Alert the media, people.  The Young & The Restless has been renewed through 2014. Yes, fans of Genoa City, you can breathe a little easier.  When CBS made the announcement, you could hear people jumping for joy … out of their wheelchairs.  I’m sure those folks that didn’t break a hip during the festivities are thrilled.

I don’t know why I’m mocking that show.  Growing up, I became quite the aficionado of soap operas.  Even at age 11, I was just as shocked as the next person when Nola pretended she was pregnant with Kelly’s baby on The Guiding Light circa 1981.  That Nola was such a skank.  And that word hadn’t even been invented back in the early 80’s.

Soap operas used to be semi-relevant.  They accurately portrayed the social mores of our time.  Then in the ‘90’s, when I was in college, Marlena was possessed by the devil on Days of Our Lives and Passions featured a witch and a doll that came to life.  It’s all been downhill from there.

Y&R was always a little to highbrow for my taste.  I could never get a grip on the characters.  And I never cared about the never-ending feud between Jill Foster Abbott and Katherine Chancellor.  Plus, I think Jeanne Cooper, the actress who plays Katherine, is poised to turn 100 this year.

When I worked for a CBS affiliate in the Midwest, my co-workers would literally plan their lunch break around Y&R or The Bold and The Beautiful. Those who watched Y&R would clue in the second shift and vice versa.  God forbid you tried to use the blender in the break room from 11am-1pm.  Any noise was strictly forbidden.

Even though As The World Turns and Guiding Light both bit the dust, it’s nice to know that certain CBS soap operas are still pulling in viewers.  Not to be outdone, NBC renewed Days of Our Lives for two more years too.

Now if they could just bring back The Edge Of Night, I’d be content.  Er, more content.