The Best and Worst of The Bold and the Beautiful 2024

Has your year been bold and beautiful? Did you pour some sugar on your history books? Did you come home to drop a bomb, only to have it never go off? Did you become far more interesting once you went crazy? These and more situations faced the Forrester-Logan-Spencer-Walton-Finnegan-Nozawa clan in 2024!

Where did it all go, Scoopers? Yeah, Christmas is over and what's left of 2024 is going down the drain, fittingly like soap bubbles once the bath is done and we're toweling off. In terms of B&B, I sure had a lot of things on my 2024 bingo card, but a lot of stuff aired that never saw print on said card. And the time has come to take the full year and condense it into a few pithy but entertaining paragraphs for y'all.

We had deaths and not-deaths and recasts and returns and couples that never got together and couples that should never have gotten together. There were arcs with satisfying endings and storyline conclusions that left us scratching our collective heads. One hot romance that was gross and one that could have been hot but was rushed onto the stove. And that's just the beginning. Now, if you guys are ready, it's time to Two Scoop it Best & Worst style for 2024!

BEST POTENTIAL COUPLE: Hope and Finn

The upright doctor and the just-veering-away-from-virtuous fashionista earned this title last year, too, but their commiseration over the distasteful romance between their parents kept the ball rolling. Whether attending memorials or unwillingly standing up for their dad and mom, respectively, Hope and Finn had more in common with each other than the ones they were romantically linked to, both in personality and temperament. Migraine-relieving massages lit some fires, with over a year of built-up friendship as the kindling. The show ultimately chucked ice on the flames, yet, as love in the afternoon goes, for all too brief a time, Finn and Hope were just what the doctor ordered.

MOST BORING COUPLE: Bill and Poppy

One sultry public dance does not a romance make. It was nice to see Dollar Bill dallying with a lady who wasn't a Logan – the problem was, Bill and Poppy's one encounter two decades ago wasn't enough to heat things up in the present day. Their being rushed together so quickly didn't give us time needed to root for them; then, when their fledgling reboot romance was tested by Poppy's murder rap, Bill threw Poppy to the cops instead of standing by her. After Poppy was exonerated and walked away from Bill, they didn't seem to care, and frankly, neither did we.

BEST USE OF HISTORY: Sugar

After learning the presumed dead Sheila had been texting a “Sugar”, most viewers could only shrug. Who was this new character? Ah, but everything old is new again. B&B pulled from Sheila's 2005 Y&R run, where Sheila forced prison warden Sugar to get plastic surgery to look like Sheila so Sugar could do Sheila's jail time. Not only did Sugar return for revenge, but Sheila's perennial nemesis Lauren returned for the history lesson – and Sugar's real name was revealed as Janet Webber, a nod to portrayer Robin Mattson's AMC and GH roles! If you're gonna mine a show's past, digging deep produces the shiniest gems.

WORST USE OF HISTORY: Electra's Parentage

When Ivy first arrived in 2014, B&B made her the daughter of Eric's brother, John Forrester, but never brought Ivy into contact with John's other daughter from a preceding marriage, Jessica, who was introduced in 1994. The show had a chance to reconnect some family ties this fall when we met Ivy's niece, Electra. Surely having Ivy as an aunt meant that Jessica had to be Electra's mother! But, instead of working from existing heredity, a new off-screen sibling – John Forrester, Jr. – was invented to be Electra's dad, again giving Jessica the bum's rush. Talk about ties that blind.

BEST NEW CHARACTER: Tom

A homeless dude who led Deacon to a missing Sheila could easily have just made a single appearance. But guest star Clint Howard, who first brought his appealing quirkiness to Star Trek in 1966, was invited back to further orbit the worlds of the restauranteur and his fiancée. In fact, Tom officiated the Sharpes' nuptials and then worked alongside them at Il Giardino, bringing out such a tenderness in Deacon that we wondered if Tom was Deacon's real daddy. Surprise! Tom ended up being Luna's real daddy, which got him killed - but this grizzly former rocker was unlike any character that had ever been on B&B before.

