Here's How The Bold And The Beautiful Really Got Its Name
We all simply exist in the vast universe created by William J. Bell and Lee Philip Bell, the husband-wife duo that produced and conceptualized some of the biggest soap operas on daytime television today. "The Young and The Restless," a dramatic telling of dueling families aired in 1973 and "The Bold and The Beautiful" aired in 1987, per IMDb. Both continue to draw in millions of viewers in 2021 for their ability to examine larger social issues within the gossipy genre. "We wanted to tell stories that made a difference," Lee Bell said (via The Washington Post).
"The Bold and The Beautiful" was the Los Angeles counterpart to "The Young and The Restless," which was set in Wisconsin. It gives us a look inside the social hierarchies within the fashion industry, following a rich Forrester household and a poor Logan family, per IMDb. Read on to know more about how the storyline inspired the title.
It's an elegant name
While perusing William Bell's interviews, it becomes clear that the producer does not like to explain his work too much because he wanted the acting to be authentic and he wanted the audience to think and try to come up with their own conclusions. Obviously, the title of "The Bold and The Beautiful" reflects the brazen drama and flamboyance exhibited by the characters. But the vague yet specific title was probably chosen to make audiences think about it.
However, considering "The Young and The Restless" is a sister show to "The Bold and The Beautiful" with frequent crossovers, it makes sense that the names are so similar. When asked about how he came up with the "Y&R" title, William said to the Television Academy Foundation: "Not easily." It was first called "The Innocent Years" and that they changed its title to reflect the fact that "in 1972, there were no more innocent years" and that they "felt was an elegant title."
According to Soap Hub, "B&B" was first called "Rags" to represent the garment industry in the show, which is definitely not as elegant as the final title.