Jamie Luner in Savannah... oh my god!

[RandallAdams]

What a captivating soap opera villainess she was!! I have always said, if Savannah had debuted 15 years earlier, Jamie Luner as Peyton would have become an iconic television character. She had the Larry Hagman charisma to quickly become the focal point of the show, to the point where you really rooted for her to overcome her situation as the housekeeper's daughter and be legitimised as the master's daughter. Also, the show had a really beautiful theme tune, making it a true successor to the 80s sagas, in every way.

 

[kcmimichar]

It really does look like an 80's drama!!

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

The theme tune was gorgeous and season one is really good primetime soap. The second season went off the boil a bit but was still entertaining. One of the main issues I think, is the fact that it was on the WB. It premiered as the network was starting out & finding its feet and it soon became obvious that while Savannah was a good show, it wasn’t really the right fit for the teen oriented network. It should’ve aired on FOX.

 

[kcmimichar]

I totally forgot about this show!! You are right though about it appearing on the WB. Maybe it will be streaming one day!!!

 

[Alexis]

I think it's all on YouTube. I watched it all there a few years back and think it may still be there.

 

[tommie]

The theme tune was gorgeous and season one is really good primetime soap. The second season went off the boil a bit but was still entertaining. One of the main issues I think, is the fact that it was on the WB. It premiered as the network was starting out & finding its feet and it soon became obvious that while Savannah was a good show, it wasn’t really the right fit for the teen oriented network. It should’ve aired on FOX.

The big issue was also that prime time soaps just never repeated well - hence the super-sized seasons that 90210 and Melrose Place got. The WB, however, didn't have the funds to do huge seasons like that. In comes a little show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer that while not doing that much better, actually repeated decently and of course ended up growing in repeats that summer...

 

[kcmimichar]

I think it's all on YouTube. I watched it all there a few years back and think it may still be there.

Thanks..I will look for it!!

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

The big issue was also that prime time soaps just never repeated well - hence the super-sized seasons that 90210 and Melrose Place got. The WB, however, didn't have the funds to do huge seasons like that. In comes a little show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer that while not doing that much better, actually repeated decently and of course ended up growing in repeats that summer...

Yes, I think the WB president at the time (Garth Ancier) stated that when the show was cancelled. Whatever deal the WB had with Spelling did bear fruit soon enough with the successes of 7th Heaven and Charmed. It’s just a shame Savannah didn’t premiere elsewhere as it could’ve ran for a few more seasons.

 

[tommie]

Yes, I think the WB president at the time (Garth Ancier) stated that when the show was cancelled. Whatever deal the WB had with Spelling did bear fruit soon enough with the successes of 7th Heaven and Charmed. It’s just a shame Savannah didn’t premiere elsewhere as it could’ve ran for a few more seasons.

Yeah, there were a couple of factors - not being able to afford super-sized seasons was one. The other was moving it from Sundays to Mondays - clearly they had hoped the Melrose audience would switch over from Fox, but that just didn't happen. And of course - season 2 took a bit of a dip in the writing; clearly the Burge must've had season 1 plotted out in her head for a while which lead to it being impeccably focused and a really thrilling watch. In season 2 it's clear they started throwing soap tropes at the wall hoping to see what stuck.

Still, I would've liked to see season 3 with Peyton exiled from the friend group and maybe Cassie being expanded on as a character.

 

[AndyB2008]

To add ref Savannah in the UK.

The first season was acquired by ITV as a networked show at 9pm on Friday nights, and I believe was pretty popular.

After the WB canned it in the US, ITV lost faith in the show and the second season was aired in late night slots on different ITV regions (the regions that did air the second season of Savannah, as some may not have aired it)

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

To add ref Savannah in the UK.

The first season was acquired by ITV as a networked show at 9pm on Friday nights, and I believe was pretty popular.

