade he lobbed into the middle of the incestuous business community of the town:
The ultra-short promo video for this week only further serves to underscore that while there may be a few other side stories happening, the main event will still be the business brawl brewing in Genoa City.
The Soap Has Forgotten About Romance & Couples We Can Root For
It’s fair to say thatThe Young and the Restlesshas lost its way. While plotlines involving business sabotage and backstabbing can be entertaining, they’ve overtaken the entire soap opera to the detriment of everything else.Y&Rnow feels like it’s trying too hard to be its own version ofSuccession. The problem is,Successiononly works if you have really compelling characters, and right now,The Young and the Restlessdoesn’t.
While the big companies of Genoa City have always been a part of the world ofY&R, romance and character development used to be just as important – and even more important, at least where romantic entanglements were concerned. The soap opera was beloved for its handling of slow-burn romances with couples you really wanted to root for.
The characters and the build-up made them power couples, but now that core element of the show has been stifled for cutthroat business storylines no one cares for. And when there is a romantic coupling, it’s usually brief and feels unearned. Few couples right now truly feel like they’re a match for one another, as though there’s a depth of meaning to their connection. It simply feels like the writers are smashing together dolls and saying, “Now kiss,” before swapping in another one.
Fixing Y&R’s Problem Won’t Be Such A Quick Fix
The problem is, even ifY&Rstarts reintroducing romantic storylines, such as the inevitable one involving Daniel catching feelings for Tessa, it won’t mean anything. Romance only works if the audience cares for the characters, and right now, it’s awfully hard to truly care about any ofThe Young and the Restless’cast of characters. They’ve been sidelined and allowed to languish too long.
Compounding that problem is the fact thatY&Rhas reduced the focus, gotten rid of, or killed off so many of its younger characters to inject some new life and fresh chemistry into the show. As great as Eric Braeden is as Victor Newman, it’s time to take the spotlight off of him and put it on other, younger characters. For too long, he’s felt like the protagonist when a soap opera is meant to be an ensemble.
The Young and the Restlesshas its work cut out for it. It needs to start winding down the business drama plotlines that have lost the interest of so many and reintroduce strong character writing. Whether that takes the form of great characters who we love to root for or genuinely compelling villains, the show needs to get back what it’s always done best. Otherwise, it will continue to feel like a show that has completely lost its identity.
