For the people who have no idea what somerset is here is some great info

somerset came about when the people at nbc wanted to expand there enormously popular soap another world from 30 minutes to 1 hour but back then the idea of a 1 hour soap was just that an idea,the people in the soap world thought no one would sit and watch one soap for 1 hour.So after much talk nbc and p&g(procter and gamble) decided to create a new series closely identified with the high rated another world.The result was another world-somerset.The show was created and written by robert cenedella.Another world-somerset had alot in common with it's sister soap,it had the same theme music the same logo and same announcer plus four characters from another world-bay city went over to another world-somerset those characters were missy matthews,rickey matthews,sam lucas and lahoma vane lucas.But unfortunately the show was not doing well with no clear theme or identity of its own another world-somerset neilson rating was not very good prompting nbc to make drastic changes.Less then 1 year after its premiere somerset servered ties with another world.A new logo and theme song were commissioned while the shows title was simply shortened to somerset.Nbc and procter and gamble both noticed how well the edge of night was doing so procter and gamble decided to hire edge's head writer henery slesar to revamp the program into a crime/mystery soap.In no time murders,rapes and other criminal acts infiltrated the small town of 40,000.Henery slesar penned many memorable storylines like the jasper delaney murder and the gothic toned mystery surrounding aundrea moore's eccentric family.Within months of the revamp somerset's view audience rose from 5 million to 7 million viewers daily.The shows rating stayed healthy for the next three years but 7 million people a day was not good enough ratings for nbc who still had faith that the show could become a monster hit.In late 1973 the network decided to replace henery slesar with veteran soap creator roy winsor.He returned the show to its traditional roots.Winsors writing failed and the ratings began to slip.Nbc panicked and winsor was dismissed.durning the next year somerset endured no more then 3 different writing regimes.Each successive set of writers managed to destroy the program's coutinuity as characters and stories wandered aimlessly.By 1975 audience defections were legion and affilates began droping the show.

somerset future appeared brighter when vetren writer robert j shaw assumed head writing duties in early 1976.He managed to pull all the stories togther with a complex plot in which organized crime once again gained control of somerset.Hoping to recapture some of its lost audience nbc mad the unprecedented move of telecasting the serial twice a day in its regular spot and in a special noon-time feed for affilites who wanted to counter-program local newscasts.Also with three future superstars in its cast(sigourney weaver,jobeth williams and ted danson) helped to bring make the ratings move upwards but it was to late.AT the end of 1976 nbc cancelled somerset sending it to soap opera heaven.The show nbc replaced somerset with was lovers and friends which had far more worse ratings then somerset and was cancelled less then five months after its premiere

i was so upset when nbc cancelled somerset it was so sad that a great soap like this which had so much going for it was cancelled to put on a bad show like lovers and friends.I think if nbc gave somerset 1 more year and robert j shaw stayed on as head writer the show could of brought back most of its lost audience and lasted for many more years .