5 storylines The Bold and the Beautiful should resurrect (and 5 that should stay buried forever)

The Bold and the Beautiful currently revolves around Sheila’s discovery of her husband’s betrayal and the Logan war over Katie’s new fashion company. At the same time, the adults in the Forrester family are trying to push Electra away from Will and towards RJ. Elsewhere, Taylor and Deacon are developing a new romance that threatens to unleash Sheila’s evil persona. While some fans of the long-running CBS soap miss exciting storylines from the past, they are unhappy with other arcs and want them buried for good.

5 plots that need to return on The Bold and the Beautiful

1) The Spectra Fashions rivalry

Courtney Hope as Sally Spectra Jr. on The Bold and the Beautiful | Image: CBS

With Forrester Creations at the center of the soap’s storyline, a business rivalry adds glamour to the soap. While technically Katie’s (Heather Tom) new fashion house could do that, it isn’t the same as previous rivalries. For decades, FC’s feud with Sally Spectra (Darlene Conley) and Spectra Fashions added much drama to the story. Younger Sally’s (Courtney Hope) involvement with the Spencers and Forresters also added fuel to the fire.

If a rival like Spectra Fashions returns to The Bold and the Beautiful, fans will likely welcome a change from the usual family drama and office romances that make up the current storyline.

2) The company’s legacy war

Susan Flannery as Stephanie Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful | Image: CBS

In the past, Stephanie Douglas-Forrester (Susan Flannery) had a vital role in Forrester Creations and its management. With Eric (John McCook) and Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) supporting Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang), there was an in-house power struggle between Stephanie and Brooke.

While Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) holds a similar position and power as her grandmother Stephanie, she does not have a proper adversary to add drama to the storyline. Fans believe B&B’s Steffy lacks a proper rival when it comes to legacy.

3) The Forrester underdog, Rick

Jacob Young's Rick Forrester during his wedding on The Bold and the Beautiful | Image: CBS

Brooke and Eric’s child, Rick Forrester (Jacob Young), found himself as an underdog in his father’s company, thanks to Stephanie’s son, Ridge. His struggles to find a place in his father’s company and earn Eric’s respect made up an important part of his arc.

While fans loved various themes connected to Rick’s arc, it’s been many years since his last appearance. While he has run the family company before, revisiting the reign of terror could be a welcome change. Resurrecting his arc in the soap and having him vie for the CEO’s chair may bring a fresh twist to the plot.

4) The medical crises and mysteries

John McCook's Eric had a medical scare on The Bold and the Beautiful | Image: CBS

In the past, medical crises in the B&B storyline have shown the power of keeping viewers glued to their seats as enemies unite under pressure. Some health issues have made their stand-alone arcs, such as Eric’s near-death experience andLiam’s cancer scare.

Since fans have enjoyed these in the past, a revival of a dramatic health crisis can have a similar tear-jerking effect, keeping viewers hooked. Moreover, it takes the storyline away from the constant romantic triangles galore in The Bold and the Beautiful.

5) Central role of family outsiders

Finn with Kelly and Hayes in a scene from The Bold and the Beautiful | Image: CBS

In the past, B&B fans have welcomed many outsiders into the Forrester-Logan drama, including Finn Finnegan (Tanner Novlan), Nick Marone (Jack Wagner), and Deacon Sharpe (Sean Kanan). While Nick challenged the Forrester men with his man-of-the-world charm, Deacon offered a rough-around-the-edges personality, contrasting the suave Forrester men. On the other hand, Finn offered an honest, hard-working, medical persona.

Reviving themes that bring outsiders into the tightly bound families to shake up the old dynamics and disrupt the family status quo will refresh the soap’s storyline.

The Bold and the Beautiful: 5 themes that are done to death

1) The Brooke, Ridge and Taylor triangle

Brooke, Ridge and Taylor present the eternal triangle on The Bold and the Beautiful | Image: CBS

While the current storyline already provides a respite in this done-to-death love triangle with Taylor Hayes (Rebecca Budig) dating her patient, Deacon Sharpe, this may be temporary. In the past, a rebuffed Taylor has often tried to move on with other men.

Over the years, Ridge was portrayed as a womanizer who had multiple affairs and couldn’t decide to settle with one of his two women, Taylor or Brooke. For more than three decades, fans have seen Ridge yo-yoing between them, creating an eternal love triangle.

2) Liam’s indecisiveness trope

Scott Clifton plays Liam Spencer on The Bold and the Beautiful | Image: CBS

Keeping with the theme of love triangles, B&B fans have witnessed Liam Spencer (Scott Clifton) undecided about his romances and marriages with Steffy and Hope. He was seen thinking about the other whenever he was with one of the women.

Liam has shown indecision even when taking a business stand with his father. While he works for the family business, he has rarely expressed strong opinions. Even when he was diagnosed with cancer, he decided to remain quiet about revealing his condition to his father. As such, his personality lacks presence in the storyline, and fans want that changed.

3) The semi-incestuous relationships

Electra broke up with Will on The Bold and the Beautiful | Image: CBS

For decades, The Bold and the Beautiful has teased pseudo-incest in its storyline. That includes Ridge’s brief interest in Bridget and Thomas’s obsession with Hope. While both examples were people with no real biological connection, there is still an unhealthy element to these relationships.

A similar trope is running on the show currently, with Ivy and Brooke insisting that RJ and Electra are not blood-related and, therefore, their romance is acceptable. For many viewers, romantic relationships within the family, even when not related by blood, can be a disturbing theme.

4) Sheila’s violence followed by redemption

Kimberlin Brown plays Sheila Carter on The Bold and the Beautiful | Image: CBS

For decades, Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown) was one of the strongest villains B&B had seen in LA. From threatening to harm Eric’s family and shooting Taylor dead to shooting her own son, Sheila’s violence caused a lot of mayhem across town. While she caused havoc in the Forrester and Spencer families, she soon embarked on a path of redemption. She was seen falling in love with Deacon and settling into tame matrimony while escaping rigorous punishment for her crimes.

On one hand, Sheila’s redemption leaves a tame character with no spark in her arc to look out for. On the other hand, fans have not accepted the injustice of giving Sheila a second chance at life. As such, fans do not want Sheila to go on another cycle of violent crimes and redemption.

5) The paternity mystery arcs

Dylan's parentage is as yet unknown on The Bold and the Beautiful | Image: CBS

While many soaps use the trope of paternity mysteries, B&B has used them more often with no lasting addition to the theme. From paternal controversy around Bridget (Ashley Jones) and Luna (Lisa Yamada) to Ridge’s paternal revelation years after Nick arrived in town, the soap has tried every trope.

While the parentage of most characters is currently accounted for, fans do not want the soap’s storyline to revisit the same in future plots. With Luna’s death, the last possible paternal mystery is over. Whether the soap brings forth a parentage ambiguity about Dylan (Sydney Bullock) remains to be seen.