Forgotten soaps of the 90's

tommie

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#LegacyUpdate

Sadly, the "revamp" only applies for the four last episodes, which shows. They clearly tried to shove a plot that was at least double of that into four episodes. It would've been interesting to see a season 2 just to see how they would've developed it from Little House On The Prairie to a full-blown Dallas in the 1800.
 

MarkSinacori

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Titans, Models Inc. and Pacific Palisades should have gone on longer. North Shore in 2004-2005 as well.


Titans was NBC but felt like it belonged on FOX.



Pacific Palisades had closure after 13 episodes. Aaron Spelling didn't want to just do a few episodes, but they didn't get a 2nd season. It was a mid season show which premiered I think in April of 1997 and then stopped in May and then started up again in July-August. Had they gotten more episodes or whatever, I think season 1 would have lasted beyond August. It probably would have gone and ended season 1 in winter or early spring of 1998 had it gotten a full season of, back then, circa 30 episodes or more. I could have seen it going off around the same time MP did their stupid season 6 finale in March of that year. Pacific Palisades, even though it didn't get a 2nd season, needed more episodes. It was a good show.

Models Inc., without a doubt, should have been back for a 2nd season for 1995-1996. Even if that's all they got. I bet the show thought they were coming back. I thought they were as well. It really needed a season 2.


North Shore was just too fast paced to come back for more. It was trying to be like Melrose Place but it was too fast. Plus there wasn't enough suspense on there. It aired in June 2004 to early 2005.

Titans, it could have been so much better and ran so much longer. I mean, had it been a success, I would have been recording it all throughout college for sure. I recorded all 11 episodes. The show kept changing around. It also revealed their final scenes in the promos for the following week's episode which was very bad. I remember them showing Heather falling down the stairs and Jenny falling into the pool. Both were big events and they were spoiled in the promos.
 

tommie

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Pacific Palisades had closure after 13 episodes. Aaron Spelling didn't want to just do a few episodes, but they didn't get a 2nd season. It was a mid season show which premiered I think in April of 1997 and then stopped in May and then started up again in July-August.

It debuted to incredibly weak ratings after Beverly Hills 90210 (90210 got a 8.1/14 rating, while Pacific Palisades fell to 7.0/11 in its premiere episode - and it got worse from there), which is why it got pulled after five episodes when Joan's appearance didn't boost ratings and eventually got a burn-off treatment in the summer.

Models Inc., without a doubt, should have been back for a 2nd season for 1995-1996. Even if that's all they got. I bet the show thought they were coming back. I thought they were as well. It really needed a season 2.

They were pretty heavily on the bubble - it essentially performed on par with Party of Five that season and improved the ratings a bit when it was paired with Melrose Place, but obviously one got critically acclaimed and one was basically trashed from the start. They knew they were in trouble though, hence why they filmed a quick wrap-up to be used in overseas and reruns. I remember a Chuck Pratt interview where he said they were pretty much 50/50 if they were going to be back.


North Shore was just too fast paced to come back for more. It was trying to be like Melrose Place but it was too fast. Plus there wasn't enough suspense on there. It aired in June 2004 to early 2005.

It was basically their attempt to find a Melrose Place to The OC. The show was never very good, though it's curious they decided not to air the final episode which had a cliffhanger.

Titans, it could have been so much better and ran so much longer. I mean, had it been a success, I would have been recording it all throughout college for sure. I recorded all 11 episodes. The show kept changing around. It also revealed their final scenes in the promos for the following week's episode which was very bad. I remember them showing Heather falling down the stairs and Jenny falling into the pool. Both were big events and they were spoiled in the promos.

Prime time soap promos have always been notoriously bad at keeping big events a secret, so it's not unique to Titans. But it was a confused mess, Casper Van Dien was wood board while Yasmine Bleeth was high on coke during the entire filming. Had it continued I think both of them would've had diminished roles if not written out entirely.
 

Carrie Fairchild

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Not sure what this is, a short-lived Spelling series starring David "Falcon Crest" Beecroft.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearts_Are_Wild
It says it's a drama series but the description suggests it was 1990's HOTEL.

I've a TV encyclopedia that describes it as "a variation on The Love Boat and Hotel idea". According to the same book, as there were only three regular cast members on the show, the bulk of the action focused on the rotating roster of guest characters each week.
 

Snarky Oracle!

