The 10-Step Plan to Overhaul and Electrify Bold & Beautiful On Its Anniversary

What better time to reflect on not only the show’s past, but its future?

It’s almost impossible to believe that we’ve been hanging out with the Forrester clan since all the way back in 1987. But we still remember the day Bold & Beautiful introduced us to the glamorous world of high fashion and epic romance. It was, in fact, March 23, 1987, making it 36 years ago today! At the time, we saw things through the eyes of a starry-eyed Brooke Logan, who couldn’t take her eyes off the sexy, egotistical young designer Ridge Forrester.

Back then, it was Ronn Moss’ Ridge who was dipping Katherine Kelly Lang’s Brooke.

Credit: Jeff Katz/TV Guide/CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection

Flash forward more than three decades and there are some familiar faces and new people walking the corridors of Forrester Creations, but it’s still where we go to get our daily drama fix. And yet, if we’re being honest — let alone listening to what you, the constant viewers, have been saying — we’re swinging by more out of habit than a burning desire to find out what happens next.

Why?

Well, soaps — like all things — are cyclical. They go through ups and downs, taking viewers along with them for the ride. And while they say that what goes up must go down, when it comes to daytime, there’s plenty of evidence that the opposite happens just as often. Much like the fashions donned by Forrester models, a few tweaks and a fresh perspective can turn things around. Just ask the Hope for the Future crew!

With that in mind — and having read thousands upon thousands of tweets, Facebook posts and message board comments from fans — we want to offer up 10 suggestions as to how Bold & Beautiful can regain some of its lost luster and once again stomp the virtual catwalk like the showstopper we know it can be.

1. Reignite the Fashion Wars

We were beyond thrilled when the soap staged a Hope for the Future fashion show. It’s been ages since it featured a little catwalk-based drama. But what’s really needed is a second fashion house to compete with Forrester. Yes, they attempted this when Courtney Hope’s Sally Spectra (now a resident of Genoa City) was introduced, but that storyline was deeply flawed from the beginning. One of it’s biggest problems involved our second suggestion as to ways the show could be improved, which would be to…

2. Stop Repeating Storylines

The new Spectra gang was meant to pay homage to the original crew, but came off as caricatures of them. More recently, the show spent ages diving back into the decades old Taylor/Ridge/Brooke triangle. This came hot on the heels of Hope and Steffy spending several years reading from the scripts written for their moms with Liam stepping in as a “recast” Ridge. Nobody’s swaying you have to reinvent the wheel, but stop with the retreads. They say there are a thousand stories in the naked city… imagine how many there must be, waiting to be told, in a well-dressed town like Los Angeles!

3. Tell Multiple Tales

“Please don’t make me talk about Bill and Sheila anymore. Would it kill any of you people to ask about my life?”

More: Who did Scott Clifton (Liam) turn to for protection? 

When Bold & Beautiful gets into a rut, it digs in deep. It’s not at all unusual for days to go by with everyone on the canvas talking about one story. And while that would be considered great soap storytelling if the various folks were involved an overarching umbrella story, it’s far more typical that they are simply talking about whatever the story of the day is about. We go from Bill trying to seduce Sheila to Liam and Hope discussing why Bill is attempting to seduce Sheila. We then cut to Deacon having flashbacks in which he and Sheila talk about Bill’s seduction techniques. If a viewer isn’t invested in the one story being told, they’re crap outta luck.

4. Bring On the Next Generation

No, we’re not saying we want the entire show to suddenly become all about randy teenagers. But it could certainly use an infusion of new, younger blood. They’re off to a good start with the upcoming introduction of Ridge and Brooke’s son, Ridge Junior. But he’s definitely gonna need some people his own age with whom to interact. We’re told that he’ll be coming back as a “young adult” meaning he could play in the Paris/Zende storyline, but we’re not sure that’s particularly better. Which leads to our next point…

5. Know When Something’s Not Working

“Paris, you should join me. The international office is heavenly. We’ve nicknamed it Fantasy Island.”

Credit: Howard Wise/JPI

More: Bill could wind up destroying more than just Sheila!

