THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: 2023 Best & Worst

B&B actually went there! After hemming and hawing about her conflicted feelings for her former stalker, Thomas (Matthew Atkinson), Hope (Annika Noelle) finally took a page from her mom Brooke's “keep it all in the family” philosophy and slept with her stepbrother. “Are you in love with Thomas?” asked Steffy. “We love what we’re doing right now,” hedged Hope. “Thope” fans loved it too, and their lusty connection became the show's most-talked about offering of the year (by a lot). Hope’s argument that Thomas loves her alone while she always had to share Liam with Steffy resonated with viewers because, well, because we watched that play out over years, and there's no question that breaking away from Liam and embracing her feelings for Thomas has completely reinvigorated Hope. She didn't just get her groove back — she found a new groove altogether, and in the process, the formerly unhinged Thomas has become a viable romantic lead.

It never rang true that Bill was going to turn Taylor in for shooting him (years ago) if her family tried to put Sheila in jail, and it got more far-fetched when he started wooing the psycho shooter, refusing to listen to his loved ones' pleas to come to his senses. Little Ms. Nine Toes should have known something was up when Bill proposed with a black diamond (“Just like Spencer’s heart,” sneered Deacon) but she inexplicably fell for Bill’s flowery words and decided to confess her “deepest secrets” to him in the interest of moving forward as a couple: Yes, she killed Lance. Bingo! That's when we learned that Bill and Ridge had actually been in cahoots all along (with each other and the FBI) to get solid proof against the nutcase and send her to jail. This head-scratcher of a plot ultimately lacked lasting impact, with Sheila conveniently getingt off on a technicality when Deacon bought off the judge.

It never rang true that Bill was going to turn Taylor in for shooting him (years ago) if her family tried to put Sheila in jail, and it got more far-fetched when he started wooing the psycho shooter, refusing to listen to his loved ones' pleas to come to his senses. Little Ms. Nine Toes should have known something was up when Bill proposed with a black diamond (“Just like Spencer’s heart,” sneered Deacon) but she inexplicably fell for Bill’s flowery words and decided to confess her “deepest secrets” to him in the interest of moving forward as a couple: Yes, she killed Lance. Bingo! That's when we learned that Bill and Ridge had actually been in cahoots all along (with each other and the FBI) to get solid proof against the nutcase and send her to jail. This head-scratcher of a plot ultimately lacked lasting impact, with Sheila conveniently getingt off on a technicality when Deacon bought off the judge.

Back in the day, Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang, r.) and Taylor (Krista Allen) were famous for catfighting over everything from Ridge to Nick to Taylor dating Brooke’s son Rick (ew). They hurled mud, water, cake, paint, fists and insults over three decades of battling until one day they decided men (specifically one man, Ridge) weren’t worth it. Giggly girls nights ensued as the women shopped and ordered takeout like long-lost sisters. Brooke — who has never been without a man in 36 years and has been wed 15 times — even promised to value her new bestie over Ridge. “I take our vow seriously,” Brooke told Taylor. “Men come and go, but a girlfriend can last forever.” Or at least until mid-2023, when Taylor urged Deacon to pursue Brooke and Brooke donned lingerie to “talk to" Ridge. Soon, Brooke and Ridge were reunited and Taylor… disappeared. So much for that sister (p)act.

It’s hard to build a new family on a soap. Fans resist it because newcomers take precious air time from longtime faves and soaps have a bad habit of shoving them down our throats. Not so with Finn’s family on B&B. He came on in 2020 and his adoptive mom Li Finnegan (Naomi Matsuda, r.) joined in 2021. The strength Li showed in her devotion to Finn and her battles with his bio mom, Sheila, endeared her to us, so we cheered when her family grew in 2023 with the introduction of her niece, Luna Nozawa (Lisa Yamada), and estranged sister, Poppy Nozawa, who carry with them a lingering family secret that tore this clan asunder. Luna caught R.J.'s eye — but we're even more intrigued that she also seemed to catch Zende's, setting up a juicy generation-next Forrester love triangle. The building blocks are there for something good (maybe bring back Li’s ex Jack?) so we hope this is a setup for a solid payoff in 2024.

The year began with Bill pretending to woo Sheila to get her to confess to her crimes, his son Liam (Scott Clifton, l.) warning Hope not to rehire her stalker Thomas, and his other son Wyatt (Darin Brooks) reduced to serving as a bemused and amusing talk-to for both of them. Bill’s plan failed, and he lost Katie to Carter (and Brooke to Ridge). Liam’s warning failed, and he lost Hope to Thomas. Wyatt just… faded away… and now all three entertaining men are in storyline mothballs. The Spencers are rich core characters who run Spencer Publications and have been a vital family on B&B since Bill’s father, Bill Spencer, Sr. objected to his daughter Caroline marrying Ridge back in the show's infancy. We're left with a lot of questions regarding this clan — Did Liam give up on Hope and/or Steffy? Does Wyatt still live in Los Angeles? What happened to Li and Bill’s flirtation? — and precious few answers.

Yes, the Italian location was stunning, but after so many decades of makeups and breakups, their latest reconciliation felt hokey and rushed. About a nanosecond after her friendship pact with Taylor went kaput, Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) was practically begging Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) to take her back and boo-hooing that he wasn't calling her by her nickname, while Ridge hand-wrung over whether "destiny" was really a thing. Once in Rome, a cannon that goes off every day at the same time was suddenly a “sign", and Ridge looking through an old keyhole and seeing Brooke somehow cemented his love for her after three decades. “I will love you for all eternity,” vowed Ridge. “And I will love you forever,” responded Brooke. This, after eight weddings to each other where they promised the exact same thing! All in all, "Bridge's" re-coupling felt like a hard sell, not an organic reunion. How do you say “enough already” in Italian?