The Bold And The Beautiful Plans A Very Special Way To Mark 9,000 Episodes

"The Bold and the Beautiful" premiered on March 23, 1987, and is fast approaching its landmark 9,000th episode. In 2018, the show celebrated its 8,000th episode, and head writer and executive producer Bradley Bell told Soaps.com, "It's astonishing to look at the script we're working on today and see episode 8000. We're grateful that you've allowed us into your homes for over 30 years," adding, "The story arc centers around an event so profound, it sends shockwaves throughout the lives of the Forresters, Spencers, Avants, Spectras and Logans for years to come." Over 3.3M viewers tuned in for the milestone episode, and fans were enthralled by the dramatic storytelling.

In just the past few months, things have taken quite a turn for many of the characters. Hope Logan (Katherine Kelly Lang) and Taylor Hayes (Krista Allen) went from being decades-long rivals to best friends when they both decided to no longer battle over the affections of Ridge Forrester (Thorsten Kaye) — a move that stunned the fans. Thomas Forrester (Matthew Atkinson) went from being ousted from the family company, Forrester Creations, to being welcomed back as a design guru. And Bill Spencer (Don Diamont) made his friends and family believe he'd lost his mind when he declared his love for the diabolical Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown) — only to reveal that he'd been secretly working with Ridge to get her to confess to murder.

Now, "B&B" gears up to celebrate another astounding milestone.

On April 18, "The Bold and the Beautiful" will air its 9,000th episode. CBS has been very tight-lipped about what can be expected, although the network did mention that the episode will be self-contained and will focus on "family and love." Soap Dirt has speculated several possible scenarios — referencing the fact that Liam Spencer and Hope Logan thought their baby died during the 8,000th episode — so something big could be brewing for the citizens of Los Angeles. The site posited that Sheila Carter could try to exact revenge on those that finally captured her, as well as theorizing that Ridge Forrester could find a new love interest. It even went on to theorize that Hope Logan might give in to her fantasies and rekindle her old romance with Thomas Forrester. However, considering the milestone episode will be a standalone one, it may not directly advance existing plotlines.

Comedian and talk show host James Corden posted a video on the set of "B&B" with the caption: "James and @lilnasx's scene will *actually* air on @BandB_CBS on April 19! Set those calendars now," just a day after episode 9,000. According to the video, Corden will play the part of a busboy and it would appear that hilarity will ensue.

While other soaps are celebrating their anniversaries, it's definitely going to be fun to see what "B&B" has in store for their upcoming milestone!