This guide covers the spring 1998–spring 1999 anniversary-year period, using March 23, 1998–March 26, 1999 as its working boundaries. Historical databases disagree about the precise season divisions, so the episode total and some minor casting details remain unconfirmed.

1. Number of episodes

I could not establish a reliable full-season episode count. TheTVDB lists just 16 entries for Season 26, while another catalogue lists 129; both are incomplete historical listings and should not be treated as the number originally broadcast. The season represents approximately a year of weekday broadcasts. TheTVDB.com

2. Characters and actors, alphabetically by surname

The following is a reconstructed roster of the principal, recurring and child characters associated with this period. It is not a verified list of every credited guest appearance. Children’s casting records are particularly uneven.

Character	Actor
Ashley Abbott	portrayed by Shari Shattuck; Eileen Davidson
Billy Abbott	portrayed by Scotty Leavenworth
Jack Abbott	portrayed by Peter Bergman
Jill Foster Abbott	portrayed by Jess Walton
John Abbott	portrayed by Jerry Douglas
Michael Baldwin	portrayed by Christian LeBlanc
Lynne Bassett	portrayed by Laura Bryan Birn
Christine Blair Williams	portrayed by Lauralee Bell
Brad Carlton	portrayed by Don Diamont
Katherine Chancellor	portrayed by Jeanne Cooper
Phillip Chancellor IV	portrayed by Nicholas Pappone
Doris Collins	portrayed by Karen Hensel
Keith Dennison	portrayed by Granville Van Dusen
Megan Dennison	portrayed by Ashley Jones
Tricia Dennison McNeil	portrayed by Sabryn Genet
Al Fenton	portrayed by Vasili Bogazianos
Nate Hastings	portrayed by Bryant Jones
Cole Howard	portrayed by J. Eddie Peck
Eve Nicole Howard	infant performer not reliably identified
Diane Jenkins Newman	portrayed by Alex Donnelley
Alice Johnson	portrayed by Tamara Clatterbuck
Millie Johnson	portrayed by Ernestine Mercer
Esther Valentine	portrayed by Kate Linder

These cast histories establish the principal performers and several recurring roles, although their year ranges do not independently verify every appearance within the season’s boundaries. Wikipedia

Character	Actor
Joshua Landers	portrayed by Heath Kizzier
Veronica Landers / “Sarah”	portrayed by Candice Daly
Brooke Logan	portrayed by Katherine Kelly Lang — B&B crossover
Leanna Love	portrayed by Barbara Crampton
Ryan McNeil	portrayed by Scott Reeves
Alec Moretti	portrayed by Andre Khabbazi
Brett Nelson	portrayed by Greg Lauren
Cassie Newman	portrayed by Camryn Grimes
Nicholas “Nick” Newman	portrayed by Joshua Morrow
Nikki Newman	portrayed by Melody Thomas Scott
Noah Newman	portrayed by Hunter Preisendorfer and C. J. Hunter
Sharon Newman	portrayed by Sharon Case
Victor Newman	portrayed by Eric Braeden
Victoria Newman	portrayed by Heather Tom
Ruth Perkins	portrayed by Leslie Bevis
Casey Reed	portrayed by Roberta Leighton
Miguel Rodriguez	portrayed by Anthony Peña
Callie Rogers	portrayed by Michelle Thomas; Siena Goines
Gina Roma	portrayed by Patty Weaver
Daniel Romalotti Jr.	portrayed by Chase MacKenzie Bebak; Roland Gibbons
Danny Romalotti	portrayed by Michael Damian
Mitchell Sherman	portrayed by William Wintersole
John Silva	portrayed by John Castellanos
Phyllis Summers	portrayed by Sandra Nelson
Nina Webster	portrayed by Tricia Cast
Carl Williams / “Jim”	portrayed by Brett Hadley
Mary Williams	portrayed by Carolyn Conwell
Paul Williams	portrayed by Doug Davidson
Drucilla Winters	portrayed by Victoria Rowell
Lily Winters	portrayed by Brooke Marie Bridges
Malcolm Winters	portrayed by Shemar Moore
Neil Winters	portrayed by Kristoff St. John
Olivia Winters	portrayed by Tonya Lee Williams

The child casting records identify Nicholas Pappone as Phillip, the two Noah performers, and Chase MacKenzie Bebak and Roland Gibbons as Daniel during the late 1990s. Brooke’s appearance is specifically documented in January 1999. Wikipedia

4. Main plots

Nikki’s shooting and Victor’s return

Veronica Landers, who has infiltrated the Newman household as “Sarah,” murders Joshua and shoots Nikki. Jack finds Nikki critically wounded, and Victor returns from his honeymoon with Diane. Nikki’s condition leads to a bedside wedding with Victor, followed by conflict over his existing marriage to Diane. Veronica remains a threat until the confrontation in the Newman stables. The opening week documents Joshua’s death and Nikki’s hospitalization. soapcentral.com

Cassie, Sharon and Nick

Sharon and Cassie begin building their relationship after the revelation that Sharon is her biological mother. Nick’s night with Grace damages his marriage, while Alice Johnson’s reappearance threatens Cassie’s place in the Newman family. The resulting custody conflict brings Christine and Michael into opposing positions. Jackson Dynasty

Victoria, Cole, Ashley and baby Eve

Cole’s relationship with Ashley ends his marriage to Victoria. Victoria becomes involved with Neil but discovers that she is pregnant with Cole’s child. Her premature delivery and the apparent death of their daughter, Eve, draw Victoria and Cole together in grief, leaving Ashley increasingly isolated. en.wikipedia.org

Katherine and Jill’s battle for the mansion

Jill discovers documents supporting a claim to the Chancellor estate. Their feud moves into court, with disputed testimony, manipulation and a fire intensifying the struggle over the house. Jackson Dynasty

Danny, Phyllis, Christine and Michael

Danny gains custody of Daniel, while his continuing feelings for Christine complicate her relationship with Paul. Michael donates a kidney after Danny is seriously injured, and Christine helps him regain his legal career. Danny subsequently leaves with Daniel. Phyllis also becomes involved with Jack. Jackson Dynasty

Paul discovers that Carl is alive

Christine’s investigation leads to Norfolk, where Carl is living as “Jim” with Ruth Perkins. Paul recognizes his father, but Carl’s amnesia prevents him from recognizing Paul. The discovery raises painful questions for Mary and the rest of the Williams family. soapcentral.com

Other continuing stories

Ryan marries Tricia, and Phillip struggles with his new stepmother. Callie’s arrival unsettles Malcolm and Olivia’s marriage. Brad’s return strengthens Jack’s plans against Victor, while Diane’s divorce dispute creates further pressure on Newman Enterprises. soapcentral.com

5. Births

Child	Parents	Date and circumstances
Eve Nicole Howard	Victoria Newman and Cole Howard	Born prematurely in November 1998. I could not securely establish the delivery’s exact broadcast date.

November 16, 1998 is firmly documented as the episode in which Victoria names the baby Eve and Cole tells her that their daughter has died. It should not automatically be used as the birth date. soapcentral.com

A later continuity change matters here: in 2023, the show reveals that Victoria and Cole’s biological daughter survived and became Claire, while another infant was substituted at the hospital. For a Season 26 synopsis, Eve’s death should therefore be described as the apparent death presented at the time. Fandom

6. Recasts and SORAS

Character	Casting change	Date
Ashley Abbott	Shari Shattuck replaced by returning original actress Eileen Davidson	Shattuck’s final appearance: February 22, 1999; Davidson’s return: March 19, 1999
Tony Viscardi	Nick Scotti replaced by Jay Bontatibus	Scotti’s final appearance: January 22, 1999; Bontatibus’s debut: February 5, 1999
Callie Rogers	Michelle Thomas replaced by Siena Goines	1998; exact handover date not verified
Daniel Romalotti Jr.	Chase MacKenzie Bebak followed by Roland Gibbons	1998; exact handover date not verified

Ashley and Tony’s changes were adult recasts. Callie and Daniel’s performer changes are recorded in the historical cast lists. en.wikipedia.org

No child-to-adult SORAS was securely established within this period. Billy’s major age jump to David Tom belongs to June 1999, outside this guide’s spring cutoff. Daniel’s teenage SORAS occurs in 2004. Fandom

7. New characters

Character	Performer	Introduction
Alice Johnson	Tamara Clatterbuck	1998; Cassie’s adoptive mother enters the custody storyline
Al Fenton	Vasili Bogazianos	1998; associated with Alice
Callie Rogers	Michelle Thomas, later Siena Goines	1998; Malcolm’s former girlfriend
Ruth Perkins	Leslie Bevis	1998; Carl’s partner during his life as “Jim”
Brett Nelson	Greg Lauren	1998; becomes involved with Nina
Eve Nicole Howard	Unverified infant performer	November 1998

Exact debut dates remain unverified for these entries. Historical casting records confirm the 1998 introductions. Wikipedia

8. Departures

Character	Departure
Joshua Landers	His murder and its aftermath conclude his storyline in March 1998
Veronica Landers	Dies on August 20, 1998
Danny Romalotti	Leaves in 1998, taking Daniel on an extended concert tour
Daniel Romalotti Jr.	Leaves with Danny in 1998
John Abbott	Leaves Genoa City for an extended stay away during 1998

The precise final broadcast dates for Danny, Daniel and John were not established. soapcentral.com

9. Returns

Character	Return
Brad Carlton — portrayed by Don Diamont	Returns in 1998 after his earlier departure
Carl Williams — portrayed by Brett Hadley	Reappears in 1998, living as “Jim”
Casey Reed — portrayed by Roberta Leighton	Returns in March 1998 during Nikki’s medical crisis
Leanna Love — portrayed by Barbara Crampton	Returns in 1998
Ashley Abbott — portrayed by Eileen Davidson	Original performer returns on March 19, 1999

Ashley’s entry is primarily a performer return and recast, since the character had continued under Shari Shattuck. Wikipedia

10. Weddings

Couple	Date	Notes
Victor Newman and Nikki Newman	Spring 1998; exact ceremony date not verified	Bedside ceremony following Nikki’s shooting; its validity is complicated by Victor’s marriage to Diane
Cole Howard and Ashley Abbott	1998; exact date not verified	Marriage follows Cole and Victoria’s divorce
Ryan McNeil and Tricia Dennison	1998; exact date not verified	Phillip struggles to accept Tricia as his stepmother

Victor and Nikki’s ceremony should not be presented as an uncomplicated legal remarriage. en.wikipedia.org

11. Deaths

Character	Date	Circumstances
Joshua Landers	March 1998, around the season boundary	Shot by Veronica; his death is confirmed in the opening week’s recaps
Veronica Landers	August 20, 1998	Fatally impaled on a bale hook during the confrontation in the Newman stables
Eve Nicole Howard — apparent death	November 16, 1998	Cole informs Victoria that their premature daughter has died; later retconned

Joshua’s shooting belongs to the transition between the two anniversary-year periods, so his inclusion depends on the precise season boundary used. soapcentral.com

12. Y&R / B&B Crossovers

Y&R characters appearing in B&B

Character	Performer	Dates	Story
Jack Abbott	Peter Bergman	December 24 and 28, 1998	Meets the Forresters over a potential Jabot fragrance partnership connected with Brooke’s Bedroom
Victor Newman	Eric Braeden	January 25–28, 1999	Meets Brooke in Los Angeles and participates in her effort to make Ridge jealous
Lauren Fenmore	Tracey E. Bregman	Ongoing B&B presence during this period	A Y&R-origin character already established on B&B, rather than a new short visit

The Jack dates are recorded in Bergman’s crossover credits; Victor’s visit is dated January 25–28 in the crossover chronology. library.futurelabz.dev

B&B characters appearing in Y&R

Character	Performer	Dates	Story
Brooke Logan	Katherine Kelly Lang	January 6–8, 1999	Visits Genoa City for the Brooke’s Bedroom business storyline involving Victor, Jack and Brad

Some broad crossover summaries incorrectly place Brooke’s visit under 1998. Her character history and the January 7 episode record support January 6–8, 1999. Her next visit, May 11, 1999, falls outside this season’s working cutoff. en.wikipedia.org

At Tony’s urging, Grace revealed to Sharon that Cassie was the daughter she gave up for adoption. Meanwhile, Cassie’s adoptive mother resurfaced and demanded that Millie tell her who had taken Cassie. Nick was stunned when Sharon revealed that Cassie was her daughter. Nikki and Victor were also surprised. After serious soul-searching, Nick told Sharon he would accept Cassie and their marriage was back on track. Grace became engaged to Tony but continued to be interested in Nick. Later, Sharon suspected Grace’s attraction to Nick. Meanwhile, Megan ended her romance with Alec and became intrigued by Tony. Nick was disappointed when Sharon couldn’t join him on a business trip. Drunk and despondent, Nick made love to Grace. The next day, Nick regretted his actions. To Nick’s surprise, Sharon managed to make the trip. Unfortunately, Sharon overheard Nick and Grace discussing their night of lovemaking. Despondent, she rushed out and was struck by a car. She survived her wounds. Later, Sharon told Tony about Nick and Grace. Shortly after, Sharon confronted Nick with the truth and refused to accept his apology. Meanwhile, in an effort to save his marriage, Nick demanded to Jack that Grace be fired. Instead, Jack transferred Grace and made her Brad’s assistant. Chris advised Sharon not to leave the ranch. Instead, Nick moved out. Meanwhile, Nick grew closer to Megan and opened up about the history of his relationship with Grace.

Alice called every Collins in the phone book, trying to locate Sharon. Later, Alice discovered that Sharon left school because she was pregnant, and that her best friend was Grace Turner. She phoned Grace, claiming to be someone who was updating the school directory and asked for information about Sharon. Suspicious, Grace tried to tell Nick, but he wasn’t interested in hearing anything that she had to say. Later, Alice paid a surprise visit to Grace. When Alice questioned Grace about Sharon’s whereabouts, Grace played dumb. Shortly after, Grace sought legal advice from Michael and learned that the courts could back up Alice’s claim that she had a legal right to Cassie. Grace became more nervous after Michael said that the friends who brought Cassie to Genoa City could face criminal charges.

Victoria was promoted to the presidency of Brash and Sassy. In a misguided effort to keep Ashley and Cole apart, Victoria got Cole drunk and then made love to him. Nevertheless, Cole told Victoria he wanted a divorce. Reluctantly, she agreed to his request. Meanwhile, after Dru accepted a modeling contract out of town and left with Lily, Victoria and Neil began dating. After a dizzy spell, Victoria learned she was pregnant with Cole’s baby. Victoria broke the news to Neil. Cole and Victoria were officially divorced. Eventually, Victoria admitted to Cole he was the father of her unborn baby. Shortly after, he married Ashley. In the fall, Dru returned to Genoa City and was surprised to discover that Neil was involved with Victoria. She shocked Neil by announcing that she wanted a divorce. Soon after, their divorce was finalized. Victoria was rushed to the hospital with an appendicitis attack and was forced to give birth prematurely to a baby daughter. Victoria named her Eve. When she suggested to Cole that they baptize their daughter, Victoria realized from the sadness in Cole’s eyes that the baby had died. Devastated, Victoria and Cole, who grew closer in their mutual grief. Meanwhile, Victoria accepted Nikki’s invitation to recuperate at the ranch. Ashley received a mysterious call and temporarily left for Europe. On New Year’s Eve, Cole surprised Ashley in Paris.

Sasha’s manuscript was introduced as evidence in Danny and Phyllis’s custody battle for Daniel. Ultimately, the judge awarded custody of the child to Danny, which devastated Phyllis. Later, Danny admitted to Chris that he still loved her, which infuriated Paul. Phyllis moved in with Michael. Meanwhile, Danny was mugged and seriously injured. In a surprise move to save Danny’s life, Michael donated a kidney. When Chris learned the truth, she reluctantly helped Michael regain his license to practice law. After Danny’s recovery, Chris announced that she was still in love with Paul and they reconciled. Danny left town with Daniel on an extended concert tour.

Paul’s dad, Carl, resurfaced in another town with a new life as Jim. He also had a girlfriend, Ruth. Chris investigated Carl’s disappearance eventually discovered that Carl was alive and living under a new identity in another town. She struggled over whether to tell Mary and Paul. Shortly after, Paul, who suspected that Chris was having an affair with Danny, followed her to Norfolk, where he came face-to-face with his dad. Paul was stunned that Carl didn’t recognize him. Meanwhile, Charlie proposed marriage to Mary and she accepted.

Diane was livid when she learned Nikki was responsible for Victor’s vasectomy. Meanwhile, Veronica stopped taking her mood medication and began dating Miguel. Soon after, she revealed her true identity to Josh. They fought and Veronica shot him dead. When Nikki returned home, Veronica also shot her. With Nikki near death, Victor agreed to remarry her. When Nikki suddenly recovered, Victor decided to stay married to her, which broke Diane’s heart. Meanwhile, Veronica ditched her disguise as Sarah and became involved with an unsuspecting Miguel. Miguel proposed to Veronica and she accepted. Eventually, Cole and Victor realized that Veronica was also Sarah. In the stables, Veronica tried to shoot Nikki, but Victor intervened, and, in the scuffle, Veronica fell to her death. Meanwhile, Diane hired Michael as her lawyer and promptly filed a hefty lawsuit against Victor. At Michael’s urging, Diane appeared on The Leanna Love Show and discussed her relationship with Victor. On another front, Jack persuaded Brad to return to Genoa City in an effort to overthrow Newman Enterprises. Shortly after, Victor promoted Brad to a top-level position, working alongside Jack. Victor requested that Brad keep an eye on Jack. Later, Jack and Phyllis began a secret affair. Unknown to Jack, Phyllis worked as a spy for Victor. When Victor became preoccupied with his divorce from Diane, he stepped down from Newman Enterprises and temporarily turned the company over to Jack and Brad.

Tricia and Ryan made love for the first time. When Ryan and Tricia became engaged, Phillip became upset. Ryan and Tricia married. Nina wished them the best and moved forward with her own life. Meanwhile, Phillip had trouble accepting Tricia as a step-mom.

Keith proposed to Jill, but she turned him down. After moving in with Katherine, Jill started snooping and found documents that suggested she was the rightful owner of the Chancellor mansion. Livid, Katherine threw her out. With John Silva as her lawyer, Jill filed a lawsuit against Katherine for ownership of the Chancellor mansion. Jill tracked down a former housekeeper of Katherine’s named Beatrice and bribed her to lie in court against Katherine. When a fire broke out at the mansion, Jill successfully persuaded a judge to temporarily evict Katherine. Meanwhile, Michael agreed to represent Katherine. In court, Beatrice testified that Jill had given her money.

Callie, an old girlfriend of Malcolm’s showed up in Genoa City. When Olivia learned of Callie, she worried that Malcolm might still be interested in her. But Malcolm assured Olivia he wasn’t. Gina hired Callie to sing at her restaurant.

John Abbott left town for an extended trip.

Season dates: March 26, 1997–March 25, 1998. Episode count: 254, from episode #6087 through #6340, using the show’s March anniversary as the season boundary. Some streaming catalogues instead label only October 1997–March 1998 as Season 25 and list 117 episodes; that is an incomplete season under the anniversary-year convention used here. feuxdelamour.com

Cast

The following is an identified season cast, alphabetized by character surname. Surviving public episode records do not establish every guest performer or the actor playing every infant, so I cannot responsibly call it a complete credit-by-credit list.

