From the August 3, 1999 SPW. Primedia

A SHORE THING?

It's not exactly a day at the Beach, but Gary Tomlin is looking forward to a bright future for Sunset

By Tony Calega

Will Aaron Spelling's first daytime foray - Sunset Beach - make it into the new millennium? Faced with only a six-month extension from NBC, executive producer Gary Tomlin gamely tackles the issues plaguing Sunset's future, discusses Passions' rise from Another World's ashes, and gives his opinion on the continued erosion of the daytime audience.

TONY CALEGA: What was the feeling on the set when you found out that Sunset had received a six-month extension, and that Another World had been axed?

GARY TOMLIN: We had very mixed feelings. None of us wanted Another World to go off the air, and a lot of people here had friends there. I had major connections to the show: I was a writer, an actor and directed the show. Chris (Goutman, AW's executive producer) and I are good friends. At least they didn't cancel a show and not replace it. There's still going to be 11 daytime shows, at least for now.

TC: Do you think Sunset's extension is an act of good faith, or do you think NBC was just nervous about canceling two shows?

GT: There was a lot of talk about canceling both shows, but NBC assured us and Another World that there was absolutely no truth to that rumor. As far as I know, that is the case.

TC: Has there been backlash from fans because Sunset was spared?

GT: We got a few angry letters from Another World fans, but I think most of them are savvy enough to understand that it's not our fault that the show was canceled. More of the fans are going after the network, and in doing so, are saying that they'll never watch an NBC show again. That's unfortunate for us, if that's indeed the case. Most of the people, though, who are making those threats are the really rabid fans, who, frankly, aren't that enormous a number to keep a show going.

TC: What do you think the chances are for Passions?

GT: I'm sure it's going to be a terrific show with James Reilly writing and Lisa Hesser (Sunset's former supervising producer) producing it. The problem that they are inevitable going to run into is getting people to commit and watch a new show - particularly people over 20. The same problem has plagued Sunset. I can't tell you how many people have said to me, "I've seen the ads for Sunset and it looks really good." Then I ask, "Have you watched it?" and they say no, because they watch another show and have for years. People who are 25-30 have watched shows like General Hospital and The Young and the Restless for 15 years, and it becomes a habit. It becomes a family to them, and the thought of losing the familiarity of it is hard to give up. When they turn on an episode of a new show, and are confronted with a batch of strange faces, they don't want any part of it. If it's someone who hasn't watched a soap before, or someone whose show is gone, then they may sort of say, "Well, maybe I'll give it a peek..."

TC: Besides trying to net an audience, what are some of the stumbling blocks facing Sunset?

GT: Sunset faces a combination of problems. When the show first started, the top shows were all up there in the low 5s or high 4s in the demos. Now the No. 1 show is like a 3.2 in the demos and we are talking less than two years ago! Y&R recently had the same demos that Another World had a year and a half ago. That's a big problem. Another problem is that new faces sometimes translate to bad actors for some people. We did focus groups when we began and discovered that the only actors people didn't think were bad were ones they had seen on other shows. Everyone else was just a bad actor.

TC: Why do you think daytime's audience is disappearing?

GT: I don't know if people are just turning away, or if it's partially because some of the shows have chosen not to really drive story ,and there's more focus on people just doing scenes. Obviously, you want to strike a balance where you are driving story and exploring the emotions and the texture of the characters. I think Sunset manages to strike that balance, whereas others don't.

TC: Have you made long-term plans for Sunset?

GT: Absolutely; We're forging right ahead, and have even done new opening credits. We did two versions, because we just had too many people to showcase. The characters get much more of their due, and I even managed to work Margarita (Cordova; Carmen) in there because she has been such a force to reckon with on the show.

TC: What new storylines are in the works?

GT: We've got some really wild stuff planned. After Ricardo's stroke, the Ricardo/Gabi/Antonio stuff gets very interesting, especially because Ricardo and Gabi's relationship takes a shocking turn. There are some wonderful moments, especially those that occur in Ricardo's head. It's pretty sick stuff, but so much fun. The Meg/Ben/Maria stuff blows up thanks to Tess. Also, we know that Tess isn't who she appears to be, but as far as who Benjy is - that's still a question that depends on a lot of things. Gregory's "death" will continue affecting everyone, and we are toying with a bizarre way of weaving Gregory back into the canvas. We are also working on something for Bette and A.J. Annie, of course, will continue being very Annie, and we hope to bring on a new love interest for her. There's also some really great stuff happening with Amy, Emily, Brad and Sean. Amy, as we already know, got a love potion and spiked Sean's drink with it. That has led the way for the start of what looks to be a very nice Amy/Sean/Emily triangle.

