<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> External links </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Website </Td> </Tr> <P> The Bold and the Beautiful (often referred to as B&B) is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS . It premiered on March 23, 1987 as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera The Young and the Restless; several characters from each of the two shows have crossed over to the other since the early 1990s . Set in Los Angeles, California, the show centers upon the Forrester family and their fashion house business Forrester Creations . </P> <P> The program features an ensemble cast, headed by its longest - serving actors John McCook as Eric Forrester and Katherine Kelly Lang as Brooke Logan . Since its premiere, the show has become the most - watched soap in the world, with an audience of an estimated 26.2 million viewers . As of 2010, it continues to hold on to the second - placed position in weekly Nielsen Ratings for daytime dramas . The Bold and the Beautiful has also won 31 Daytime Emmy Awards, including three for Outstanding Drama Series, in 2009, 2010, as well as 2011 . </P>

When did the bold and the beautiful premiere