Character	Performer
Jack Abbott	portrayed by Peter Bergman
John Abbott	portrayed by Jerry Douglas
Katherine Chancellor	portrayed by Jeanne Cooper
Christine Blair	portrayed by Lauralee Bell
Keith Dennison	portrayed by Granville Van Dusen
Megan Dennison	portrayed by Ashley Jones
Tricia Dennison	portrayed by Sabryn Genet
Jill Foster Abbott	portrayed by Jess Walton
Gina Roma	portrayed by Patty Weaver
Cole Howard	portrayed by J. Eddie Peck
Diane Jenkins	portrayed by Alex Donnelley
Veronica Landers, also posing as Sarah	portrayed by Candice Daly
Joshua Landers	portrayed by Heath Kizzier
Michael Baldwin	portrayed by Christian LeBlanc
Ryan McNeil	portrayed by Scott Reeves
Nina Webster McNeil	portrayed by Tricia Cast
Cassie Newman	portrayed by Camryn Grimes
Nicholas Newman	portrayed by Joshua Morrow
Nikki Newman	portrayed by Melody Thomas Scott
Noah Newman	portrayed by child performers whose individual season credits require verification
Sharon Newman	portrayed by Sharon Case
Victor Newman	portrayed by Eric Braeden
Victoria Newman	portrayed by Heather Tom
Paul Williams	portrayed by Doug Davidson
Drucilla Winters	portrayed by Victoria Rowell
Lily Winters	portrayed by Brooke Marie Bridges
Malcolm Winters	portrayed by Shemar Moore
Nate Hastings Jr.	portrayed by child performers whose individual season credits require verification
Neil Winters	portrayed by Kristoff St. John
Olivia Barber Winters	portrayed by Tonya Lee Williams
Grace Turner	portrayed by Jennifer Gareis
Tony Viscardi	portrayed by Nick Scotti

Cassie and Lily are included deliberately: Camryn Grimes was playing Cassie by March 1997, and Brooke Marie Bridges played Lily during this period. Michael Baldwin’s return falls in 1997. THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

Major plots

• Nikki, Joshua and Veronica: Nikki’s relationship with Joshua Landers becomes the centre of a dangerous story involving his former wife Veronica, who conceals her identity as “Sarah.” In March 1998, Nikki is shot and Joshua dies. Victor cuts short his honeymoon to return to Nikki’s bedside. soapcentral.com
• Victor, Diane and Nikki: Victor’s romance and marriage with Diane Jenkins are shadowed by his enduring attachment to Nikki. Her shooting brings those conflicting loyalties to a crisis. soapcentral.com
• Sharon’s daughter Cassie: Cassie, the daughter Sharon had given up for adoption, becomes part of the Newman family story. Her first appearance was March 19, 1997, one week before the season boundary used here. Grace and Tony’s search for her belongs to the surrounding storyline. IMDb
• Nina, Ryan and Tricia: Ryan and Nina’s marriage unravels as Ryan grows close to Tricia Dennison. Their divorce is granted during the final week of the season. soapcentral.com
• The Winters family: Neil and Drucilla face tensions over family and her career, while Malcolm and Olivia’s relationship remains part of the family’s story. soapcentral.com

Births, recasts and cast movements

Category	What can be established for this season
Births	I found no reliably dated on-screen birth within March 26, 1997–March 25, 1998. Noah Newman and Cassie Newman should not be listed as births of this season. Cassie’s March 1997 event was her introduction, not her birth. IMDb
Child recasts / SORAS	Lily Winters — Brooke Marie Bridges was already playing the child Lily in 1997. I could not substantiate a child-to-adult SORAS during this season. en.wikipedia.org
Other recast	Veronica Landers — Candice Daly took over from Tracy Lindsey Melchior in 1997. The available records do not pin the handover to a verified episode date. en.wikipedia.org
New characters	The Dennison family and Veronica are important to the season, but their introductions began before March 26, 1997. Cassie likewise debuted March 19. Calling them Season 25 debuts would shift their dates. IMDb
Return	Michael Baldwin, portrayed by Christian LeBlanc, returned in 1997. CBS’s later biography gives April 1997. THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
Departures	Joshua Landers dies near the end of the season. Ryan and Nina separate, but both characters remain on the show. soapcentral.com

Marriages and deaths

Event	Date and qualification
Victor Newman and Diane Jenkins marry	1997; I could not verify the precise broadcast date from the records consulted.
Joshua Landers dies	Week of March 23, 1998, following Nikki’s shooting. The contemporary weekly recap confirms the event but does not, in the material checked, establish a safe single-day date. soapcentral.com
Ryan McNeil and Nina Webster McNeil divorce	Week of March 23, 1998. This is a divorce, not a death or a new marriage. soapcentral.com

Victor and Nikki’s subsequent remarriage, and Ryan and Tricia’s marriage, belong to 1998, but I have not included them as Season 25 weddings without a verified date placing them on or before March 25. soapcentral.com

Y&R / B&B Crossovers

Direction	Season 25 finding
Y&R characters appearing on B&B	I found no dated appearance within March 26, 1997–March 25, 1998 that I can verify. Jack Abbott’s documented B&B appearance on December 29, 1998 falls in the following season. Jackson Dynasty
B&B characters appearing on Y&R	I found no verified appearance within these season dates.
Shared characters	Sheila Carter’s continuing B&B run does not itself constitute a new crossover appearance during this Y&R season. en.wikipedia.org

Research limit: The cast list and event tables above distinguish verified appearances from characters who were merely active in the broader 1997–1998 period. A genuinely complete list, including every child and guest performer, would require episode-by-episode closing credits or CBS production records; the accessible season catalogues alone do not provide that evidence.

On New Year’s Eve, Danny surprised Phyllis by proposing marriage and she quickly accepted. Chris and Paul received news from the police department that they were closing the two-year investigation on their hit and run accident, which made Phyllis feel everything was coming up roses. However, in a New York hospital, Sasha vowed revenge against Phyllis. Arriving in Genoa City, Sasha informed Phyllis that her relationship to Peter was over and demanded $20,000 to start a new life, or she’d expose the truth about Phyllis’ blood test switch in New York to make it appear as though Danny were Daniel’s biological father. A meeting between Sasha and Chris set both Chris and Paul on a quest for the truth about Phyllis. Meanwhile, a fearful Phyllis hocked personal possessions — even her engagement ring — until she finally persuaded Dr. Tim Reid to loan her the money to payoff Sasha. But for insurance, Sasha distributed copies to various people of the manuscript detailing Phyllis’ scheme against Danny, but Sasha ended up killed in a fire in her hotel room. Despite having only circumstantial evidence, Chris and Paul were able to plant enough doubt in Danny’s mind that he got second blood tests done. Danny was furious when paternity tests revealed he wasn’t Daniel’s father. During Phyllis’ confession, Danny was almost brought to violence when he raised his hand to strike Phyllis. He immediately made plans to divorce Phyllis but also sought custody of Daniel, a boy he’d grown to love as his own. Chris agreed to represent him.

Christine was horrified to learn that her old nemesis, Michael Baldwin, was up for parole. Despite Chris’ impassioned plea to keep Baldwin in prison at his parole hearing, Baldwin was released. He landed a job as a paralegal at the law firm that ended up representing Phyllis in her divorce and custody trial. Shortly after taking the job, Baldwin and Phyllis became personally involved. To help Danny in his custody case for Daniel, Chris and Paul retraced their previous steps in an effort to gather concrete proof. They learned that Brian Hamilton was really Daniel’s father. Angered by Phyllis’ dirty tricks, Brian agreed to testify on Danny’s behalf. Even as Danny became upset when he discovered that Phyllis and Michael were lovers, Danny and Chris grew closer as they worked together to prepare for the custody trial. The mounting evidence against Phyllis prompted Danny to realize she drugged him and that they had never made love while he was still married to Chris. When Danny broke the news to Chris, she waited until he left before breaking down in tears. The end of year saw the divorce and custody trial still being played out. And, Chris and Paul sharing a romantic “vacation” in their home.

Jack proposed marriage to Diane and she accepted. Soon after, in an effort to mend the rift between Jack and Victor, Diane began accepting dinner invitations from Victor. When Victor offered Diane a new assignment, designing the new Newman Towers, she heeded his request to keep the project a secret. When Jack discovered that Diane was seeing Victor behind his back, he confronted her. Feeling distrusted by Jack, Diane returned his ring and canceled their engagement. Shortly after, she and Victor’s relationship heated up. Victor surprised Diane by arranging their wedding ceremony in Las Vegas. Upon their return to Genoa City, Diane felt overwhelmed by her new life as Victor Newman’s wife. Meanwhile, Victor arranged a party to celebrate his marriage to Diane. Jack surprised everyone by crashing the party and making a classy toast to the bride and groom. Alone with Victor, Jack suggested that Diane still had feelings for him. Diane confided to Jack that she desperately wanted to have a baby with Victor. Jack urged Diane to tell Victor. But when Diane broached the conversation with Victor, he announced that he had just had a vasectomy. Diane later learned that the vasectomy was suggested by Nikki, and Diane vowed revenge against Victor’s previous wife. During the Christmas holidays, Diane took ill and was rushed to the hospital. Nikki accused Diane of faking the illness in order to get out of going to the ranch, which infuriated Victor. A doctor informed Diane that she suffered from a bleeding ulcer.

Newcomer Kurt Costner opened up to Ashley and Hope about his past and revealed that he had a wife and daughter who were killed in a car accident. In Cape Cod, Ashley found a letter from Kurt’s first wife that revealed her affair with another man, Grant, and that she was leaving Kurt for Grant. After some soul-searching, Ashley finally turned the letter over to Kurt. Kurt was crushed, but eventually he was able to put the tragedy behind him. Determined to move forward with his life, Kurt began romancing Ashley. Kurt also spent time at Victor’s penthouse with Hope while Victor was out of town and the two grew friendly. When Hope nearly choked, Kurt saved her life. He revealed he was a surgeon. Victor, who was thankful to Kurt, rewarded him with the money to open his own clinic. Hope volunteered to work at the clinic, and Kurt and Hope grew closer. Ashley pushed Kurt to choose between the two women, and was disappointed when Kurt decided he only wanted to be friends. Meanwhile, Hope, still living with Victor at the penthouse, felt betrayed when Victor married Diane without giving her any advance notice. Hope took Victor Jr. and left town with Kurt.

Behind Victor’s back, Jill and Jack closed a business deal with Keith Dennison. When Victor learned about the acquisition, he was livid. Making matters worse, Jack got Nick involved in the deal. Victor ordered Jack to pull out of the business arrangement, but Jack said the company was legally committed to it. Nick tried to make his father understand why the Dennison acquisition was a good thing for Newman Enterprises, but Victor refused to listen and said things about Nick’s involvement that hurt the young man. Finally accepting the deal, Victor told Jack he’d better make it a success. Smarting from his father’s accusations, Nick began to feel that he’d never be able to make his own mark at Newman Enterprises and decided to quit. After discussing the matter with Sharon, Nick revealed to his family that, after their baby was born, he and his wife were moving away from Genoa City. Nikki urged Sharon to stop Nick from leaving town. Overwhelmed by the pressure, Sharon hurried out into severe weather. During a snowstorm, she slipped on a patch of ice and became unconscious. To Nick’s horror, he found Sharon unconscious and desperately rushed to find help. Josh arranged for a helicopter to take Sharon to the hospital. At the hospital, Sharon went into premature labor. It was very much touch and go for both Sharon and the baby. Soon after, the baby, developed a serious lung problem and was rushed into surgery. Fortunately, the surgery for Nick and Sharon’s baby was successful. Soon after, Nick and Sharon named their son Noah. It was a happy day in Genoa City when the young couple were able to bring their baby home.

Meanwhile, Grace and Tony, who thought Noah had died, traveled to Madison and questioned Frank about his and Sharon’s child. After intense questioning from Grace, Frank broke down and gave her a legal document that he signed giving his consent to the adoption. Grace hoped that the document would give her and Tony clues regarding the adopted child’s whereabouts. Grace and Tony succeeded in finding the lawyer who handled the adoption. Unfortunately, he was a frail, old man who was in prison for arranging illegal adoptions. Grace pressed the lawyer, for information, but he didn’t volunteer anything. Later, he wrote Grace a note and died. The note led Grace and Tony to a woman named Alice Johnson. But when they arrived at Alice’s home, they met an old woman, Mildred, who told them Alice didn’t live there anymore. Tony and Grace lingered outside the house and spotted a six-year-old girl, Cassie, getting off a bus and go into Mildred’s home. Grace and Tony confronted Mildred, who admitted she’s been raising Cassie. Grace told Mildred that she was a friend of Cassie’s natural mother and that her newborn baby just died. Grace pleaded with Mildred to reunite Cassie with her real mom and Mildred agreed to consider it. Grace and Tony persuaded Cassie to accompany them on a trip to Genoa City, where they promised she’d meet some new friends. Back in Genoa City, Grace and Tony were surprised to learn that Noah was still alive. They quickly decided to postpone telling Sharon about Cassie.

Meanwhile, Nick flew to Seattle to interview for a job, but learned the prospective employers was only interested in hiring him because he was Victor Newman’s son. Nick decided against leaving Genoa City and completed his college finals. When Sharon caught a cold the same night Nick was out celebrating his graduation, Grace offered to stay the night and babysit Noah. Grace fell asleep in Noah’s room, where she was caring for him. After a night of drinking with his college pals, Nick returned home late. He stopped by the nursery to check on Noah, and saw whom he believed was Sharon asleep in the room. Nick made passionate love to the woman in the bed. Nick had a shock when he later climbed into his own bed — only to find Sharon! The next day, Nick learned from Sharon that Grace had spent the night. Nick wrestled with Grace and his conscious on whether to tell Sharon or not. Nick became more worried about his marriage to Sharon after he returned to work at Newman Enterprises and discovered Victor had also given Grace a job. Eventually, Nick became convinced that Grace meant him no harm. Grace led Sharon to believe that she and Tony were a couple. With an ulterior motive in mind, Grace asked Tony to marry her. When Grace announced the news to Sharon, she offered to pay for Grace and Tony’s wedding. Grace had became so attached to Cassie that she decided she wanted to leave town with the little girl. Upset by Grace’s plan, Tony tried to pressure Grace into changing her mind and turn Cassie over to Sharon.

Jill moved out of the Abbott house and temporarily moved in with Keith Dennison and his daughters, Tricia and Megan. Billie was sent off to boarding school.

At a mental hospital, in another part of the country, Josh’s presumed-dead wife Veronica recognized a picture of Josh in a newspaper. Determined to reunite with Josh, Veronica escaped from the mental institution and was struck by a car. She suffered extensive damage to her face and had to have plastic surgery. When the bandages were removed from Veronica’s face, she was surprised to discover that the surgery had dramatically altered her features. Veronica slipped out of the hospital, wearing a wig, and assumed a new identity as a woman named Sarah. Registering at an employment agency, Sarah soon landed a job as Nikki and Josh’s new housekeeper.

Upset that Nina was dissatisfied and insecure in her marriage, Ryan left with little Phillip. At Jabot, Victor awarded Ryan the “Brash and Sassy” campaign. Shortly after separating from Nina, Ryan became romantically involved with Tricia Dennison. Ryan suddenly broke off their budding romance, however, when he decided to give his marriage to Nina one more try. Tricia took her friend, Alec, up on his suggestion to try and make Ryan jealous. Meanwhile, Nina led Tricia to believe that she and Ryan had spent one night making love. Enraged, Tricia confronted Ryan and slapped his face. Angered by Nina’s lie, Ryan announced their marriage was over and moved out. Soon after, Ryan insisted to Tricia that he was finished with Nina and intended to get a divorce. AsTricia and Ryan were enjoying a passionate kiss, Ryan received a call from Flo, who announced that Nina was missing. Ryan phoned the police and they began searching for Nina. During the investigation, Phillip walked in on Tricia and Ryan kissing. Upset, Phillip blamed Tricia for his mother’s disappearance. Later, Ryan flew to St. Louis, where an unidentified woman matching Nina’s description was found dead. To Ryan’s relief, it wasn’t Nina. Meanwhile, Nina returned home and was furious to find Tricia in her apartment. During an argument, Nina pulled out a gun. Ryan arrived and tried to reason with Nina. She agreed to talk, provided Tricia leave. Alone with Nina, Ryan tried to console her. Instead, Nina held a gun to her head and threatened to pull the trigger. Worried for Nina’s safety, Ryan struggled to free the gun away from her. During the struggle, the gun went off and Nina was shot. While Nina was being operated on at the hospital, detectives questioned Ryan. Nina regained consciousness, but initially was unable to recall how she was shot. Later, Ryan was arrested by the police. Angered at her father and Jill’s efforts to undermine her romance with Ryan, Tricia moved out. Later, Ryan was released on bail. At the hospital, Ryan helped Nina to recall how she was shot. Tricia arrived at the hospital, saw Ryan and Nina in an embrace, and assumed they were back together. When the police learned that Nina had regained her memory, they accused Ryan of coercing Nina’s statement. Nina agreed to testify on Ryan’s behalf, enabling him to be exonerated. Later, Nina, after being released from the hospital, informed Tricia that she was free to pursue Ryan as Nina was stepping out of the picture. When Ryan tried to visit Phillip, the boy seemed uninterested in seeing him. Soon after, Nina asked Ryan for the key back to her apartment, then had Ryan served with divorce papers. Tricia was delighted to learn that Ryan and Nina were divorcing and pushed Ryan to move in together. But by that time, Ryan was already rooming with Neil. Jill criticized Nina for filing divorce against Ryan. Tricia miscalculated Nina’s mood when she stopped by her home to thank Nina for her move to divorce Ryan. Angered, Nina accused Tricia of being responsible for breaking up her marriage. After Christmas, Ryan and Tricia went on a skiing trip in Aspen, where Tricia lost her virginity to Ryan.

Neil inadvertently learned that Dru signed with a high profile modeling agency — against his wishes — which led to a split between the two. Having a change of heart, Neil told Dru he had been wrong and added he was interested in making their marriage work. To Dru’s surprise, Neil announced that he wanted them to have another child. But behind Neil’s back, Dru took birth control pills so that she could continue her modeling career. Neil was furious when he discovered that Dru had lied to him about trying to get pregnant. Unable to cope with this betrayal, Neil left Dru and accepted an offer from Ryan to share his apartment.

In helping Olivia deal with her feelings for her brother-in-law, Malcolm fell in love with the doctor. Soon after, Malcolm proposed marriage to Olivia, on bended knee,s and she accepted. To Malcolm and Olivia’s relief, little Nate was thrilled by the idea of Malcolm marrying Olivia. They made arrangements to marry immediately. Malcolm even managed to surprise Olivia when he made arrangements for Nate Jr. to join them on their honeymoon. Several months after their wedding, Malcolm surprised Olivia by announcing his desire to adopt Nate Junior.

Feeling backed into a corner, Victoria left town for awhile to sort out her life. Upset by his wife’s extended absence, Cole decided to move out, but changed his mind when Victoria suddenly returned home from Europe and seemed committed to saving their marriage. However, a few months later, Victoria suddenly left town again, this time for business reasons. Meanwhile, Ashley agreed to let Cole build his new novel around her. During the time spent together researching the book, Ashley and Cole became close and shared several kisses. Cole eventually confided to Ashley that he didn’t know how much longer he could accept Victoria’s extended absence. Victoria returned home unexpectedly and was surprised to see Cole and Ashley kissing through the window. Victoria separated from Cole and moved back into her old bedroom at Nikki’s home. Meanwhile, she and Ashley competed for Cole’s affections.

Katherine underwent a facial rejuvenation. Shortly after, she found herself set-up by Ashley on a blind date with John Abbott.

Original CBS broadcast: March 25, 1996–March 21, 1997. The episode numbering runs from #5831 to #6084, giving 254 episodes. This uses the show’s 24th broadcast year. Some streaming databases label a handful of surviving 1996 episodes “Season 24” and report a much smaller, incomplete total. feuxdelamour.com

Cast photograph

Characters and performers

The list covers the identifiable principal and recurring characters of this broadcast year, including children. It is not a verified credit-by-credit inventory of all 254 episodes; brief unnamed parts and some infant performers are not recoverable with confidence.

Character, alphabetized by surname	Performer
John Abbott	portrayed by Jerry Douglas
Jack Abbott	portrayed by Peter Bergman
Ashley Abbott	portrayed by Shari Shattuck
Billy Abbott	portrayed by Josh Michael Rose, then Scotty Leavenworth
Keemo Volien Abbott	portrayed by Philip Moon
Traci Abbott	portrayed by Beth Maitland
Hope Adams	portrayed by Signy Coleman
Michael Baldwin	not yet returned; Christian LeBlanc’s return falls in April 1997, after this season
Olivia Barber Hastings	portrayed by Tonya Lee Williams
Drucilla Barber Winters	portrayed by Victoria Rowell
Christine Blair Williams	portrayed by Lauralee Bell
Brad Carlton	portrayed by Don Diamont
Katherine Chancellor	portrayed by Jeanne Cooper
Phillip Chancellor IV	portrayed by Nicholas Pappone
Steve Connelly	portrayed by Greg Wrangler
Kurt Costner	portrayed by Leigh McCloskey
Doris Collins	portrayed by Karen Hensel
Keith Dennison	portrayed by Granville Van Dusen
Megan Dennison	portrayed by Ashley Jones
Tricia Dennison	portrayed by Sabryn Genet
Dina Mergeron	portrayed by Marla Adams
Daniel Romalotti Jr.	portrayed by Michael McElroy
Danny Romalotti	portrayed by Michael Damian
Gina Romalotti	portrayed by Patty Weaver
Esther Valentine	portrayed by Kate Linder
Nathan Hastings	portrayed by Adam Lazarre-White
Nathan “Nate” Hastings Jr.	portrayed by Malcolm Hunter during part of this period; subsequent child credits require episode-level confirmation
Cole Howard	portrayed by J. Eddie Peck
Adam Hunter	portrayed by Grant Cramer
Diane Jenkins	portrayed by Alex Donnelley
Joshua “Josh” Landers	portrayed by Heath Kizzier
Mari Jo Mason	portrayed by Diana Barton
Ryan McNeil	portrayed by Scott Reeves
Keesha Monroe Winters	portrayed by Jennifer Gatti
Nicholas Newman	portrayed by Joshua Morrow
Nikki Newman	portrayed by Melody Thomas Scott
Noah Christian Newman	portrayed initially by infant twins Samantha and Zachary Elkins
Victor Newman	portrayed by Eric Braeden
Victor Adam Newman Jr.	portrayed by Hayden Tank
Victoria Newman	portrayed by Heather Tom
Phyllis Summers	portrayed by Michelle Stafford
Dr. Timothy Reid	portrayed by Aaron Lustig
Sharon Collins Newman	portrayed by Sharon Case
Grace Turner	portrayed by Josie Davis, then Jennifer Gareis
Antonio “Tony” Viscardi	portrayed by Nick Scotti
Luan Volien Abbott	outside this season: her death occurred on March 4, 1996
Lily Winters	portrayed by Vanessa Carson, then Brooke Marie Bridges
Malcolm Winters	portrayed by Shemar Moore
Neil Winters	portrayed by Kristoff St. John
Mary Williams	portrayed by Carolyn Conwell
Paul Williams	portrayed by Doug Davidson

The boundary matters here: Michael Baldwin’s April 1997 return and Cassie Newman’s March 1997 debut are often pulled into summaries of calendar year 1997, but Michael is outside Season 24; Cassie’s precise first airdate needs checking before she can be placed on either side of March 21. CBS dates Camryn Grimes’s arrival only to March 1997. THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

Major plots

• Victor is shot; Mari Jo is exposed. Mari Jo Mason shoots Victor and later abducts Christine to protect her relationship with Jack. She is caught, and Jack ends their engagement.
• Nikki’s complicated year. Her planned wedding to Brad falls apart amid Victor’s shooting. She subsequently becomes involved with Dr. Josh Landers and marries him, while Victor renews his connection with Hope and their young son.
• Paul and Christine marry. Their wedding follows a crisis caused by Christine sleeping with Danny shortly before an earlier planned ceremony.
• Phyllis, Danny and Dr. Reid. Phyllis tries to prevent her divorce from Danny, has an affair with their marriage counselor Tim Reid, and uses a recording to pressure him. Her relationship with Danny later warms again.
• Olivia, Nathan, Keesha and Malcolm. After Keesha’s HIV diagnosis exposes her affair with Nathan, Malcolm marries her as she is dying. Keesha dies from AIDS-related illness; Nathan later dies after being struck by a car. Olivia, Nathan and their son test negative for HIV.
• The next generation. Sharon’s pregnancy strains her marriage to Nick. She gives birth prematurely to Noah in March 1997. Grace and Tony begin looking into the daughter Sharon had previously placed for adoption.
• The Abbotts and the Dennisons. John and Jill’s marriage disintegrates; Dina returns briefly. Ashley meets Kurt Costner. The arrival of Keith Dennison and his daughters sets up storylines that develop more fully in Season 25. Soap Opera Digest

Births

Child	Original airdate	Detail
Noah Christian Newman	March 3, 1997	Sharon and Nick’s son is born prematurely. His age and birth year are revised in later continuity.

