Forgotten soaps of the 90's

[AndyB2008]

ABCs entire Thursday night seemed to bomb that year, with both Charlie Grace and The Monroes being pulled after five episodes and Murder One quickly being moved to Mondays at 10PM, because I guess it suited programming like NYPD Blue. I wonder if a factor of The Monroes doing so disasterously was because Central Park West basically ate up all the promo and attention for being the new prime time soap on the block (and of course, ironically, that also flopped but that was down to dumb initial scheduling by CBS).

Charlie Grace - was that the one with a pre-NCIS Mark Harmon?

ITV showed it in late night.

ITV also showed in late night Swift Justice, UPN's Lidl version of The Equalizer when UPN were desperate for a hit, from the same production company (Universal Television) and even down to it being set in New York. It was one of Dick Wolf's misfires.

(Despite Swift Justice flopping Len Cariou and Gary Dourdan found success on other shows - mainly on CBS).

 

[AndyB2008]

Charlie Grace - was that the one with a pre-NCIS Mark Harmon?

ITV showed it in late night.

ITV also showed in late night Swift Justice, UPN's Lidl version of The Equalizer when UPN were desperate for a hit, from the same production company (Universal Television) and even down to it being set in New York. It was one of Dick Wolf's misfires.

(Despite Swift Justice flopping Len Cariou and Gary Dourdan found success on other shows - mainly on CBS).

I remember Dick Wolf did another show, the short lived Wright Verdicts, for CBS.

ITV showed it late night too. I remember it because one episode was preempted to fit in the sitcoms Get Real and The Drew Carey Show, which were shunted to a later slot due to a Cracker rerun.

The Cracker episode reran was To Be A Somebody, which despite Robert Carlyle, is considered by Cracker fans (from the Jump The Shark website before it closed) to be the Moldavia/UFO/Bobby in shower moment.

Mainly because Chris Eccleston did a Patrick Duffy and quit, so was killed off. Except he managed to succeed unlike Patrick. But it was felt (from reading those comments on Jump The Shark before it closed) his departure hurt the show, because the conflict between Bilborough and Fitz in those early episodes was lost, and it meant Fitz had no one to play off after that.

 

[AndyB2008]

This is what I’m noticing with the rewatch. It’s almost like two shows split in half. I also find it odd that only one character has a teenage child and the others have no children.

Also, Joan Collins was all wrong for this show. You have a rich British character and you make Joan the mother of the poor American girl and say she’s from New Jersey and faking her British accent? Huh? That made no sense. Making Joan the mother of Finola’s character could’ve been tied into her husbands business storyline and gave her more purpose. For what they wrote they should’ve cast Donna Mills, Linda Evans or Joan Van Ark if they wanted an 80s soap star.

I’m almost finished and ready to start something else lol. I still wish this had a second season but my second watch it leaves a lot to be desired, especially considering how good we know the writers can be.

The failure of Pacific Palisades to add was a bit embarrassing for Scott Michaelson, let alone Spelling. Given he had been trying to make Kimberley Davies into a big star (he was her manager).

It was even more embarrassing for Michaelson when his on screen Neighbours sister Rachel Blakely managed to have some American success with The Lost World.

I can't recall anyone from Neighbours who Michaelson managed getting much acting work after the show (Krista Vendy, Kimberley and Nicola Charles). Holly Valance must have known this given the later court case after she dumped him.

 

[tommie]

A bit of a nugget about the Savannah pilot from Robin Lively:


I knew that the pilot was originally going to contain a fourth friend and dual action in Savannah / New York, but never knew that scenes were filmed and an actress was cast (Prilly later became Cassie).

 

[AndyB2008]

A bit of a nugget about the Savannah pilot from Robin Lively:
View attachment 26556

I knew that the pilot was originally going to contain a fourth friend and dual action in Savannah / New York, but never knew that scenes were filmed and an actress was cast (Prilly later became Cassie).

Alexia Robinson, aka Cassie, was in the original 1990 Total Recall - the original, as opposed to that horrid reboot later on.

She plays the Rekall receptionist when Quaid gets his implant.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

A bit of a nugget about the Savannah pilot from Robin Lively:
View attachment 26556

I knew that the pilot was originally going to contain a fourth friend and dual action in Savannah / New York, but never knew that scenes were filmed and an actress was cast (Prilly later became Cassie).