Look, not every character or storyline is going to be a hit with viewers. It happens. When it comes to Bold & Beautiful, that is basically why Forrester International exists. Need to get someone off the canvas for a while? have them go work in France. Appealing as Diamond White and Delon de Metz are, it’s impossible to look at the trajectories their characters have followed and say they’ve worked. Given that Paris and Zende have no deep ties to the character, we’d like to suggest trading them out. For whom? So glad you asked!

6. Bring Back Rick and (a New) Maya

We still have no idea what really caused these two to divorce!

Credit: Image: Howard Wise/JPI

More: Katherine Kelly Lang shares her happy place with you

Why hasn’t Steffy’s ex-boyfriend/sometime stepbrother returned to fight for his share of Forrester Creations? In doing so, we might finally get insight into what really caused his marriage with Maya to come to an end. Heck, he could make another play for Taylor. And has there ever been a better time to reintroduce Maya, this time played (with the full support of former portrayer Karla Mosley) by an actual trans actress? Who wouldn’t cheer the return of the Avants, including Maya’s sister, Nicole, and their parents, Julius and Vivienne? Just like that, the show has “new” characters with whom we already have history.

6. Give Sheila Her Comeuppance

Everybody loves a good villain, and we’ve been devoted Sheila fans for decades. But sooner or later, good needs to triumph over evil. The audience needs that now more than ever. So when Bill and Ridge’s bizarre plot to bring Sheila to justice climaxes, it’s crucial that they succeed and she wind up behind bars. We’ve pointed out in the past how easily CBS could create a crossover murder mystery, given Sheila’s history, but we suspect that Sheila is the kind of character they want to have at their disposal down the line, much the same way Days of Our Lives used Stefano (and probably still would, had his portrayer not passed away).

7. Cut Taylor and Thomas Some Slack

“Geez, mom, I don’t recall… when’s the last time either of us scored a win?”

Credit: CBS screenshot

Why does Taylor’s side of Ridge’s extended family always have to get the short end of the stick? Yes, things are going pretty well for Steffy at the moment, but Taylor and Thomas? Not so much. Taylor’s been reduced to reminding us over and over that she and Brooke are now gal pals, while Thomas — even as he steps back into his role as head designer at Hope for the Future — is clearly being set up to fall for Hope again. And while trouble in her marriage might cause the beauty to temporarily look his way, we all know that Liam and Hope are the rooting value in that situation. Give Thomas and his mom their own love interests… pretty please?

8. Give Viewers At Least a Little Credit

Remember earlier, we mentioned that characters sit around talking about story as opposed to being involved in them? This also leads to endless recapping, often of things which happened moments earlier. Not only does this imply viewers can’t keep up with even the simplest of storylines, but it also gives them reason not to tune in daily. It’s as if the show is saying, “Don’t worry, even if you tune out for two weeks, when you come back we’ll make sure to repeatedly tell you everything that happened in your absence.”

9. Let Rich Characters Be Rich

Based on the tip Brooke left, Hollis wondered if maybe she wasn’t as rich as he’d assumed.

Credit: CBS Screenshot

How come these characters have private jets… but not servants? Imagine how much fun it would be to have, say, a maid who is always listening at the door and then sharing secrets with the butler, who happens to be interested in her. They could be aspirational characters wanting to better their lives, or great vehicles for exposition which allows us to see the Forresters, Logans and Spencers through new eyes.

10. Nix the Repetitive Dialogue

Not since Passions has a soap so heavily relied on a single line repeated over and over. Whether it was Brooke asking anyone in earshot why she started drinking again or, more recently, everyone asking what was wrong with Bill, the writers seem to be operating under a dictate that certain phrases be repeated like a mantra, virtually (if not actually) word for word, day after day. As with the repetitive recapping, this can leave viewers feeling as if tuning in is a waste of their time.

When Bold & Beautiful is firing on all cylinders, no soap can compete with it. From best-in-the-genre production values and a top-notch cast to storyline twists that routinely blow viewers away, all of the pieces are there. As the only remaining 30-minute soap, episodes go down like Bon Bons. Now, all it needs to do in order to regain its former glory is get out of its own way and do what it has done so well in the past.

Join your favorite Bold & Beautiful stars as they celebrate their anniversary by getting all glammed up and having the kind of party we all dream of being invited to!