Lily Winters and Victor Adam Newman Jr. were born before this season. Fandom

Recasts and SORAS

Character	Change during Season 24
Billy Abbott	Child actor Josh Michael Rose → Scotty Leavenworth, around June 1996. This is a child recast, not an adult SORAS.
Grace Turner	Josie Davis → Jennifer Gareis, around February 1997.
Lily Winters	Vanessa Carson → Brooke Marie Bridges, around the turn of 1996–97; the precise transition airdate is unverified.
Ashley Abbott	Shari Shattuck plays Ashley throughout this season. Her takeover from Brenda Epperson occurred March 21, 1996, four days before Season 24 begins.

No firmly documented child-to-adult SORAS occurs within this season. Billy’s teenage recast with David Tom belongs to 1999. Fandom

New characters

Character	Performer	First appearance
Dr. Timothy Reid	Aaron Lustig	March 1996; exact day unverified
Grace Turner	Josie Davis	June 1996
Joshua Landers	Heath Kizzier	June 1996
Adam Hunter	Grant Cramer	June 19, 1996
Kurt Costner	Leigh McCloskey	November 26, 1996
Tony Viscardi	Nick Scotti	December 1996
Keith Dennison	Granville Van Dusen	January 8, 1997
Megan Dennison	Ashley Jones	February 18, 1997
Tricia Dennison	Sabryn Genet	February 18, 1997
Noah Newman	Samantha and Zachary Elkins	March 3, 1997, at birth

The exact dates for the Dennison daughters are reported in character chronologies, while the broader month dates above are better supported than a specific first episode. soapcentral.com

Departures and returns

Departures: Keesha Monroe Winters and Nathan Hastings die in 1996. Brad Carlton and Traci Abbott leave the regular canvas; Mari Jo Mason is removed following her arrest. Keemo Volien Abbott leaves for Vietnam. Exact final airdates for these exits remain unverified. Soap Opera Digest

Returns: Hope Adams, Diane Jenkins and Dina Mergeron return during 1996. Diane’s return reconnects her with Jack and then draws Victor into the story. Soap Opera Digest

Marriages and attempted weddings

Couple	Date	Outcome
Nicholas Newman and Sharon Collins	Early 1996 — before Season 24	Included for chronology, but not counted as a Season 24 wedding.
Malcolm Winters and Keesha Monroe	1996, before Keesha’s death	Married at Keesha’s bedside; exact airdate unverified.
Paul Williams and Christine Blair	August 7, 1996	Married.
Nikki Newman and Josh Landers	1996	Married in Las Vegas; exact airdate unverified.
Nikki Newman and Brad Carlton	1996	Their planned wedding does not result in a marriage.
Jack Abbott and Mari Jo Mason	1996	Engaged; no marriage.

Deaths

Character	When	Circumstances
Keesha Monroe Winters	1996, reportedly by May	Dies of AIDS-related illness after marrying Malcolm.
Nathan Hastings	1996	Fatally struck by a car while searching for his young son.
Cliff Wilson	1996	Killed by a drunk driver; his death draws Victor back to Hope.

Luan Volien Abbott died March 4, 1996, before Season 24 began, despite her death shaping Jack and Keemo’s stories during the year. Soap Opera Digest

Y&R / B&B Crossovers

Direction	Character	Season 24 status and date
Y&R → B&B	Lauren Fenmore, portrayed by Tracey E. Bregman	Continues as a B&B regular throughout this period, following her 1995 transfer. This is continuing shared continuity, rather than a newly dated Season 24 guest appearance.
Y&R → B&B	Sheila Carter, portrayed by Kimberlin Brown	Continues on B&B throughout the period; she originated on Y&R.
B&B → Y&R	Eric Forrester, portrayed by John McCook	Cross-series appearance reported for 1996. I could not verify its precise CBS airdate or establish from the available record whether it fell after March 25, so it remains a possible Season 24 crossover, not a dated entry.

I have not found a reliable, dated Season 24 B&B-to-Y&R appearance beyond that unresolved Eric entry. Molly Carter’s later B&B return should not be assigned to this season without a verified airdate. THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

 

By the start of 1996, Amy Wilson had recovered from her mental trauma. She testified on Nick’s behalf that she was responsible for shooting Matt after he had raped her. When Matt learned that the police were about to arrest him for perjury, among other criminal charges, he skipped town. The Newman’s were relieved when Nick was released from jail and cleared of shooting Matt. Soon after, he and Sharon married in a formal ceremony and began living together in a reconverted barn on the Newman estate. Nick also took a position at Newman Enterprises, with his step-dad Jack Abbott showing him the ropes.

Nikki worried that Sharon was anxious to get pregnant so that Nick would be further tied to her. By summer, Sharon’s old friend, Grace Turner, from Madison, had moved to Genoa City, anxious to start a new life. With Nick’s help, Grace landed a job at Newman Enterprises. Nick wasn’t pleased when Sharon announced that she was pregnant. He urged Sharon to consider an abortion because he wasn’t ready for fatherhood. Worried about her marriage, Sharon eventually made plans for an abortion. Nick, however, had a change of heart and stopped Sharon at the last minute, saying that he was prepared to become a father. Sharon confided to Nikki that she had skipped taking her birth control pills deliberately. When Doris heard about Sharon’s confession to Nikki, she worried that Nikki would use this against Sharon. Grace began having fantasies about being involved with Nick and tried to undermine Nick and Sharon’s marriage. When Tony, Grace’s old boyfriend, showed up and said he wanted to resume their relationship, Grace resisted his advances.

Jack Abbott was devastated when Luan died from her terminal illness. When Keemo learned that Jack had know that Luan was seriously ill, he accused his father of stealing precious time that he and his sister Mai could have spent with their mother. Eventually, Keemo forgave his father. To Jack’s disappointment, Keemo announced that he was returning to Viet Nam. After grieving over Luan’s death for several months, Jack resumed his relationship with Mari Jo Mason. By summer, Jack and Mari Jo were engaged to marry.

Nikki grew tired of waiting for Victor to express an interest in resuming their romance and she accepted Brad Carlton’s marriage proposal. Victor was shocked when he learned that Brad was the mystery man in Nikki’s life. To retaliate, he bypassed Brad for a promotion at Newman Enterprises and awarded the new position to Neil Winters. Concerned for his friend John Abbott’s health, Victor warned Jill to stop threatening to take Billy away from him. When Victor received a FAX meant for Jack from Keemo, urging Jack to be leery of Mari Jo, Victor confronted Mari Jo about her manipulative ways. Unknown to Mari Jo, Victor gave the FAX to Chris for safekeeping. On Brad and Nikki’s wedding day, Victor was having a late meeting with Chris when he was shot. When Nikki learned of the shooting, she fled the church to be by Victor’s side at the hospital.

As Victor recovered from his gunshot wound, the police zeroed in on several suspects, including Brad and Jill. Brad urged Nikki to marry him and immediately leave for their honeymoon, but Nikki wanted to keep herself available for Victor. Upset, Brad broke off his relationship with Nikki and left town. When the police discovered that the gun used to shoot Victor belonged to Jill, they arrested her. Further investigation, however, cleared Jill and she was released. Victor’s near-death experience prompted him to reevaluate his life. He left Genoa City for several weeks and visited Hope on her farm in Kansas, where she was now married to Cliff. Victor enjoyed spending time with his son Victor Jr., but Cliff made it clear that the boy considered him his father.

Victor returned to Genoa City and began spending time with Nikki, who assumed that they were finally about to reconcile. When Victor received word that Cliff had been struck by a drunk driver, he quickly returned to Kansas to lend Hope support. Hope was grief-stricken when Cliff died. Nikki misunderstood Victor’s reasons for leaving her, and she resolved to break off with him. She became involved with her doctor, Josh Landers, who said that he was a widower. When Josh proposed marriage, Nikki impulsively accepted and they eloped in Vegas. Victor tried to stop the marriage, but he arrived too late, and so he decided not to tell Nikki that he was still in love with her. Eventually, Victor persuaded Hope to relocate to Genoa City with their son.

When Mari Jo realized that Chris had a link to the FAX that could potentially destroy her relationship with Jack, she kidnapped Chris and held her prisoner in a isolated area of Newman Enterprises. While Chris was trying to escape from the gun-wielding Mari Jo, Victor and Paul came to Chris’ rescue. Mari Jo was arrested and committed to a mental institution. Jack visited Mari Jo and made it clear that their engagement was off.

Jack was surprised when Diane Jenkins, a former girlfriend, suddenly showed up in Genoa City. Jack was anxious to romance Diane, but she resisted, fearing that Jack hadn’t reformed his former playboy ways. Meanwhile, Ashley was livid that Jack and Diane were seeing each other again. She tried to pressure Diane into staying away from Jack, but Diane found it difficult to resist Jack’s charms.

Jill was shocked when John’s first wife, Dina, reappeared in Genoa City. John resumed his romance with Dina and proposed remarriage. Although Jack was elated that his parents were involved again, Ashley, who had also returned to Genoa City, and Traci, who was visiting from New York, both opposed the reconciliation. The stress that John suffered while dealing with Jill caused him to have another heart attack. However, he quickly recovered. Jill and John finally agreed to divorce and Jill made plans to live in a new home with her son, Billy. Dina surprised her family by suddenly leaving town again.

Ashley resumed her job at Jabot and enjoyed a brief flirtation with her new work associate, Adam. When Ashley was attacked, and nearly killed by two thugs, while walking through the woods, she was rescued by Kurt Costner, a mysterious stranger, who had been doing odd-jobs at the Chancellor estate in exchange for room and board. The thugs shot Kurt and fled. Ashley and Kurt were rushed to the hospital, where a grateful Ashley arranged to cover Kurt’s medical expenses. Ashley became intrigued with Kurt and tried to find out more about him, and she turned to Victor for help in trying to put Kurt’s life back on track. While Victor was out of town on a business trip, he asked Kurt to watch out for Hope and his son.

Phyllis was heartbroken when Danny announced that he was still interested in divorcing her. Phyllis reluctantly agreed to Danny’s request, but at the divorce hearing, she testified that she believed that their marriage still had a chance. The judge postponed making a decision until after Phyllis and Danny had marriage counseling. Sensing that her counselor, Dr. Tim Reid, was attracted to her, Phyllis slept with him. On the day that Tim was scheduled to testify that he felt Danny and Phyllis should divorce, Phyllis blackmailed him with a videotape of their lovemaking. Tim testified on Phyllis’ behalf that her marriage to Danny had a chance, but he later recanted his testimony. Phyllis finally accepted the inevitable, and her divorce from Danny was finalized.

To make Danny jealous, Phyllis became involved with Tim, but she didn’t reveal her lover’s identity to Danny. When Tim proposed marriage, Phyllis accepted. Her son, Daniel, became seriously ill and was hospitalized for several weeks. Phyllis and Danny held a vigil by his bedside and, in the process, became closer. They were relieved when Daniel’s health recovered. Touched by Phyllis’ love for their son, Danny began dating his ex-wife. Soon after, Phyllis ended her engagement to Tim. But Phyllis and Danny are a bit nervous about their new growing closeness.

Paul and Chris made plans to marry. On the day before the ceremony, Chris made love to Danny. Paul discovered them in bed together and canceled their wedding. Chris made it clear to Danny that their lovemaking was a mistake and that she was no longer in love with him. Eventually, Chris and Paul patched up their differences and married. Their Caribbean honeymoon, however, was nearly destroyed by Phyllis, who was also visiting the island with Tim. Back in Genoa City, Phyllis apologized for her behavior and pleaded with Chris not to tell Danny. Chris reluctantly agreed.

Dr. Olivia Hastings began treating Keesha, who had contracted the AIDS virus from a former boyfriend. When Olivia inadvertently discovered that her husband, Nathan, had been having an affair–and that Keesha was the other woman–she blasted both Nathan and Keesha for their illicit behavior. Olivia, who had been trying to get pregnant again, worried that Nathan might have exposed her and their son to HIV. Meanwhile, Malcolm, after learning of Nathan and Keesha’s affair, ended his romance with Keesha.

Keesha soon developed full-blown AIDS. Seeing Keesha’s physical deterioration, Malcolm’s attitude toward her softened. Realizing that Keesha was near death, Malcolm made her dying wish, to be married, come true. Soon after the ceremony, Keesha died. Olivia and Dru were initially angry at Malcolm for showing sympathy toward Keesha, but eventually the two sisters forgave him. A bitter Olivia, however, made it difficult for Nathan to see their son. Frustrated, Nathan kidnapped the boy and disappeared. After several weeks on the run, Nathan decided to return Little Nate to Olivia. When the boy wandered away from his father on a crowded street, Nathan rushed to find him and was fatally struck by a car. At the hospital, Nathan struggled to apologize to Olivia for hurting her and then he died.

Dru was offered a lucrative modeling contract, but her husband, Neil, insisted that she turn it down so she could focus on being a full-time mother and wife. Behind Neil’s back, Dru signed the contract and began secretly accepting out-of-town modeling assignments. Malcolm, who was hired to be the photographer for Dru’s shoots, reluctantly agreed to keep the secret. But Neil suspects that perhaps Dru signed with the agents.

Victoria’s marriage to Cole was headed for trouble when she began enjoying secret kisses with Ryan at work. Ironically, Cole was also falling for Ryan’s wife, Nina, who was working as his assistant. When Nina learned that Ryan was still attracted to Victoria, she ordered him out of their home. Meanwhile, following Victor’s orders, Cole asked Victoria to give their marriage another chance and she agreed. Even though Cole made it clear to Nina that he wanted to remain married to Victoria, Nina struggled to fight her attraction for him.

Previous year : Y&R 1995

Next year : Y&R 1997

Broadcast period: March 27, 1995–March 22, 1996
Episode count: 258, using the season numbering in Rotten Tomatoes’ episode guide. Its Season 23 listing starts on March 27, 1995, and ends with episode 258 on March 22, 1996. Some older television databases contain only a handful of entries for this period; their entry count is not the season’s episode count. Rotten Tomatoes

Characters and performers

Alphabetized by the character’s surname. Names reflect the identities used during this period; a character’s surname could change through marriage.

Character	Performer
Jack Abbott	portrayed by Peter Bergman
John Abbott	portrayed by Jerry Douglas
Traci Abbott	portrayed by Beth Maitland
Ashley Abbott	portrayed by Brenda Epperson
Billy Abbott	portrayed by Josh Michael Rose
Keemo Volien Abbott	portrayed by Philip Moon
Luan Volien Abbott	portrayed by Elizabeth Sung
Hope Adams	portrayed by Signy Coleman
Douglas Austin	portrayed by Michael Evans
Drucilla Barber Winters	portrayed by Victoria Rowell
Christine Blair	portrayed by Lauralee Bell
Blade Bladeson	portrayed by Michael Tylo
Rick Bladeson	portrayed by Michael Tylo
Brad Carlton	portrayed by Don Diamont
Katherine Chancellor	portrayed by Jeanne Cooper
Phillip Chancellor IV	child performer not reliably verified for this season
Matt Clark	portrayed by Eddie Cibrian
Sharon Collins	portrayed by Sharon Case
Doris Collins	portrayed by Karen Hensel
Steve Connelly	portrayed by Greg Wrangler
Lauren Fenmore	portrayed by Tracey E. Bregman
Nathan Hastings	portrayed by Adam Lazarre-White
Nathan “Nate” Hastings Jr.	portrayed by Malcolm Hunter; the role subsequently passed to Bryant Jones in 1996
Cole Howard	portrayed by J. Eddie Peck
Mamie Johnson	portrayed by Veronica Redd
Mari Jo Mason	portrayed by Diana Barton
Ryan McNeil	portrayed by Scott Reeves
Keesha Monroe	portrayed by Wanda Acuna
Victor Newman	portrayed by Eric Braeden
Nicholas “Nick” Newman	portrayed by Joshua Morrow
Nikki Newman	portrayed by Melody Thomas Scott
Victoria Newman	portrayed by Heather Tom
Victor Adam Newman Jr.	portrayed by Celeste and Coryn Williams, Danielle and Sabrina Helper, and Spencer Klass during the 1995–96 child-performer period; the available lists do not establish each handover date
Gina Roma	portrayed by Patty Weaver
Danny Romalotti	portrayed by Michael Damian
Daniel Romalotti Jr.	portrayed by Desiree Wheelan
Dr. Stephanie Simmons	portrayed by Vivica A. Fox
Phyllis Summers	portrayed by Michelle Stafford
Esther Valentine	portrayed by Kate Linder
Nina Webster McNeil	portrayed by Tricia Cast
Mary Williams	portrayed by Carolyn Conwell
Paul Williams	portrayed by Doug Davidson
Lily Winters	portrayed by Vanessa Carson
Malcolm Winters	portrayed by Shemar Moore
Neil Winters	portrayed by Kristoff St. John
Amy Wilson	portrayed by Julianne Morris

Additional recurring or guest characters documented in the period include Lydia Callahan, Phyllis’s mother, portrayed by Abby Dalton in 1995; and B&B visitor Dr. James Warwick, portrayed by Ian Buchanan on Y&R on April 7, 1995. A date within this season could not be firmly established for every appearance by the less frequently seen characters above. Jackson Dynasty

Principal storylines

• Nick, Sharon and Matt: Matt Clark’s assault of Sharon, his discovery of the child she had previously placed for adoption, and his subsequent shooting drove Nick’s attempted-murder case. Amy Wilson’s eventual account helped clear Nick. Nick and Sharon married on February 19, 1996. Jackson Dynasty
• The Bladeson twins: Rick impersonated his identical twin Blade, deceiving Ashley. Blade died after the brothers’ conflict, and Ashley left Genoa City for Paris. Jackson Dynasty
• Jack and Luan: Their marriage, which took place before this season on February 14, 1995, was overshadowed by Luan’s terminal illness. She died near the season’s end, leaving Jack and their children, Keemo and Mai, to deal with the fact that Jack had known she was dying. Soap Opera Digest
• Christine, Paul, Danny and Phyllis: A car struck Christine and Paul on the way to their planned wedding. Paul called it off while coping with his injuries. Meanwhile, Phyllis manipulated evidence concerning Daniel’s paternity as Danny considered ending their marriage. Paul and Christine’s eventual wedding belongs to later in 1996, outside Season 23. Jackson Dynasty
• The Abbott household: John and Jill’s divorce and custody dispute over Billy brought John’s feelings for Mamie into the open. Following John’s stroke, Jill tried to preserve their marriage; Mamie eventually left town. Jackson Dynasty
• The Winters and Hastings families: Drucilla gave birth to Lily amid uncertainty over whether Neil or Malcolm was her biological father. Nathan’s affair with Keesha Monroe threatened his marriage to Olivia. Keesha’s later AIDS illness, her marriage to Malcolm and her death occur after this season’s March 1996 cutoff. Jackson Dynasty

Births

Child	Date	Detail
Victor Adam Newman Jr.	April 24, 1995, according to a character chronology	Hope gave birth while staying in Kansas. Some secondary timelines give a different late-April date, so the exact broadcast date deserves caution. en.wikipedia.org
Lily Winters	June 26, 1995, according to a soap chronology	Drucilla and Neil raised her; Malcolm was later established as her biological father. Fandom

Recasts and SORAS

• Nate Hastings Jr.: The child role is attributed to Malcolm Hunter in 1995–96 and Bryant Jones beginning in 1996. I could not establish whether Jones’s first episode fell before March 22, so I cannot safely place that recast inside Season 23. cheatsheet.com
• Adam Newman: Several infant and child performers are listed around 1995–96; their individual changeover dates are not sufficiently documented. Hayden Tank’s later 1996 portrayal should not be assigned a Season 23 date without an episode credit. a.osmarks.net
• No adult SORAS is securely documented within this season. In particular, the later teen portrayals of Billy, Lily and Daniel should not be projected back into 1995–96.