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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?

he Monroes.. too adult and slow moving. A slow burn that needed more time.
Funny, I just had a primal childhood flashback from half a century ago (which is doubly amazing as I'm almost 30) regarding a scene I've had in my head from what had to be a '60s western in which the protagonist family is inside their cabin (during maybe an approaching storm) and one of them sees someone or something diving in the brush several yards in the distance.

At the time, it seemed really creepy, and I had the feeling I saw the same scene maybe 6 months later (summer reruns?, like one of those times you see a show only twice and it's the exact same episode) but I had no idea what the show was, and yet it stuck with me all my life. But I could never figure out which show it was, and assumed I never would because it was likely too obscure.

Today, my YouTube algorithm collided with my small screen karma, because up popped a listing for a video of a scene from the series THE MONROES --- but not the William Devane/Susan Sullivan program (which I well-remembered, although didn't watch it much) but an ancient, short-lived show from the 1966/67 season ... I just sat there. And despite never recalling seeing or even hearing about this brief program, I suddenly just knew this was the series with that scene I'd never forgotten with a family inside their cabin and one of them sees someone or something diving in the brush several yards in the distance.

No, that specific scene wasn't on YouTube, but it led me to check the old IMDb and indeed the scene I'd recalled was from THE MONROES' episode "Manhunt" which aired March of 1967.

All the mysteries are now resolved. Go back to your modest duties.



Sorry -- this ultimately has nothing to do with '90s primetime soaps. But that's what got me here. Sort of.
 
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ChrisSumner

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The Youtube page that has Knots recently added 2000 Malibu Rd, Pacific Palisades and Savannah. I’ve seen all (although I never finished Savannah) and I plan on re-watching all three. I wish they’d also add Paper Dolls and The Monroes!

I started with Pacific Palisades because I remembered it the least, but remembered liking it. As a Knots fan it’s also a bit of a reunion. I find it interesting that you have two Knots headwriters on the writing staff in Peter Dunne and Lynn Marie Latham and then the show is created by Diane Messina Stanley and James Stanley who also were part of the writing team for years. So far I’ve rewatched the first two episodes and you can see the influence. The biggest thing that holds it back is the cast can be hit or miss. I enjoy most of the female actors but the men can leave something to be desired. Still, I wish this had lasted longer. I don’t think they needed Joan Collins either.
 

tommie

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The Youtube page that has Knots recently added 2000 Malibu Rd, Pacific Palisades and Savannah. I’ve seen all (although I never finished Savannah) and I plan on re-watching all three. I wish they’d also add Paper Dolls and The Monroes!

I started with Pacific Palisades because I remembered it the least, but remembered liking it. As a Knots fan it’s also a bit of a reunion. I find it interesting that you have two Knots headwriters on the writing staff in Peter Dunne and Lynn Marie Latham and then the show is created by Diane Messina Stanley and James Stanley who also were part of the writing team for years. So far I’ve rewatched the first two episodes and you can see the influence. The biggest thing that holds it back is the cast can be hit or miss. I enjoy most of the female actors but the men can leave something to be desired. Still, I wish this had lasted longer. I don’t think they needed Joan Collins either.

I recall feeling like the Pacific Palisades cast were "islanded" from the beginning - of course, both Knots and Melrose were too in their later years, but in their cases it had more to logistics and keeping costs down. At least the groundwork were there for it to make sense for the characters to be on the same show (well, before the mass exodus it was on Melrose), with Pacific Palisades there just seemed to be a huge disconnect between the characters. It's been a while since I watched it though.
 

ChrisSumner

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I recall feeling like the Pacific Palisades cast were "islanded" from the beginning - of course, both Knots and Melrose were too in their later years, but in their cases it had more to logistics and keeping costs down. At least the groundwork were there for it to make sense for the characters to be on the same show (well, before the mass exodus it was on Melrose), with Pacific Palisades there just seemed to be a huge disconnect between the characters. It's been a while since I watched it though.
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.
 

tommie

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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.

Joans role is really odd on the show. It's obvious she was hamfisted into it - once it premiered with mediocre ratings I get the feeling that they shot scenes with her, which they edited into the fifth episode for a quick stunt further making the show more disconnected. IIRC she disappears for a few episodes after her first appearance which makes me think that's probably what they did.
 

Marika

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Joans role is really odd on the show. It's obvious she was hamfisted into it - once it premiered with mediocre ratings I get the feeling that they shot scenes with her, which they edited into the fifth episode for a quick stunt further making the show more disconnected. IIRC she disappears for a few episodes after her first appearance which makes me think that's probably what they did.
Actually, Joan Collins first appeared in the 4th episode. She was added to the opening credits as a "Special Guest Star". She then continued to appear in episodes 5 and 6, was missing from episodes 7 to 9 – where she wasn't credited at all –, and returned for the final 4 episodes.
 

