Entertainment Weekly on Passions' Cancellation

[RionPassions]

Thwarted "Passions"

Crestfallen soap fans are busy cooking up hexes as they react to NBC's Jan. 17 announcement that it will cancel cooky daytime drama Passions in August to make way for a fourth hour of Today. The eight-year-old Passions became a cult hit with young viewers who dug its campy, supernatural plots. (Who will ever forget the town's resident witch, Tabitha--played by Juliet Mils--and her beloved talking doll, Timmy?) But Passions remained a tough sell among old-school soap fans, and was consistently the least watched of TV's nine remaining daytime drama (averaging just 2 million weekly viewers this season). NBC may yet try to appease fans by offering new episodes online if a cable network like SOAPnet doesn't pick up the show. (NBC's other soap, Days of Our Lives, will air through at least 2009). For now, devotees will have to take comfort in knowing that there will never be another soap like Passions. "Tabitha and Timmy were iconic", says NBC Daytime chief Annamarie Kostura. "Passions made people ask, 'What are they doing now?'"

[dtchicago]

Is that accurate?? The 9 remaining soaps average only 2 million viewers? I thought it was more like 3.

[mateo22]

This article states that Passions has just been averaging 2 million viewers, not the remaining 8 soaps.

[Mason]

I'm just glad so many media outlets are even mentioning PASSIONS's cancellation. I KNOW that when PORT CHARLES was cancelled, it didn't get anywhere near this much attention.

[mateo22]

yup, yup, they even made a slight mention about it on Best Week Ever(cuz they love the show, at least to make fun of )

[DrewH]

In the media's eyes, Passions is a lot more popular than Port Charles could ever hope to be. Passions is always displayed on VH1 and all of the entertainment shows.

[PhoenixRising05]

Yeah Passions was more popular. The media loved covering what wild thing they would do next. PC had hardly any coverage and Sunset Beach didn't have a whole lot either that I remember.

[Mason]

Yeah, I just don't want it to be like no one even cares that PSNS is cancelled. I never figured PC's cancellation would get much press when it happened.

[RionPassions]

Passions, while not the highest-rated soap, managed to achieve cult status, unlike PC or SB, like other "cult" shows such as Twin Peaks and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (two popular but low-rated shows). So I think the mainstream media is going to stop and pay attention to it.

[DrewH]

Oh, definitely! Passions will be all over VH1's "I Love the 00's!"

[mateo22]

Rion,

I actually agree with you~ Look at this, two Passions fans coming together...

While I definitely agree with the 'cult' or 'iconic' status of the show, it still has lacked the quality in the past few years, that other cult classics had throughout their runs. Even when DS became popular with the Barnabas character, it still didn't do great in the ratings. Nonetheless, people still hold festivals for the show!!

I will add though, that things really seem to be taking a change, and as long as we can acutally move on from this L-O-N-G ass night(for the past month now...any longer and we might break the "Hell in the Closet" record), that we have been on, then Passions really might end on a 'good' note.