In one of the most low-key break ups of all time, Nick let Chelsea go so she could reunite with Adam. In a bizarre twist, Nick then confronted Chelsea about doing exactly what he’d freed her to do, warning that she’d regret going back to the dark side.
Sharon’s battle with breast cancer saw her going through chemotherapy treatment and not one but two surgeries. Although the story hit several strong emotional beats, it eventually seemed to fizzle as she went into remission and struggled with her conflicting feelings for Rey and Adam.
Devon’s entire fortune was stolen by Colin Atkinson in a storyline that didn’t even feature Devon. The plot brought Chance Chancellor back to the canvas, introduced Hilary’s doppelganger, Amanda Sinclair, and served as an exit story for Cane, who took off in search of his father. In the end, Colin simply decided the aggravation wasn’t worth it and returned the money to Devon’s account.
On the heels of a half-hearted DID storyline that saw a gum-chewing version of Billy try to run down Adam, the adrenaline junkie ended his marriage to Victoria. He was looking for freedom, but no one was sure what exactly it was he wanted to be free to do. In the midst of it all, Billy struck up a friendship with Amanda, which left Victoria convinced he had cheated.
Mariah and Tessa’s relationship was tested on two fronts. First, Tessa’s ex-husband, rock star Tanner Watts, showed up in town. Mariah had no idea Tessa had ever been married and was unsettled when Tessa left with the guy to go on tour in his private jet. Back in Genoa City, Mariah’s insecurities got the better of her and she cheated with bartender Lindsay. Mariah was able to win Tessa back and their relationship survived, but we’ve rarely seen Tessa since.
Nikki revived her gala planning skills to celebrate the epic 50th anniversary of Newman Enterprises, which just happened to coincide with Eric Braeden’s 40th anniversary playing Victor Newman. The huge celebration ended with many warm wishes, and, as is wont to happen on a soap, a stabbing.
What began as a love triangle between Summer, Kyle, and Lola featuring Summer striking a deal to marry Kyle in return for a liver donation to save Lola’s life, turned into a quadrangle when Kyle’s old pal Theo hit town. While it showed promise at times, the quadrangle lacked energy and was saddled early on with a lame secret that inadequately explained Kyle’s extreme animosity toward his former best friend.
Victor Newman retired (gasp!) in 2020 and handed the reins to his very capable daughter Victoria. She was only bounced out of the CEO chair briefly when Victor handed it to Adam when trying to keep a secret from the past under wraps. That didn’t go over well, and Victoria’s been ruthless since she returned to the position.
In a rivalry that played like fingernails on a chalkboard, Phyllis and Abby squared off over control of the Grand Phoenix and did battle over any number of trivial things. It got somewhat interesting when Phyllis flirted with Abby’s love interest, Chance, but that was fleeting. It finally ended when Phyllis bought Abby out, but when Victoria bought the redhead’s debt, a new rivalry was born.
Kevin, Chloe, and Bella welcomed a new member of the family, Baby Miles. It was all more sitcom than soap, but Esther was tickled, and Gloria made a long-awaited return to meet her new grandson. Glo was up to her usual tricks and hid a mysterious flashdrive at the mansion, though nothing has come of it yet.
Nick and Phyllis went whole hog back into a relationship after an extended period of hooking up. Summer was none too pleased, and Phyllis is still on tenterhooks waiting for something to blow it up, but so far, so good. Love ’em or love to hate ’em, at least the reunion made viewers feel something.
With Billy at loose ends after splitting from Victoria and walking away from Jabot, Jill swooped in to offer him the opportunity to run Chancellor’s media division — with one condition — he had to work with Lily. The two butted heads spectacularly in the beginning but given opposites sometimes attract, eventually fell for one another.
Faith has been through more than most having grown up in a soap opera family, and has remained a model child (save for trying to run off a couple of her parents’ love interests)… until now. Faith was bullied after an article ran about her being switched at birth by Adam, and it was teen rebellion time as her new friend Jordan urged her to try drinking and partying to distract from her troubles.
Amanda Sinclair swept into town with a no-nonsense attitude and a face exactly like the late Hilary Curtis Hamilton. Though everyone essentially ignored the elephant in the room for the better part of a year, eventually a DNA test was run and Amanda was revealed to be Hilary’s twin sister. Amanda began digging into her family’s past after it became apparent there were details that didn’t add up.
After a long decline while suffering from Alzheimer’s, the dynamic Dina Mergeron finally went off to the grand cocktail party in the sky. Her children had come to reconcile their differences with her in the past year and were heartbroken to lose her.
The Bold and the Beautiful’s loss was The Young and the Restless’ gain as the feisty character Sally Spectra left Los Angeles and headed to start anew in Genoa City. She landed a job as Lauren’s executive assistant at Fenmore’s, but quickly began scheming to achieve her much loftier goals.
Feeling insecure about the amount of time live-in-love Devon was spending with Amanda after learning she was his late wife’s twin, Elena impulsively turned to a man she worked with and had long-admired — his cousin Nate. In what was arguably the soapiest moment of the year, Elena and Nate had sex on the examining table at the community clinic. Wracked with guilt after cheating, Elena confessed, got dumped, and then decided to give Nate a chance after realizing she had feelings for both him and Devon.
After learning Victor had covered up the fact that he had killed a man in Kansas as a boy while protecting his mother Hope, Adam went into a spiral. It left him questioning whether the darkness in him was innate, angry with Victor for not telling him sooner, and turning to his past love, Sharon, for help. He and Chelsea split, then got back together after he ended up on a 72-hour hold in a mental institution.
After a lifetime of broken engagements and failed romances, Abby found love with Chance Chancellor. The two quickly realized they wanted a future together and to build a family. After an intimate wedding and a nightmare honeymoon, the pair moved into the Chancellor Estate.
Theo Vanderway came to town with a lingering chip on his shoulder about his old friend Kyle’s privilege that persisted even after it was discovered he was Dina’s grandson and a member of the Brooks family. Theo was alternately annoying and endearing, but was ultimately a bad boy with a heart in need of love. Unfortunately, the character’s potential wasn’t realized and he moved to Paris after inheriting a chain of boutiques on the heels of a lawsuit he launched against the Abbotts.
After taking advantage of his position at Chance Comm to air out Adam’s dirty laundry in an article that detailed his every transgression, Billy found himself in very hot water after Adam was shot at and Chance took the bullet. All the evidence pointed to Billy, who insisted he was being framed, and he landed behind bars contemplating his life while awaiting trial.
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