This is quite the find. Like yourself, I'd read about the 4th friend but didn't know about the dual action aspect. To be honest, I'm kind of glad they didn't go with that. It works for some shows but in a show called Savannah, I'm not sure if I'd want to watch half of the action take place in New York.

 

[Marika]

Prilly is a weird name... it sounds like a washing or cleaning agent.
Btw, I still need to watch the 2nd season of Savannah... The first one was alright but with the exception of Peyton, I found all of the main characters quite dull.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Btw, I still need to watch the 2nd season of Savannah... The first one was alright but with the exception of Peyton, I found all of the main characters quite dull.

I recall rewatching season one and thinking it was a good example of how primetime soaps should be. It was great drama IMO. I drifted away from season two as it felt a bit more bad daytime-ish. A lot of the plot was driven by people conveniently overhearing things, if I remember correctly. It felt lazy compared to the vibrancy of the first season. I'll be interested to read what you make of it all when you do get around to watching it.

 

[Marika]

This youtube channel has uploaded all episodes of Pacific Palisades in good quality, but dubbed in German:

https://www.youtube.com/user/LAAffairs/videos

The show was called "L.A. Affairs" here.

 

[Monzo]

Sorry for putting a forgotten soap of the 80's in this 90's thread, but I don't know where else to put it since we got no 80's thread for forgotten soaps.

Did anybody watch Showtime's "A New Day in Eden?" Two half-hour episodes aired twice a week from November 1982 until August 1983, 66 episodes overall. There are no full episodes on You Tube, only small promo that says nothing. It seemed to be a classic family soap, only a bit dirtier since it aired on cable tv.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Sorry for putting a forgotten soap of the 80's in this 90's thread, but I don't know where else to put it since we got no 80's thread for forgotten soaps.

Did anybody watch Showtime's "A New Day in Eden?" Two half-hour episodes aired twice a week from November 1982 until August 1983, 66 episodes overall. There are no full episodes on You Tube, only small promo that says nothing. It seemed to be a classic family soap, only a bit dirtier since it aired on cable tv.

This was before my time but I've read about it on here and elsewhere. It looks to have been mostly paired in the schedules with a similar soap called Loving Friends and Perfect Couples.

 

[cws]

While we regularly dissect the likes of Melrose Place, Central Park West, Models Inc and Savannah, there's a collection of 90's soaps that barely get a mention on here. This could be for good reason (they were sh*te) but I know little about them and was wondering what peoples memories (if any) of these shows are. There's a few that can be found online but there's others that there is very little trace of.

Winnetka Road
Short-lived suburban soap starring Josh Brolin and the mother from 7th Heaven. I only recently discovered that Aaron Spelling was involved in the production and that all episodes are online. Is it worth a look? From what I've read, it's kind of in the same region as Sisters in terms of soapiness.

Angel Falls
A post Twin Peaks Peggy Lipton, a pre-Models Inc Cassidy Rae and a brown haired Kim Cattrall were among the cast. It aired in the Knots Landing Thursday 10pm timeslot on CBS, the fall after KL ended. Did they promote it as a Knots replacement?

Second Chances / Hotel Malibu
Short-lived pair of interconnected shows that also aired in the old Knots slot, the season after it ended it's run. The shows get an occasional mention these days because Jennifer Lopez starred in both of them.

The Monroes
I'd love to see this show but there's very little online except a clip and a promo. Susan Sullivan and William Devane play the parents of a Kennedy-esque political dynasty. Was there much coverage of this when it launched or did Central Park West grab all the soapy headlines that fall?

I have been looking for this one too. It only aired a few episodes and then got cancelled. I really enjoyed it though.

 

[Marika]

Btw, I still need to watch the 2nd season of Savannah... The first one was alright but with the exception of Peyton, I found all of the main characters quite dull.

So I'm finally watching the 2nd season of Savannah and just finished episode 2.04.

It's actually better than I expected – the show has a nice flow, and due to the relatively small cast, everyone is involved in everyone else's storylines. It also has a different, more timeless look than the other mid/late 90s soaps. Maybe it's because of the fashion and the make-up – it's all very classy, yet not too expensive looking.

Nick is a good addition to the cast (he's really attractive, I might add) and he has tons of chemistry with both Reese and Peyton.
Eleanor Alexander is a real shrew, yet so entertaining.

Lane and Dean as a couple are a bore, but as long as they get the weekly C-plot, I can tolerate them for a few scenes each episode. I guess they work best as supporting characters in Reese and Peyton's stories.