New characters, departures and returns

Type	Character	Timing and context
Arrival through birth	Victor Adam Newman Jr.	April 1995. en.wikipedia.org
Arrival through birth	Lily Winters	June 1995. Fandom
New character	Keesha Monroe	First appeared July 1995. en.wikipedia.org
Departure	Lauren Fenmore	Left Y&R on October 13, 1995 and became a regular presence on B&B. en.wikipedia.org
Departure	Blade Bladeson	Died in November 1995. Fandom
Departure	Ashley Abbott	Left for Paris after Blade’s death. Jackson Dynasty
Departure	Luan Volien Abbott	Died in March 1996. Fandom
Departure	Dr. Stephanie Simmons	Her initial run ended in 1995; an exact final episode within the season was not verified. tvinsider.com
Return	Amy Wilson	Returned during Nick’s case and disclosed that she had shot Matt. Her precise return date was not verified. Jackson Dynasty

Boundary to watch: Grace Turner, Joshua Landers, Diane Jenkins’s return, Mari Jo’s attack on Victor, Nathan’s death and Keesha’s death are developments from later in 1996, after Season 23. Jackson Dynasty

Marriages and deaths

Marriage during Season 23: Nick Newman and Sharon Collins — February 19, 1996. Jack Abbott and Luan Volien’s wedding was February 14, 1995, six weeks before Season 23 began; Paul and Christine’s wedding was after it ended. Soap Opera Digest

Deaths during Season 23:

Character	Reported date	Circumstances
Blade Bladeson	November 28, 1995	His car was struck by a train. Fandom
Luan Volien Abbott	March 4, 1996	Died following a terminal illness. Fandom

Y&R / B&B Crossovers

Y&R characters appearing on B&B

Lauren Fenmore — Tracey E. Bregman. Within Season 23’s dates, documented B&B appearances include May 23 and June 2–7, 1995. After her October 13 departure from Y&R, she moved to B&B beginning October 17, 1995. Her March 6–21 B&B appearances preceded Season 23 and are excluded from its crossover dates. en.wikipedia.org

Sheila Carter — Kimberlin Brown. Sheila originated on Y&R and was established on B&B throughout this period. That shared character history is relevant, but her ongoing B&B run should not be mistaken for a newly dated, one-off Season 23 crossover. I could not verify a specific Sheila Y&R visit between March 27, 1995, and March 22, 1996. en.wikipedia.org

B&B characters appearing on Y&R

Dr. James Warwick — Ian Buchanan: April 7, 1995. His other documented Y&R appearance, February 24, 1995, falls in the preceding season. I found no comparably well-dated appearance by another B&B character within the Season 23 window. en.wikipedia.org

 

 

In early 1995, while on a date with Sharon, Matt Clark trapped her in his car and raped her. In the process he tore an expensive coat that Nick had anonymously given to Sharon. When a nonchalant Matt suggested that Sharon would enjoy herself more the next time they got together, Sharon warned him to keep away from her. Later, Sharon’s friends and family were confused by her withdrawal, but Sharon was too ashamed to confide in them what had happened.

When Amy Wilson became involved with Matt, Sharon warned her to be careful, and finally revealed that Matt had raped her. Matt, however, convinced Amy that Sharon had lied out of jealousy. Soon after, Nick and Sharon resume their relationship. Angry with Sharon for this rejection, a vengeful Matt, with his buddy Drake’s help, discovered that Sharon had earlier given birth to a baby boy and had given the baby up for adoption. Matt planed to use this information against Sharon. But when Sharon realized that Matt knew her shameful secret, she decided to confess everything to Nick. Before she could tell him, however, Nick proposed marriage and she accepted.

When Nick discovered that Sharon had had a baby that she had given up for adoption, she assumed that he was no longer interested in her. She returned his engagement ring. But Nick made it clear that he loved her and they made plans to elope. That night, Sharon revealed to Nick that Matt had raped her. Angry, Nick left to confront Matt. Earlier that same evening, Amy had broken off her romance with Matt. Amy left to spend the summer in St. Louis. Nick arrived at Matt’s to discover Matt lying unconscious on the floor with a bullet wound. The police arrived and arrested Nick for attempted murder. When Matt regained consciousness, he told the police that Nick had tried to kill him. Determined to save his son, Victor Newman asked Paul and Chris to do everything possible to prove Nick’s innocence. And as Nick’s trial started, he and Sharon secretly elope.

Not long after this, Amy resurfaced in a shelter for battered women. She appeared to be deeply-disturbed. Victor, Paul and Chris located Amy at the shelter in Chicago. Chris persuaded Amy to return to Genoa City, where Victor paid for her stay at a sanitarium.

Alex “Blade” Bladeson accidentally saw Brad Carlton and Ashley embracing. Blade later suggested to Ashley that they take a romantic vacation. Jack also arranged a Caribbean getaway for himself and Luan, but when a jealous Mari Jo Mason caught wind of their plans, she planted doubt in Luan’s mind about Jack’s true feelings for her. Mari Jo then followed Jack to the Caribbean. Blade and Ashley were also vacationing on the same island, with Brad trailing them. When Ashley and Brad saw Mari Jo with Blade’s identical twin brother, Rick, they assumed that Blade was having an affair with Mari Jo. Jack, however, made it clear to Mari Jo that he was in love with Luan. He headed back to Genoa City. As Blade got ready to head home, Rick knocked him unconscious and held his twin prisoner in a cage. When Blade regained consciousness, Rick bid him farewell and left to assume his brother’s identity.

Back in Genoa City, Jack assured Luan that he loved her, and said that they marry soon. Luan had been ill, but she kept this a secret from Jack. Ironically, Jack inadvertently discovered that Luan was suffering from a terminal illness. He resolved to keep his knowledge of her medical condition a secret so that her remaining months with him would be happy. Meanwhile, Luan’s son, Keemo, became romantically involved with Mari Jo. Keemo quickly tired of Mari Jo’s mind-games and broke off with her.

Rick was so successful at his masquerade that, as Blade, he was able to make love to Ashley. But a crafty Mari Jo caught onto Rick’s scheme and confronted him. However, Blade managed to free himself and returned to Genoa City. Blade agreed not to press criminal charges, provided that Rick leave town. With Rick out of the way, Blade focused his attention on his marriage to Ashley.

Rick returned, however, determined to get revenge against Blade. Mari Jo tried to keep the two brothers apart. However, Blade while rushing home to protect Ashley from Rick, was killed in a car wreck. At the funeral, Rick introduced himself to Ashley. Mari Jo confided to Jill Abbott that Rick had posed as Blade for several months, and Jill broke this news to Ashley. Devastated, a grieving Ashley relocated to Paris.

Frustrated by Victor’s remote behavior, a pregnant Hope returned to her farm in Kansas after she received word that Cliff had been injured in an accident. While Cliff recuperated, Hope extended her stay. Victor’s friend, Douglas, arrived at the farm and pressured Hope to return to Victor. During their argument, Hope accidentally tripped over a chair and had to be rushed to the hospital. Victor arrived to make sure Hope was okay and then he returned home. The next day, Hope gave birth to a baby boy, whom she named Victor Adam Newman. To Victor Sr.’s disappointment, Hope decided to stay in Kansas and raise their son on her farm.

Brad began romancing Nikki. Their relationship escalated and Brad proposed marriage. Nikki told Brad that while she was interested, the timing wasn’t right. She promise to reconsider his proposal at a later date. When Brad told Lauren that he loved Nikki, Lauren packed her bags and moved to Los Angeles, where she entered into a business venture with Eric Forrester.

Ex-wife and husband, Chris and Danny shared a tender kiss on the day before Chris’s wedding to Paul. Phyllis saw them together. Determined to keep Chris away from Danny, Phyllis rented a car the next day and sped towards Chris. In order to save Chris, Paul jumped in front of the car and they were both struck down. Chris’ and Paul’s friends and family waited patiently for their arrival at the church. It was Lauren who received the call and had to tell everyone that there had been an accident. Chris survived the accident with minor injuries, but Paul was devastated when the doctor announced that the accident had left him sexually dysfunctional. Feeling incomplete as a man, Paul canceled their wedding without any explanation, which left Chris devastated. She tried to take her mind off their break-up by gathering dirt on Phyllis so that Danny could get a divorce and custody of his son. But Phyllis caught on. To keep Chris off her case, Phyllis altered her son, Daniel’s, blood tests so that it looked as if Danny really was his dad. Paul finally recovered from his impotency and made love to Chris.

Danny agreed to live with Phyllis for four months, since he believed her promise that she would then agree to divorce him. But when the four months were up, Phyllis had had a change of heart. When Danny tried to see his son, Phyllis called the police and got a restraining order against him. Phyllis eventually calmed down and made peace with Danny.

Malcolm apologized to Dru for sleeping with her when she was drugged on cold medication. Soon after, Malcolm landed a photography assignment with Dru as the model. And a few months later, Dru gave birth to a baby girl, whom she named Lily, and who might be Malcolm’s child, or Neil’s. Meanwhile, Malcolm attempted to have a relationship with an attractive doctor named Stephanie, but her medical practice kept her too busy for a personal life.

Victoria became jealous of the time that Cole spent with Jeri on a writing project. But Jeri became a non-issue when Cole made it clear that he loved Victoria. Jeri accepted this and returned to her life in New York.

After a fallout with Neil Winters at Jabot, Ryan accepted a job to work for Jill Abbott.

Following Jill’s orders, John Silva revealed in court that John Abbott had had a vasectomy without Jill’s knowledge after their son, Billy, had been born. Meanwhile, John acknowledged his romantic feelings for Mamie and promised that they would be together after his divorce and custody battle were resolved. On the day before the verdict was announced, John suffered a stroke that resulted in a loss of memory. Jill used John’s stroke to her advantage and convinced him that they had decided to stay together.

Eventually, John recovered and regained his memory, which prompted him to reactivate the divorce and custody battle. Of course, Mamie was thrilled that John was once again interested in pursuing their relationship. However, just before a ruling was about to be made, John and Jill decided to stay married for Billy’s sake, which left Mamie heartbroken. In order to keep Mamie away from John, Jill offered her a million dollars and Mamie accepted. By the time John realized what Jill had done, Mamie had met Trent Jones, a business executive, and immediately found herself attracted to him. They left town for an extended cruise.

Olivia Hastings grew concerned about Nathan’s health when he lost his desire to make love to her. Soon after, Paul discovered that Nathan was having an affair with a sexy woman named Keesha Monroe. When Neil found out about this, he confronted Nathan. Nathan promised to break off with Keesha, but Neil suspected that he was lying. So Neil told tells Dru about Nathan’s infidelity to her sister. Olivia was thrilled when Nathan agreed that they should have another baby. And Keesha began dating Malcolm, which troubled both Neil and Dru.

Previous year : Y&R 1994

Next year : Y&R 1996

Broadcast period: March 28, 1994–March 24, 1995
Episode count: 244, from broadcast episode #5333 through #5576. This uses the show’s anniversary-based seasons; some streaming databases list only the episodes they have catalogued. (noctra.tv)

Cast and characters

The list is alphabetized by character surname and includes the identifiable child performers. Where a role changed hands during the season, both performers are shown. Historical credits for brief appearances are incomplete, so this is a cast list of documented named roles rather than a claim to include every uncredited extra. (Jackson Dynasty)

Character	Performer
Ashley Abbott	portrayed by Brenda Epperson
Billy Abbott (child)	portrayed by Shane Silver, then Blake Pontello
Jack Abbott	portrayed by Peter Bergman
Jill Abbott	portrayed by Jess Walton
John Abbott	portrayed by Jerry Douglas
Keemo Volien Abbott	portrayed by Philip Moon
Traci Abbott Connelly	portrayed by Beth Maitland
Hope Adams Newman	portrayed by Signy Coleman
Douglas Austin	portrayed by Michael Evans
Walter Barber	portrayed by Bennet Guillory
Lillie Belle Barber	portrayed by Norma Donaldson, then Robin Braxton
Blade Bladeson	portrayed by Michael Tylo
Rick Bladeson	portrayed by Michael Tylo
Christine Blair	portrayed by Lauralee Bell
Lydia Callahan Summers	portrayed by Abby Dalton (1995; an appearance before March 24 could not be established)
Brad Carlton	portrayed by Don Diamont
Colleen Carlton (child)	portrayed by Natalie and Victoria McCormick, then Alanna Masterson
Sheila Carter (guest return)	portrayed by Kimberlin Brown
Phillip “Chance” Chancellor IV (child)	portrayed by Courtland Mead
Katherine Chancellor	portrayed by Jeanne Cooper
Doris Collins	portrayed by Victoria Ann Lewis, then Karen Hensel
Sharon Collins	portrayed by Monica Potter, then Heidi Mark, then Sharon Case
Steve Connelly	portrayed by Greg Wrangler
Lauren Fenmore	portrayed by Tracey E. Bregman
Scott “Scotty” Grainger Jr. (child)	portrayed in 1994 records by Hannah and Jessica Gist, Joseph Tello, and Gemini Barnett; individual appearances on Y&R, rather than B&B, cannot all be established
Nathan Hastings Sr.	portrayed by Randy Brooks, then Adam Lazarre-White
Nathan “Nate” Hastings Jr. (child)	portrayed by Shantel and Shenice Buford; Christopher Pope took over in 1995, with the precise changeover date unconfirmed
Olivia Barber Hastings	portrayed by Tonya Lee Williams
Cole Howard	portrayed by J. Eddie Peck
Mamie Johnson	portrayed by Veronica Redd
Robert Lynch	portrayed by Terrence E. McNally
Heather Stevens Lynch (child)	portrayed by Conci Nelson
Mari Jo Mason	portrayed by Diana Barton
Ryan McNeil	portrayed by Scott Reeves
Nina Webster McNeil	portrayed by Tricia Cast
Nicholas Newman (child, then teenager)	portrayed by John Alden, then Joshua Morrow
Nikki Newman	portrayed by Melody Thomas Scott
Victor Newman	portrayed by Eric Braeden
Norman Peterson	portrayed by Mark Haining
Brock Reynolds	portrayed by Beau Kazer (a Season 22 appearance has not been firmly verified)
Danny Romalotti	portrayed by Michael Damian
Daniel Romalotti Jr. (baby)	portrayed by Désirée and Hannah Wheelan
Gina Romalotti	portrayed by Patty Weaver
Jed Sanders	portrayed by Josh Taylor
John Silva	portrayed by John Castellanos
Stephanie Simmons	portrayed by Vivica A. Fox
April Stevens Lynch	portrayed by Cindy Eilbacher
Rex Sterling	portrayed by Quinn Redeker
George Summers	portrayed by Duke Stroud
Phyllis Summers	portrayed by Michelle Stafford
Esther Valentine	portrayed by Kate Linder
Luan Volien	portrayed by Elizabeth Sung
Mai Volien	portrayed by Marianne Rees
Mary Williams	portrayed by Carolyn Conwell
Paul Williams	portrayed by Doug Davidson
Amy Wilson	portrayed by Robin Scott, then Julianne Morris
Drucilla Barber Winters	portrayed by Victoria Rowell
Malcolm Winters	portrayed by Shemar Moore
Neil Winters	portrayed by Kristoff St. John
Lynne Bassett	portrayed by Laura Bryan Birn

Cast qualifications: Pamela Bach originated Mari Jo in February 1994, before this season’s March 28 start; Diana Barton played her during the documented season run. Sources disagree on the exact sequence of Monica Potter’s and Heidi Mark’s 1994 Sharon dates, but agree that both preceded Sharon Case’s September 7, 1994 debut. The child-role histories are especially unevenly documented. (kiwi.itspektar.net)

Main plots

• The Newmans: Victor learns that Cole is not his son, allowing Cole and Victoria to marry again. Victoria’s published nude photographs cause a family scandal. Victor marries Hope, but they clash over her pregnancy and the possibility that their baby could inherit her blindness. Nick returns from boarding school as a teenager and enters a triangle with Sharon and Amy; Matt becomes a threat to Sharon. (Jackson Dynasty)
• Danny, Christine, Paul and Phyllis: Danny’s marriage to Christine ends, and Phyllis uses Daniel’s supposed paternity to bind Danny to her. Paul and Christine plan to marry. On December 29, 1994, Phyllis drives into them, stopping the wedding; Paul’s injuries shape their story in early 1995. (Jackson Dynasty)
• The Abbotts: Jack discovers that Luan, whom he knew during the Vietnam War, is Keemo’s mother and that Keemo is his son. Ashley and Blade marry, while Mari Jo’s arrival and the appearance of Blade’s twin Rick destabilize their relationship. John and Jill’s marriage deteriorates after Jill’s affair with Jed, leading to a fight over Billy. (Jackson Dynasty)
• The Winters and Hastings families: Malcolm reconnects with Neil. After Drucilla mistakes Malcolm for Neil while affected by cold medication, she becomes pregnant and keeps the possible paternity secret. Olivia’s illness strains her relationship with Nathan. Lily is born in the following season. (Jackson Dynasty)
• The Chancellors: Esther marries con artist Norman Peterson. While attempting to rob the Chancellor estate, Norman shoots Rex Sterling. Nina and Ryan marry after she becomes pregnant, but Nina miscarries. (Jackson Dynasty)

Births and pregnancy outcomes

Event	Date and season status
Daniel Romalotti Jr.	The baby appears in the 1994 story, with May 19, 1994 often given as his first appearance. Sources conflict on his fictional birth date: some give an offscreen birth of August 17, 1993, while others describe a 1994 birth. An exact Season 22 birth date cannot be stated with confidence.
Nina and Ryan’s pregnancy	Ends in a miscarriage in 1994; no verified broadcast date found.
Drucilla’s pregnancy	Part of Season 22; Lily’s birth occurs in 1995 after March 24.
Hope’s pregnancy	Part of Season 22; Victor Adam Newman is born April 24, 1995, in Season 23.

(Les personnages| Soap-Passion)

Recasts and SORAS

Character	Change	Date
Nicholas Newman	Child actor John Alden → teenage Joshua Morrow: the season’s clear SORAS.	June 21, 1994.
Sharon Collins	Monica Potter → Heidi Mark → Sharon Case.	1994; Case first aired September 14. Earlier changeover dates conflict across sources.
Doris Collins	Victoria Ann Lewis → Karen Hensel.	1994; exact date unverified.
Amy Wilson	Robin Scott → Julianne Morris.	Morris began November 18, 1994.
Nathan Hastings Sr.	Randy Brooks → Adam Lazarre-White.	1994; exact date unverified.
Lillie Belle Barber	Norma Donaldson → Robin Braxton.	1994; exact date unverified.
Billy Abbott	Shane Silver → Blake Pontello.	Around August 1994; sources vary slightly.
Colleen Carlton	Twins Natalie and Victoria McCormick → Alanna Masterson.	1994; exact date unverified.
Nate Hastings Jr.	Twins Shantel and Shenice Buford → Christopher Pope.	Around March 1995; placement relative to March 24 is unverified.

These child recasts are included even when they did not age a character into an adult role. (Soap Opera Digest)

New characters

• Malcolm Winters — May 5, 1994.
• Luan Volien — June 1994; Keemo Volien Abbott followed in July 1994.
• Sharon Collins (played by Sharon Case since September 12, 1994)
• Doris Collins, Amy Wilson and Matt Clark joined the same young-generation story.
• Daniel Romalotti Jr. — first appearance commonly dated May 19, 1994.
• Norman Peterson, Phyllis Summers and Rick Bladeson — 1994; Phyllis debuted October 18, Rick in November.
• Stephanie Simmons — November 4, 1994.
• George Summers — February 23–27, 1995, a three-episode visit.

Mari Jo Mason debuted in February 1994, before Season 22, although she remains important during it. (en.wikipedia.org)

Departures and returns

Departures: April Stevens Lynch and her daughter Heather leave to begin a new life after April’s trial (1994); Jed Sanders leaves after his affairs are exposed (1994); Norman Peterson is arrested for Rex’s murder (late 1994); Rex’s death permanently removes him from the cast (December 1994). (Jackson Dynasty)

Returns: Nick returns from boarding school as Joshua Morrow’s teenage version (June 21, 1994). Sheila Carter, by then principally a B&B character, revisits Y&R February 28–March 2, 1995. April’s return began before this season, so her 1994 exit should not be mistaken for a Season 22 debut. (Soap Opera Digest)

Marriages

Couple	Date where established
Victoria Newman and Cole Howard	Remarry in 1994, after learning they are not related; exact ceremony date unverified.
Victor Newman and Hope Adams	1994; exact ceremony date unverified.
Ashley Abbott and Blade Bladeson	1994; exact ceremony date unverified.
Nina Webster and Ryan McNeil	1994; exact ceremony date unverified.
Danny Romalotti and Phyllis Summers	1994; exact ceremony date unverified.
Esther Valentine and Norman Peterson	August 15, 1994 is reported for their ceremony.
Jack Abbott and Luan Volien	February 14, 1995.

Paul and Christine do not marry in this season: their December 1994 wedding is interrupted. (Soap Opera Digest)

Deaths

• Robert Lynch — 1994: April fatally stabs her abusive husband; an exact broadcast date was not verified.
• Rex Sterling — December 1994: Norman Peterson shoots him during the attempted robbery. An exact death-episode date was not established. (Jackson Dynasty)

Blade Bladeson does not die in Season 22: his death belongs to 1995 after the March 24 boundary. (Jackson Dynasty)

Y&R / B&B Crossovers

Direction	Character and performer	Season 22 dates
Y&R → B&B	Lauren Fenmore portrayed by Tracey E. Bregman	February 3, 1995, and March 6–21, 1995. Her move to B&B as a regular occurs later, outside this season.
Y&R → B&B	Brad Carlton portrayed by Don Diamont	March 8, 1995.
B&B → Y&R	James Warwick portrayed by Ian Buchanan	February 24, 1995. His second documented visit, April 7, belongs to Season 23.
B&B → Y&R	Sheila Carter portrayed by Kimberlin Brown	February 28–March 2, 1995. Sheila originated on Y&R, but was a B&B character at the time of these return visits.

