On Nov. 27, it will have been 20 years ago that Peter Bergman made his debut on "The Young and the Restless" as Jack Abbott. Now he talks to ET about the rivalry between Jack and Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), soap-opera sluts, the MTV effect and why his soap has been No. 1 for so many years.

ET: When you first joined "Y&R" did you have any idea that you would still be there 20 years later?

Peter Bergman: Not a clue. As a matter of fact, I came from "All My Children," and on "All My Children" when you replaced someone … I replaced Terry Lester on "Y&R" … any replacements on "AMC" didn't work. What I didn't realize was what a success "Y&R" had made of their replacements: Melody Thomas Scott is a replacement; Jess Walton is a replacement. There are a few on the show that have been very successful. I figured I could make the job last six months if I worked really hard at it, and here we are 20 years later.

ET: After playing Jack Abbott for 20 years, what still keeps him fresh for you?

Peter Bergman: I have one of the few characters in daytime that keeps changing every day. On Monday, Jack is a really, really kind and thoughtful brother. On Tuesday, he is the boss you never want to have. He is manipulative, cunning and nasty. On Wednesday, he is the most manipulative brother a sister ever had. And on Thursday, he is making peace with people. It changes all the time. We have a couple of characters on the show that are really the same every day and I don't know how they do it.

ET: Jack's big antagonist has always been Victor Newman. He is returning to the show. Any teases about what is in store?

Peter Bergman: We won't be going fishing together anytime soon, but we will welcome him back. I will look for lots of trouble for him.

ET: How has daytime changed over the more than 20 years you have been a part of it?

Peter Bergman: Let me give you a few examples. When I first started, on every single show there was the town slut. You can't do that post-AIDS. People on television are talking about whether or not they are protected. That stuff never went on 30 years ago. Scenes were longer. Stuff really happened in scenes. Between commercials there would be two scenes, now there are four.

ET: Do you think that is because of MTV?

Peter Bergman: In part because of MTV; in part, America's attention span has just shrunk.

ET: As an actor did you prefer the longer scenes?

Peter Bergman: It was better. More stuff happened in a scene. What happens now over four scenes used to happen in two scenes. We have scenes now that are literally just a page long.

ET: What is the question that fans ask you the most often?

Peter Bergman: Fans ask me most often: Do Eric and I get along in real life? My answer is … next question.

ET: I actually think that most people in daytime get along because there is a team spirit on shows.

Peter Bergman: We all are watching each other grow up. I am watching Christel Khalil on the screen. She got married since she has been here. She was a little girl when she got here. She now has two dogs and a husband and we lived through all that. People have babies and graduate from high school and college, so we all go through it together. It makes for a family.

ET: Why do you think "Y&R" has been No. 1 for so long? Do you think it is the reality of the stories?

Peter Bergman: I think in part it is the reality of the stories. There is something to be said for momentum and people not changing the channel. When you turn on "The Young and the Restless," you know what you are going to see. You are probably going to see Nikki (Scott), or Victor, or Jack, or Ashley (Eileen Davidson) -- the people that you are used to seeing on the show. Some of these other shows, you turn it on and you don't know the characters.

ET: And you know this because…?

Peter Bergman: I always make it my business to watch [other soaps]. I am here at Television City in my dressing room. I watch "Days of our Lives," "One Life to Live," "All My Children," "General Hospital" and "The Bold and the Beautiful." I make my way around a) because I have friends on these shows; and b) because I can steal stuff.

ET: You mean like acting tips?

Peter Bergman: Right. "Oh, that really worked, I am going to do that. I am going to remember that."

ET: What do you do in your down time?

Peter Bergman: Mariellen, my wife of 25 years, and I are now empty-nesters. We built a house on Balboa Island in Newport, CA, so we are back and forth to there quite a lot. There, I walk the dogs, I sail, I bicycle, and I have been playing piano since I was 20 years old, so I still do that.

"The Young and the Restless" airs weekdays on CBS.