- Awards
- 7
Print Ads for Primetime Soaps
- Thread starter Carrie Fairchild
- Start date
- Copy link Copy link
- Awards
- 7
- Awards
- 7
Class of 96 was doomed by the competition.
It was in the same timeslot against already established shows (and Top 20 ranked to add), Rescue 911, Full House and Hangin with Mr Cooper, meaning it never had a chance to gain an audience.
Kari Wuhrer later joined the cast of Sliders to replace John Rhys Davies, one of a few behind the scenes dramas with that show.
Last edited:
- Awards
- 7
I was actually surprised to see that it lasted for 17 episodes.
- Awards
- 9
Ooh I haven't gotten to this episode, but glad to see they're going to give it a soapy boost as it's all a bit wholesome atm.
- Awards
- 9
Not to mention that it was a part of Fox launching that night in January of 1993 along with Key West. It was probably a tall task to ask of two new shows.
Another show that had extremely promising concept and first season only to completely start to flounder because the network couldn't stop stepping in and then of course it moved to Sci-Fi Channel which left it with no budget at all.
It's even more surprising because Key West actually outrated it, yet was pulled and burnt off in the summer. Maybe the demographics tell a different story why they actually held onto it for so long, or maybe they had just seen how Beverly Hills 90210 had a turn-around towards the end of its first season (only to explode in the summer airings of course).
ETA: funny how some of these rips contain the commercials - apparently the Canadian series "Catwalk" aired on some Fox stations on weekend mornings; I guess it makes sense for them to advertise it during the Heights since it's a similar concept of a ficitonal band by some of the same writers:
Catwalk (Canadian TV series) - Wikipedia
Last edited:
- Awards
- 7
Interesting. I’d imagine the longevity could have been down to them having nothing else to put on seeing as they’d just opened up the night to programming.
Starring a pre-Party of Five Neve Campbell no less.
- Awards
- 7
- Awards
- 9
I think The Heights actually did a better job with the whole "social issues" storylines than Melrose Place did at the time tbh - maybe it's because they tie better into the characters own stories due to being more blue collar (ie Ray "Hold the extra T" Pruit being a runaway, Axl Rose dude having a father that's mentall stuck in Vietnam, black dude having a cousin recently out of jail from drug-dealing etc). It also felt like those stories could be revisted down the road I guess if the show had continued.
That's likely the case - they replaced Key West with TriBeCa, an anthology series that ran seven episodes, but looking at it they had nothing else on the bench to really put out there. So bar pulling it for reruns they were probably stuck with it.
Last edited:
- Awards
- 7
- Awards
- 7
Yes, it’s pretty random although The Heights’ tagline (ironically) sounds off while someone really should’ve intervened in that Freshman Dorm one.
- Awards
- 9
Incidentally there's a scene where they do indeed order pizza at 2 A.M.
- Awards
- 7
- Awards
- 9
A bit into both Class of 96 and The Heights now and it feels obvious why these shows failed - neither have really bothered to even try to introduce an antagonist, so it all becomes a bit twee. Even Beverly Hills, 90210 had the parents usually in that role and even early Melrose Place had the employers. Hell, Freshman Dorm had the snooty Kappa Kappa president to terrorize the characters.
I guess we'll see if Class of 96 bothers to try and introduce someone towards the end of the season.
I guess we'll see if Class of 96 bothers to try and introduce someone towards the end of the season.
- Awards
- 7
Given the thirtysomething connection, I can see why it may lean less into soapiness and more into earnest drama.
- Awards
- 7
- Awards
- 7
There hasn’t been too many of them and they’ve all been pretty short-lived but I’m posting a few late night soaps this week, starting with one from David Jacobs.