Eric Forrester has a documented Y&R appearance in 1995, but I could not establish that it aired by March 24, so it is not counted as a confirmed Season 22 crossover. (en.wikipedia.org)

 

Victor Newman and Nikki were shocked to learn that the daughter, Victoria, and Cole Howard had eloped to Vegas in early 1994. Upon their return, Victor revealed that Cole was his son, which forced an annulment. While going through the late Eve Howard’s belongings, Victor discovered a letter from another man to her, which cast doubt on Victor being Cole’s father. Victor immediately arranged to have blood tests run on Cole, the other man and Eve’s corpse. When Nikki tried to resume her romance with Cole, a devastated Victoria left town before she had learned that Cole wasn’t interested in her mom.

Receiving confirmation that he wasn’t Cole’s dad, Victor and Cole immediately tracked Victoria down. Cole shared Victor’s news with Victoria and they returned to Genoa City, where they arranged to remarry. When Victoria had discovered that Cole and Nikki had once been intimate, she had traveled to New York City and had agreed to pose for a nude centerfold. The publisher had promised Cole that the photos wouldn’t run. Nevertheless, a few months later, Victoria’s shocking centerfold was on newsstands around the country. Angered by the publisher’s unethical behavior, Victor bought every existing copy of the magazine and had them destroyed. He then purchased the company that published the magazine and fired the publisher. Rather than attend college, Victoria opted to take a job at Jabot, working with Ryan.

Hope revealed to Victor that she had never been with a man sexually. Soon after, she and Victor made love. When Victor proposed marriage to her, Hope accepted. Nikki was so distraught by the news that she crashed their wedding and made a spectacle of herself. Nikki considered reconciling with Jack, but he surprised her by announcing that he was ready to file for divorce. Meanwhile, Hope learned that she was pregnant. Victor and Hope were forced to do some serious soul-searching when Hope’s doctor said the baby could inherit her blindness. When medical tests revealed that there was a good chance the baby would be born blind, Victor urged Hope to have an abortion, but she resisted, and the tension in their marriage escalated.

Victor and Nikki’s son, Nick, returned from his Swiss boarding school for the summer. After becoming interested in an attractive young woman named Sharon, Nick decided to stay in Genoa City. Meanwhile, Sharon’s friend, Amy, was also interested in Nick. Eventually, Nick and Sharon began a romance, which angered Sharon’s former boyfriend, Matt. Sensing the closeness between Sharon and Nick, Sharon’s mom, Doris, warned her daughter not to make the same mistake twice and become pregnant again. Still hurting over the pain of giving her first baby up for adoption, Sharon resisted Nick’s attempt to make love. Stung by Sharon’s rejection, Nick turned to Amy for physical comfort. When Doris was hospitalized after falling from her wheelchair, Victor relieved Sharon’s financial worries by taking care of Doris’ hospital bill.

Paul and Christine grew closer after Danny sent Christine a letter from New York, announcing that he wanted a divorce. Heartbroken, Christine resolved to get her life on track by following Danny’s wishes. When her divorce was finalized, Christine resumed her maiden name of Blair. Eventually, Christine learned that Danny had gotten another woman, Phyllis, pregnant. Before their son, Daniel, was born, Danny reluctantly married Phyllis. Soon after, they moved to Genoa City.

Paul’s former wife, April, returned to Genoa City after being beaten by her husband, Robert, over the holidays. Although April was still attracted to Paul, he gently turned her down. Concerned for her daughter, Heather, April returned to Robert. When he threatened Heather’s well-being, April fatally stabbed him with a letter opener. April was charged with murder. To her relief Christine Blair and John Silva volunteered to represent her in court. Christine and Silva’s dynamic representation won April a suspended sentence. After being reunited with Heather, April announced to Paul that she wanted to begin a new life away from Genoa City. Paul’s relationship with Christine heated up and he eventually proposed marriage. But Christine resisted giving Paul an answer because she was still trying to accept the news about Danny’s marriage to Phyllis.

Alex “Blade” Bladeson and Ashley married. While their house was being built, they moved into the Abbott home. Complications quickly developed when Blade’s former lover, Mari Jo, moved to Genoa City. Blade was troubled when Mari Jo became involved with Jack Abbott and secured a job at Jabot. After Mari Jo also befriended Ashley, Blade told her to leave town or he would reveal the truth about her to Jack. But Mari Jo forced Blade to back down when she accused him of being responsible for the death of his twin brother, Rick. Blade realized that Mari Jo was going to become a permanent part of his life when she announced her engagement to Jack. However, Ashley accidentally discovered Mari Jo’s true identity and confronted the woman about her past relationship with Blade. No one was more shocked than Mari Jo when Blade’s presumed-dead twin brother Rick showed up in Genoa City.

Christine became friends with the owner of restaurant called the Saigon Shack, run by a Vietnamese woman named Luan. Luan hadn’t seen her son, Keemo, for years because he still lived in their native country. When Luan was shot by robbers at the restaurant, she pleaded with Christine to find her son. Christine and Paul immediately traveled to Viet Nam, where they found Keemo and brought him back to Genoa City. After a tearful reunion, Luan recovered from her wounds. Keemo moved in with his mom, and her daughter Mai. Through a series of events, Christine deduced that Jack had been Luan’s lover while he was a soldier in Viet Nam, and had fathered Keemo. With Christine’s assistance, Jack and Luan were reunited. Luan told Keemo that Jack was his father, which angered Keemo, because he had always believed that his American father had deserted Luan. When Keemo learned that Jack and Luan had been separated by the war’s ending, he accepted Jack as his father. However, Mari Jo wasn’t pleased to learn of Luan’s new role in Jack’s life.

Olivia was hospitalized with a mystery ailment. During her hospitalization, Nathan took custody of Little Nate. Olivia’s mother, Lillie Bell, snuck into Nathan’s apartment and took the boy to Olivia at the hospital. After a healthy Olivia was released from the hospital, she and Nathan reconciled. Meanwhile, Lillie Bell resumed living with her husband, Walter.

Dru was surprised to discover that Neil had a half-brother named Malcolm. Neil explained that he had distanced himself from his brother, who was a trouble-maker. When Malcolm arrived in Genoa City, he informed Neil that he had reformed his bad-boy ways. Dru befriended Malcolm, which led him to believe that she was attracted to him. Dru was groggy from over-medicating on cold medicine when Malcolm stopped by checked on her for Neil, who was away on a business trip. Dru mistook Malcolm for her husband and made love to him. Initially, Malcolm believed that Dru recognized him. Later, Malcolm told Olivia what happened. When Dru announced to her sister that she was pregnant, Olivia told her that she had slept with Malcolm and that he might be the father of her baby. Dru considered having an abortion, but when her doctor revealed that she wouldn’t be able to have another pregnancy, Dru changed her mind. Rather than learn the truth about the baby’s paternity, Dru resolved to keep the incident secret from Neil, and assumed that he was the father.

Nina informed Ryan that she was pregnant, which prompted him to marry her. Soon after the wedding, Nina miscarried. Nina worried that Ryan would want to end their marriage, but he made it clear he wanted to continue being her husband.

Brad Carlton sought legal help after Traci refused to let him see his daughter, Colleen. The judge ruled that Brad could have supervised weekly visits with Colleen in New York until after the case was reviewed. While Brad was in New York, Traci phoned him at his hotel. She was angered when Lauren answered the phone. Traci tried to prevent Brad from seeing Colleen, but the judge ordered her to bring the child to Genoa City for bi-monthly visits. After making love to Lauren, Brad suffered a heart incident, which forced him into temporary hospitalization. Worried about Brad’s health, Traci risked her marriage to Steve Connelly so that she be with Brad. After Brad recovered, he made it clear to Traci that there was no chance for them to reconcile. Traci accepted the news and returned to her marriage in New York City. Lauren proposed marriage to Brad, but soon realized that he wasn’t interested in making a lifetime commitment.

John Abbott was too embarrassed to tell Jill that he was suffering from impotence. Feeling rejected and shut out, Jill started an affair with Jed Sanders, the contractor who was making improvements on their home. To Jill’s dismay, Mamie discovered the affair. To protect John, Mamie told him about the affair. Meanwhile, Jed also began seeing Nikki. When Nikki learned of Jill’s affair with Jed, she broke off their romance. Soon after, Jed left town. John told Jill that he wanted a divorce and a bitter custody battle over their son Billy ensued. During the custody fight, the judge ruled that Jill could remain in the Abbott house.

Katherine Chancellor’s maid Esther fell for a con man named Norman Peterson after she answered his ad in the Chronicle’s personals column. After a whirlwind romance, Esther married Norman and he moved into the Chancellor estate. Norman’s primary reason for getting involved with Esther was so that he could rob Katherine. While Norman was trying to break into Katherine’s safe, he was interrupted by Katherine’s husband, Rex. Startled, Norman shot and killed Rex. The police apprehended Norman and arrested him for Rex’s murder.

Previous year : Y&R 1993

Next year : Y&R 1995

Season boundary used: March 29, 1993 to March 25, 1994. This follows the show’s anniversary based numbering. A calendar-year account of “Y&R in 1993” crosses two seasons, so dates matter throughout this entry. (Moviefone)

Number of episodes: Not reliably established. The available season listings are incomplete, and I could not verify both endpoint episode numbers against a dependable broadcast register. I would rather leave the total open than turn a weekday count into a purported CBS figure. (noctra.tv)

Characters and actors

The list is alphabetized by character surname and includes children for whom a performer could be identified. It covers the documented principal and recurring characters; I cannot certify it as an exhaustive record of every guest and uncredited appearance across the season. Name changes during the story are noted where helpful. (Jackson Dynasty)

Character	Actor
Jack Abbott	portrayed by Peter Bergman
John Abbott	portrayed by Jerry Douglas
Ashley Abbott	portrayed by Brenda Epperson
Traci Abbott	portrayed by Beth Maitland
William “Billy” Abbott	portrayed by Katrin and Margret Ingimarsdottir as an infant; subsequent infant credits for this season are incomplete
Douglas Austin	portrayed by Michael Evans
Michael Baldwin	portrayed by Christian Jules LeBlanc
Lillie Belle Barber	portrayed by Norma Donaldson
Drucilla Barber Winters	portrayed by Victoria Rowell
Olivia Barber Hastings	portrayed by Tonya Williams
Christine “Cricket” Blair Romalotti	portrayed by Lauralee Bell
Alex “Blade” Bladeson	portrayed by Michael Tylo
Brad Carlton	portrayed by Don Diamont
Colleen Carlton	portrayed by Natalie and Victoria McCormick during 1993–94
Molly Carter	portrayed by Marilyn Alex
Sheila Carter	portrayed by Kimberlin Brown in guest returns from B&B
Katherine Chancellor	portrayed by Jeanne Cooper
Phillip Chancellor III	child performer not securely identified for this season
Steve Connelly	portrayed by Greg Wrangler
Lauren Fenmore Grainger	portrayed by Tracey E. Bregman
Jill Foster Abbott	portrayed by Jess Walton
Scott Grainger	portrayed by Peter Barton
Scott “Scotty” Grainger Jr.	portrayed by Hannah and Jessica Gist; Joseph Tello is also credited for 1993–94
Nathan Hastings	portrayed by Randy Brooks
Nathan “Nate” Hastings Jr.	portrayed by Shantel and Shenice Buford; Ashaneese and Nasharin Holderness are also listed for 1993
Cole Howard	portrayed by J. Eddie Peck
Eve Howard	portrayed by Margaret Mason
Mamie Johnson	portrayed by Veronica Redd
Leanna Love	portrayed by Barbara Crampton
Ryan McNeil	portrayed by Scott Reeves
Victor Newman	portrayed by Eric Braeden
Victoria Newman	portrayed by Heather Tom
Nicholas Newman	portrayed by John Alden as a child
Nikki Newman Abbott	portrayed by Melody Thomas Scott
Danny Romalotti	portrayed by Michael Damian
Gina Romalotti	portrayed by Patty Weaver
John Silva	portrayed by John Castellanos
Rex Sterling	portrayed by Quinn Redeker
April Stevens	portrayed by Cynthia Eilbacher
Heather Stevens	portrayed by Conci Nelson
Esther Valentine	portrayed by Kate Linder
Nina Webster Chancellor	portrayed by Tricia Cast
Mary Williams	portrayed by Carolyn Conwell
Paul Williams	portrayed by Doug Davidson
Neil Winters	portrayed by Kristoff St. John
Hope Adams Wilson	portrayed by Signy Coleman

The child credits are less consistent than those for the adult cast, particularly where twins shared an infant role. (en.wikipedia.org)

Main plots

• Victor disappears; Hope arrives. After leaving Genoa City, Victor is presumed dead following a car crash. In Kansas he meets Hope Adams, while his apparent death triggers a struggle for control of Newman Enterprises. His eventual return upends the plans made in his absence. (Jackson Dynasty)
• Victoria, Ryan and Cole. Victoria’s marriage to Ryan deteriorates. She grows close to Cole Howard, whose mother Eve fears that Victor may also be Cole’s father. Victoria and Cole marry while that possibility remains unresolved. (Jackson Dynasty)
• Michael’s campaign against Christine. Michael Baldwin’s sexual harassment case escalates into his attack on Christine. Paul intervenes, and Michael’s departure sends the character to prison. (Jackson Dynasty)
• Jill and John expand their family. They remarry and have Billy. John’s initial response to Jill’s pregnancy becomes a major strain on their marriage. (Jackson Dynasty)
• Sheila’s secret follows her to Los Angeles. Sheila’s survival, her past with Lauren and Scott, and her relationship with Eric Forrester tie the two Bell soaps together. Scott’s illness culminates in his death on B&B. (The Bold and the Beautiful)
• The Barber–Winters family. Drucilla and Neil navigate their new marriage, while Olivia, Nathan and Lillie Belle face family tensions following Nate’s birth the previous season. Neil and Drucilla’s wedding is generally placed in March 1993; without its exact airdate, I cannot confidently assign the ceremony itself to season 21. (Jackson Dynasty)

Births, recasts and SORAS

Event	Date or assessment
Billy Abbott is born to Jill and John	July 7, 1993 broadcast. Some accounts distinguish this from a July 4 date within the story. (Fandom)
Nikki and Jack lose their baby	1993. Accounts describe a miscarriage or a premature baby who did not survive; I could not verify the precise broadcast date or reconcile those descriptions from an episode record. (Soap Opera Digest)
Nathan Hastings recast	Randy Brooks plays Nathan during this season, following Nathan Purdee’s departure in 1992. This is an adult recast, not SORAS. (Jackson Dynasty)
Nicholas Newman SORAS	Outside season 21. Joshua Morrow’s teenage Nicholas arrives in 1994, after the March season boundary; John Alden plays the child Nicholas here. (Jackson Dynasty)
Billy Abbott SORAS	Outside season 21. Billy remains a young child; his major aging and David Tom’s debut occur in 1999. (Wikipedia)

New characters, departures and returns

• Introduced: Hope Adams, portrayed by Signy Coleman, and baby Billy Abbott. Cole Howard’s prominent 1993 appearance is a return to the story, rather than the character’s first introduction. (Jackson Dynasty)
• Departures: Michael Baldwin is imprisoned; Scott Grainger dies; Eve Howard dies; Leanna Love leaves the regular 1993 story. (Jackson Dynasty)
• Returns: Cole Howard and Eve Howard return, as do April and Heather Stevens. Sheila Carter, established by then on B&B, makes guest returns to Y&R. The episode dates of those visits need individual verification. (Jackson Dynasty)

Marriages and deaths

Event	Date and season placement
Jill Foster and John Abbott remarry	1993, within the season; exact episode date unverified.
Victoria Newman and Cole Howard marry	Their first marriage is reported as December 31, 1993; it is annulled in early 1994 amid the paternity question. (wikipedia.blackbriarcomputing.com)
Neil Winters and Drucilla Barber marry	March 1993, but an exact airdate is needed to determine whether the ceremony falls before or after March 29. (Celeb Dirty Laundry)
Scott Grainger dies	November 16, 1993, on The Bold and the Beautiful, during the Catalina storyline. (Jackson Dynasty)
Eve Howard dies	1993; exact broadcast date unverified. (Jackson Dynasty)

Victor and Hope’s wedding and several other marriages described in 1994 recaps cannot be safely placed before March 26 without episode dates. (Jackson Dynasty)

Y&R / B&B Crossovers

Y&R characters appearing on B&B

Character	Documented appearance or period
Lauren Fenmore — Tracey E. Bregman	Present in B&B episode #1506, March 26, 1993—three days before Y&R season 21 begins—and episode #1507, March 29, 1993, when she visits Stephanie. Her appearances continue into the season; the official episode guide also places her in the November Catalina story. (The Bold and the Beautiful)
Scott Grainger — Peter Barton	Appears in the November 1993 Catalina crossover; dies on B&B November 16. (Jackson Dynasty)
Brad Carlton — Don Diamont	Visits B&B over Sheila’s compromising photograph involving him and Lauren. The material checked does not establish his precise first and last crossover dates. (Jackson Dynasty)
Molly Carter — Marilyn Alex	Appears in Sheila’s B&B story; precise episode dates remain unverified. (Jackson Dynasty)

Sheila Carter originated on Y&R, but had moved to B&B in 1992. Her 1993 visits to Y&R therefore run in the opposite direction for this season. (Jackson Dynasty)

B&B characters appearing on Y&R

Character	Season 21 assessment
Sheila Carter — Kimberlin Brown	Returns from her ongoing B&B storyline for guest appearances on Y&R in 1993; exact season 21 episode dates have not been securely established.
Eric Forrester and Stephanie Forrester	Retrospective crossover accounts associate them with the Genoa City side of the Sheila story, but I could not verify dated Y&R episodes within this season for either character. They should remain unconfirmed entries rather than dated appearances. (Jackson Dynasty)

 

In court for a sexual harassment suit at the beginning of 1993, Michael Baldwin shocked Chris by submitting an illicit photo of Danny with Rebecca. Michael then proceeded to suggest that Chris and Danny were experiencing marital difficulties. When Rebecca learned of Michael’s dirty move, she tried to blackmail him. Instead, Michael murdered her. Eventually, Michael was found guilty of sexual harassment and censured by the Wisconsin State Supreme Court.

When Michael learned that his ex-girlfriend Hillary was out of town, he broke into her apartment and smashed a hole in the wall that was adjacent to Chris’s apartment. Nina arrived unexpectedly and a gun-toting Michael bound and gagged her. When Chris arrived home, Michael tried to rape her. Fortunately, Chris was rescued by Paul, who shot and wounded Michael. Later, Chris visited Michael in jail and was startled to find him speaking incoherently. Chris accused Michael of feigning insanity to escape a long prison sentence.

Victor Newman agreed to drop rape charges against Ryan because he suspected that Ryan was still involved with Nina. Victor also tried to enlist Nikki’s help in voiding Victoria and Ryan’s marriage. Learning of Victor’s plan, Victoria lashed out at him and demanded that her father stay out of her life. Victoria sought therapy for her inability to make love to Ryan. Deciding that their situation was hopeless, Victoria separated from Ryan and moved in with Nikki. Soon after, Ryan presented Victoria with divorce papers and started sharing Nina’s apartment. Victoria took her mind off Ryan by turning her interest to Cole Howard, a man doing odd jobs at the Newman ranch.

Sheila Carter secretly resurfaced in Genoa City, where she hid in Lauren’s closet and took incriminating photos of Lauren affair with Brad Carlton. Returning to Los Angeles, Sheila developed the photos and cut them into tiny pieces, which she sent to Lauren as a puzzle, along with a note stating that someone from Lauren’s past was about to re-emerge. At first, Lauren assumed Traci was responsible for the puzzle. When a presumed-dead Sheila showed up on Lauren’s doorstep, claiming that she wanted to resolve their differences, Lauren was shocked.

Lauren quickly deduced that Sheila was the secret blackmailer. In anger, she also jumped to the conclusion that Molly Carter was working on this with her daughter. Lauren accepted that her marriage to Scott Grainger was hopeless and announced that she wanted a divorce. Soon after, Scott learned that he was suffering from a terminal illness. When Sheila heard of Scott’s dire condition, she went to him and said she still loved him. Not long after, Scott died while on a vacation with Lauren in Catalina.

While Victor and Nikki were engaged in a heated confrontation, Nikki accidentally fell down the steps and suffered a miscarriage. Jack was grief-stricken over the miscarriage of his baby. Realizing that Nikki was still confused about who she loved, Jack moved out, hoping that the separation would give her a chance to finally resolve things. However, Jack was livid when he discovered that an argument between Nikki and Victor had led to Nikki’s fall down the stairs. Jack confronted Victor and they began fighting. Soon after, Victor was blasted by Nikki, Ashley and Victoria, who all resented the control he tried to exert in their lives. And, on another front, Victor had to warn his former secretary, Eve Howard, not to make false claims about his being the father of her son, Cole.

Anxious to take a breather from his troubles in Genoa City, Victor left town for an extended trip in the country. During his trip, he was robbed of his money and car. In Kansas, he rescued a blind woman named Hope from a rapist. Meanwhile, the thug who had stolen his car died in an automobile accident.

