Forever and Always Youthful

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Forever and Always Youthful (often abbreviated as 'FAY' in English) is a Diadochian daytime television soap opera broadcasted by ARS (Attica Broadcasting System). The series is set in the fictional town of Aegina City.

The first show was broadcast 21 February 1969, over 45 years ago. T&MB is a sister show of The Elegant & the Charismatic and several actors have crossed over with their same roles on both shows over the years. The show is best known for its long-term love triangles, issue-oriented plots, its multi-ethnic cast and its slick-production values.


Production

Development

The creators of Forever and Always Youthful, created the show to compete with the more youthful DRE soap operas, Lion Heart and Swift-Footed Lives, and Eternity. The creators envisioned a daytime serial that was more youth oriented. Lefteris E. Bilias and Eugenia Asikis Bilias created the show in 1969. The creators chose the name because they felt that in their opinion it reflected the youthfulness of late sixties and seventies.

Lefteris Bilias worked as head writer from the show's debut in 1969, until he retired in 1994. Production of the show has took place in Athenais since its debut, however Bilias had originally wanted production to take place in Olympias. However ARS executives felt that Athenais was a more cost effective location. The Bilias family is still very much involved in the show. The couple's children each found callings in the world of media, their daughter Lilia Bilias works as an actress on Forever and Always Youthful, their son George Bilias co created The Elegant and the Charismatic with his father, while the eldest son Lefteris Bilias Jr has become much involved in the Bilias family's production empire, serving as President of Bilias-Asikis Television Production Company, and Bilias Dramatic Serial Co.

Videotaping and broadcasting

Forever and Always Youthful has been taped at ARS Television City studios 32 and 35. Forever and Always Youthful originally aired as a half-hour daytime drama on ARS. Forever and Always Youthful is notable for being the first Diadochian soap operas to focus on the visual aspects of production. Before Forever and Always Youthful was created, earlier soap operas had tended to focus more on dialogue, characters and story, with a lesser focus on details like set decor. Since its debut Forever and Always Youthful stood out from other daytime soap operas on the air because of its unique lighting and camera angle techniques. These techniques included, the use of bright light on actor's faces and close ups of facial features to set the mood, giving off a feel that made the show look moody. These techniques influenced other daytime serials to change their taping styles.

The show became widely popular, and very soon ARS executives were pressuring Lefteris Bilias to lengthen the show from thirty minutes to a full hour. Always an innovator, Forever and Always Youthful started being broadcast in high-definition in May 29, 2000, becoming the first Diadochian daytime soap opera to make the transition. In August 2010, the show's sister soap The Elegant and the Charismatic, became the last soap opera to make the transition.

Storylines and Story development

Co-Creators Lefteris E. Bilias and Eugenia Asikis Bilias centered Forever and Always Youthful around a few core families. The early storylines of Forever and Always Youthful because many of the storylines included explicit sexual themes such as premarital intercourse, sodomy, oral sex, impotence, incest, and rape, themes that had never before been shown on a daytime soap opera in detail, Before the show they had only been hinted at.

A long-running storyline of the show, from its earliest days is the long lasting feud between Helen Christodoulou and Zoe Fotiadis Adamou. The two women's feud is the longest lasting rivalry in daytime history.

In a 1976 storyline Theodore Melissinou was introduced as a character. Originally he had been planned to be killed off after a few months, but the audience took such a liking to him, that the character was soon given more significance. In late 1970s and early 1980s Theodore's romance with Alexia Rihia created a sensation, and the two quickly became a daytime supercouple. The executives of Forever and Always Youthful made a successful crossover of the villainous and nefarious Silvia Comino from FAY to The Elegant and the Charismatic. In the 1980s core black characters were introduced, with the introduction of core black families the working class Dalianis family and the wealthy Portiers family. This introduction of two core black families caused Forever and Always Youthful to become widely popular with black viwers.


Characters

Melissinou family

  • Theodore Melissinou: Born poor, became a successful billionaire tycoon, patriarch of the family, owner of Melissinou Enterprises, father of Angelos, Theodora, and Alexander
  • Alexia Rihia Melissinou: Second wife of Theodore family matriarch, Mother of Theodora and Alexander
  • Theodora Melissinou Adamou: eldest daughter of Theodore and Alexia, served as CEO for her father's company numerous times. Married to Daniel Adamou
  • Alexander "Alex" Melissinou: Son of Theodore and Alexia, lives on the Melissinou Estate, Formally married to his longtime love Sophie Chellos before their divorce, caused be his affair with Priscilla Amaliada. Father of Mathaios Melissinou, Emilie Melissinou, Emma Melissinou (deceased), Amalia Melissinou.
  • Theodore "Angelos" Melissinou: eldest son of Theodore by his first wife. Businessman, married to his half brother's ex, Sophie, known for his many bad deeds. Married to Chrisa Limnohorio with one son Christos Melissinou
  • Nathalia Melissinou: Daughter of Theodore Melissinou and Nikoleta Adamou
  • Emma Melissinou: daughter of Sophie, adopted by Alex, hit by a drunk driver (Coma)
  • Mathaios Melissinou: son of Alex and Sophie
  • Amalia Melissinou: daughter of Alex and Priscilla Amaliada
  • Emilie Melissinou: daughter of Alex and Sophie
  • Christos Melissinou: Son of Theodore Angelos Melissinou and Chrisa Limnohorio

Adamou family

  • Damian Adamou Sr: family patriarch
  • Damian Adamou Jr: Son of Damian Adamou Sr. and Magdalena Protios.
  • Nikoleta Adamou: Daughter of Damian Adamou Sr. and Magdalena Protios. Married to Theodore Melissinou for a time, mother of Nathalia Melissinou
  • Lydia Adamou: Daughter of Damian Adamou Sr. and Magdalena Protios.
  • Daniel Adamou: Son of Damian. Sr. m. Zoe Fotiadis Adamou. Married to Theodora Melissinou. Two children Victoria Adamou (with Veronica Marmari), Damian Adamou IV (with Chrisa Limnohorio).
  • Kostas Adamou Larnaca: Son of Damian Adamou Jr. and Danae Larnaca.

Christodoulou/Routsis/Ashton Valliancourt family


Awards and Accolades

The daytime serial has been showered with Daytime awards, having won close to 100, and having been nominated for over 350.