CBS Daytime
CBS Daytime is the daytime programming block of the CBS television network in the United States, featuring a mix of soap operas, game shows, talk shows, and educational content broadcast weekdays during typical daytime hours.[1] The block has been a cornerstone of CBS's schedule since the mid-20th century, delivering serialized dramas and interactive entertainment to audiences primarily at home during the day.[2] CBS Daytime's roots trace back to the 1950s, when the network began expanding its daytime offerings with pioneering soap operas that helped define the genre on television.[3] A landmark moment came in 1956 with the premiere of As the World Turns, the first soap opera to air in a 30-minute format, which ran for 54 seasons until 2010 and influenced the structure of daytime dramas for decades.[3] Other early staples included Guiding Light, which originated on radio before moving to CBS television in 1952 and continued until 2009 after 72 years total, marking one of the longest-running scripted series in broadcast history.[4] The block gained prominence in the 1970s with the introduction of high-profile shows that remain central today. The Young and the Restless debuted on March 26, 1973, and has held the title of the most-watched daytime soap opera for over 35 consecutive years, entering its 53rd season in 2025.[5][6] Complementing it is The Bold and the Beautiful, which premiered on March 23, 1987, as a half-hour spin-off focusing on fashion and family dynamics in Los Angeles, and continues to air daily.[7] Game shows have also been a fixture, led by The Price Is Right, revived on September 4, 1972, under host Bob Barker and now hosted by Drew Carey, making it the longest-running network game show with over 10,000 episodes as of 2025.[8][9] In recent years, CBS Daytime has evolved while maintaining its soap opera dominance, with renewals ensuring stability through at least 2028.[10] The talk show The Talk ran from 2010 to 2024 across 15 seasons, providing celebrity interviews and discussions until its conclusion on December 20, 2024.[11] A notable addition in 2025 is Beyond the Gates, which premiered on February 24 as the first predominantly Black-led daytime soap opera on a major network since 1989, centering on scandals in an affluent gated community.[12][6][13] The current lineup also includes Let's Make a Deal, revived in 2009, alongside educational programs like Mission: Unstoppable and pet-focused series such as Lucky Dog.[1] Overall, CBS Daytime consistently ranks as the top-rated daytime block, blending tradition with fresh storytelling to engage millions of viewers.[2]History
Early Development (1940s-1960s)
CBS Daytime emerged during the post-World War II expansion of television, as the network adapted radio's serialized formats to visual storytelling aimed primarily at homemakers during midday hours. In the late 1940s, CBS began experimenting with daytime programming from its New York studios, converting radio facilities like the Liederkranz Hall and Grand Central Studios for live television broadcasts to capitalize on the growing adoption of TV sets in American households.[14] These early efforts built on the success of radio soaps, transitioning narrative-driven content to the screen while introducing visual elements like close-up character interactions and simple set designs.[15] The network's first major foray into daytime serialized drama came with the premiere of Love of Life on September 24, 1951, created by Roy Winsor as an original television soap opera. Broadcast live from New York’s Liederkranz Hall (later Studio 52 at CBS Broadcast Center), the show centered on two contrasting sisters in the fictional town of Barrowsville, New York, exploring themes of morality, family, and romance to engage its target audience of stay-at-home women. Sponsored by Procter & Gamble, Love of Life marked CBS's deliberate entry into serialized storytelling, airing five days a week in a 15-minute format that allowed for daily emotional arcs and cliffhangers, influencing the genre's emphasis on character-driven plots over plot-heavy radio predecessors.[16][14][17] By the mid-1950s, CBS expanded its daytime slate with innovative formats that blended competition and drama, starting with game shows like Beat the Clock, which debuted on March 23, 1950, produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Hosted by Bud Collyer and broadcast live from New York studios such as Studio 52, the show featured couples performing timed stunts for prizes, establishing a high-energy mix of physical challenges and audience participation that complemented the emotional pull of soaps and helped build CBS's afternoon viewership during television's boom years.