The only plot hole I noticed was that Edward broke up with Veronica at the end of season 1, and she subsequently wanted to leave town after setting a trap for Tom. However, in the season 2 premiere, Veronica is still in town and she and Edward are continuing their affair. I wish there would have been some explanation for that.

 

[Marika]

So far I've watched "Savannah" until episode 2.10 and it's still entertaining. I'm especially looking forward to the upcoming Reese-Nick-Peyton triangle because these three characters are definitely my favorites. In season 1, I found Reese too perfect and thus quite boring, but now that she's grown some backbone and is actively working against her father, she's much more interesting.

Lane's plot with her ex-fiancé Terry coming to town to win her back was basically filler material, but at least Lane acted like a sane person in that story, so I tolerated that. In most other soaps, the ex-lover's manipulations are usually successful for a while, but here Terry doesn't even come close to breaking through Lane's emotional firewall.

I was confused that Eleanor Alexander turned out to be the owner of the newspaper "Savannah Dispatch" because before that, she was written like some bored upper-class housewife who had too much time on her hands, thus meddling in the love life of her son Brian.

Speaking of Brian, he was written off quite abruptly. Of course it was some old soap trope that Peyton would go after her ex-boyfriend's father (Charles, played by Ted Shackelford) to get revenge on Eleanor, but Peyton and Charles actually had good chemistry. I almost thought they'd be getting married instead.

The only story I dislike is Cassie's introduction because so far, it doesn't really make any sense. So she's secretly investigating Burton Industries – but after two episodes, we still don't know why and what she's actually doing.

 

[Marika]

Ugh, I hate it when soap writers contradict themselves – especially if it happens in the span of a handful of episodes.
In early season 2, Reese asks Dean – who's a cop! – to investigate Nick's past because she doesn't trust him. Dean tells her that Nick has a clean record.
Several episodes later, Peyton randomly calls some of Nick's ex classmates because she wants to find out more about his family background. Then she learns that Nick was expelled from school and that he has had three previous convictions. He only didn't have to go to prison because his father bribed the authorities. Of course, Peyton finds a way to supply Reese with this information. When she confronts him about it, he confesses to having killed a man in self-defense. Why couldn't Dean find this information when it's apparently common knowledge?

Apart from that, the Reese-Nick-Peyton-Tom quadrangle is soap gold. I love every second of it even though it's quite predictable.

Edward and Eleanor getting married so that they cannot be prosecuted was a highlight, too. Loved Veronica's meltdown when she found out about the wedding. I also didn't expect Charles Alexander to be killed off.

Lane's pill addiction is a typical C-plot, but it was interesting to see her evolving from being so level-headed to a nervous and neurotic person.

Cassie is still boring. So she was an undercover agent for the ministry of finance. Right now she's meeting a producer who promises her that she will become a star, but of course he's up to no good. Yawn.

Btw, at this point Alexia Robinson (Cassie) is still credited as a "Special Guest Star". Quite interesting considering her biggest credits before "Savannah" were roles on "General Hospital" and "Murder One". Meanwhile, Mimi Kennedy (Eleanor) who had been in the industry since the late 70s is only credited as a regular guest star. Ted Shackelford (Charles) received a "Special Appearance By" credit.

 

[Marika]

Cassie is still boring.

I'm on episode 2.19 and I have to repeat myself: Cassie is still boring. Like seriously, what were they thinking when they introduced her character? Since her debut, she and Lane have been fighting for receiving the weekly C-plot, and none of this is working. Even Cassie's love interest Sam Lucas (played by Russell Curry, who would later star as a similar boring character on "Sunset Beach") is a snoozefest. Wow, he's secretly married. Yawn.
Meanwhile, Lane has a typical soap addiction storyline. First, she gets hooked on painkillers (which of course nobody notices because she still looks gorgeous), then she oversleeps her own wedding and suddenly, her friends are alarmed and place her under house arrest. Lane gets hooked on cough syrup, is caught by Reese and Dean when she drops a bottle on the floor (that scene was quite disturbing because it looked like she was covered in feces from head to toe), and eventually attends group therapy. After one episode, Lane is cured and nobody talks about her addiction anymore. Lane is such a good girl.

However, everything regarding Peyton/Nick/Reese/Tom is brilliant, starting with Peyton marrying Tom donning a blonde wig to resemble Reese to Nick's past lover Sonny Lee arriving in Savannah and telling him that she will marry Nick's father. Now Martin has died, and Sonny Lee has burned his last will so that Nick will inherit the family fortune, even though he doesn't want anything to do with his family's money.