MOST RUINED CHARACTER: Hope

The former world-famous virgin who first won this title in 2023 came back for more, this year developing a sex-filled romp with sometime stepbro and one-time tormentor Thomas into a full-fledged relationship. Once Thomas bolted, Hope jonesed for the married Finn so much even husband coveter Brooke said “enough”. Hope jumped right out of that into a romance with Carter, dizzying audiences. Ridge was right when he said Hope wasn't right anymore, and it's a shame the show never gave us a reason for her personality transplant (the mystery migraines, maybe?), because Ms. Logan's character-assassinating one-eighty continues to not make sense.

MOST SHOCKING TWIST: Steffy Kills “Sheila”

Steffy and Sheila set the violent tone for their interaction in 2017, when Steffy shot Sheila in the arm. Sheila returned the favor by gunning Steffy down in 2022, and more recent arguments ended with Steffy serving up bitch-slaps. Sheila was tired of the abuse and noiselessly menaced Steffy on a stormy night, causing the terrified Steffy to plunge a knife into Sheila's heart! Wow! Was Sheila's 30-year, two-show reign of terror actually over? Nope! B&B bait-and-switched us by dusting off Sheila's long-forgotten Y&R doppelgänger and putting her on the receiving end of Steffy's blade instead. For a while there, though, it sure seemed like the career criminal was finally cooked.

WORST HISTORY REWRITE: Brooke Is/Isn't Co-CEO

A show can be forgiven for forgetting a story point from years gone by. But spacing on something that only happened a couple of months before? Ridge noisily replaced himself with Brooke as co-CEO, which ruffled Steffy's feathers something fierce. Did we get clashes deluxe between Brooke and her occasional stepdaughter? Not really. It was like B&B forgot about Brooke's promotion as soon as they gave it to her – and when Carter started jockeying for position at the design house, Ridge was said to still be sharing CEO duties with Steffy as if Brooke had never moved up. Someone get the writing room some ginkgo, stat.

BEST EXIT: Wyatt

Spencer Publications' PR guru earned 2023's Worst Exit because, that year, he lost air time, his house, then his very existence without so much as a solitary mention. So when R.J. needed housing, wasn't it a surprise when Wyatt came back to hand off keys and give us a proper goodbye! It wasn't perfect: Wyatt squeezed his desire to split L.A. between love advice to Bill, and there was no final Wyatt/Liam scene. (We never heard if Wyatt was still engaged to Flo, either, but no one cares about her.) Hey, at least Wyatt got his moment, unlike far too many departing characters in recent memory.

WORST EXIT: Thomas

Love it or hate it, Thomas ruled the roost in early 2024 thanks to his scorching tryst with quasi-family member Hope. But after his three marriage proposals failed to make Hope his bride, Thomas caved to Steffy's demands and high-tailed it to France. There was no word that Matthew Atkinson was bailing permanently, so the adieu carried no weight. In June, Thomas returned from Paris with Paris on his arm, accepting an invite to marry Ms. Buckingham at the Forrester mansion but again slipping out of town, and with no “I dos” exchanged. It was confusing, it lacked drama, and it was less than a legacy character deserved.

BEST FANTASIES: Hope

One could have written off Hope's sexy thoughts of Thomas last year as a temporary detour, but this summer, the girl who was once so hung up she had to see a sex therapist proved that she's given her naughty daydreams full license. Spurred by the tactile intimacy of Finn's healing massages, then by an urge to avenge herself against Steffy's growing antagonism, Hope's flights of fancy about Steffy's husband became even more lurid and hotter than any carnality we saw between actual couples. It does make a certain amount of sense that someone as repressed as Hope had been would now be responsible for such titillating sequences.

MOST ANNOYING CHARACTER: Steffy

Steffy is often held up to the no-nonsense example of grandma Stephanie, but at least La Forrester had nuances. Steffy spent 2024 berating Finn for having pangs of regret about Sheila's “death”, accusing Hope of using Thomas for sex, grumbling over Brooke's appointment as co-CEO, and raging about Hope's interest in Finn. Did days of starvation and dehydration in a cage give Steffy a sense of compassion and gratitude? Nah. Once sprung, Steffy went right back to threatening Hope and assailing all things Logan when Carter took over at Forrester. Forget Peanuts' Lucy Van Pelt – Steffy Forrester is the real fussbudget.

