In 2023, The Young and the Restless did a remarkable job of revisiting the history of the show while mixing in new characters and storylines, a fitting nod to the fact that the soap turned 50.
From the return of legacy family members like Mamie (Veronica Redd) to the re-emergence of villainous threats such as Cameron Kirsten (Linden Ashby) to the current jaw-dropping saga of Claire (Hayley Erin) and Jordan (Colleen Zenk), who are of course tied to deceased character Eve Howard (Margaret Mason), the daytime series has exemplified why it's managed to have such lasting power all of these years.
With that being said, we're looking forward to 2024 and what could possibly happen next in Genoa City. We've got some bold predictions about what may go down with all the big families, who could be the next great romantic pairings and which blasts from the past are likely to show up next.
Let's dive right into our Young and the Restless predictions for 2024.
Tucker and Phyllis' forbidden romance
A romance between Tucker (Trevor St. John) and Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) is something we think will happen sooner rather than later in 2024. While they profess to loathe each other, they spend too much time together and are both the town pariahs. Not to mention, Tucker and Ashley (Eileen Davidson) are officially done and Phyllis is bound to be rejected by Danny (Michael Damian) since he's in love with Christine (Lauralee Bell). Sometimes rejection mixed with a good amount of booze can make for strange bedfellows.
Cole and Victoria become official, and Claire fiercely protects their reunion
From the moment Victoria (Amelia Heinle) and Cole (J.Eddie Peck) received confirmation that Claire is their presumed-dead daughter Eve Nicole, proving Jordan did actually steal Claire as a baby, the Newman Enterprises co-CEO and the writer haven't had time to process all of their emotions. How could they? They've had to worry about locating Jordan and getting Claire the mental help she needs.
However, with Jordan taken off the chessboard, Victoria and Cole are likely to have time to revisit why they fell in love all those years ago. Plus, with Claire in the picture, they may even think they have the opportunity to be the family they once envisioned. So, we're predicting that Victoria and Cole will become an official item again, a move sure to please Claire given she was deprived of growing up with her parents together.
Unfortunately, we can easily see a scenario where Claire becomes too protective of her parents' rekindled love and resorts to unsavory means to defend it. Not only that, but she may be willing to go pretty low to protect her parents individually to show her love. So Nate (Sean Dominic) better not have a change of heart and want to be with Victoria again, and Adam (Mark Grossman) better stay on his sister's good side.
Nikki gets an intervention
From the moment Claire and Jordan force-fed Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) alcohol, the Newman matriarch has been unable to get back on track with her sobriety. She's been sneaking around town drinking from flasks and bottles unseen. That is until Nate caught her and told Victor (Eric Braeden).
Sadly, the Newmans haven't been able to truly rally around Nikki and see she's drowning in her addiction or help her with Jordan on the loose. However, with Jordan now caught, we envision Victor calling on his kids, grandkids and even Jack to help Nikki overcome her demons.
The Abbotts' plan for Tucker flops
Tucker is many things, but naive and a pushover he is not. Jack (Peter Bergman) and the Abbotts think they've got the upper hand on Tucker after selling him Glacade, leaking the scandalous cover-up story to the press and preparing to set him up for corporate theft. However, we have a hunch that Tucker has a few plans of his own. For example, we imagine he'll inform Jack his precious son was more than willing to go against the family and help Tucker in his revenge plot.
Tucker may also look to go after Ashley. She's been in the beauty industry for a long time and perhaps in that time she's done something that could destroy her reputation in the business world. If Ashley has, we're looking for Tucker to dig it up and prepare to use it. Whether he goes through with exposing his ex or just waves the threat over her head is another question.
Either way, we foresee Tucker striking back at the Abbotts and leveling the playing field.
A war breaks out at Chancellor-Winters
The stars are aligning for a showdown at Chancellor-Winters. With Mamie and Jill (Jess Walton) still at each other's throats, drawing a line in the sand between their two families, corporate unity doesn't seem to be on the horizon. Then you add the fact that Nate has returned as well as Billy (Jason Thompson), two people who also can't stand each other, adding another layer of conflict to this once pleasant working environment.
That brings us to the war. Billy is currently filling in as co-CEO for Lily (Christel Khalil) alongside Devon (Bryton James) while she's away dealing with a crisis with her daughter. We imagine when Lily returns, Billy won't want to give up the top job and persuade his mom to install him permanently in the position; a move that's within Jill's right as co-majority owner of the company representing the Chancellor side of the equation.
However, such a bold step would have massive ramifications, as Mamie, Devon and Nate would all be upset. It would reinforce Mamie's point that her family needs to stick together and may remind Devon of Tucker's desire that Devon push Jill out of the company for the sake of his family.
More big returns
The Young and the Restless has success lately with bringing back characters from years past, and we have a hunch this will continue in 2024. Should our intuition prove correct, we have a few guesses as to who.
Patty Williams (Stacy Haiduk) is a good choice to reintegrate into the canvas of the show from a villain's perspective. While Cameron Kirsten was great to bring back to stir up drama for the Newmans, it would be fun to watch Patty return to zero in on her Jack obsession. Her antics could stir up all kinds of trouble for not only Jack, but Diane (Susan Walters) too since she's his wife.
We also think it's about time for Victoria's other children to return. As Victoria gets more familiar with Claire, it's only fitting that Reed (Tristan Lake Leabu), Johnny (Paxton Mishkind) and Katie (Sienna Mercuri) each have time to get to know their big sister. Although Reed may not be as thrilled to do so as he previously assumed he was Victoria’s oldest child.
New episodes of The Young and the Restless air weekdays on CBS. Episodes become available to stream on Paramount Plus the next day.
