KateW

Thirty years ago today (February 1, 1980), CBS aired the final episodes of both Love of Life and Beat the Clock. The following Monday (February 4, 1980), Y&R expanded to 1 hour and was given a new timeslot, 1 pm ET. CBS also gave new timeslots to As the World Turns, 2 pm ET, and Guiding Light, 3 pm ET.

I didn't see a thread for Capitol so I decided to start one.

CBS premiered Capitol as a prime time special on Friday March 26, 1982, and the daytime premiere was three days later in the timeslot previously occupied by CBS's then-longest running daytime drama Search for Tomorrow.

Capitol was best described as Dallas meets the Reagan administration, with its Washington DC political backdrop combined with the glitz and glamour that characterized CBS's biggest primetime drama.

Despite being middle of the pack ratings-wise during it's run, Capitol ended a little less than 5 years later on Friday March 20, 1987, and three days later CBS premiered Bill Bell's 2nd show The Bold and the Beautiful.

I feel Capitol went on the air so CBS could draw a younger audience to compete with ABC (who pretty much owned daytime in the early 1980s with the action/adventure plots on General Hospital and the young love plots on All My Children). I also feel Capitol was used as a placeholder as CBS was probably waiting for Y&R (which became CBS's highest-rated daytime drama in the 1982/1983 season) to be established among the top 3 daytime dramas (which it was from the 1983/1984 season onward) before they were ready to give Bill Bell a 2nd show.

Despit the critical acclaim and Emmy awards to show for it, somehow Santa Barbara was not a huge hit in the US the way it was internationally (as evidenced by the numerous YouTube clips that are subtitled). I suspect premiering during the Summer Olympics and being scheduled opposite General Hospital (which was #1 for most of the 1980s) didn't help matters much.

It was just so refreshing and unique at the time...Shame on NBC for not giving it time to catch on or a better time slot. I know in a few more years, a larger audience would have been built.

I watched some clips of Generations on YouTube. The concept was a good 10 years ahead of it's time.

Too bad it aired opposite Y&R. Had NBC aired it in the late morning, The Price is Right would've been even tougher competition than Y&R.