BEST SOCIAL ISSUE: Ageism

Brooke had already had issues with the calendar when she repped the rebooted Brooke's Bedroom line back in 2013. A decade on in real time, Brooke had even more reservations when Ridge wanted to put the sex in sexagenarian for a 2024 launch. How could she, Brooke wondered, be appealing at this stage in her life? But with some gentle encouragement from Hope and a supportive Ridge, Brooke showed B&B's fictional world, who championed her senior return, that allurement isn't simply wasted on the young. Sure, putting Brooke in lingerie again is a bit of a stereotype, but the message layered between the lace never gets old.

WORST MEDICAL ISSUE: Taylor's Broken Heart Syndrome

Let's be fair: Broken Heart Syndrome is a real, serious ailment brought on by extreme stress and/or emotions that can mimic symptoms of a heart attack. But Taylor being diagnosed with it played as less precarious than a game of Operation. Not only did B&B set up a real heart condition for Taylor (caused by trauma to her ticker from Sheila's bullet in 2002, mayhap?), they wimped out by casting Taylor as still so hurt by Ridge's romantic absence after nearly 20 years, she came off like a teenager trying to get over a crush. Intriguing idea, yes, but it died on the operating table.

BEST PAYOFF: Lauren Finally Learns Sheila Is Alive

B&B scored 2023's Worst Use of History when Lauren Fenmore made another trip to Los Angeles without learning that her greatest enemy, Sheila Carter, was alive – something audiences have known since 2017. It was blink-and-you-miss-it, but this year, Lauren was finally brought up to speed. It began when Lauren came to school Deacon on all things Sugar – but after the Forresters learned that Sugar had died instead of Sheila, Eric made a quick mention of telling Lauren about Sheila's survival in an off-screen phone call. So simple. Too bad it took seven years, but the Y&R/B&B universe is once again aligned.

WORST PAYOFF: Xander Rats Out Thomas for Nothing

Thomas' 2019 reign of terror was filled with nefarious deeds, but none so chilling as leaving potential secret-outer Emma Barber to die on the side of the road. Thomas got a tsk-tsk from Ridge and all was forgotten until Xander Avant, who had linked Thomas to the event, ran across Thomas' brother-in-law, Finn. Xander spilled all to Finn, who ran straight to Thomas' boo, Hope. But rather than torpedo Thope, Hope took five seconds to think before pooh-poohing Thomas' revised version as the past, Finn said nothing more about it, and Xander slinked back to parts unknown. Five years later, and there's still no #JusticeforEmma.

MOST DARING PLOT DEVICE: Poppy's “Special Mints”

Yes, we heard about the augmented Altoids way too much. But there was a certain innovation in them being popped into Poppy's purse in the first place. As California made cannabis legal years ago, there was nothing wrong with Poppy taking mints infused with it – yet, with recreational use still not on the books in 26 states, there remains an edginess about it storywise. Yeah, Luna getting that high on a handful was silly, Poppy being branded a drug addict over them was outdated, and the show should have had the guts to call them what they are instead of only deeming them “special”. But the overall inclusion of CBD was A-OK.

TACKIEST PLOT: Zende's Non-Consensual One-Nighter

It already caused outrage nearly a decade ago when Thomas slept with a drunken Caroline without getting explicit consent. But for B&B to even think of revisiting such a contentious story arc post #MeToo was the epitome of tone deafness. Luna was (or so we thought) so doped up on champagne and infused mints that she saw R.J., not Zende, in bed – and, after the loving, Luna gave Zende a free pass, a careless example to set in front of audiences. Everyone blamed the substances, but the real culprit was Zende, who should have kept it in his pants – and the show completely ignored that point.