In Genoa City, everyone presumed that Victor had been behind the wheel when his car crashed. Now they believed him dead. A power struggle for control of Newman Enterprises quickly erupted between Jack, Brad and Ashley. Nikki, who was grieving over Victor’s death, accepted consoling from Cole. To show her appreciation for Cole’s friendship, Nikki introduced him to a publisher in New York, Steve Connelly, who agreed to publish Cole’s first novel. Unaware of the friendship developing between Nikki and Cole, Victoria said that she was interested in making love to him. Instead, Cole pursued an affair with Nikki. When Victoria learned of their involvement, she told Cole of her love for him. Soon after, Cole wrote to his mother and said he had fallen for Victor Newman’s daughter.

Nikki suspected that Cole was seeing another woman when he suddenly appeared distant. Eve Howard received Cole’s letter and was immediately distraught because she believed Cole had fallen for his half-sister. She quickly arranged a trip to Genoa City, but became ill and slipped into a coma. Although Cole was worried about his mother’s health, he proceeded with his plans to elope with Victoria. Eve briefly regained consciousness, but died before she had a chance to tell Cole that Victor was his father. Not long after Eve’s funeral, Cole and Victoria eloped to Las Vegas.

Jack succeeded in gaining control of Newman Enterprises. When Victor heard the news, he returned to Genoa City, where he learned from his pal, Douglas, that everyone thought he was dead. After overhearing a conversation between Nikki and his children, Victor mistakenly believed that no one missed him. He asked Douglas not to reveal the truth and headed back to Hope’s farm in Kansas. Victor’s presence created a dilemma for Hope. She was attracted to him, but she accepted a marriage proposal from her longtime friend, Cliff. While wedding plans were underway, Victor arranged to return home. When Hope learned of Victor’s plans, she told Cliff that she couldn’t marry him. Disappointed, Cliff broke the news to Victor. Soon after, Hope accompanied Victor on his return to Genoa City.

Everyone was stunned to learn that Victor was still alive. Nikki was relieved because she continued to have strong feelings for Victor. However, she felt threatened by Hope’s presence. Nikki suggested that Victor was helping Hope out of gratitude for the kindness that she had shown him in Kansas. Feeling out of place and worried that she was interfering in Victor’s relationship with his family, Hope headed back to her farm. At Newman Enterprises, Victor fired Jack for taking control of his company. Upset by Jack’s dismissal, John and Ashley resigned. Soon after, they made plans to create a rival cosmetics company. Unfortunately, their loan papers were denied. The stress caused John to suffer a heart attack. Out of love for his family, Jack promised Victor that he’d stay away from Jabot, provided Victor rehire Ashley and John.

Victoria continued to flirt with Ryan, who was still with Nina. When Ryan approached Nina about having sex, she turned him down, saying that she was interested in a longtime commitment from him. Ryan agreed to live with her, which Nina interpreted as a trial marriage.

Jill and John remarried, and Jill announced to John that she was pregnant. John insisted that Jill abort the baby. Meanwhile, John, believing that Jill had the abortion, went behind her back and had a vasectomy. Eventually, John accepted Jill’s pregnancy and she gave birth to a baby boy, whom they named Will.

Paul was suspicious of the bruises on his former wife April’s face. When Paul asked if he could visit their daughter, Heather, April became agitated. She insisted that she and their daughter enjoyed a happy life with her new husband, Robert. She then added that her bruises were the result of a car accident. When April returned to Robert, he accused her of sleeping with Paul and beat her. Soon after, Paul and Chris realized that April was the victim of spousal abuse. Paul persuaded her to attend a support group of battered wives. Danny temporarily left town to star in a Broadway play, which opened the door for Chris and Paul to become closer.

Olivia survived her cancer scare and gave birth to a baby boy. Soon after, Dru and Neil patched up their differences and married. Dru was heartbroken when her mother, Lillie Bell, revealed that she had not wanted to have another baby after Olivia had been born. The only reason Dru had been conceived was because her father, while drunk, had forced himself on Lillie Bell. When Lillie Bell was diagnosed with a serious bout of depression, Olivia invited her to live with her and Nathan until she recovered. Lillie Bell’s presence created complications in Olivia’s marriage to Nathan because it was obvious to Nathan that Lillie Bell didn’t approve of him. Sensing that she was to blame for the fights between Olivia and Nathan, Lillie Bell disappeared. Olivia held Nathan responsible, which prompted him to move out. Soon after, Lillie Bell returned. Olivia and Nathan agreed to iron out the differences. When Neil suggested to Dru that Lillie Bell could live with them, she vetoed the idea.

Traci Abbott returned to Genoa City and announced to Brad Carlton that she was marrying Steve Connelly. Concerned that Steve would be viewed as Colleen’s father, Brad suggested an alternative. To Traci’s surprise, Brad announced that he had misgivings about divorcing her and he was now open to a reconciliation with her. Traci agreed to try this on a trial basis. When Brad stepped in and took over control of Newman Enterprises, prior to Victor’s return, Traci packed her bags and returned to New York City with their daughter, Colleen.

Ashley became romantically involved with Blade. As their relationship developed, Ashley accepted Blade’s wedding proposal.

Previous year : Y&R 1992

Next year : Y&R 1994

Original run: March 30, 1992 – March 26, 1993
Episodes: 252, numbered #4827–#5078. The opening episode is dated and numbered in the episode record; the closing episode is listed in the broadcast guide. The total is calculated inclusively: 5078 − 4827 + 1. (IMDbPro)

This March-to-March boundary is important. Colleen was born March 5, 1992, before season 20; Billy Abbott was born July 7, 1993, after it. Nate Hastings’s birth belongs here. (en.wikipedia.org)

Cast and characters

Alphabetized by character surname. The list brings together the principal and identifiable recurring characters, including credited child performers. A complete accounting of every one-episode role or uncredited infant cannot be established from the surviving cast lists. Names separated by a slash indicate performers who played the same character during the period. (Jackson Dynasty)

Character	Performer
Ashley Abbott	portrayed by Brenda Epperson
Jack Abbott	portrayed by Peter Bergman
John Abbott	portrayed by Jerry Douglas
Traci Abbott	portrayed by Beth Maitland
Douglas Austin	portrayed by Michael Evans
Michael Baldwin	portrayed by Christian Jules LeBlanc
Drucilla Barber	portrayed by Victoria Rowell
Olivia Barber Hastings	portrayed by Tonya Williams
Christine “Cricket” Blair Romalotti	portrayed by Lauralee Bell
Alexander “Blade” Bladeson	portrayed by Michael Tylo
Brad Carlton	portrayed by Don Diamont
Colleen Carlton	portrayed by Ashley, Kelly and Bobby Brown; later child casting may cross the 1993 boundary
Sheila Carter	portrayed by Kimberlin Brown
Molly Carter	portrayed by Marilyn Alex
Katherine Chancellor	portrayed by Jeanne Cooper
Phillip “Chance” Chancellor IV	portrayed by Scott and Shaun Markley
Steve Connelly	portrayed by Greg Wrangler
Lauren Fenmore	portrayed by Tracey E. Bregman
Jill Foster Abbott	portrayed by Jess Walton
Scott Grainger	portrayed by Peter Barton
Scott “Scotty” Grainger Jr.	infant performers not securely identified for these dates
Nathan Hastings Sr.	portrayed by Nathan Purdee / Randy Brooks
Nathan “Nate” Hastings Jr.	portrayed by Shantel and Shenice Buford
Hilary Lancaster	portrayed by Kelly Garrison
Leanna Love	portrayed by Barbara Crampton
Ryan McNeil	portrayed by Scott Reeves
Victor Newman	portrayed by Eric Braeden
Victoria Newman McNeil	portrayed by Heather Tom
Nicholas Newman	portrayed by John Alden
Brock Reynolds	portrayed by Beau Kazer
Danny Romalotti	portrayed by Michael Damian
Gina Romalotti	portrayed by Patty Weaver
John Silva	portrayed by John Castellanos
April Stevens	portrayed by Cynthia “Cindy” Eilbacher
Heather Stevens	portrayed by Conci Nelson
Rex Sterling	portrayed by Quinn Redeker
Esther Valentine	portrayed by Kate Linder
Flo Webster	portrayed by Sharon Farrell
Nina Webster Chancellor	portrayed by Tricia Cast
Mary Williams	portrayed by Carolyn Conwell
Paul Williams	portrayed by Doug Davidson
Neil Winters	portrayed by Kristoff St. John

The three Brown children are documented for Colleen in 1992; the available cast lists do not pin down the precise handover to Natalie and Victoria McCormick in 1993. Nate’s original infant performers are identified as Shantel and Shenice Buford. (en.wikipedia.org)

Main storylines

Sheila’s secret is exposed. Paul investigates the baby switch; Sheila kidnaps Lauren and Molly and confesses. After a farmhouse fire, she is presumed dead in Genoa City—but resurfaces in Los Angeles on The Bold and the Beautiful. Lauren and Scott are reunited with their biological son, Scotty. (Jackson Dynasty)

Victoria, Ryan and Nina. Victoria and Ryan secretly elope despite Victor’s opposition. Ryan’s continuing involvement with Nina undermines the marriage; Victor’s attempts to separate the couple deepen the conflict. (Jackson Dynasty)

Michael targets Christine. Michael sexually harasses Christine at work. She pursues a complaint, while his obsession with her strains her marriage to Danny and drives an increasingly threatening story into early 1993. (Jackson Dynasty)

The Newman–Abbott struggle. Jack and Brad challenge Victor’s control of Newman Enterprises. Nikki’s marriage to Jack is strained by her feelings for Victor and by her pregnancy with Jack’s child. (Jackson Dynasty)

Olivia’s pregnancy and Drucilla’s career. Olivia faces a serious health crisis while pregnant and gives birth to Nate. Drucilla’s modelling career and her relationship with Neil provide another major thread. Traci and Brad, meanwhile, struggle after Colleen’s birth, and Traci takes work in New York. (Jackson Dynasty)

Births

Child	Broadcast date	Parents
Nathan “Nate” Hastings Jr.	September 22, 1992	Olivia Barber Hastings and Nathan Hastings Sr.

Colleen Carlton’s March 5, 1992 birth falls in season 19. Billy Abbott’s July 7, 1993 birth falls in season 21. (en.wikipedia.org)

New characters, recasts and SORAS

• Nate Hastings Jr. makes his first appearance at birth on September 22, 1992. Steve Connelly enters in 1992, although published character guides disagree on whether his first appearance was in April or June. (en.wikipedia.org)
• Nathan Hastings Sr. is recast: Randy Brooks succeeds Nathan Purdee in 1992. I could not confirm the exact changeover episode. (Soap Opera Digest)
• No verified SORAS occurs during season 20. Victoria’s recast as a teenager took place in 1990, while Nicholas’s later recast with Joshua Morrow occurs in 1994. (www.soapoperadigest.com)

Blade Bladeson is part of this season’s cast, but a character record places his first appearance on January 14, 1992—before season 20 begins. (Fandom)

Departures and returns

Character	Event
Sheila Carter	Leaves Y&R on May 20, 1992 for B&B. Returns to Y&R as a guest beginning October 27, 1992, with further guest appearances in early 1993.
April Stevens	Returns beginning December 7, 1992.
Traci Abbott	Departs for New York during the 1992 story; her later visits should be distinguished from a permanent return.

Sheila’s guest appearances after the move to B&B are returns to Y&R, even though Kimberlin Brown remains active on the other soap. (en.wikipedia.org)

Marriages and deaths

Event	Date or qualification
Victoria Newman and Ryan McNeil marry	July 29, 1992. (www.soapoperadigest.com)
Katherine Chancellor and Rex Sterling remarry	1992; exact broadcast date unverified.
Lauren Fenmore and Scott Grainger remarry	1992; exact broadcast date unverified.
Michael Baldwin and Hilary Lancaster marry	1992, during Michael’s harassment case; exact broadcast date unverified.
Dylan Fenmore dies	1992. Dylan is the baby Sheila placed with Lauren in the switch; Lauren believes at the time that he is her biological son. Exact broadcast date unverified.
Nikki Newman Abbott miscarries	The pregnancy loss belongs to the developing Newman–Abbott story; I could not securely date its broadcast within this season.

The three 1992 weddings involving Katherine, Lauren and Victoria are recorded in Soap Opera Digest’s retrospective. Scott Grainger’s death takes place in November 1993 on B&B and must not be placed in season 20. Billy Abbott’s birth and Jill and John’s remarriage belong to the later 1993 story, without evidence that they occurred before March 26. (Soap Opera Digest)

Y&R / B&B Crossovers

Y&R characters appearing on B&B

Character	B&B appearances during Y&R season 20
Sheila Carter — Kimberlin Brown	Transfers to B&B on May 21, 1992, immediately after her May 20 Y&R departure.
Lauren Fenmore — Tracey E. Bregman	Appears beginning September 17, 1992; returns September 24–October 1, 1992. Her next B&B appearances begin March 24, 1993, just before Y&R season 20 ends.
Molly Carter — Marilyn Alex	Appears October 8–November 20, 1992, and again January 6, 1993.

(en.wikipedia.org)

B&B characters appearing on Y&R

Sheila Carter — Kimberlin Brown, now based on B&B, returns to Genoa City beginning October 27, 1992. Records also list visits in January and February–March 1993. This is the reverse leg of the Sheila crossover, rather than the introduction of a character who originated on B&B. I could not verify a season 20 Y&R appearance by a character originally created for B&B. (en.wikipedia.org)

 

As 1992 started, Molly Carter continued to be a threat to her daughter, Sheila. Things got worse for Sheila when Paul Williams started snooping around the hospital, asking questions about a baby-switch. During Paul’s investigation he learned that Sheila had made up the story about being trapped in a snowstorm when she had given birth to Scotty Junior. At the same time, the doctor who had treated Sheila for her real miscarriage ended up working with Dr. Scott Grainger and expressed his sympathies over the loss of Scott’s baby, which only perplexed Scott. Sheila was also disheartened that Scott wasn’t interested in making love to her. Sheila finally succeeded in locating a doctor who would remove Scotty Jr.’s birthmark. But soon after, a suspicious Lauren hatched a phony insurance scheme to get blood samples from Sheila, Scott and their baby. A resourceful Sheila managed to destroy her own blood sample. To Sheila’s dismay, however, her mom was bent on revealing the truth about the baby-switch.

Fed up with both Lauren and Molly, Sheila kidnapped Lauren at gun-point and held her, and her mother, hostage in a remote farmhouse. Intent on killing both Lauren and Molly, Sheila finally confessed to her baby-switch scheme. When a fire broke out, however, Lauren and Molly escaped from the farmhouse. After the flames were doused, authorities assumed that Sheila had died in the fire. Soon after, Lauren and Scott agreed to live together again so that Scotty Jr. would have both of his real parents under one roof. Eventually, Lauren and Scott arranged to remarry, which disappointed Paul. However, it wasn’t long until Paul’s former wife, April, resurfaced in Genoa City. And Lauren began a secret affair with Brad Carlton. Molly was shocked when her daughter, Sheila, suddenly showed up on her doorstep with an invitation to join her in Los Angeles, where she had forged a new life.

Victor Newman promised to drop his suit for custody of his children, Victoria and Nick, if his ex-wife, Nikki, would undergo surgery for her back pain. Nikki refused, and ended up collapsing during in a snowstorm. But Nick found her. At the hospital, Nikki regained consciousness and consented to the surgery. However, she pleaded with Ashley to raise her children if she didn’t survive.

After Nikki’s surgery, Jack Abbott pressured her to stay away from Victor. Jack also expressed his desire to have a baby with her. Meanwhile, Victor was angry to discover that Jack and Brad were plotting a hostile takeover of Newman Enterprises. In an emotional confrontation with Jack, Victor suddenly collapsed and was taken to the hospital. Regaining consciousness, Victor pleaded with Nikki to marry him. While Nikki struggled with Victor’s proposal, Jack announced their marriage was finished and he walked out on her. Soon after, Nikki accepted Victor’s proposal. But when Nikki discovered that she was pregnant with Jack’s baby, she quickly changed her mind. She reconciled with Jack, but chose not to tell him that she was pregnant. Eventually, Jack discovered the truth.

Dru’s career took a surprising turn when she discovered that Al and Vinnie had plans to feature her in a porno movie. When Dru refused to cooperate, they locked her in a closet, along with Nina and Chris. They were rescued by Danny and Neil. Later, Dru became aggravated when Neil stood her up in order to spend time with Olivia. To get even with Neil, Dru arranged for Nathan to see Neil and Olivia together. But Dru’s scheme backfired when Neil learned of it and canceled his plans to see Olivia. He also made it clear to Dru that things were over between them. Later, Dru agreed to pose nude for a centerfold in Sensuality Magazine. Meanwhile, a pregnant Olivia discovered that she had cancer. Olivia’s doctor urged her to immediately have a hysterectomy, but Olivia wanted to have her baby first. When Olivia’s blood pressure skyrocketed and put her health in jeopardy, her doctors said that they needed to induce labor.

Ryan went behind Victoria’s back and began sleeping with Nina. When Victor learned of the romance between Ryan and Victoria, he paid Ryan $10,000 to leave town. But a crafty Ryan only pretended to break off with Victoria. While Ryan considered ending his affair with Nina, he changed his mind when she presented him with an expensive sports car. After slipping into Ryan’s apartment to surprise him, Victoria learned of his affair with Nina. Upset, she broke off their involvement. A few days later, Victoria had a change of heart and arrived at Ryan’s apartment with a supply of condoms and hoping that they could make love. To Victoria’s disappointment, Ryan turned her down. Eventually, Victoria and Ryan smoothed over their differences and secretly eloped in Chicago.

In order to keep Victor from learning about his marriage to Victoria, Ryan led his boss to believe that he was marrying Nina. When Victor congratulated Nina on her upcoming wedding, she assumed that Ryan wanted to marry her. After Victoria and Ryan’s civil wedding ceremony, Victoria found it difficult to make love to Ryan because she kept having flashes of him with Nina. Victoria also suspected that Ryan was still seeing Nina. Acting under the impression that Ryan was no longer involved with Victoria, Victor rewarded him with a promotion and a substantial raise.

Concerned about Victoria’s secretive behavior and where she was spending her days, Victor hired Paul to trail her. Eventually, Paul saw Victoria enter a hotel with a man. Paul immediately phoned Nikki, who arrived at the hotel and found Victoria in bed with Ryan. When Victor learned of this, he fired Ryan and filed rape charges because Victoria was underage. Victoria tearfully blurted out that she was pregnant. Desperate to get Ryan out of jail, Victoria borrowed bail money from Katherine Chancellor. After Ryan’s release, Victor offered him a blank check to drop out of Victoria’s life. Ryan declined, claiming that he was in love with Victoria. Touched by Ryan’s gesture, Victoria moved in with him. Tension soon developed in their marriage, however, because of money problems. Realizing that Ryan was strapped for money, Nina slipped a hefty sum, saying that it was a loan. and rather than tell Victoria the truth, Ryan claimed that he had found a new job.

Rex and Katherine remarried after Rex pretended that he was dying from a heart attack. Meanwhile, Jill followed Mamie’s advice and moved out of John Abbott’s house, thinking that it would prompt John to pursue her. When John didn’t express any interest, Jill started to date Alex “Blade” Bladeson to try and make John jealous.

Jill also enjoyed a brief fling with Victor, and even mistakenly believed that he wanted to marry her. She impulsively told John that there was a new man in her life and that they were getting married. Later, Victor explained to a tearful Jill that he wasn’t in love with her, and that he hoped that she didn’t think he was only using her. Acting under the assumption that Jill had married Victor, an elated Jack threw a party to celebrate her final departure from John’s life. At the party, Jill quietly said that a mistake had been made and then dissolved in tears. When John spotted Victor comforting Jill, he deduced that she was involved with him. Touched by Jill’s vulnerability, John arranged to have her move back into the Abbott house.

With Brad Carlton’s help, Traci gave birth to a baby girl, Colleen. Soon after, Traci tried to seduce Brad, but he rejected her, stating that he didn’t want another surprise pregnancy sprung on him. Realizing that their marriage was a sham, Traci accepted a job offer in New York from publisher Steve Connelly.

Danny Romalotti disapproved of the late hours that Chris was spending with her attorney boss, Michael Baldwin. While Chris and Michael were working on a case, Michael impulsively kissed Chris, but she made it clear that she was happily married to Danny. Soon after, Chris was made a partner in the law firm. Unfortunately, Michael used Chris’s promotion to try and pressure her into having sex with him by suggesting that if she didn’t, she’d lose her job.

Even though Chris realized that her job was at stake, she turned Michael down. In retaliation, a rejected Michael spread vicious rumors about Chris’s moral character. When Chris learned of Michael’s smear campaign against her, she hired John Silva to help her file a sexual harassment suit. Worried about the negative publicity the law suit would generate, Chris’s law firm offered her a lucrative promotion to drop it, but Chris declined. In order to prove that Michael had harassed her, Chris secretly obtained a taped confession from him. She then played the tape for her bosses and Michael lost his job. Thinking that newlywed status would help him fight these charges, Michael quickly married a former employee, Hillary. However, when she heard the Michael’s taped confession, that promptly ended their relationship.

In retaliation, Michael arranged to make it look as if Danny was involved with a woman named Rebecca. When Michael quickly landed a job at another law firm, Chris was infuriated. At the court hearing, Michael defended himself against Chris’s charges of sexual harassment. Chris’s case was strengthened when Hillary testified against Michael

Previous year : Y&R 1991

Next year : Y&R 1993

Period used: March 25, 1991 to late March 1992, following the show’s anniversary based season numbering. This matters here: events from later in 1992, particularly Sheila’s arrival on The Bold and the Beautiful and Victoria’s marriage to Ryan, belong to the following season.

