kalbir

Look at the list of CBS primetime dramas that premiered in the 1980s which were not named Murder, She Wrote and had 5+ season runs: Falcon Crest; Magnum, P.I.; Simon & Simon, Cagney & Lacey, Jake and the Fatman. They all lasted as long as they did because CBS was in their third place primetime mess era. Remember that episode of The Golden Girls where Sophia referred to Jane Wyman as "that old crow from Falcon Crest"? Funny thing is Jane Wyman was only 6 years older than Estelle Getty.

@Taoboi I know Sean Freeman is not Shemar Moore level, but I don't put SF in the fake-ass Shemar category.

@soapfan770 That reads so much better than what's currently on screen. If Josh Griffith takes your ideas, I somehow feel that he'll fumble the execution.

@Khan Keeping it real here, after watching Falcon Crest episodes I was surprised it made it past season 5 and season 7 should have been the end. Falcon Crest may not have been a pop culture phenomenon, but it's place in television history is that of being Jane Wyman's late career comeback which pretty much overlapped with her ex-husband's presidency. It's also notable that Falcon Crest had the longest run of a CBS primetime drama series that premiered in the 1980s which was not named Murder, She Wrote.

Daytime dramas could get away with a lot more stuff in the first half of the 1980s. Then AIDS happened and that changed everything. GL chased all the 1980s trends (action/adventure, supercouples, Dallas/Dynasty influence) but it caused long-term damage that took years to recover from, or some may say never really recovered from.

I can't pinpoint the exact moment season 7 went off the rails, but the core families shrunk and the supporting characters and guest stars in short arcs didn't really work. Seasons 8 and 9 were the off the rails plus budget mode seasons. Season 8 was a chore to get through and season 9 had a darkness and sadness surrounding it that made it painful to get through. The final two seasons were not necessary and I feel they only happened because CBS was in their third place primetime mess era.

Season 5 tanking was cemented. The storylines were so start and stop and most of them really didn't work. Also being head-to-head with the new hotness Miami Vice and Dallas weakening as a lead in didn't help matters either.

Sean Freeman is the hotness of BtG. Could he be BtG's Shemar?

Season 6 and 7 were the high-octane action-packed thrill ride seasons. Season 6 was an improvement over season 5 but it was still tanking and signs of going off the rails were showing during season 7. Funny thing is SOD liked seasons 6 and 7 in the Best of 1987 and 1988 issues.

I had no idea Kim Zimmer was not the first choice for Reva, as I can't imagine anyone else in that role. If there was any character that defined the final 25 years of GL, it was Reva.

I haven't seen any links to verify, but my TV listings are showing BtG pre-empted April 29 and 30 for soccer coverage.

Halfway through the month and most of it has been garbage time. There are times I'm like "what is this mess?"

The late season tanking is why the Spring 1985 cliffhanger is not as well-remembered as Bobby's car accident, Royal Wedding shootout, and Val's babies.

Season 4 war crimes storyline was like a mashup of James Bond and Raiders of the Lost Ark. The abrupt ending to the war crimes storyline derailed all the momentum that was built during the course of the series and signs of tanking started showing during the last 10 or so episodes of season 4.

I brought up Crazy Like a Fox in the Time Slot Hits thread.

You know it! There has to be some conflict in order for them to realize that they are meant to be more than booty call hook ups.

You're welcome 1985/86 was the turning point season of the 1980s. That season in real life, s--- got real with the AIDS crisis, Space Shuttle Challenger, Chernobyl. With the world around us changing so much, television viewers sought comfort and warmth and Murder, She Wrote and the big family and workplace/friendship sitcoms gave us that.

He's making the booty pop.

1984/85 the primetime soaps pulled out all the stops to out-do each other. That played a part in them all tanking the following season.

I saw some scenes in 1979 and 1980 episodes where Phillip, Freddie (Rick), Christina (Blake) interacted as children, so maybe the writers thought that Phillip and Rick wouldn't recognize Blake as they hadn't interacted in close to a decade (going by real time).

Passions did launch the careers of Jesse Metcalfe and Justin Hartley.

With Wink Martindale having passed, that means Bob Eubanks is the last one left of that generation of game show hosts.

40 years ago this week.

40 years ago this week.

Andre being there for Dani in a time of need 🥰 Halfway through April and we're at 90 pages. I can barely keep up with this thread. May sweeps could break the board 🤣