The Bold and the Beautiful (often referred to as B&B) is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987.
Set in Los Angeles, California, the show centers upon the Forrester family and their fashion house business Forrester Creations. The program features an ensemble cast, headed by its longest-serving actors John McCook as Eric Forrester and Katherine Kelly Lang as Brooke Logan. The Bold and the Beautiful is also a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera The Young and the Restless, as several characters from each of the two shows have crossed over to the other since the early 1990s, and its title derived from Y&R. The most notable crossover between the two shows occurred in 1992 when Genoa City's wicked nurse Sheila Carter, played by Kimberlin Brown, was presumed to have died in a farmhouse fire and relocated to Los Angeles, infiltrating the lives of the Forresters. The ramifications from this hugely successful storyline continued to be felt on both shows for several years and raised B&B's ratings considerably.
Since its premiere on March 23, 1987, the show has become the most-watched soap in the world, with an audience of an estimated 26.2 million viewers. As of 2010, it continues to hold on to the second-placed position in weekly Nielsen Ratings for daytime dramas. The Bold and the Beautiful has also won 31 Daytime Emmy Awards, including one for Outstanding Drama Series in 2009 and again in 2010, as well as in 2011.
On September 7, 2011, the series switched to high definition, making it the second-to-last American soap to make the switch, at the time. B&B was the last American soap opera to make the transition due to the cancellation of ABC's One Life to Live before it returned along with All My Children on April 29, 2013. It is the youngest airing daytime soap opera in the United States, celebrating its thirtieth anniversary on March 23, 2017. The serial aired its 9,000th episode on April 18, 2023.
International Broadcasts:[]
| Country | Network |
|---|---|
| Sub-Saharan Africa | Eva |
| Albania | TV Klan |
| Australia | Network 10 |
| Austria | ORF 2, ATV |
| Belgium | RTL-TVI, VIER, VIJF, Eclips TV |
| Botswana | BTV |
| Brazil | Rede Manchete, Rede Bandeirantes |
| Bulgaria | BNT 1, BNT 2 |
| Canada | CTV, CTV2, TVA |
| Czech Republic | TV Prima |
| Denmark | Kanal 2, TvDanmark, Kanal 4, Canal 9 |
| Egypt | Dream 1, NT2 |
| Estonia | TV3 |
| Fiji | FBC TV |
| Finland | Kolmoskanava/MTV3 |
| France | Antenne 2 |
| Germany | RTL, Tele 5, ZDF |
| Greece | ET3 |
| Hungary | TV2 |
| Iceland | Stöð 2 |
| India | Star World, Zee Trendz |
| Indonesia | TVRI |
| Iran | Farsi1 |
| Israel | Channel 2, yes Stars Base, CBS Drama, AMC, HOT3 |
| Italy | Rai 2, Rete 4, Canale 5 |
| Jamaica | TVJ |
| Kenya | KBC |
| Latvia | LTV1 |
| Lithuania | TV8 |
| Luxembourg | RTL9 |
| Malaysia | 8TV, Star World, TV2 |
| Morocco | 2M TV |
| Netherlands | RTL4, SBS6, RTL 8, RTL Lounge |
| New Zealand | Prime, Sky1, TV One, TV2 |
| Norway | Nordic Channel, TVNorge, Canal 9, TNT, TV6, TV 2 Sumo |
| Pakistan | Filmax |
| Philippines | Star World |
| Poland | TVP1, Player, Nowa TV, Antena HD, TVC, Filmax |
| Portugal | RTP1 |
| Romania | Prima TV |
| Russia | REN-TV, TNT, Peretz |
| Serbia | Prva |
| Slovenia | Kanal A |
| Sri Lanka | ETV |
| South Africa | SABC1 |
| Sweden | Sjuan |
| Switzerland | RTS Un |
| Thailand | Star World |
| Turkey | Star TV, Show TV, Flash TV, Kanal D, Kanaltürk |
| Trinidad and Tobago | CCN TV6 |
| Tuvalu | Television Tuvalu |
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai One |
| United Kingdom | Galaxy, Sky One |
| Vietnam | Vietnam 24H, VTV1 |