Episode count: I could not verify a reliable total for this March-to-March season. Online catalogues assign conflicting season numbers and contain incomplete episode lists, so giving a precise figure would be guesswork. (noctra.tv)

Characters and performers

Alphabetized by the characters’ surnames. This is a documented cast list, including identifiable children; surviving cast records do not establish that it includes every minor or uncredited role in every episode. (paleycenter.org)

Character	Performer
Jack Abbott	portrayed by Peter Bergman
John Abbott	portrayed by Jerry Douglas
Ashley Abbott	portrayed by Brenda Epperson
Traci Abbott	portrayed by Beth Maitland
Douglas Austin	portrayed by Michael Evans
Michael Baldwin	portrayed by Christian Jules LeBlanc
Drucilla Barber	portrayed by Victoria Rowell
Olivia Barber Hastings	portrayed by Tonya Williams
Christine “Cricket” Blair Romalotti	portrayed by Lauralee Bell
Brad Carlton	portrayed by Don Diamont
Colleen Carlton	portrayed by uncredited infant performers
Sheila Carter	portrayed by Kimberlin Brown
Molly Carter	portrayed by Marilyn Alex
Katherine Chancellor	portrayed by Jeanne Cooper
Phillip Chancellor III	child performer not reliably identified for this season
Lauren Fenmore	portrayed by Tracey E. Bregman
Jill Foster Abbott	portrayed by Jess Walton
Scott Grainger	portrayed by Peter Barton
Scott “Scotty” Grainger Jr.	portrayed by uncredited infant performers
Nathan Hastings	portrayed by Nathan Purdee
David Kimble	portrayed by Michael Corbett
Leanna Love	portrayed by Barbara Crampton
Ryan McNeil	portrayed by Scott Reeves
Dina Mergeron	performer not reliably verified for this season
Victor Newman	portrayed by Eric Braeden
Victoria Newman	portrayed by Heather Tom
Nicholas Newman	portrayed by John Alden
Nikki Newman Abbott	portrayed by Melody Thomas Scott
Cassandra Rawlins	portrayed by Nina Arvesen
Brock Reynolds	portrayed by Beau Kazer
Danny Romalotti	portrayed by Michael Damian
Gina Romalotti	portrayed by Patty Weaver
John Silva	portrayed by John Castellanos
Rex Sterling	portrayed by Quinn Redeker
Esther Valentine	portrayed by Kate Linder
Florence “Flo” Webster	portrayed by Sharon Farrell
Nina Webster Chancellor	portrayed by Tricia Cast
Mary Williams	portrayed by Carolyn Conwell
Paul Williams	portrayed by Doug Davidson
Neil Winters	portrayed by Kristoff St. John

Some archival credits use a character’s name from another point in the story—for example, the Paley Center lists Nikki Newman Stewart and Victoria Newman Howard in its record for one 1991 programme. The table uses names useful for identifying the characters during this period. (paleycenter.org)

Main plots

• Lauren, Sheila and the switched babies. After losing her own baby, Sheila obtains another infant and switches him with Lauren and Scott’s newborn son. Lauren unknowingly raises the other child, while Sheila raises the real Scotty as her own. Molly, Sheila’s mother, becomes a threat to the secret. (Soap Opera Digest)
• David Kimble’s final scheme. Christine and Danny investigate David’s past and his plans for Nina and her son Phillip. David arrives at the October 2, 1991 masquerade ball intending to kill them; his storyline ends with his death in a trash compactor. (Soap Opera Digest)
• Victoria and Ryan. Ryan arrives in June 1991 and begins a relationship with the teenage Victoria, provoking Victor’s opposition. Their elopement comes later, in July 1992. (Soap Opera Digest)
• The Abbotts and Newmans. Nikki struggles with painkiller and alcohol use; Victoria’s return strains Victor and Ashley’s marriage; and Brad and Traci reunite. (Jackson Dynasty)
• Drucilla, Olivia, Nathan and Neil. Olivia marries Nathan, while Drucilla’s ambitions and the sisters’ feelings about Neil complicate their relationships. (Jackson Dynasty)

Births

Child	Date and detail
Scott “Scotty” Grainger Jr.	Born on screen in 1991 to Lauren Fenmore and Scott Grainger; I could not verify the exact broadcast date. Sheila subsequently switches him with another baby.
Colleen Carlton	Born on screen March 5, 1992, to Traci Abbott and Brad Carlton.

Nate Hastings Jr. was born September 22, 1992, after season 19 under the period used here. (Soap Opera Digest)

New characters, recasts and SORAS

New arrivals during the season include Ryan McNeil (June 1991) and Michael Baldwin (November 26, 1991). Neil Winters and Flo Webster also enter the 1991 story, while the births introduce Scotty and Colleen. Molly Carter debuted March 7, 1991, before the March 25 boundary used here. (Soap Opera Digest)

I found no verified SORAS taking place within season 19. Victoria’s move from child performer Ashley Nicole Millan to teenage performer Heather Tom occurred in 1990. Nicholas is played as a child by John Alden during this period; Joshua Morrow does not take over until 1994. For the infants and Phillip Chancellor III, the available records do not support confident performer attributions. (soapoperadigest.com)

Departures, returns, marriages and deaths

Event	Season 19 status
Cassandra Rawlins	Dies following the collapse of her marriage to Brad; the exact airdate needs confirmation against episode records.
David Kimble	His final plot unfolds around the October 2, 1991 masquerade ball; he subsequently dies in a trash compactor.
Dina Mergeron	Returns for a visit in the 1991 material; dates and performer require episode-level verification.
Brad Carlton and Traci Abbott	Remarry in 1991; exact airdate unverified.
Olivia Barber and Nathan Hastings	Marry in 1991; exact airdate unverified.
Scott Grainger and Sheila Carter	Marry in 1991; exact airdate unverified.

The 1992 marriages of Victoria and Ryan, Lauren and Scott, and Katherine and Rex should not automatically be assigned to season 19: the sources place them in 1992 without establishing that they aired before the late-March boundary. (Soap Opera Digest)

Y&R / B&B Crossovers

Direction	Character	Date	Season 19?
Y&R → B&B	Sheila Carter, portrayed by Kimberlin Brown	May 21, 1992 is the documented B&B episode date in the performer’s television credits.	No — season 20.
B&B → Y&R	No appearance verified	—	None established for season 19.

Sheila’s escape from Genoa City sets up the two-soap story, but her appearance in Los Angeles should not be counted as a season 19 crossover. (soapcentral.com)

 

As 1991 began, Cassandra Rawlins slipped Brad Carlton a potent drug that rendered him unconscious. She then flew him to Las Vegas, where a groggy Brad married Cassandra in a quickie ceremony. Brad finally regained consciousness and found himself in bed with his new wife, Cassandra, at a resort in Aspen, where they were stranded because of a snowstorm. Brad was livid. He had a pressing appointment with his ex-wife Traci. When Brad and Cassandra returned home, Traci was heartbroken to learn of her ex-husband’s new marriage. Brad eventually convinced Traci that he didn’t love Cassandra.

With Traci’s help, Brad finally managed to get out of his unusual marriage. At the divorce hearing, Brad and Cassandra agreed to part amicably without laying claim to each other’s financial interests. Immediately after the hearing, Cassandra rushed off to see her former boyfriend, Paul Williams. Before they could connect, Cassandra was fatally struck by a truck. At the reading of Cassandra’s will, Paul was surprised to learn she had made him her sole heir. However, before Paul could celebrate his becoming a multi-millionaire, an unexpected turn of events took place. The judge who presided over Brad and Cassandra’s divorce died before he had signed their papers, which meant that Brad was the legal heir to Cassandra’s fortune.

A pregnant Lauren was infuriated to learn that Sheila was also pregnant with Scott’s baby. When Sheila suddenly went into labor, she was rushed to the hospital. The doctors later informed her that her baby had been stillborn. Realizing that she needed a baby to continue manipulating Scott, Sheila hatched a new scheme. She purchased a pregnancy pad and made everyone believe that she was still expecting Scott Grainger’s baby. Soon after, Paul helped Lauren through her labor and she gave birth to a baby boy. At the same time, Sheila, who was pretending to be out-of-town, phoned Scott and announced that she had given birth to a baby boy while visiting her parents in Michigan. Sheila then arranged to return home with a baby, courtesy of a shifty baby broker.

Hightailing it to the hospital, Sheila exchanged her brokered baby with Lauren’s child. Sheila also falsified the medical records. However, she encountered a glitch when Lauren noticed that her son was missing the Grainger birthmark. But Sheila bypassed the problem by having the birthmark surgically removed from “her” baby. Scott persuaded Lauren to hasten their divorce so that he could marry Sheila. Disappointed that Scott was dumping her for Sheila, Lauren revealed that she had also just given birth to a baby boy, but that the child’s conception was the result of a extra-marital affair.

Soon after, Sheila and Scott were married in the hospital chapel. A tearful Lauren stood in the back of the chapel and watched them exchange wedding vows. Eventually, Sheila’s mom, Molly Carter, discovered her daughter’s baby switch and decided to tell Lauren the truth. On the way to Lauren’s office, Molly suffered a debilitating stroke, which left her temporarily unable to speak. When Lauren began visiting Molly, Sheila orchestrated an elaborate scheme to make it look as if Molly had attempted suicide. Then Sheila had her mother committed to a mental institution. Not long after, Lauren was overwhelmed with grief when her son died from meningitis.

Determined to have another baby immediately, Lauren seduced Paul. Meanwhile, Lauren continued to visit Molly at the sanitarium. Molly struggled to tell Lauren the truth about Sheila. When Sheila learned of Lauren’s visits, she transferred Molly to an out-of-town institution.

Chronic back pain continued to torment Nikki, who was now downing painkillers with alcohol. Jack advised his wife that she could become addicted, but she ignored his well-intended warning. Meanwhile, Victor’s and Nikki’s daughter, Victoria, who was attending a Swiss boarding school, wasn’t thrilled to learn that both her parents had taken new spouses. Victoria particularly resented her father’s bride, Ashley. Eventually, Victoria returned to Genoa City, determined to break up her parents’ new marriages. She took a summer job at Jabot and immediately became involved with a sexy young trainee, Ryan MacNeil, who was considerably older. Ryan succeeded in seducing Victoria.

Thanks to Victoria’s interference, Victor and Ashley’s marriage unraveled and they agreed to a separation. Ashley began spending time with Brad Carlton, which bothered her sister, Traci. Traci still loved Brad. Even after Ashley and Victor decided to give their marriage another try, Traci was convinced that Ashley was actually in love with Brad.

Worried that she might have become pregnant with Ryan’s baby, or had contracted the AIDS virus, Victoria shared her fears with Ashley. Ashley accompanied the nervous teenager to the doctor’s office for testing. The test results revealed that Victoria was neither pregnant or HIV-positive, which relieved her. Ashley’s interest in Victoria’s well-being inspired the young woman to finally let go of her resentment. Nikki also sought treatment for her drug addiction at a rehab clinic, but quickly signed herself out. When Victor learned the truth about Nikki’s drug dependency, he vowed to help her kick it, an act that made Victoria happy.

Traci discovered that her single night of lovemaking with Brad had left her pregnant. She feared that Brad would think that she was trying to trap him into remarriage. But Brad was delighted at the idea of becoming a father and proposed marriage. Dina Mergeron returned to Genoa City to attend her daughter’s wedding and quickly became romantically involved again with John Abbott, which enraged Jill. When John proposed remarriage to Dina, Jill hired Paul to investigate her background. Paul uncovered information about Dina’s various affairs, held while she was supposed to be recovering from tuberculosis in a sanitarium. Jill presented the damaging file to John, who immediately canceled his wedding to Dina. She left town shortly afterward. And Jill found herself competing with Leanna Love for John’s romantic interest.

Olivia worried that Nathan was falling for Dru’s charms. To hide her real feelings, Dru pretended to be involved with Neil Winters, an executive trainee at Jabot Cosmetics. But to Dru’s surprise, Neil admitted that he was attracted to Olivia. When Olivia and Nathan announced their plans to marry, Dru reluctantly agreed to serve as maid of honor because she knew this would please her father. After Olivia married Nathan, Dru shifted her interest from ballet to modeling. She also found herself attracted to Neil, who was still intrigued by Olivia.

David Kimble realized that the only way he could get his hands on Nina’s fortune was to adopt her son, Phillip. David tried to pressure Nina into agreeing to the adoption, but she resisted because of conflicting information from her pals, Danny and Chris. They were worried that Kimble would kill both Nina and Phillip once the adoption became legal.

Digging into Kimble’s background, Chris came across a photo of Rebecca, wearing a broach that looked exactly like the one that David had recently given Nina. In the photo, Kimble was identified as Rebecca’s husband, Tom. Chris arranged to meet with Nina to break the news about David, but Nina had already learned of her husband’s secret from his lover, Diane. Nina also discovered that David was plotting to murder both her and Phillip.

Infuriated, a crazed Nina fired five gun shots at her husband. Kimble survived his wounds, but pretended to be paralyzed. Nina was arrested for trying to kill him. Terrified that she would be forced to serve a lengthy prison term, Nina fled Genoa City with her son and hid out with her mom, Florence Webster, in Detroit. Chris tracked Nina down and convinced her to return to Genoa City. But Nina skipped town again and her trial began without her. Eventually, Nina returned and attended her court hearing, she was accompanied by her mom, who came to Genoa City to give her daughter emotional support. While on the witness stand, Nina testified that she shot David out of self-defense because she was convinced that he wanted to kill her and Phillip. Her emotional testimony moved the jury and they found her not guilty.

Soon after, David faked his own death in a hospital fire. But a plastic surgeon, who David had pressured into altering his features, outwitted Kimball by carving the word “KILLER” on his forehead. With the help of a make-up artist, Kimball covered the incriminating word with make-up and created a new disguise for himself. Posing as “Jim Adams,” Kimble began dating Flo, which ensured that he would be able to keep a constant eye on Nina. David even married Flo and manipulated Nina into changing her will so that he and Flo would be co-beneficiaries in the event of Nina’s death. At a masquerade ball, where Nina, Danny and Chris were also guests, David attended with the intent of killing them. But David’s former mistress, Diane, learned of his plan and replaced the bullets in his gun with fake ones. While David was being pursued by the police, he met his untimely death in a trash compactor.

Previous year : Y&R 1990

Next year : Y&R 1992

Broadcast period: March 26, 1990–March 22, 1991
Number of episodes: 251, from episode #4322 through #4572, inclusive. (imdb.com)

The surviving cast information is substantial but does not amount to a verified credit list for all 251 episodes. The alphabetical list below includes the identifiable principal and recurring characters, including children. An April 1990 Soap Opera Digest cast list is especially useful for the beginning of the season. (Soap Opera Network Community)

Characters and actors

Character	Actor
John Abbott	portrayed by Jerry Douglas
Jack Abbott	portrayed by Peter Bergman
Ashley Abbott	portrayed by Brenda Epperson
Traci Abbott	portrayed by Beth Maitland
Douglas Austin	portrayed by Michael Evans
Michael Baldwin	Not yet introduced this season
Lillie Belle Barber	portrayed by Norma Donaldson
Olivia Barber	portrayed by Tonya Lee Williams
Drucilla Barber	portrayed by Victoria Rowell
Walter Barber	portrayed by Henry Sanders
Lynne Bassett	portrayed by Laura Bryan Birn
Chase Benson	portrayed by Stephen Gregory
Christine “Cricket” Blair	portrayed by Lauralee Bell
Brad Carlton	portrayed by Don Diamont
Molly Carter	portrayed by Marilyn Alex
Sheila Carter	portrayed by Kimberlin Brown
Katherine Chancellor and Marge Cotroke	portrayed by Jeanne Cooper
Michael Crawford	portrayed by Colby Chester
Carol Robbins Evans	portrayed by Christopher Templeton
Skip Evans	portrayed by Todd Curtis
Lauren Fenmore Grainger	portrayed by Tracey E. Bregman
Bert Fowler	portrayed by Tom Palmer
Dr. James “Jim” Grainger	portrayed by John O’Hurley
Dr. Scott Grainger	portrayed by Peter Barton
Scott “Scotty” Grainger Jr.	portrayed by infant performers I could not reliably identify
Dylan Fenmore	portrayed by Nathan Griesbach; later Austin Recht (the precise changeover date is unverified)
Robert Haskell	portrayed by Ryan MacDonald
Shirley Haskell	portrayed by Ruth Silveira
Nathan Hastings	portrayed by Nathan Purdee
Adrian Hunter	portrayed by Mark Derwin
Mamie Johnson	portrayed by Marguerite Ray; Veronica Redd from May 1990
Diane Jenkins	portrayed by Alex Donnelley
David Kimble	portrayed by Michael Corbett
Leanna Love	portrayed by Barbara Crampton
Dina Mergeron	portrayed by Marla Adams
Nicholas Newman	portrayed by Griffin Ledner
Victor Newman	portrayed by Eric Braeden
Victoria Newman	portrayed by Ashley Nicole Millan; Heather Tom from December 1990
Nikki Newman Abbott	portrayed by Melody Thomas Scott
Clint Radison	portrayed by James Michael Gregary
Cassandra Rawlins	portrayed by Nina Arvesen
Brock Reynolds	portrayed by Beau Kazer
Miguel Rodriguez	portrayed by Anthony Peña
Danny Romalotti	portrayed by Michael Damian
Gina Roma	portrayed by Patty Weaver
John Silva	portrayed by John Castellanos
Mitchell Sherman	portrayed by William Wintersole
Rex Sterling	portrayed by Quinn Redeker
Esther Valentine	portrayed by Kate Linder
Katherine “Kate” Tina Valentine (later Chloe Mitchell)	portrayed by Darla and Sandra Greer
Mary Williams	portrayed by Carolyn Conwell
Carl Williams	portrayed by Brett Hadley
Paul Williams	portrayed by Doug Davidson
Nina Webster	portrayed by Tricia Cast
Salena Wiley	portrayed by Fay Hauser

Two corrections to my season 17 guide: Clint Radison was played by James Michael Gregary, whereas Morey Amsterdam played Morey. I also gave the wrong broadcast date for Danny and Cricket’s wedding: the wedding episode aired November 16, 1990, in season 18. I had confused it with a differently dated Paley archive record. (Soap Opera Network Community)

Main storylines

• Katherine and Marge: Clint passes Marge off as Katherine, while the real Katherine and Esther are held captive. The deception threatens Katherine’s fortune and makes Rex’s relationship with Jill still more tangled.
• Jack, Nikki, Victor and Ashley: Jack and Nikki marry amid the struggle over Jabot. Victor and Ashley also marry. Nikki’s pregnancy and miscarriage are followed by increasing dependence on painkillers and alcohol.
• Sheila, Lauren and Scott: Nurse Sheila pursues Scott, and both she and Lauren become pregnant. After Sheila loses her baby, she obtains another infant and switches him with Lauren and Scott’s newborn son. By the season finale, Lauren is questioning why the baby she believes is hers has lost his birthmark.
• Drucilla and Olivia: Drucilla arrives in Genoa City, reconnects uneasily with her sister Olivia and grows close to Nathan. Their parents’ arrival brings the Barber family history into the story.
• Nina and David: Nina marries David Kimble, unaware of his murderous past. Diane’s discoveries, and Danny and Cricket’s suspicions, begin to expose him.
• Paul and Cassandra: Paul’s investigation into George Rawlins’ death continues. Cassandra later manipulates Brad into marrying her; her death creates a dispute over her estate.
• Danny and Cricket: The couple marry in Hawaii in November 1990. (Jackson Dynasty)

Births

Child	Date and circumstances
Katherine “Kate” Tina Valentine	July 27, 1990. Esther’s daughter is born on screen; she later becomes known as Chloe Mitchell.
Scott “Scotty” Grainger Jr.	March 8, 1991, according to character records. He is Lauren and Scott’s biological son, taken by Sheila in the baby switch.
Sheila and Scott’s child	Stillborn in early 1991. I could not verify the exact broadcast date.
Dylan Fenmore	An infant obtained through a baby broker, whom Lauren unknowingly raises after Sheila’s switch. His biological birth date is not established.

(en.wikipedia.org)

Recasts and SORAS

• Mamie Johnson: Marguerite Ray was replaced by Veronica Redd, whose debut is recorded as May 16, 1990.
• Victoria Newman — major SORAS: Child actress Ashley Nicole Millan gave way to teenage Victoria, played by Heather Tom. December 12, 1990 is reported as Tom’s debut, although some cast chronologies instead date her arrival to early 1991. The SORAS itself clearly falls within season 18.
• The babies: Darla and Sandra Greer played Kate Valentine. Nathan Griesbach and Austin Recht are credited with Dylan Fenmore, but I could not securely place their handover within the season. Griffin Ledner played young Nicholas Newman; his replacement of the infant twins had already occurred around the start of 1990, before season 18. (kiwix.scoggi.net)

New characters, departures and returns

Category	Season 18
New characters	Drucilla Barber (May 7, 1990); Sheila Carter (May 16, 1990); Olivia Barber (June 15, 1990); Kate Valentine (July 27, 1990); Lillie Belle Barber (December 5, 1990); Walter Barber (December 14, 1990); Molly Carter (March 7, 1991); and the two infants involved in Sheila’s March 1991 switch.
Departures	Clint’s impersonation scheme ends; Skip Evans’ performer Todd Curtis is recorded through June 7, 1990. The adult Victoria is a recast and return of the character, rather than a new character.
Returns	Brock Reynolds returns during Katherine’s ordeal. Traci Abbott returns to Genoa City, and Dina Mergeron returns for Traci and Brad’s wedding. Danny returns and reunites with Cricket.

