The Series is Number One in Viewers, W18-49 and W25-54 This Season
Fan Favorite Michael Damian Returns for Several Episodes
This week, CBS's THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS celebrates a record 1,000 weeks as the highest rated daytime drama. The series, which first hit Number One more than 19 years ago in December 1988, was the highest rated daytime drama in households (4.2/18) for the 1,000th week in a row for the week of February 25-29, 2008. The program also ranks first in viewers (5.78m), W18-49 (2.0/13) and W25-54 (2.6/16) this season.
In addition, the show will celebrate 35 years on the air on March 26, 2008. THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS' 35th anniversary storyline revolves around Restless Style Magazine, a print and web-based magazine run by Nick and Phyllis Newman (Joshua Morrow and Michelle Stafford) and Jack and Sharon Abbott (Peter Bergman and Sharon Case). In the March 26 episode, a launch party is thrown by the magazine during which surprises occur, former favorites return and old rivalries are renewed. Fan favorite Michael Damian, who played "Danny Romalotti" from 1981-1990, 1993-1998 and 2002-2004, returns for several episodes, and actors Eileen Davidson and Lesli Kay cross over from sister show "The Bold and the Beautiful" as their characters attend the Restless Style party.
"Reaching the milestones of 1,000 weeks at Number One and 35 years on the air simultaneously is unheard of in this industry, it is a testament to the work of an extraordinary team of storytellers both in front of and behind the cameras," said Barbara Bloom, Senior Vice President, Daytime Programs, CBS. "Our congratulations go out to the Bell Family, to Sony and to the entire cast and crew on these remarkable achievements."
"My goal is to continue the tradition started by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell 35 years ago of telling powerful, passionate and romantic stories," said Josh Griffith, Executive Producer and Head Writer of THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. "I am honored to be working with such an amazing cast and crew who, every day, bring Genoa City to life for the millions of viewers who have made THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS the Number One daytime drama for the past 19 years."
"We have had the privilege of working with the most talented group of people, both on the show and at CBS, for the past 35 years. To see everyone at THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS recognized for this incredible achievement of 1,000 weeks at number one is a testament to all of their hard work and to our fans' loyalty to this incredible show," said Steve Kent, Senior Executive Vice President, Programming, Sony Pictures Television.
Set in the Midwestern town of Genoa City, Wis., THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS originally premiered in 1973 as a half-hour drama, but was extended to an hour in 1980. The late William J. Bell and his wife, Lee Phillip Bell, co-created the series; he was head writer and senior executive producer. Beginning in June 2001, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS was the first (and only to date) daytime drama to be broadcast in high-definition.
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS is the only daytime drama to receive 100 Daytime Emmy Awards, and has received a total of 334 nominations. The show has been awarded the Emmy for "Outstanding Daytime Drama" seven times. THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS remains topical and revolutionary, entertaining as well as educating its audience daily on a variety of topics, which have included alcoholism, smoking, breast cancer awareness, sexual harassment, date rape, illiteracy, HIV drug testing, domestic violence, drug addiction, Internet predators and foster care.
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS is broadcast weekdays (12:30-1:30 PM; 11:00 AM-12:00 Noon, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and is produced by Bell Dramatic Serial Company, in association with Sony Pictures Television.
On the Web: www.cbs.com/daytime/yr/
(NOTE TO EDITORS: To download photographic images from THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, please visit http://www.cbspressexpress.com/)
The Young and the Restless logo
The popular American soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', currently the reigning Emmy Award-winner for best daytime drama, celebrated 35 years on the air Wednesday. 

The 35th anniversary also comes after the series, known colloquially as ''Y&R'', marked its 1,000th straight week as the highest-rated soap opera in a daytime slot. In addition to keeping the #1 spot every week since December 1988, ''Y&R'' has also been the top-rated soap in the African-American demographic since 1991. 

A trend-setter since the beginning, ''Y&R'' relied on character-driven storytelling, accentuated with understated sexuality from its cast, which at that time was mostly young, in order to bring in teenage and twentysomething viewers who were ignored by soap producers and networks up to that time. These traits immediately set ''Y&R'' apart from other soap operas, and other soaps have since mimicked '''''s formulaic approach to offering something for everyone, especially younger viewers. 

Since premiering on March 26, 1973, ''Y&R'' has become a worldwide cultural institution in its own right, racking up an impressive 100 Emmy Awards between the writers, producers, cast and crew since 1974. The show has aired in over 100 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, and Turkey, and reaches a worldwide audience of ten million daily. So far-reaching was '''''s appeal that Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci chose the serial's theme song as accompanying music to her floor exercises at the 1976 Summer Olympics. In Australia, where ''Y&R'' has aired since 1974, the show was canceled by the original network that aired it in 2007, prompting a widespread fan backlash in that country. It was quickly moved to a pay channel.

Over the past 35 years, countless characters, marriages, divorces, births, deaths, and every joy and trauma in between have visited the residents of Genoa City, where ''Y&R'' is set. To commemorate the milestone, Mike Halterman from ''Wikinews'' interviewed three actresses who have played long-running characters on ''Y&R'', and asked them to share their memories. All three responded to questions about what being on ''Y&R'' means to them, what their favorite storylines were, what they perhaps would have wanted to do all over again, and what they'd love to tell their fans directly.

Below are portions of all three interviews.