Miss Texas 1967

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The Youtube page that has Knots recently added 2000 Malibu Rd, Pacific Palisades and Savannah. I’ve seen all (although I never finished Savannah) and I plan on re-watching all three. I wish they’d also add Paper Dolls and The Monroes!

What's this channel? I'd like to have a look at some of these shows.

Paper Dolls is on Youtube.

I'm still looking for Titans, the last time the episodes surfaced some were missing audio.
 
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Gabriele

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Somebody remember The Valley of the dolls in 1994 with Sharon Case and Sally Kirkland?
 

Carrie Fairchild

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I've finally managed to watch the opening episode of The Monroes (unfortunately this is the only episode that has washed up for now). William Devane and Susan Sullivan are great as always, bouncing off each other as the heads of the Kennedy-esque clan. Cecil Hoffmann's role as the daughter who may be sleeping with the President (a shot of the back of a grey haired head in her bed suggesting that it may be Bill Clinton) is interesting but after that the other Monroe offspring fall into standard soap tropes - politically ambitious but loose cannon congressman son who's cheating on his wife, quirky photographer daughter, youngest son who is a wannabe writer who longs to be treated normally for who he is, not what family he comes from and another son who is in the Navy and wants nothing to do with the family's political intrigues but will inevitably be drawn back into them.

There's enough going on that would've kept me interested enough to keep watching the show. It's family dynamics remind me of Dirty Sexy Money albeit without the sharp writing. Some of it is a bit 90's cliche (there's a running joke about putting down the family dog, the "rebellious" writer son has an earring & rides a motorbike) and the intro music couldn't be any more generic but the overall end product is decent soap with Sullivan and Devane being the main attractions. On that subject, it's interesting to read that Devane took umbrage with the press referring to it as a soap during it's launch when it quite clearly is just that. This isn't dramedy or The West Wing, it's family soap in the tradition of Dallas.
 
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tommie

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On that subject, it's interesting to read that Devane took umbrage with the press referring to it as a soap during it's launch when it quite clearly is just that. This isn't dramedy or The West Wing, it's family soap in the tradition of Dallas.

What's funny is that I've kind of avoided The Monroes because it's been my impression that it wasn't a soap - I guess that whole thing backfired badly on them. They should've just gone all out promoting it as a soap.
 

Willie Oleson

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Some of it is a bit 90's cliche
But why is that 90s and 2000s cliché looks more dated than 70s and 80s cliché? Is it because it hasn't reached nostalgia status yet? Maybe we don't expect it to look so very dated because (for most of us) it was the beginning of adult life that doesn't have a drastic change until we become elders. So it kinda feels as if the 90s up until now blurs into one big zeitgeist.
I have given the 70s and 80s decades a place and expect to experience a cliché and/or dated look, but it's far more confronting when I see it in 90s productions (not necessarily in a bad way, I hasten to add).
 

Alexis

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But why is that 90s and 2000s cliché looks more dated than 70s and 80s cliché? Is it because it hasn't reached nostalgia status yet? Maybe we don't expect it to look so very dated because (for most of us) it was the beginning of adult life that doesn't have a drastic change until we become elders. So it kinda feels as if the 90s up until now blurs into one big zeitgeist.
I have given the 70s and 80s decades a place and expect to experience a cliché and/or dated look, but it's far more confronting when I see it in 90s productions (not necessarily in a bad way, I hasten to add).
Oh there's definitely a nostalgia for the 90s going on at the minute in everything. On the one had I feel like it's too soon to be happening and yet on the other hand when I look at it I just think most of it is ugly and outdated in a way I never thought about the 1980s. Fashion, makeup, hair, music and TV have all taken a turn into '90s nostalgia over the last maybe 5 or 6 years. All those '90s babies remember it and are for some reason replicating it. I have never liked it. But then again I wasn't experiencing the best times of my life in the 1990s. I was a teen who wasn't out as gay, I was mostly unhappy, even if I didn't show it. I wasn't confident. Yea, I can see why I didn't love the '90s and why I enjoy '80s nostalgia more.
 
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Willie Oleson

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But then again I wasn't experiencing the best times of my life in the 1990s. I was a teen who wasn't out as gay, I was mostly unhappy, even if I didn't show it
This is very different from my personal scenario, I guess that's why we experience nostalgia and zeitgeist in different ways.
 
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