Ryan McNeil, Neil Winters and Michael Baldwin should be left out of season 18: their major arrivals occur after its March 22, 1991 endpoint. Several calendar-year summaries mix them into a general “1991” account. (kiwix.drnathanhutchins.com)

Marriages

Couple	Date
Jack Abbott and Nikki Newman	Late March 1990; a March 30 episode already discusses their wedding.
Victor Newman and Ashley Abbott	1990; exact broadcast date unverified.
Nina Webster and David Kimble	1990; exact broadcast date unverified.
Danny Romalotti and Christine “Cricket” Blair	November 16, 1990, in Hawaii.
Traci Abbott and Brad Carlton	January 11, 1991.
Brad Carlton and Cassandra Rawlins	Early 1991; Cassandra engineers the Las Vegas ceremony after drugging Brad.
Sheila Carter and Scott Grainger	March 1991; the wedding follows the baby switch, but I could not verify an exact airdate within this season.

(IMDbPro)

Deaths

• Sheila and Scott’s baby is stillborn in early 1991.
• Cassandra Rawlins is fatally struck by a truck in March 1991; the season finale addresses the unexpected consequences for her estate.
• Vivian, who knows about David Kimble’s past, is murdered during the 1990 portion of the storyline.
• Nikki miscarries in 1990. This is the loss of a pregnancy, rather than the death of a character previously born on screen.

David Kimble’s death in the trash compactor and Dylan Fenmore’s death from meningitis happen later in 1991 and 1992, respectively; neither belongs to season 18. (Jackson Dynasty)

Y&R / B&B Crossovers

Direction	Season 18 finding
Y&R characters appearing on B&B	No character crossover verified between March 26, 1990 and March 22, 1991. Sheila is introduced on Y&R this season, but her move to B&B occurs on May 21, 1992. Lauren’s documented visits to B&B also begin later, in September 1992.
B&B characters appearing on Y&R	No character crossover verified during season 18.

An actor appearing in both soaps in different roles would not count as a character crossover. Nor does a later crossover place that character on both programmes in 1990–91. (en.wikipedia.org)

 

In 1990, Jack Abbot decided to get revenge against Victor Newman for buying Jabot by marring Victor’s ex-wife, Nikki. Jack’s first order of business was to take Nikki’s mind off of her current boyfriend, Jim Grainger, and put it on himself. He accomplished his mission by romancing Nikki with lavish dinners and gifts. When Jack discovered that Victor was planning to propose again to Nikki, Jack launched an all-out campaign for Nikki. Beating Victor to the punch, Jack took Nikki on a getaway vacation, via his private jet. When they returned from their holiday, Jack and Nikki were married.

Victor, who was suspicious of Jack’s motives for marrying Nikki, offered to return control of Jabot to the Abbotts if Jack agreed to divorce Nikki. Although Jack had fallen deeply in love with Nikki, he reluctantly agreed to the deal out of loyalty to his father, John. But a crafty Victor took advantage of a carefully worded loophole in the contract that voided the deal.

When Nikki discovered that Jack favored Jabot over her, she made plans to divorce him. Jack fell back into Nikki’s good graces when he rescued her daughter, Victoria, from drowning. Nevertheless, Nikki still wanted to divorce Jack because she had realized that her heart still belonged to Victor. Nikki’s hopes for a reconciliation for Victor were dashed after she discovered that she was pregnant with Jack’s baby. The pressure of living in an unhappy marriage eventually prompted Nikki to turn to alcohol to number her pain.

Brad Carlton’s love life moved into a surprising new direction when he began pursuing his ex-wife Traci’s sister, Ashley Abbott. A romance quickly developed and Brad proposed marriage. But right before Ashley was about to give him an answer, Traci returned to Genoa City, hell-bent on winning Brad back. Torn between her love for Brad, and her sisterly feelings for Traci, a confused Ashley left town for a brief stay at her remote cabin. To Ashley’s surprise, Victor, who was still hurting over Nikki’s marriage to Jack, also visited the cabin. Away from their troubles back home, Victor and Ashley convinced themselves that they were still in love and impulsively they got married. The announcement of their marriage had a ripple effect on their friends and family. Cassandra, Brad’s former girlfriend, decided to seek revenge against Brad for rejecting her, Jack was aghast that Victor was now his brother in-law, and Nikki was heartbroken that she had no longer had any chance of remarrying her ex-husband. Soon after, Nikki miscarried. When Nikki developed a chronic back problem, she turned to painkillers for relief and quickly became drug dependent.

Gina’s shifty new husband, Clint Radison, coached Marge, a diner waitress, on how to impersonate the wealthy Katherine Chancellor. Once Marge mastered her impersonation, Clint kidnapped Katherine and her maid, Esther, and held them hostage in a remote cabin. Marge’s first order of business as “Katherine” was to sell several valuable Chancellor properties, an act that surprised Katherine’s friends and family. Meanwhile, Katherine’s husband, Rex, found himself increasingly baffled by his wife’s unusual behavior. No longer able to tolerate her new eccentricities, and boorish behavior, Rex moved out and took up residence with Jill, who persuaded Rex to divorce Katherine and marry her.

Marge and her cohorts were on the verge of becoming wealthy by selling off the Chancellor estate when Katherine’s son, Brock, made a surprise visit. Brock immediately surmised that a stranger was passing herself off as Katherine and demanded to know his mom’s whereabouts. Marge finally broke down and confessed, which led to Katherine’s and Esther’s rescue. And Clint was arrested for his role in the scheme.

Katherine was devastated to learn that during her absence Rex had married Jill. With her lawyer’s help, however, Katherine pointed out that the marriage wasn’t legal because Marge–not Katherine–had signed the divorce papers. Katherine agreed to accept Rex’s marriage to Jill, provided that they wait six months before legally remarrying. During the waiting period, Jill began seeing her ex-husband, John Abbott. Complicating matters more was Rex’s unusual romance with Leanna Love, whom he pursued while posing as a man named Roger. Katherine decided to blow everyone’s cover by arranging a party where she took delight in watching Jill and Rex’s love lives explode.

Paul Williams, who was believed dead, was actually working closely with his father, Carl, to expose Cassandra and her lover Adrian as the murders of her husband, George Rawlins. Paul and Carl followed Cassandra and Adrian to Bermuda, where they tormented Cassandra with visions of Paul as a ghost. Horrified, Cassandra quickly returned home. Soon after, Cassandra confessed that on the night when George was murdered, she was knocked unconscious. When she awoke, there was a gun in her hand and her husband was dead. With Cassandra’s help, Paul and Carl succeeded in exposing Adrian as George’s killer.

Although Lauren Fenmore still had feelings for Paul, she agreed to marry Scott Grainger. Soon after the marriage, Lauren miscarried, which troubled Scott because he didn’t even know that she had been pregnant! Meanwhile, Sheila Carter, a nurse who worked with Scott at the hospital and was attracted to him, tried to further undermine his marriage by suggesting that Lauren still loved Paul. As the troubles in Lauren’s and Scott’s marriage continued to escalate, they agreed to a temporary separation. Eventually, they agreed to give their marriage another chance. By that time, Sheila had announced to Scott that she was pregnant with his baby. To Scott’s surprise, Lauren was also pregnant.

Skip and Carol arranged to adopt a baby from a troubled, unwed mom named Nan, who didn’t know if her child had been fathered by her boyfriend, Jeff, or a man who had raped her. Soon after her baby was born and in Skip’s and Carol’s loving home, Nan discovered that Jeff was the father. Nan succeeded in winning back custody of her baby, but she quickly had second thoughts about motherhood when she and Jeff learned how much responsibility was involved. Eventually, they returned the baby to a delighted Skip and Carol.

Nathan had his pocket picked by a cunning young woman who turned out to be Drucilla Barber, the niece of Abbott maid, Mamie Johnson. Nathan recognized that Dru was troubled, and his attitude toward her softened when he learned that she was illiterate. With Paul’s help, Dru moved in with Nathan and he tutored her. Dru fell in love with Nathan, but he was already dating Dru’s sister, Olivia, who was a doctor. The two sisters had been separated for five years. When Olivia and Dru finally came face-to-face, Dru–who was bitter that Olivia was the woman in Nathan’s life–rejected her older sister’s attempt at a reconciliation. Dru was now studying ballet and became even more determined to steal Nathan away from Olivia.

Jill convinced her secretary, David Kimball, to romance Nina so that Jill would have more time to visit her grandson, Phillip. Eventually, David and Nina shocked everyone by eloping. Nina set up David in business, and he began an affair with Diane, his secretary. It was Diane who came across a newspaper clipping about heiress Rebecca Harper, who had been murdered by her husband, Tom. Oddly enough, the photograph of Tom looked remarkably like David. Shortly after, a woman named Vivian arrived in Genoa City, with the intent of exposing David. However, he electrocuted her in her bath before she was able to contact Nina. David also set a trap to hurt Nina’s friends, Danny and Chris, because they didn’t approve of her marriage to Kimball. David arranged to make it look as if Danny was a cocaine user and had him arrested. Eventually, the charges against Danny were dropped. Soon after, Danny and Chris married.

Previous year : Y&R 1989

Next year : Y&R 1991

Broadcast period: March 27, 1989–March 23, 1990. Episode count: 254, calculated from the consecutive episode numbers for this period. Historical season listings are incomplete, so this is a reconstructed count rather than a figure published by CBS. (noctra.tv)

A note on the cast: the surviving records do not establish every performer who appeared during these 254 broadcasts. The list below covers the identifiable regular and significant recurring characters, including children; it should not be mistaken for a complete episode-by-episode credit roll.

Cast, alphabetized by character surname

Character	Performer
John Abbott	portrayed by Jerry Douglas
Jack Abbott	portrayed by Terry Lester; Peter Bergman from November 1989
Ashley Abbott	portrayed by Brenda Epperson
Traci Abbott	portrayed by Beth Maitland
Douglas Austin	portrayed by Michael Evans
Christine “Cricket” Blair	portrayed by Lauralee Bell
Joe Blair	portrayed by John Denos
Jessica Blair	portrayed by Rebecca Street
Brad Carlton	portrayed by Don Diamont
Katherine Chancellor and Marge Cotroke	portrayed by Jeanne Cooper
Phillip Chancellor III	portrayed by Thom Bierdz
Phillip “Chance” Chancellor IV	portrayed by Chuckie and Kenny Gravino; subsequently Scott and Shaun Markley
Carol Robbins Evans	portrayed by Christopher Templeton
Skip Evans	portrayed by Todd Curtis
Lauren Fenmore	portrayed by Tracey E. Bregman
Dr. Jim Grainger	portrayed by John Philip Law; John O’Hurley
Dr. Scott Grainger	portrayed by Peter Barton
Nathan Hastings	portrayed by Nathan Purdee
Mamie Johnson	portrayed by Marguerite Ray
Diane Jenkins	portrayed by Alex Donnelley
David Kimble	portrayed by Michael Corbett
Leanna Love	portrayed by Barbara Crampton
Joanna Manning	portrayed by Susan Seaforth Hayes
Matt Miller	portrayed by Robert Parucha
Nicholas Newman	portrayed by Marco and Stefan Flores; Griffin Ledner in 1990
Victor Newman	portrayed by Eric Braeden
Victoria Newman	portrayed by Ashley Nicole Millan
Nikki Newman	portrayed by Melody Thomas Scott
Clint Radison	portrayed by Morey Amsterdam
Cassandra Rawlins	portrayed by Nina Arvesen
Casey Reed	portrayed by Roberta Leighton
Andy Richards	portrayed by Steven Ford
Danny Romalotti	portrayed by Michael Damian
Gina Roma	portrayed by Patty Weaver
George Rawlins	portrayed by the performer credited in individual episodes; I could not verify a reliable season-wide attribution
Rex Sterling	portrayed by Quinn Redeker
Tim Sullivan	portrayed by Scott Palmer
Esther Valentine	portrayed by Kate Linder
Mary Williams	portrayed by Carolyn Conwell
Carl Williams	portrayed by Brett Hadley
Paul Williams	portrayed by Doug Davidson
Nina Webster Chancellor	portrayed by Tricia Cast

The cast identification draws in part on a contemporary-period compilation published under the Fred Colby byline, checked against a surviving CBS broadcast in the Paley Center archive. That archive confirms, for example, that Brenda Epperson, rather than Eileen Davidson, played Ashley in November 1989. (Jackson Dynasty)

Principal storylines

• Victor takes Jabot. His takeover strips Jack of control and places Brad above him, deepening the Abbott–Newman feud. Jack’s pursuit of Nikki develops as that conflict continues.
• Nina and Phillip marry, then Phillip apparently dies. Phillip’s drinking and car crash leave Nina a young widow. Jill contests Nina’s control of his estate and access to little Phillip IV. The death was presented as genuine to viewers at the time; a later storyline revealed that Phillip had survived.
• Katherine meets her double. Clint recruits waitress Marge Cotroke, Katherine’s lookalike, for a scheme to seize the Chancellor fortune. The impersonation plot carries into the following season.
• Cricket’s family history changes. Her relationship with Scott Grainger ends when they discover they are half-siblings. She subsequently survives Derek Stuart’s rape and pursues charges against him.
• Paul is framed. George Rawlins’ death points suspicion at Paul, who stages his own death while investigating Cassandra and Adrian.

Births

• Skylar Carol Evans is associated with 1989 in character records. I could not establish a dependable original CBS broadcast date for her birth.
• Nicholas Newman and Phillip “Chance” Chancellor IV are sometimes placed in 1989 cast lists, but their births precede season 17: Nicholas was born at the end of 1988, and Chance earlier that year. They belong in this season’s child cast, not its births. (en.wikipedia.org)

Recasts and SORAS

• Jack Abbott: Terry Lester’s last appearance was September 1, 1989; Peter Bergman took over later that year and is credited in the November 30 broadcast. Sources give November 27 as Bergman’s first airdate.
• Nicholas Newman: infant twins Marco and Stefan Flores were succeeded by child actor Griffin Ledner in January 1990. This is the season’s identifiable child-age recast, though a precise first-episode date remains unverified.
• Phillip IV: child-actor listings move from Chuckie and Kenny Gravino to Scott and Shaun Markley around 1989; they do not establish the exact changeover broadcast. Ashley’s switch to Brenda Epperson occurred on December 5, 1988, before this season. (Wikipedia)

Arrivals, departures and returns

Category	Season 17 developments
New characters	Clint Radison and Marge Cotroke enter the Chancellor story; Dr. Jim Grainger becomes central to Cricket’s parentage; Derek Stuart enters Cricket’s storyline. Exact debut dates have not been reliably established.
Departures	Phillip Chancellor III is presumed dead after his car crash. George Rawlins dies. Derek Stuart falls to his death. Terry Lester departs as Jack’s actor, while Jack remains in the story.
Returns	Danny Romalotti returns to Genoa City and reunites with Cricket. Other appearances described as “returns” in annual summaries cannot confidently be assigned a first return date within this season.

(Jackson Dynasty)

Marriages and deaths

• Marriages: Nina Webster and Phillip Chancellor III marry in 1989;
• Gina Roma and Clint Radison also marry in 1989.
• Deaths shown or reported during the season: George Rawlins and Derek Stuart die. Phillip Chancellor III’s 1989 death is subsequently retconned as a faked death; Paul Williams’ death is staged within the story. (Jackson Dynasty)

 

While Lauren and Jack were on a skiing getaway weekend, Lauren noticed Brad’s ex-wife, Lisa. Suspicious of Brad’s prolonged disappearance, Lauren, on a hunch, followed Lisa and discovered that she was holding Brad prisoner in a cage in a remote cabin. Lisa spotted Lauren and also tossed her into the cage. Lisa’s intent was to ditch the cabin and gas Brad and Lauren to death. Fortunately, they were rescued by Jack Abbott, who had trailed Lauren to the cabin.

Although weakened by pneumonia, Brad Carlton quickly made his way back to Genoa City, hoping that he could catch Traci before she filed for divorce from him. To his disappointment he was too late. Traci explained that she thought Brad had deserted her and that the time apart made her think about their relationship. She felt she could have more of a life with her former lover, Tim Sullivan. Brad, however, competed with Tim for Traci’s love. Fed up with the macho competition, Traci surprised both men by packing her bags and leaving town alone.

With the support of the Abbott family, Skip Evans and Carol Robbins married, despite Carol’s disability–she wore a leg brace as a result of a childhood illness. As newlyweds Skip and Carol were heartbroken to discover they weren’t able to have a baby. Because of Carol’s disability, adoption agencies rejected their applications. Instead, Skip and Carol placed an ad in the paper, hoping to find an unwed pregnant mom who would give her baby to them.

Victor Newman decided to stay with Leanna, even after he found out their marriage wasn’t legal because he was still married to Nikki. But Victor changed his mind about Leanna when he learned that she was lovers with Jack Abbott. On her own, Leanna used her wiles to land a job as an advice columnist for the lovelorn. Meanwhile, Victor devised an ingenious way to punish Jack for his role in the publication of Leanna’s tawdry book about Newman’s life. Victor orchestrated a takeover of Jabot, displaced Jack and made Brad Carlton his superior.

Cricket and Danny helped Nina to soften her rough edges. Phillip Chancelor admitted that he was impressed by the appealing changes in Nina’s personality, but maintained that he wasn’t interested in a relationship with her. Ironically, Jill Abbott, who couldn’t keep her nose out of Phillip’s life, served as the catalyst for finally bringing Phillip and Nina together. Repulsed by his mom’s hostile attitude toward Nina, Phillip became very protective of the reformed young woman. When Phillip realized that he had fallen in love with Nina and proposed marriage, she quickly accepted.

Jill, who was sickened by the idea of having Nina for a daughter in-law, persuaded Chase to try and seduce Nina on her wedding day. Nina nearly fell for Chase’s charm, but ultimately pushed him away. Nina, however, did agree to Chase’s invitation to drive her to the church. On the way, he had an accident and an unconscious Nina was rushed to the hospital. When Nina regained consciousness, she quickly departed for the church, where she was relieved to find Phillip still waiting for her. They exchanged vows and began their lives as a married couple.

The role of husband and father proved too demanding for Phillip, however, and he eventually turned back to booze to relieve the pressure. One evening, on the way home from an office party, Phillip, who had way too much to drink, crashed his car and died. Jill held Nina responsible for Phillip’s death and challenged her right to his inheritance. The judge, however, ruled in Nina’s favor and also gave the young widow leeway in deciding visitation terms for Jill and her grandson.

Clint Radison, an ex-cell mate of Rex Sterling, settled in Genoa City, where he pursued Gina Roma. When Clint proposed marriage, Gina quickly accepted, much to Rex’s disappointment. Clint tried to make Rex believed that he had reformed his criminal ways, but at the same time, Clint was hatching a diabolical plot involving Rex’s wife, the wealthy Katherine Chancellor. Meanwhile, Nina, who was still adjusting to her new wealth, lured Esther away from Katherine Chancellor by offering a higher-paying maid’s position. Katherine replaced Esther with a couple, Richard and Shirley, who conspired with Clint to bilk the wealthy matron out of her fortune. Soon after, Clint came into contact with an earthy waitress named Marge, who bore a striking resemblance to Katherine.

Cricket Blair fell in love with her mom’s doctor, Scott Grainger, and they became engaged. But the engagement soon ended when Cricket discovered that Scott was her half-brother. Scott’s father, Dr. Jim Grainger, once had an affair with Cricket’s mother, Jessica, which had left her pregnant. Although Cricket was disappointed to end her engagement, she enjoyed finally meeting her real father.

Soon after, Cricket began dating Derek Stuart. After an enjoyable evening together, Derek accompanied Cricket to her apartment and then raped her. Although traumatized by the incident, Cricket found the courage to press charges against Derek. Her strength inspired another woman to step forward and testify that Derek had also raped her. Angered by the prospect of a long prison sentence, Derek vowed revenge against Cricket. He cornered the young model in her apartment and aimed a gun at her, but just as he fired, Scott burst into the apartment and took the bullet instead. Derek tried to escape by jumping through a window. Instead, he fell to his death. Scott survived his gunshot wound and the near-death experience prompted him to propose marriage to his new girlfriend, Lauren, who agreed to marry him.

Scott and Cricket’s dad, Jim, became romantically involved. Nikki, who was enamored of Jim, had hopes of marrying him. But Nikki’s dream died when John Abbott graciously agreed to divorce Rebecca because he had realized that she was still in love with Jim. Jill quickly stepped in to be with John, her ex-husband.

Cassandra insisted to Paul Williams that she loved him and was willing to divorce George Rawlins. But when George was stricken with a heart attack, a compassionate Paul suggested that she wait until her older husband was fully recovered. Unknown to Paul, George’s doctors informed him that he was suffering from a terminal illness. At the same time, George discovered that Paul and Cassandra were lovers. In a twisted act of revenge, George made it look as if Paul had murdered him. Before George’s death, he also arranged to argue with Paul, while Victor Newman was nearby and able to overhear the heated exchange. After George’s death, an astute Victor wisely surmised that Paul had been set up.

During the investigation into George’s death, it became clear that Cassandra was also involved in the frame-up. Victor succeeded in proving Cassandra a lethal black widow when he successfully seduced her. For a brief period, Cassandra tried to string along both Victor and Paul. Meanwhile, she promised a mysterious man named Adrian Hunter that she was desperate to leave Genoa City and start a new life with him. When it appeared that Paul would be convicted of George’s murder, Paul and his father, Carl, decided to fake the young private eye’s death. While Cassandra was convinced that Paul was dead, he faded into the background and worked to prove his innocence.

 

Previous year : Y&R 1988

Next year : Y&R 1990