Then there was a story where Veronica wanted to take revenge on Edward for marrying Eleanor. She hired a woman named Rita (played by Jocelyn Seagrave, who would later that year star on fellow Spelling show "Pacific Palisades") who spread the rumor that Edward forced himself on her. There were also some bad computer-generated photomontages involved (I was surprised that there was advanced computer software for this in early 1997). However, Edward has found out that Veronica was the mastermind behind this, and now he tries to take her down.

Three more episodes to go. Let's see how this one ends.

 

[tommie]

However, everything regarding Peyton/Nick/Reese/Tom is brilliant, starting with Peyton marrying Tom donning a blonde wig to resemble Reese to Nick's past lover Sonny Lee arriving in Savannah and telling him that she will marry Nick's father. Now Martin has died, and Sonny Lee has burned his last will so that Nick will inherit the family fortune, even though he doesn't want anything to do with his family's money.

This and the Eleanor / Edward / Veronica "triangle" are the two things that keep the show interesting in the later parts of season 2. As you said, the Lane addiction story was terrible even as the usual soap fodder and Cassie is just kind of there so they don't get accused of having no diversity.

 

[AndyB2008]

Ugh, I hate it when soap writers contradict themselves – especially if it happens in the span of a handful of episodes.
In early season 2, Reese asks Dean – who's a cop! – to investigate Nick's past because she doesn't trust him. Dean tells her that Nick has a clean record.
Several episodes later, Peyton randomly calls some of Nick's ex classmates because she wants to find out more about his family background. Then she learns that Nick was expelled from school and that he has had three previous convictions. He only didn't have to go to prison because his father bribed the authorities. Of course, Peyton finds a way to supply Reese with this information. When she confronts him about it, he confesses to having killed a man in self-defense. Why couldn't Dean find this information when it's apparently common knowledge?

Apart from that, the Reese-Nick-Peyton-Tom quadrangle is soap gold. I love every second of it even though it's quite predictable.

Edward and Eleanor getting married so that they cannot be prosecuted was a highlight, too. Loved Veronica's meltdown when she found out about the wedding. I also didn't expect Charles Alexander to be killed off.

Lane's pill addiction is a typical C-plot, but it was interesting to see her evolving from being so level-headed to a nervous and neurotic person.

Cassie is still boring. So she was an undercover agent for the ministry of finance. Right now she's meeting a producer who promises her that she will become a star, but of course he's up to no good. Yawn.

Btw, at this point Alexia Robinson (Cassie) is still credited as a "Special Guest Star". Quite interesting considering her biggest credits before "Savannah" were roles on "General Hospital" and "Murder One". Meanwhile, Mimi Kennedy (Eleanor) who had been in the industry since the late 70s is only credited as a regular guest star. Ted Shackelford (Charles) received a "Special Appearance By" credit.

Alexia Robinson also was in Total Recall. The original, rather than the pointless Colin Farrell remake.

She played the Rekall receptionist Tiffany.

 

[Marika]

Three more episodes to go. Let's see how this one ends.

I just finished "Savannah", and I have to say, it's probably the best of the short-lived 90s soaps. Some stretches and characters were a bit boring (like I wrote in my earlier posts), but at least the producers didn't feel the need to retool the show every 3rd episode. It just felt like a cohesive story with no abrupt story turns and rewrites.

Only the final episode felt a bit rushed, especially the Cassie/Sam story. I had the feeling that some scenes were cut. Did the writers know in advance that they wouldn't be renewed for a 3rd season?

I also thought that Reese and Nick would be getting married in the final minutes, but that didn't happen. Except Lane and Dean, nobody received a happy ending.

Let's see what I'm going to watch next. I still have 2000 Malibu Road and Hyperion Bay on my watch list. Curiously, the latter never aired in Germany. All but the final two episodes are on Youtube.

 

[tommie]

Only the final episode felt a bit rushed, especially the Cassie/Sam story. I had the feeling that some scenes were cut. Did the writers know in advance that they wouldn't be renewed for a 3rd season?

They knew that the ratings weren't great, hence not a huge cliffhanger, but it could've been renewed presumably if Buffy hadn't hit.

Hyperion Bay just wasn't very good. They tried to re-tool the show by hiring Frank South and bringing in Carmen Electra as their version of Heather Locklear, but it didn't work. 2000 Malibu Road is fun and juicy.