BEST RETURN: Paris

Zoe's li'l sis always seemed like a bit of a wuss, between falling for Zoe's tricks and falling for not-over-Quinn Carter. Then there was the Forrester crew perching philanthropic Paris up on a pedestal taller than the Eiffel Tower. So imagine when the younger Buckingham came back from France with some énergie. Her sudden engagement to Thomas was fishy (though they did share a one-time flirtation for it to be based on), but when Hope started sniffing around her ex, Paris was all, “Nuh-uh, honey, not today.” And Paris' wonderful confidence was enough to make Hope stand down. Was it something in the croissants?

WORST RETURN: Ivy

So nice, they did her over twice. In April, Ivy popped into L.A. after six years amid much hype – unfortunately, all she got was two episodes in which to flirt with Liam while a jealous Steffy looked on. Things looked brighter in October when Carter brought the jewelry designer home to FC – but it quickly became apparent that Ivy was only there to pave the way for niece Electra and serve as a sounding board while Electra revealed her backstory. What was the point of reeling Australian soap vet Ashleigh Brewer back in just to let her be a tiny fish in a big pond?

BEST POTENTIAL ENEMIES: Thomas and Finn

For bros who rarely spend any screen time together, they generated more heat than a lot of B&B couples. When a protective Finn learned that Thomas had played a hand in someone's death, Finn immediately tried to turn Hope off the designer. And Thomas, who had spent years trying to win Hope, wasn't about to let Finn interfere. Begin the fireworks: Thomas skated close to his menacing ways when Finn got between him and Hope, yet Finn stood his ground, heralding himself a promising match for his in-law. That was as far as the conflict went, but, had it proceeded, these rivals could have been unrivaled.

WORST SHORT-TERM RETURN: Bridget

What's a third-generation Forrester gotta do to get a gig around here? Bridget Forrester, born New Year's Eve 1992, went on to drive drama throughout the 2000s; she even has a nearly grown son (in real time!). Yet she only turns up for occasional weddings or medical dramas, like when she helped Finn save Eric last year. How did B&B repay this legacy character? By bringing her back solely to introduce Icelandic singer Jökull Júliusson. It's a crime that the show focuses on a handful of characters while cast-off Forresters like Bridget, Rick, Thorne, Felicia, and Kristen are mostly treated like they don't exist.

BEST WEDDING: Deacon and Sheila

It's true, this duo ranked as having 2023's Most Unrealistic Romance, but what can ya do – the toe pastries tipped the scales. After Deacon saved a kidnapped Sheila, he gave their flat engagement a B-12 shot and fast-tracked their wedding date. And, while a ceremony in a restaurant doesn't seem exciting, the bride wore black, the groom had their savior Tom officiate, and neither cared that only Finn, Hope, and Hollis were in attendance. Then there were those edible toes. Sheila looked happier than we'd ever seen her, and Deacon did everything he could to make her day special. Love is love, ain't it?

WORST PARTNER: Ridge

He just couldn't make it to the end of the year. Ridge kept the romance going with his Logan after last year's Roman reunion, making Brooke feel extra desirable by having her model for the rejuvenated Bedroom line. He even reassured Brooke after his chakra healing odyssey with Taylor – but once Hope factored into Carter's takeover of Forrester, Ridge blew it. He labeled Hope a bitch and a slut and peaced out when Brooke wouldn't kick Hope off the property, then camethisclose to bedding Taylor in retaliation. Ridge has always been a hothead, but this brat needs to be sent to his room without dessert.

BEST MYSTERY: Who Killed Tom and Hollis?

Tom's comeback concert was innocuous enough, but when we saw his sports drink spiked, we knew the game was afoot. Who had it in for the bistro boy? Sheila, who had argued with him? Li, Jack, or Justin, who were on hand for no other discernible reason? When Tom's co-worker, Hollis, also dropped dead, Sheila and Poppy were each arrested, but there was no obvious culprit. No one could have deduced that the murderer was the unassuming Luna, who wanted rich Bill as her daddy instead of poor Tom and offed Hollis as collateral damage. Lots of red herrings, no dead giveaways – elementary!

