What’s In! What’s Out! Young And The Restless

In! The Newmans For decades, the Newmans have been a shining jewel in Y&R’s crown, and each and every member of the family is currently glittering in a storyline of their own. We feared that Victor would be sidelined after retiring from Newman Enterprises; instead, he came roaring back with a new media company, one that’s more cutting edge than the stodgy conglomerate he left behind. Nikki is splitting her duties between serving as the COO at Newman and refereeing various family squabbles, while daughter Victoria, who has succeeded her daddy as CEO, is breathing new life into Newman and has made an unexpected love connection with dashing (albeit apparently doomed) Ashland. Nick is bucking corporate life in favor of running a nonprofit while making a strong go of his rekindled relationship with Phyllis, and his daughter with Nick is navigating teen angst and young love with Moses. And, of course, there’s Adam, who is still stealing scenes and turning heads as the town pariah tries to overhaul his image.

Out! The Abbotts Sadly, after a strong several years of storyline as the show wended its way to the death of Dina, the Abbotts — a core family since 1982 — have been relegated to back-burner status. Jack, whose semi-romance with Sally flopped, is floundering, with little to do other than counsel exiting son Kyle and dote on his new grandson. His sisters, Ashley and Traci, only make intermittent appearances. And while it’s true that both Billy and Abby are front and center, they’re so embroiled in their own dramas that they’re rarely seen at the family manse, essentially islanded from their relatives and disconnected from their identity as Abbotts.

In! Long-Term Hotel Stays Phyllis’s boutique hotel, the Grand Phoenix, is packed with amenities (a luxurious day spa, world-class dining, a chic lounge), making it a coveted place to stay for those visiting Genoa City. But it’s become far more than a home away from home for weary travelers: a number of characters who obviously enjoy the perks of room service and fresh towels actually live there (like, permanently). Phyllis herself set up house in the hotel (we’re sure she’s given herself quite the employee discount on her nightly rate!), and her lover, Nick, might as well live there, given how much time he spends in her suite. Amanda has lived there since she arrived in 2019; Sally similarly settled in when she relocated from Los Angeles earlier this year; and Billy, Lily, Summer and Kyle only recently checked out after their own extended stays

Out! On-Screen Mysteries Y&R seems to have developed an allergy for telling mysteries that unfold in real time. In fact, the last two big “whodunits” the show has featured took place 1) off-screen 2) outside of Genoa City and 3) decades ago. First up was the show’s protracted, front-burner exploration into the death of A.J. Montalvo, a nefarious fella who lived near Hope’s farm in Kansas. Turns out, one night an 11-year-old Adam accidentally killed him, and Victor was summoned to cover it up. The event parked itself deep inside Adam’s psyche, only to emerge out of nowhere in 2020 — and land with a thud (earning Digest’s “Worst Story” honors for the year). But the show doubled down on its gamble that fans would invest in a potboiler predicated on events they didn’t actually see happen, and turned its attention to the death of Amanda’s birth father, Richard Nealon, which proved not to be as accidental as Naya had made it out to be; her ambitious father, Sutton, had actually murdered him, convinced that news of his daughter’s out-of-wedlock pregnancy hitting the press — and not, say, him committing a murder — would derail his political career. While both sagas were filled with great performances, and at least in the latter the deep-dive into history didn’t rewrite established story, we think viewers are ready for this trend to retire.

In! Crossovers Character cross-pollination between Y&R and B&B is a decades-long tradition, but the disgraced Sally Spectra pulling up stakes from L.A. to start over in Genoa City kicked off a frenzy of inter-soap action that hasn’t been seen since the Sheila and Lauren days. Sally’s sneaky ways drew suspicion from Summer, who went on a fact-finding mission on the West Coast, bringing her into contact with Wyatt, Flo and Bill. Bill soon jetted to Wisconsin to shake up Sally (allowing for a dose of wink, wink inside jokes nodding to portrayer Don Diamont’s Y&R history as Brad), sending her back to Forrester country to ask a special favor of Eric. And most recently, Sally’s web of lies really began to unravel when Phyllis made her own trek to La-La Land for her own powwow with Eric.