[18][14] This period also saw the introduction of half-hour soaps, a pivotal shift pioneered by As the World Turns, which premiered on April 2, 1956, created by Irna Phillips, a veteran of radio serials. Airing live from Studio 61 in New York, the series focused on the interconnected lives of the Hughes and Stewart families in the fictional town of Oakdale, Illinois, allowing for deeper character development, slower pacing, and more nuanced explorations of everyday relationships, which set new industry standards for soap opera structure and length.[19][14][20] A key milestone in 1956 was the debut of The Edge of Night on the same date as As the World Turns, also expanding to the half-hour format and originating live from New York’s Studio 61. Created by Irving Vendig and sponsored by Procter & Gamble, the series innovated by merging traditional soap elements with mystery and crime drama, inspired by Perry Mason stories, and centered on attorney Mike Karr in the fictional Midwestern city of Monticello; this hybrid approach, featuring strong male leads and suspenseful plots, broadened CBS's appeal to diverse daytime audiences while maintaining serialized continuity.[21][14] These productions relied heavily on live broadcasting techniques from CBS's New York facilities, including multi-camera setups in converted radio theaters, which facilitated real-time scripting adjustments and immediate audience feedback but demanded precise coordination amid the era's technical limitations like black-and-white kinescopes for West Coast airings. The transition from radio soaps to television, evident in shows like The Guiding Light (which moved from NBC radio to CBS TV in 1952), underscored CBS's role in adapting audio narratives to visual media, emphasizing intimate family dynamics suited to the small screen.[22][14]Growth and Dominance (1970s-1990s)
During the 1970s, CBS Daytime solidified its position through the revival of popular game shows, most notably The Price Is Right, which premiered on September 4, 1972, hosted by Bob Barker and featuring its signature showcase format with audience participation elements like bidding on prizes.[23] This version quickly became a ratings powerhouse, establishing itself as a cornerstone of the network's afternoon lineup and contributing to CBS's growing lead in daytime viewership by attracting broad demographic appeal with its high-energy contests and everyday consumer prizes.[23] The expansion of soap operas further fueled this dominance, with the launch of The Young and the Restless on March 26, 1973, created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, which introduced serialized family sagas centered on the affluent residents of Genoa City, emphasizing emotional depth and intergenerational conflicts over the rapid production cycles typical of the genre.[24] Expanded to a full hour in 1980, the series became CBS's flagship soap, consistently topping Nielsen ratings among daytime dramas since December 1988 and drawing a daily U.S. audience that peaked in the millions during the 1980s and 1990s.[24] Similarly, The Bold and the Beautiful debuted on March 23, 1987, also from the Bells, focusing on fashion industry rivalries and luxurious lifestyles in Los Angeles, which complemented the existing lineup by offering shorter, more visually dynamic episodes while maintaining the high-output schedule of up to 260 episodes per year.[25] This soap rapidly gained international traction, becoming the most-watched daytime drama worldwide by the early 1990s and reinforcing CBS's strategy of interconnected storytelling across its serials.[25] Diversification into talk and game formats added variety to the block, including Match Game aired on CBS daytime from 1973 to 1982, hosted by Gene Rayburn, where contestants matched fill-in-the-blank responses with a celebrity panel, delivering humor through innuendo and wordplay that boosted ratings and helped anchor the afternoon schedule.[26] These programs exemplified CBS's approach to blending accessible, repeatable content with broad appeal, sustaining viewer loyalty amid competition from ABC and NBC. A key enabler of this prolific output was the sponsorship model pioneered by Procter & Gamble, which from the 1970s through the 1990s funded entire soap productions in exchange for exclusive advertising slots, allowing shows like As the World Turns to produce episodes at a pace of five per week without commercial interruptions diluting sponsor messages.[27] This structure, rooted in P&G's tradition of creating content tailored to promote household products, supported rapid scripting and filming cycles that kept narratives fresh and enabled the high episode volume essential for serial retention.