TC: Wasn't there a promise made to explore the younger set?

GT: Essentially, the decision was made last year, when we had five stories going, to focus on only three. That's what Chris and Maggie (Whitesell and De Priest, Sunset's head writers) have been doing, and I think the show has been better for it. It's easier to follow, and we've tried to interweave some of the other characters into the main stories. Unfortunately, the kids suffered a bit, because we were trying to build the momentum of the other stories.

TC: What about Vanessa and Michael? We haven't seen them for a while.

GT: They will be very heavily involved in the Ricardo/Gabi storyline, and through that they will experience their own romantic story. Again, what it boils down to is that we will not have four or five stories going on.

TC: Why the decision to recast Susan Ward (Meg)?

GT: The minute Susan said she wanted to do the movie, I decided that we really should keep Meg on the canvas, and immediately went after Sydney Penny. She's absolutely terrific and I felt having her step in would be something that the audience would accept. I think it's terrific for the show, and Sydney will have a good time. It's a fun place to work.

TC: And Eddie Cibrian's (Cole) departure?

GT: He has a prime-time series for NBC that he begins shooting in August. Unfortunately, it's shooting in New York, but he's going to do both until his contract is up at the end of the year. At this time, there are no plans to recast the role of Cole. We don't want to leave ourselves in the lurch, though, when Eddie leaves, so we have hired Sean Kanan (ex-AJ, GH) to sort of fill that hunk void.

TC: Any new casting? Guest stars?

GT: We really can't afford to add to our cast unless we subtract from what we already have. I want to try to bring Estelle Harris (Seinfeld) back, and I'm hoping to work Susan Seaforth Hayes (Patricia) into the Ricardo/Gabi/Antonio story. We could use her in a very interesting way; she's fabulous.

TC: When do you find out about being picked up?

GT: It could be as early as late August or it could be as late as the first week in October. It's interesting. I think much of our future hinges on what happens with Passions' debut. It will be interesting to see, also, how the time-slot change will affect us. We're on at 2 p.m. on the West Coast. What I've heard they may do is put Days of Our Lives back in its original time slot, follow it with Passions, and then us. It would leave us in the time slot that we are in, but we wouldn't have Days as a lead-in anymore. Our time slot is going to change in a lot of the country. I was here years ago when NBC flipped all the time slots. Days came back, but the other shows never managed to make a comeback. We'll just have to see what happens.

TC: How involved is Aaron Spelling in the show?

GT: Aaron has a great interest in the show; he loves the characters and loves to be involved, storywise. He is a very busy man, and doesn't have time to read five scripts a week, but overview-wise, it is his show.

TC: How big a hit is Sunset overseas?

GT: Sunset is huge overeseas. Our actors go to Europe and they can't believe how popular the show is. We are an enormous hit in England, the show is on twice a day, five days a week, and then they broadcast all five of those episodes on Sunday. What European fans love about the show is its irreverence; they invest in it emotionally ,but they also like that it's a little campy. They totally get it. It's also interesting how popular the show is on the Internet, where polls show we're among the top 10 shows. We're up there with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a bunch of those Gen-X shows.

TC: That says a lot about the Nielsens, doesn't it?

GT: One thing it does say is that the Nielsens cannot monitor group viewing. So much of Sunset's audience is made up of college kids. Entire dormitories watch! There are no Nielsen boxes there.

TC: What would you say to someone who was wary about checking out the show?

GT: Two things. Watch it more than once, and just sit back and have fun with us. If you turn on Sunset and you're looking for your next-door neighbor, or looking to see people sitting around discussing their feelings, that's just not what you're going to get. What you are going to get is larger-than-life entertainment. Our audience likes the fact that Sunset is escapist, yet has romance and emotional stuff.

Edited November 22, 201015 yr by CarlD2

How sad. He had hope, but that evaporated very soon.

I wonder if anyone actually thought the show was staying on the air. It's one of the reasons I held no ill will towards the show when AW was canceled, even though I did resent Passions for several years. NBC had little interest in either show, and they just did not want to get press for canceling two soaps at once.