After the WB canned it in the US, ITV lost faith in the show and the second season was aired in late night slots on different ITV regions (the regions that did air the second season of Savannah, as some may not have aired it)

Yes, UTV was the region we got in Ireland and that second season aired everywhere from daytime to Sunday afternoon to late night. Here in Ireland, the first season had a primetime slot on the main channel RTE1. I think they thought it was the new Dallas / Dynasty as most of the other soaps of the time (Melrose, Central Park West, 90210) all aired on the more younger skewing, second network RTE2 (or Network 2 as it was known then). I can’t recall if season two retained that prime timeslot.

 

[AndyB2008]

Spelling must have been cutting costs too when he heard of the WB cancelling Savannah.

Towards the end of Season 2, the location shoots in Savannah were ended, and the production was based mostly in Atlanta. Any exterior shots of Savannah were stock footage.

 

[TaranofPrydain]

Yes. I have started watching it at YouKnowWhere, and Luner is absolutely terrific, magnetic, riveting, and a great performance. The others on the show are decent, but she's the true standout, and the writing by the Messinas and Latham and Lechowick of Knots Landing and Homefront is very strong.

 

[tommie]

Yes. I have started watching it at YouKnowWhere, and Luner is absolutely terrific, magnetic, riveting, and a great performance. The others on the show are decent, but she's the true standout, and the writing by the Messinas and Latham and Lechowick of Knots Landing and Homefront is very strong.

Yep, you can definitively see why Spelling just transferred her over to Melrose Place once Savannah was cancelled!

The writing in season one is really sharp and top-tier soap. It's unfortunate they couldn't quite keep it up with season two, but there's still some good stuff in there.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I also loved Tom and Veronica.
The character played by Robyn Lively isn't very interesting and stuff just happens to her. But she had a very sexy boyfriend played by David Gail who passed away earlier this year.

And then there's Cassie Wheeler....(I'm sure @tommie LOVES her).

 

[tommie]

And then there's Cassie Wheeler....(I'm sure @tommie LOVES her).

Well, she's a character who exists because someone at Spelling Inc. thought the show needed diversity, except in typical Spelling fashion she ends up just being around to fill a diversity quota (see also: DoorMatt on Melrose, Dominique on Dynasty, etc). I don't even remember her storylines except that I think she sang Unbreak My Heart in one episode.

Oddly enough Garcelle Beauvais (Cynthia) on Models Inc was given quite a lot to do in retrospect, so I guess that's a way that show broke the Spelling mould!

 

[Willie Oleson]

Well, she's a character who exists because someone at Spelling Inc. thought the show needed diversity

I don't know...maybe it was more like girlband marketing and she was the missing face.

And being black in Savannah doesn't seem out of character. Dynasty made a point with its black Carrington, only to retract when it was supposed to get interesting. They had not thought of other ways to make Dominique interesting, and with her blackness being cancelled she didn't have anything to fall back on.
They just should have introduced her as the superbitch CEO of Titania Records - because Amanda wants a pop career - and then much later in the story reveal the bloodline surprise. I mean, it's not rocket science.

 

[tommie]

And being black in Savannah doesn't seem out of character.

Oh, it was actually very odd that there wasn't a black character (or family for that matter) on Savannah - hell, if Jamie Luner hadn't killed it as Peyton I'd say make her and her mama black to further add to the conflict between sweet blonde lily white Reese and the hand-me-downs getting black maids daughter. But then again, in Spelling's hands we might've gotten a Mammy type as Peyton's mom, so maybe not .

I mean, it's not rocket science.

It's a Spelling show. He'd rather have Tanya Roberts than cast a black Angel (despite it making sense).

 

[Soaplover]

Wasn't Cassie on Savannah undercover and then she fell into the singing gig as her career after whatever case she was working on was over?

I liked the character and had hoped when season 3 rolled around that more development would have been done with her character.. especially with the Peyton vs Reese story that was for sure going to be the main story. Would she have sided with Peyton or Reese? And with her being away from Savannah for so long, what characters would have followed her back to the city.