B&B - The First Five Years

[kalbir]

B&B was a huge hit internationally from the beginning but it didn't really take off Stateside until the arrival of Sheila. Why was B&B bigger overseas than at home during the first 5 years? My theories:

Time slot competition - CBS showed they had alot of faith in the Bells by placing B&B in a prime slot between Y&R (which was on the verge of reaching number 1 and also benefitted from a huge carryover audience from The Price is Right) and As the World Turns (which was making a comeback thanks to the creative genius of the late Douglas Marland). The downside of that timeslot was the intense competition they faced with Days (Steve and Kayla were at the height of their popularity and the week of their wedding got Days to number 1) and All My Children (ABC was riding high in the 1980s thanks to General Hospital, and of course the diva herself Susan Lucci).

Affilliate clearance - From what I've read, B&B was not carried in several cities until well into the 1990s, ie. Seattle; Portland, Oregon (don't know about any others). I believe California was the only state in the Pacific time zone that aired it from day 1.

Similarities to early Y&R - Alot of B&B's early characters and storylines bore quite a resemblance to 1970s Y&R. The comparisons are numerous: Eric/Stuart and Phillip, Stephanie/Jennifer and Katherine, Ridge/Snapper, Thorne/Greg, Kristen/Peggy, Caroline/Chris Brooks, Bill Spencer/Stuart, Beth Logan/Liz Foster, Stephen/Bill Foster, Storm/Snapper and Greg, Brooke/Jill; Ridge and Caroline's relationship and breakup because of Bill/Snapper and Chris's relationship and breakup because of Stuart; Caroline's rape/Chris's rape, Caroline turning to Thorne after the rape/Chris Brooks turning to Greg after the rape, Stephen Logan abandoning his family/Bill Foster abandoning his family, Eric and Beth's relationship/Stuart and Liz's relationship; Eric and Brooke/Phillip and Jill and Stuart and Jill, and so on.

Was Sheila really a turning point for B&B? IMO without her the show wouldn't have made it passed the 1990s.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

B&B had very respectable ratings from the start, so I think it would've survived with or without the Sheila crossover. The fact that it competed against AMC in most markets, which at that point was #2 ranked soap on television, and survived says a lot. However, in terms of recognition, it was the Sheila crossover that brought B&B widespread exposure in the soap press, it would've probably gone unnoticed like ABC's Loving, had that crossover not occurred.