The Bold and the Beautiful has thrived with its current cast. However, a soap opera’s longevity is dependent upon it being passed down from generation to generation. In order for that to happen, younger cast members have to be significantly brought into the fold. B&B has struggled with this for years. While teens and young adults have made appearances, they don’t stick around for long.

Thomas, Steffy, Hope, and Liam are grown now. Their stories revolve around marriage, children, longstanding rivalries, and unexpected health crises. They’re big draws for the show’s established audience, but they’re not what will bring in fresh blood. For that, B&B will need a cast of younger characters that viewers can root for or despise.

New Characters Teased For B&B

Currently, the soap has Luna Nozawa (Lisa Yamada), Will Spencer (Crew Morrow), Electra Forrester (Laneya Grace), and the recurring Remy Price (Christian Weissman), but more younger cast members will be added in the fall.

In the preview, B&B Co-head writer Michael Minnis shared that the daytime drama will be refocusing on couples and family. This will see at least two younger characters tied to major families coming in. There’s yet to be word on just who is set to step into this world. But there are a few early 20-somethings who’ve been off-screen for some time, such as RJ Forrester (Joshua Hoffman), Coco Spencer, and Jack Marone. There’s also the possibility of Lizzie Forrester, Maya (Karla Mosley) and Rick’s (Jacob Young) daughter, making her debut as a young adult.

Each of these characters has the potential to shake things up on the soap, adding dynamics that we haven’t seen before and fleshing out this world that needs expansion.

B&B Needs To Invest In Younger Characters

If the writers let the fall additions fade into the background, B&B will be back in the same boat that it keeps finding itself in. This is an issue because younger characters do the storylines that their older counterparts are too mature to do.

They experience love for the first time, go through their first major heartbreaks, and end up in ill-advised relationships with people in positions of power. Their plots incorporate issues that real people their age are navigating. And they get to be messier and change in unexpected ways because they’re coming into their own.

Right now, Luna is carrying the young cast. Her story has been stuffed with one trope after another, but the strength of Lisa Yamada’s performance in the role keeps viewers engaged. While it makes sense for storylines to revolve around her because of this, B&B can’t put all its eggs in one basket.

The repercussions of Luna’s assault on Will is an opportunity for Crew Morrow to play more dramatic beats. We’ve seen Laneya Grace’s ability to do thriller-tinged scenes when Remy held Electra captive. Christian Weissman is adept at balancing Remy’s sweetness and his obsessive impulses.

But they all should have the chance to do storylines outside of each other. While that can be done through including them in plots with the older actors, building up the younger cast would be better.

Adding More Young Characters Makes For Better Stories

The party at Il Giardino proved we need to see the younger characters more. Like Luna and RJ two years ago, Will and Electra don’t interact much with Forresters’ interns and entry-level staff. But when they do, we can see the story is better served.

Electra’s concern about the girls who are interested in Will would have made more sense if we had seen their interest on-screen. We would’ve been tapped into Lainey’s (Heidi Grace Engerman) flirty friendship with the Spencer heir. And, back before Luna turned devious, we could have learned how the other interns felt about her relationship with RJ and closeness with Zende (Delon de Metz). These story choices would have added much-needed tension.

Similarly, B&B dropped the teased rivalry between Will and RJ. The first scene between the cousins sparked with the possibility of the two butting heads in the workplace. It seemed like it would’ve been a fun dynamic to tune into. One where they snarked, jabbed, and vied for attention at work and with the girls at the company. And yet it went nowhere.

The soap needs to establish its new triangles, alliances, great romances, and enemies to prepare for the future. If it doesn’t, B&B will be circling the drain with the same storylines fans have become accustomed to with the older cast. While that may be enough to entertain those of us who’ve been here for decades, it won’t be for young people looking to get into soaps just like we did back in the day.