WORST MYSTERY: Luna's Paternity

When Luna first started asking about her unknown daddy, all signs pointed to Bill, but Poppy flatly denied he'd gotten her pregnant during that infamous music festival. Months passed, then hints dropped that Papa could be Jack (was that why Luna hated Poppy so much?), or even that adoptive son Finn could have popped “Aunt” Poppy. A DNA test fingered Bill as the father! Until it seemed Tom was due some Father's Day cards. This puzzle suffered from being sidelined too long before resuming and presenting an array of solutions so whiplash inducing, it was hard to care when we finally landed on one.

BEST RECAST: Will

It's not unexpected when the child of a soap star wants to follow in their parents' footsteps, though that doesn't guarantee any level of talent. That proved not to be the case with Crew Morrow, son of Y&R mainstay Joshua Morrow, when he became the first grown-up incarnation of Will Spencer. Crew brings a natural groundedness to the character befitting Will's mama, Katie, but Crew's Will is also a Spencer, with Crew instilling in him a level of charm and mischief that Bill would be proud of. Nepo babies have a reputation for a reason, but Crew Morrow has shown us he has the chops to back up the name.

WORST RECAST: Taylor

Let's be clear: Rebecca Budig is an amazing actor. Her soap cred started on GL in the '90s and capped with her long run as Greenlee on AMC. But she's just not...Taylor. As Doc, Budig lacks Hunter Tylo's glamour and Krista Allen's joie de vivre. Plus, Budig is simply too young for the part, making Taylor and Steffy seem more like sisters than mother and daughter. Finally, Budig was crippled by having her meaty heart failure story replaced by one of a stress-related ailment. Maybe B&B hoped to capitalize on Budig and Thorsten Kaye having been on AMC together (though they never shared a scene), but it just isn't working.

BEST HERO: Deacon

Is this the same guy who waged a price war over his own son? Deacon used to be so slippery, women from L.A. to Genoa City couldn't hold on to him. But Deacon jumped into action when he saw that the corpse of his fiancée, Sheila, had ten toes instead of nine. His sleuthing led to him to Sugar; buoyed by Lauren's info about her, Sir Sharpe recruited Finn into his quest and, thanks to the direction of the homeless Tom, Deacon found the imprisoned, debilitated Sheila just in time. Deacon's selfishness was legendary – who knew that Sheila, of all people, would inspire selflessness in him?

DUMBEST CHARACTER: Finn

Doc Finnegan might have aced medical school, but he's flunking the school of life. When Sheila “died”, Finn ranked her over Li, who raised him, and soaked his hand in “Sheila”'s blood like it was Palmolive, disregarding Steffy's concerns. Finn didn't pick up on Hope catching feelings for him, but later, when a lingerie-clad Hope fell on him, Finn assumed a seduction attempt despite his inexplicably walking into the wrong office. Finn also seems completely whipped by the domineering Steffy, hiding whatever self-determination he has under his lab coat. Sheila might want to order a DNA test; she couldn't have birthed such a wimp.

BEST RECONCILIATION: Li and Poppy

Li was awarded Biggest Bitch last year, especially for her venemous treatment of kid sis Poppy. Li berated Poppy for her life choices, the only rationale being her jealousy that Poppy could have children and Li couldn't. But once Poppy was jailed on suspicion of killing Tom and Hollis, Li's scowl relaxed. Li insisted that Poppy may be a flake, but she wasn't a murderer – and when Poppy was acquitted, Li immediately gave the newly single Poppy a place to stay, albeit off-screen. Romy Park (Poppy) has intimated that we'll dig into the Nozawa sisters' past in 2025, and the softened Li does seem ripe for such digging.

MOST MISGUIDED STORY: Batie Toys With Reuniting (Again)

Some soap couples just aren't meant to be. Barracuda Bill and kindhearted Katie meshed well when they got together in 2009, but soon he cheated on her with Steffy, then Brooke. Locking heart patient Katie in a tower didn't show Bill as the best husband, either. Yet B&B keeps trying to put Batie back together. This year, Bill turned to Katie two seconds after Poppy walked out on him, and Katie was oblivious enough to consider his reconciliation attempt. Thankfully Will was there to give his mom a reality check, so we're safe for now. No amount of D-Fib can get Batie's heart beating again.

