The Young and the Restless storylines I hope to see in 2025

The Young and the Restless was a force to be reckoned with in daytime during 2024, and it left many viewers like me applauding the writers, producers, actors and the whole Young and the Restless team.

For example, Nikki’s (Melody Thomas Scott) downward spiral into alcoholism and her ultimate rebound was riveting to watch, and Scott delivered some of her best performances in years. Speaking of great performances, Eileen Davidson portraying an Ashley with dissociative identity disorder was top tier in my book. The storyline was captivating and kept me on the edge of my seat wondering which personality show fans would get from day to day.

And of course, 2024 saw Victor (Eric Braeden) and Jack’s (Peter Bergman) rivalry heat back up, Billy (Jason Thompson) lose Chancellor to The Mustache and Sharon (Sharon Case) caught in the middle of a murderous web that was spun by Jordan (Colleen Zenk) and Ian (Ray Wise).

Having said all of that, it’s time to turn the page to 2025, and I have a wishlist for what I want to happen. From new romances to big returns to jaw-dropping plot twists, here are the storylines I hope to see in the new year.

An Abbot defeats Victor… temporarily

As much as I love the Newman patriarch, I have to admit, Victor is due a humbling of some sort. In 2024, he picked fights with a lot of people in town.

He went after Jabot and Kyle (Michael Mealor) to get under Jack’s skin, he taunted Diane (Susan Walters), he tricked Lily (Christel Khalil), he acquired Chancellor from Jill (Jess Walton) and Billy, he fired Kyle, he fired Audra (Zuleyka Silver) and he held Jordan prisoner in his wine cellar. So far, no one has been able to exact revenge against Victor for one of his transgressions, and I think it’s time that change.

While there’s a possibility that Jordan could attempt to kill Victor, I’d rather see an Abbott get the better of Victor as that family has taken the most hits from him. Whether it’s Billy wrestling Chancellor away from Victor, Jack taking a part of the Newman Empire or Diane finding a creative way to stick it to her ex-husband, it would be entertaining to see an Abbott finally land a punch. However, in true Young and the Restless fashion, if someone does prove successful against Victor, the "victory" is likely to be short-lived as he’s a masterful tactician and well-versed in payback.

A different villain with a new target

For over a year, It’s been quite amusing to watch Jordan torture the Newmans. She brought a certain amount of chaos that injected a freshness into the soap. But at some point in 2025, I’d like to see her arch in Genoa City wrap. Her ability to continue getting arrested only to escape custody months later is a magic trick I’m not sure I want to see happen again. I know this is the soap world, but Jordan is better with her escape act than Houdini or David Blaine at this point.

Plus, I get that the Newmans are the most powerful players in town, but I’d be happy if they weren’t targeted for a while. Not only does Jordan have it out for them, but so did Cameron Kirsten (Linden Ashby) when he was alive and now Ian is back. The family could use a break.

So perhaps it’s time The Young and the Restless brings back someone like Patty Williams (Stacy Haiduk). She has a long history of being obsessed with Jack and could return to the canvas to torment him, Diane and perhaps the Abbott clan. And if Patty isn’t the right person to bring back to terrorize the Abbotts, then perhaps it could be revealed that Alan (Christopher Cousins) is really Martin. A Martin reveal would definitely create problems in the Abbott Mansion.

Lost family members return to town

Right off the bat I’ve got to say it, bring back some of the Newman heirs. I understand all of them can’t return to the fold at once, but someone like Reed (Tristan Lake Leabu) has been MIA for too long and his family has been through too much for him not to have made an appearance on the soap. His family home was burned to the ground, his mom almost died and he has a new older sister he’s never met. These are big changes, and it would be nice to see how he responds.

I also wouldn’t mind if Theo Vanderway (Tyler Johnson) returned to the scene. He’d interject a fiery energy in the Abbott household as Jack’s nephew and Kyle’s (Michael Mealor) rival cousin that would be interesting to see again. Admittedly, I think it would be fun to see Theo make Kyle squirm if Theo becomes a staple at Jabot and interacts with Summer (Allison Lanier) and Claire (Hayley Erin). If Theo should return and focus his romantic attention on Summer, could Kyle become jealous? Or if Theo tries to steal Claire from Kyle, could Kyle go to great lengths to stop his cousin?

And I’ll say this to I’m blue in the face, bring back Tucker (Trevor St. John). Devon’s (Bryton James) bio dad was so good for the show and I’d love to see him plotting and scheming to get revenge on Audra and Victor for stealing Glissade. Plus, I want to see him and Ashley reconnect.

Twisted new romances

I know Genoa City has plenty of new romances heading into 2025, but I’d like to see a few pairs form to shake things up. For starters, before Sharon and Nick (Joshua Morrow) jump into a relationship right away, I’d like to see something twisted and unexpected develop between Sharon and Daniel (Michael Graziadei). After all the animosity between the duo, it would be interesting to see them form a bond as they try to heal and things become romantic. Phyllis’ (Michelle Stafford) head would explode and that could lead to some must-watch daytime moments.

I’d also be up for seeing Lily kick off a relationship with Nate’s (Sean Dominic) yet-to-be-introduced brother Damian (Nathan Owens). Show clues suggest Damian is a complex character and it may be cute to see him woo Lily, who has been single for a while now. The relationship would of course be twisted given Damian is Nathan’s paternal brother and Lily is Nathan’s maternal cousin. Nathan may not be as supportive of the six degrees of separation. For that matter, Devon may not appreciate anyone too mysterious hanging around his sister.

So what do you think? Would you be up to see some or all of these storylines take place in the new year?

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