‘The Young and the Restless’ Sets Date to Resume Production, ‘General Hospital’ Pushes Back One Week

Two long-running soap operas are gearing up to resume production. ABC’s General Hospital is looking at dusting off its set starting July 20, while CBS’s The Young and the Restless is looking at July 14.

However, as Deadline notes, these dates aren’t set in stone, given that the number of confirmed cases is currently soaring in the Los Angeles area, along with much of the U.S. Another CBS soap, The Bold and the Beautiful, has already been taping new episodes, while NBC’s Days Of Our Lives is still eyeing Sept. 1. These shows were part of the countless productions that had to temporarily shutter in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Only Days of Our Lives currently has enough episodes in the can to make it through the summer, with its schedule filled out until early October. The other soaps began stretching out their slate by limiting new episodes before they started airing reruns, billed as “classic” and “flashback” episodes until new episodes are ready to air.

While The Bold and the Beautiful has just started filming, it’s also ramped up the casting for its current season while welcoming back a member of the Forrester family at the same time. Zoo star Delon de Metz will be joining the cast of the long-running soap opera as Zende Forrester Dominguez. The character, who is the adopted son of Kristen Forrester and Tony Dominguez, was previously played by Daytime Emmy winner Rome Flynn from 2015-2017. Daniel E. Smith was the first to play the role back in 2001, though he exited the series the following year.

de Metz will also join another newcomer, Liberty Mutual commercial regular Tanner Novlan will take on the new role of Dr. John ‘Finn’ Finnegan, a love interest of Steffy Forrester (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood). Considering that even the startup date is tentative, it’s not currently known when exactly de Metz or Novlan will appear on screen as their respective characters.

General Hospital has been airing on ABC since 1963 and is the longest-running serial produced in Hollywood, as well as the longest-running entertainment program the network’s history. The Young and the Restless started airing in 1973 and is still the highest-rated daytime drama on network TV. It’s also a sister series to The Bold and the Beautiful and has featured numerous character crossovers through the years.