So what did you think of the show's last year?

I wonder if anyone actually thought the show was staying on the air. It's one of the reasons I held no ill will towards the show when AW was canceled, even though I did resent Passions for several years. NBC had little interest in either show, and they just did not want to get press for canceling two soaps at once.

So what did you think of the show's last year?

I don't have an opinion on the last year. I've heard of almost all storylines during 1999, but I never actually watched any of the episodes. SuBe got canceled after the Terror Island episodes in my country and that's where my regular viewing stopped. I saw several '98 episodes on a foreign channel (pretty much the earthquake/Titanic storyline) but that was it. I did, however, read through all the episodes of the show.

Now, finally, I get to watch the show again. I'm currently on February '98 but will work my way through all the episodes.

I'm glad you get to see them. Let me know if all these long things I put clog up the thread -- your thoughts would be more interesting, as this is stuff you've never seen before.

For me the whole turkey baster story was their biggest mistake.

I'm glad you get to see them. Let me know if all these long things I put clog up the thread -- your thoughts would be more interesting, as this is stuff you've never seen before.

For me the whole turkey baster story was their biggest mistake.

It was one of the most recognizable stories though - behind Terror Island and the Titanic (or Poseidon or whatever). Damn, I still get disgusted just thinking about it - but it was entertaining. Virginia was one amazing villain.

It would have been better if I would be able to watch all of these episodes without knowing what would happen. But my curiosity got the best of me years ago. I never counted on the chance that I might watch the show again.

I think SuBe *did* know that they would soon get the chop -- which is why its last year had a Long Goodbye feel to it. Which I wouldn't want any other way because SuBe managed to end on a very SuBe-like high. I did think Gregory returning as Uncle Whatshisname was a mistake -- it was drawn-out and tedious. Although the irony was that Gregory was nicer and more lovable as this uncle than he was as Gregory! the final scene between Olivia and Gregory in jail was one I still have imprinted on my brain, it was so good. Sam Behrens never got the kudos he should have for playing Gregory Richards, but he was phenomenal at it.

Best SL of that last year was Ricardo stroking out when he finally saw that tape of Gabi and Antonio makin' sweet luv in the rubble of the church after the earthquake. He was in a wheelchair plotting revenge on G&A and that was by far the most interesting Thickardo has ever been on the show. Antonio continued to look hot and Priscilla Garita stole the show with her decision to eventually leave town rather than continue to hurt Ricardo and Antonio.

I also think that the show would have invested a little more in Casey and Meg if they hadn't known that the axe was falling. As it was, they had to drop that and make sure Meg and Ben found their way back to each other relatively quickly.

Sarah Buxton continued playing Annie like her life depended on it. More than anybody else, she really was the star of that show. I'm bummed Sean Kanen didn't have enough time to establish himself, though.

Thanks for the articles, CarlD2, especially the one about Beach facing cancellation:

TC: Why do you think daytime's audience is disappearing?

GT: I don't know if people are just turning away, or if it's partially because some of the shows have chosen not to really drive story ,and there's more focus on people just doing scenes. Obviously, you want to strike a balance where you are driving story and exploring the emotions and the texture of the characters. I think Sunset manages to strike that balance, whereas others don't.

Interesting that Tomlin does not mention Beach's overnight airings as a reason why his audience may/may not have dwindled. I remember reading his thoughts on SOAPnet when he was EP of OLTL and he was pissed about the "Don't Watch Now, Watch Later" ads that would pop up during the middle of his program.

TC: Have you made long-term plans for Sunset?

GT: Absolutely; We're forging right ahead, and have even done new opening credits. We did two versions, because we just had too many people to showcase. The characters get much more of their due, and I even managed to work Margarita (Cordova; Carmen) in there because she has been such a force to reckon with on the show.

"New opening credits" meaning re-editing shots and adding cheap looking taped poses in with the ones that were filmed. Yeah, those are "new opening credits" allright.

TC: What new storylines are in the works?

