The Bold and the Beautiful

Did You Know?

• John McCook and Katherine Kelly Lang are the only two cast members who have remained on the show since it first aired on March 23, 1987.
• The series aired its 9,000th episode on April 18, 2023.
• The show was originally titled Rags, a reference to the garment industry.

Premise

The Bold and the Beautiful debuted on March 23, 1987, and is set in Los Angeles, focusing on the Forrester family and their fashion house, Forrester Creations. The series examines the lives of wealthy families, exploring how love affairs, scandals, and betrayals affect family members and their relationships. Following the model of sister show The Young and the Restless, which contrasted the wealthy Brooks with the working-class Fosters, B&B introduced the middle-class Logan family as a source of conflict with the Forresters.

The Logans, like the Fosters, were initially headed by a single mother. A key dramatic rivalry exists between Forrester matriarch Stephanie Forrester and the Logan's eldest daughter Brooke Logan, reminiscent of the Katherine Chancellor–Jill Abbott rivalry on Y&R. Another enduring storyline involves the star-crossed love of Brooke and the Forresters' eldest son Ridge. The back story reveals that Stephanie Douglas, daughter of wealthy Chicago businessman John Douglas, met Eric Forrester while both studied at Northwestern University in 1959.

The couple moved to Los Angeles, founded Forrester Creations with a loan from Stephanie's father, and raised four children: Ridge, Thorne, Kristen, and Felicia. Meanwhile, Beth married classmate Stephen Logan on the rebound, raising four children in the San Fernando Valley: Storm, Brooke, Donna, and Katie. Stephen eventually left the family, leaving Beth as a working-class single mother.

Production

In 1986, CBS sought a replacement for Capitol and contacted several writers and producers. Paul Rauch created Grosse Pointe, and Claire Labine proposed Celebration, which was not produced. William J. Bell created The Bold and the Beautiful, originally titled Rags. On June 20, 2017, CBS renewed the serial through the 2017–18 season.

On April 20, 2020, CBS announced plans to air vintage episodes following a shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 20, 2020, CBS renewed the soap through 2022. On June 15, 2020, TVLine reported the series would resume production on June 17 as the first scripted series on American soil to restart after Hollywood's three-month coronavirus-imposed shutdown, with a representative stating that health and safety protocols would be followed. On March 2, 2022, CBS renewed the soap through 2024, with an optional third year picked up in February 2024.

In April 2025, the serial was renewed for three additional seasons, through the 2027–2028 television season. In October of that year, Casey Kasprzyk was named co-executive producer, becoming the first non-Bell family member to hold the position in the serial's history.

Crossovers

Several crossovers have occurred among CBS Daytime shows. Sheila Carter, played by Kimberlin Brown, was the first major character to cross over to The Bold and the Beautiful. She appeared on The Young and the Restless from 1990 to 1992, with guest returns in 1993, 1994, and 1995, and again from 2005 to 2006; Michelle Stafford played the role from 2006 to 2007. Sheila was on The Bold and the Beautiful from 1992 to 1998, with shorter stints in 2002 and 2003, and from July 2017 to March 2018.

Molly Carter, played by Marilyn Alex, appeared several times after her daughter Sheila was revealed to be living in Los Angeles. On The Young and the Restless, Eric Forrester called Lauren from his office to invite her to Los Angeles. Brad Carlton crossed over to confront Sheila about photos of his tryst with Lauren Fenmore, fearing he would lose custody of his daughter Colleen; Brad's threats made Sheila give up the photos, but Lauren later discovered more evidence.

Stephanie Forrester appeared on Y&R to inform Lauren of Sheila's marriage to Eric. Dr. Scott Grainger and Lauren Fenmore were vacationing on Catalina Island in November when they found Eric and Sheila on a romantic retreat; Scott died during this crossover, forgiving Sheila and begging Lauren not to reveal their history to Eric. Eric Forrester appeared at his office to inform Sheila that Lauren would come to town. James Warwick made a brief crossover when he called Lauren from Sheila's dungeon; Brad Carlton also appeared.

Lauren Fenmore crossed over to The Bold and the Beautiful, staying until 1999, with brief returns in 2002, 2004, and 2007; she had appeared several times prior to becoming a regular cast member, mostly due to Sheila's crossover in 1992.