‘The Young And The Restless’ Star Melody Thomas Scott On Her 45th Anniversary & Why Soaps Continue To Survive – Guest Column
deadline.comEditors note: Melody Thomas Scott first joined the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless in 1979. To mark her 45th anniversary, Scott writes about her time on TV’s most-watched soap and why she thinks the genre remains important to viewers. Having recently celebrated my 45th year playing Nikki Newman on The Young and the Restless, I’m often asked how both Y&R and the daytime drama genre have changed since I first joined the show.
When I started playing Nikki in 1979, there were 13 daytime dramas on the air. Y&R was No. 3 in the ratings and would claim the top spot in December of 1988.
There was a certain excitement for someone watching their soap live long before VCRS, DVRs, streaming and the ability to go online to read a recap of the episode.
Fan mail was delivered by the truckload to the studio with cards and notes filled with commentary. Many of the actors required the help of an assistant to keep up with the volume of incoming mail; now viewers have the ability to post about the show’s storylines in real time using hashtags and handles to get an actor’s attention.
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