GT: We've got some really wild stuff planned. After Ricardo's stroke, the Ricardo/Gabi/Antonio stuff gets very interesting, especially because Ricardo and Gabi's relationship takes a shocking turn. There are some wonderful moments, especially those that occur in Ricardo's head. It's pretty sick stuff, but so much fun. The Meg/Ben/Maria stuff blows up thanks to Tess. Also, we know that Tess isn't who she appears to be, but as far as who Benjy is - that's still a question that depends on a lot of things. Gregory's "death" will continue affecting everyone, and we are toying with a bizarre way of weaving Gregory back into the canvas. We are also working on something for Bette and A.J. Annie, of course, will continue being very Annie, and we hope to bring on a new love interest for her. There's also some really great stuff happening with Amy, Emily, Brad and Sean. Amy, as we already know, got a love potion and spiked Sean's drink with it. That has led the way for the start of what looks to be a very nice Amy/Sean/Emily triangle.

TC: Wasn't there a promise made to explore the younger set?

GT: Essentially, the decision was made last year, when we had five stories going, to focus on only three. That's what Chris and Maggie (Whitesell and De Priest, Sunset's head writers) have been doing, and I think the show has been better for it. It's easier to follow, and we've tried to interweave some of the other characters into the main stories. Unfortunately, the kids suffered a bit, because we were trying to build the momentum of the other stories.

TC: What about Vanessa and Michael? We haven't seen them for a while.

GT: They will be very heavily involved in the Ricardo/Gabi storyline, and through that they will experience their own romantic story. Again, what it boils down to is that we will not have four or five stories going on.

Lies, lies. Love Tomlin, but Michael/Vanessa were never heavily involved in Ricardo's story. I think they were pretty much off the map until they planned their wedding close to the series finale.

TC: Why the decision to recast Susan Ward (Meg)?

GT: The minute Susan said she wanted to do the movie, I decided that we really should keep Meg on the canvas, and immediately went after Sydney Penny. She's absolutely terrific and I felt having her step in would be something that the audience would accept. I think it's terrific for the show, and Sydney will have a good time. It's a fun place to work.

I also read in Digest from Tomlin himself that he wanted Victoria Rowell to temp for Meg. THAT would have been hilarious and totally something up Tomlin/Sunset Beach's alley.

Sydney Penny was great as Meg. She showed more growth, more depth, and more maturity playing the role of Meg than Ward did in her entire run. Especially towards the last year, after Susan Ward got those huge knockers of hers, she became bitchy, irritated, and arrogant and she played Meg the same way.

TC: And Eddie Cibrian's (Cole) departure?

GT: He has a prime-time series for NBC that he begins shooting in August. Unfortunately, it's shooting in New York, but he's going to do both until his contract is up at the end of the year. At this time, there are no plans to recast the role of Cole. We don't want to leave ourselves in the lurch, though, when Eddie leaves, so we have hired Sean Kanan (ex-AJ, GH) to sort of fill that hunk void.

How diplomatic of him. In another post-Beach interview, Tomlin also talked about how pissed he was when NBC let Eddie Cibrian out of his contract to do Third Watch. Gotta love how he bit his tongue there.

Wonder if he felt the same way about Derwin being allowed to leave OLTL for Life With Bonnie(Pretty sure that happened under Tomlin's regime too).

TC: When do you find out about being picked up?

GT: It could be as early as late August or it could be as late as the first week in October. It's interesting. I think much of our future hinges on what happens with Passions' debut. It will be interesting to see, also, how the time-slot change will affect us. We're on at 2 p.m. on the West Coast. What I've heard they may do is put Days of Our Lives back in its original time slot, follow it with Passions, and then us. It would leave us in the time slot that we are in, but we wouldn't have Days as a lead-in anymore. Our time slot is going to change in a lot of the country. I was here years ago when NBC flipped all the time slots. Days came back, but the other shows never managed to make a comeback. We'll just have to see what happens.

Again, more rose-colored glasses talk. Sunset Beach was yanked for Passions in many timeslots, left with its only airing being in late-night in some areas and then by the end of the summer, they replaced the second airing of Beach with a repeat of Conan O'Brien. So Beach had low affiliate clearance by the time the show ended, hence the 1.2 household by the end.

Very interesting article. I think they should have ended both shows in June, so affiliates would have time to get replacement programming in there instead of doing that mid-season.

I also think it was a colossal mistake to get rid of Leeza and let Paramount move it to syndication. Later Today bombed and Leeza was as much a part of NBC Daytime as Days was. Leeza was a way to pimp NBC soaps, especially DAYS. Knowing how closely tied both audiences were to each other, especially during the height of Passions(The Ethan/Theresa wedding drew in record numbers in terms of their own success, IIRC), using Leeza as a vehicle to promote both shows wouldn't have hurt. Today/NBC's news division would never promote the daytime lineup the way Leeza did. They should have given her, at least, a few additional seasons.