BEST COUPLE: Eric and Donna

Donna had pined for her Honeybear for years, which just made her seem weak. But Donna proved her mettle when she supported Eric through his near-death experience last winter, and this year Eric and Donna turned out to be the most solid duo on the show. Despite reduced airtime and no real story of their own, Eric surprised Donna with an impromptu wedding and lovingly eye-rolled Donna's fangirling over visiting rocker Danny Romalotti. Deric remained a united front all of 2024, a strict contrast to the myriad coupling and uncoupling happening around them. Even Ghost Stephanie would be pleased with their stability.

WORST COUPLE: Carter and Hope

It could have worked. Serial proposer Carter wanted lasting love, and Hope wanted devotion. Once Thope tanked, Cope began because Carter wanted to see Hope in lingerie (always a good foundation), and suddenly we were told they were in love, rather than getting to see (and feel) an emotional attachment growing for ourselves. Mere weeks later, it was Hope and Carter against the world of Forrester, but their union felt forced and disingenuous. B&B has fallen into the unfortunate habit of rushing all new couples together; they need to watch their old episodes to relearn how to tell a love story.

BEST STORY SAVE: Luna's a Lunatic

Goody-goody Luna grappling with paternity issues and mistaken mint sex was decent enough soap fare, but not much of it stood out. So it was totally unexpected when B&B switched gears and made Luna a baddie! Sure, the retcon required some extra suspension of disbelief, but there was still merit in Luna targeting rich boy R.J. and sleeping with Zende on purpose. Then there was Luna killing two people, caging Steffy, and macking on her “father”, Bill! It helped that we knew little enough about Luna that her blanks could be filled in this way, and Lisa Yamada sold the hell out of Luna's transformation. Arresting!

WORST STORY: Hope and Thomas

It's rare a tale deserves this “accolade” two years in a row, but if ever a romance did...! B&B is known for its outrageous, pseudo-incestuous couplings, yet Hope and Thomas pairing up last year was perfectly nauseating. Their portrayers' hot chemistry notwithstanding, Thope grew up in the same extended family, and Thomas had made a career out of stalking and gaslighting Hope in his effort to bed her. Hope's unexpected attraction to him could have been explored as trauma but instead played as straight soap fare, and this year Thope demanded to be taken seriously as a couple. Ridge co-signed the pair, Hope dismissed Thomas' murder accusation, and Thomas was apparently so secure in his relationship with Hope that he proposed to her three times. When they finally split, it was a relief. You can't grow roses out of contaminated soil, and the dynamic between Thomas and Hope will be poisoned for all time.

MOST INTRIGUING STORY-IN-PROGRESS: Bill and Luna, Part II

The unscrupulous Bill bonded with Luna when he thought she was his daughter, but even he blanched when Luna planted one on him after killing two people. In fact, when Bill later got a jailhouse letter from Miss Nozawa, his first instinct was to chuck it. Yet, he has read all of her missives so far and even visited her in prison, where she appealed to him by claiming she hadn't been herself and that her actions were fueled by the unstable childhood Bill should be able to relate to. So the questions we're left with are, why is Bill entertaining Luna's pleas for attention? Since Bill knows her tricks, what is Luna hoping to gain from the renewed connection? And could these two actually end up hooking up? It's surprising Luna was kept on after her incarceration, but its repercussions are on track to start 2025 in a most promising way.

Now you know where I'm at about 2024 on B&B, Scoopers! But surely you all have your own opinions, and I'd bet money they're gonna be different than my own. So why not share them in the comments section below? Tell us how you agree or disagree with my picks, and treat us to some of your own! We sure wanna hear about 'em.

Thank you to everyone for continuing to read my columns, and I wish you the happiest and most peaceful of new years. In life, as on B&B, keep watching, be alert, and most of all, be bold!

(Purchase Adam-Michael James' books on Amazon.)

(Listen to isletunes, AMJ's podcast featuring nothing but the music of Prince Edward Island, Canada.)