[28] By the 1980s and into the 1990s, these strategies culminated in peak achievements, with As the World Turns attracting approximately 10 million daily viewers at its height in the 1980s through compelling arcs involving family secrets and social issues in the fictional town of Oakdale.[29] Overall, CBS Daytime overtook ABC in ratings for the first time since 1977 by 1984 and maintained top position through the decade, outpacing NBC with a mix of soaps and games that captured over 30% of the daytime audience share.[30] This era marked CBS's unchallenged market lead, driven by innovative programming that prioritized emotional engagement and advertiser-friendly formats.[31]Challenges and Evolution (2000s-Present)
In the 2000s, CBS Daytime faced significant challenges from declining viewership for traditional soap operas, exacerbated by shifting audience habits toward cable, internet streaming, and later cord-cutting, which reduced the viability of long-running serials. The network canceled Guiding Light in April 2009 after 72 years, citing steeply falling ratings and rising production costs amid an economic downturn and evolving media landscape.[32] This was followed by the cancellation announcement for As the World Turns in July 2009, which concluded on September 17, 2010 after 54 years, as CBS sought to streamline its daytime block from five soaps to two (The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful), reflecting broader industry pressures on linear TV advertising revenue.[20] These cancellations marked a pivotal contraction, with the remaining soaps adapting through cost efficiencies like reduced production days.[33] To counterbalance the soap reductions and appeal to younger demographics, CBS revitalized its game show lineup by reviving Let's Make a Deal on October 5, 2009, hosted by Wayne Brady, who brought improvisational energy and musical elements to modernize the format originally popularized in the 1960s.[34] The show quickly became a daytime staple, averaging strong ratings and expanding to multiple episodes weekly, helping stabilize the block amid the soap downturn. Technologically, CBS Daytime accelerated its evolution by transitioning to high-definition production, with The Young and the Restless pioneering the format as the first U.S. daytime soap to broadcast in HD starting June 27, 2001, followed by other series in the mid-to-late 2000s to enhance visual quality and competitiveness.[35] By the 2010s, integration with digital platforms began, as CBS launched All Access in October 2014, providing on-demand access to full seasons of daytime soaps like The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful for subscribers at $5.99 monthly, bridging linear broadcasts with streaming to retain cord-cutters.[36] The 2020s brought further adaptations, including disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, which halted production on CBS soaps in March 2020, forcing networks to air reruns and resulting in shorter effective seasons with gaps in new content until protocols allowed resumption in June 2020.[37] This emphasized flexible storytelling, with an increased focus on diverse narratives to reflect contemporary audiences; for instance, remaining soaps incorporated more inclusive plots around race, identity, and social issues. A milestone came with the February 24, 2025, premiere of Beyond the Gates, CBS's first new network daytime soap in 25 years, co-produced with the NAACP under a 2020 partnership to amplify Black voices. Featuring a predominantly Black cast led by Tamara Tunie as a powerful matriarch, the series explores secrets within a wealthy family's gated community, prioritizing authentic, multifaceted representation in daytime drama.[38] In May 2025, CBS renewed Beyond the Gates for a second season, reflecting its strong performance; as of May 2025, it had improved its time slot's viewership by 48%, signaling a successful pivot toward inclusive content on both CBS and Paramount+.([39]Current Programming
Schedule
The standard weekday schedule for CBS Daytime in Eastern Time as of November 2025 features a mix of game shows and soap operas airing from late morning through early afternoon. Let's Make a Deal airs at 10:00 a.m. ET, followed by The Price Is Right at 11:00 a.m. ET. The soap operas then take over with The Young and the Restless at 12:30 p.m. ET, The Bold and the Beautiful at 1:30 p.m. ET, and the newer drama Beyond the Gates at 2:30 p.m. ET.[40][41][42]| Time (ET) | Program |
|---|---|
| 10:00 a.m. | Let's Make a Deal |
| 11:00 a.m. | The Price Is Right |
| 12:30 p.m. | The Young and the Restless |
| 1:30 p.m. | The Bold and the Beautiful |
| 2:30 p.m. | Beyond the Gates |