I also think it was a colossal mistake to get rid of Leeza and let Paramount move it to syndication. Later Today bombed and Leeza was as much a part of NBC Daytime as Days was. Leeza was a way to pimp NBC soaps, especially DAYS. Knowing how closely tied both audiences were to each other, especially during the height of Passions(The Ethan/Theresa wedding drew in record numbers in terms of their own success, IIRC), using Leeza as a vehicle to promote both shows wouldn't have hurt. Today/NBC's news division would never promote the daytime lineup the way Leeza did. They should have given her, at least, a few additional seasons.

Bellcurve and his Leeza love. Actually, I loved Leeza, too. Just to underscore what Tomlin said about groups watching soaps, our dorm left the NBC affiliate station on from 11am (when Leeza aired) right through until Oprah-time (4pm) on the ABC affiliate. The NBC soaps were huge in the dorms. And Leeza was a great vehicle for Days. I remember she used to have Patrika Darbo after she lost her Days stint coming on as a talking head.

I do agree very much about the acting abilities of Priscilla Garita, Sam Behrens and Sarah Buxton. They're the best. I'm equally enjoying several others at the moment, including Lesley-Anne Down, Dominique Jennings and Kathleen Noone. Meanwhile, I'm kind of annoyed with Caitlin at the moment.

Sure, Vanessa Dorman was the first Caitlin and all, but from what I've seen Kam Heskin was decent as well.

I can't really grade the acting abilities of Eddie Cibrian, Jason Winston George, Timothy Adams and Hank Cheyne because they're all playing clueless males.

I feel like I'm watching SuBe all over again, over your shoulder!

I do agree very much about the acting abilities of Priscilla Garita, Sam Behrens and Sarah Buxton. They're the best. I'm equally enjoying several others at the moment, including Lesley-Anne Down, Dominique Jennings and Kathleen Noone. Meanwhile, I'm kind of annoyed with Caitlin at the moment.

Oh, LAD, DJ and KN were awesome. Kathleen Noone is like the Carolyn Hennessy of SuBe. She played one of my favorite characters. Dominique was a STAR and I wish I knew what she was doing at the moment so I could keep tabs on what she is up to. Virginia was ultimately too constrained a role for her. She could definitely glam it up in a role if she was allowed to.

Sure, Vanessa Dorman was the first Caitlin and all, but from what I've seen Kam Heskin was decent as well.

True confession: I much prefer Heskin's Caitlin to Dorman's.

I can't really grade the acting abilities of Eddie Cibrian, Jason Winston George, Timothy Adams and Hank Cheyne because they're all playing clueless males.

True, that. Adams surprised me sometimes with how much better he could be when given the material. Jason Winston George has gone onto better things and that's good because Michael was pretty much a one-note character. Hank Cheyne was never that great. Ever. Cibrian gets a free pass because he was insanely hot.

I feel like I'm watching SuBe all over again, over your shoulder!

You have no idea how happy I am to have the chance to watch it. If I could go back in time, to 2000 (when the show aired in my country) and tell my very young self that I would one day have the chance to watch the show all over again, I would just scream... I think I'd even have a heart attack if I knew about that.

Oh, LAD, DJ and KN were awesome. Kathleen Noone is like the Carolyn Hennessy of SuBe. She played one of my favorite characters. Dominique was a STAR and I wish I knew what she was doing at the moment so I could keep tabs on what she is up to. Virginia was ultimately too constrained a role for her. She could definitely glam it up in a role if she was allowed to.

They're all amazing. Virginia is a prime villain. And Bette is just... irreplaceable.

True, that. Adams surprised me sometimes with how much better he could be when given the material. Jason Winston George has gone onto better things and that's good because Michael was pretty much a one-note character. Hank Cheyne was never that great. Ever. Cibrian gets a free pass because he was insanely hot.

It was very obvious how they pimped Eddie Cibrian. Just recently I watched the episode where one of the employees where Cole was trying to get a job was having a fantasy of Cole doing a striptease in a cocktail bar.

I love this show but I unfortuantely didnt get into it until the second half. The Shockwave story was what drew me in and I watched till the very end after that

From the June 24 97 SOD. Primedia Inc

Edited November 22, 201015 yr by CarlD2