Here's the People's Magazine article from February 7, 1983:

There's Hardly a Fig Leaf Left in Eden, and It's Paradise for Cable Soap Fans

By Hollis Evans

The scenario sounds as if it were written for a Roman orgy, or perhaps a tale from the Decameron. Most of the principal male characters are having illicit affairs and looking lasciviously over their partners' shoulders at other women. One lady is raped in the course of the story, another is deflowered in a barn, another roughed up in a shower, and yet another takes vengeance on her unfaithful lover by seducing his new love in a lesbian scene. There is, moreover, a madman abroad on the local college campus who is raping, maiming and murdering coeds. If all this makes A New Day in Eden seem racier than any network TV soap opera in history, there is a good reason. The program airs mostly late at night on Showtime, Oak Media and Prism systems, which together have four and a half million subscribers. And as the first long-running soap produced especially for cable, Eden has leeway that makes its broadcast cousins green with envy: Because it doesn't use public airwaves, it isn't regulated by the FCC—so anything goes.

The surprising fact about Eden is that it seems almost prim in a medium that is steamy with X-rated "midnight films" and stag shows familiar to travelers from the closed-circuit fare at many hotels. Eden features nudity, to be sure, but it is discreet nakedness. There are no frontal shots below the waist, and the nude scenes are brief, dimly lit and filmed in profile for the most part. "We don't have a model to turn to," says executive producer Michael Jaffe, 38, "so all you can do is follow some rules for yourself. First, the story has to be good and the actors have to be good. Second, less is more. If the audience wants to see more, we're safe. If you leave everything out in the open, the audience becomes jaded."

Without the odd moment of titillation, cable viewers might not be interested, even though Eden's plot line compares favorably with daytime soaps. Set in a once slumbering Midwestern ghost town named (natch) Eden, the show portrays the changes wrought by the giant electronics empire of Bryan Lewis (played by Jim McMullan). Lewis' enterprises revived Eden's economy and attracted the interest of the arrogant, abrasive Josh Collier (Steve Carlson), a troubleshooter evaluating the village's urban renewal. As this drama unfolds, Bryan Lewis' sons, Greg and Biff, along with a half-dozen other local studs, are attempting to bed every woman in the community. "We wanted to compete at every level with network quality, despite the fact that we operate with 50 to 60 percent of network budgets," says producer Jaffe. On the level of plot, Jaffe certainly has fulfilled his wish.

The creative force behind Eden is Douglas Marland, 48, a two-time Emmy winner who wrote for CBS' Guiding Light and ABC's General Hospital. Most of the cast has also been in network soaps and prime-time shows—but none had any prior experience in the buff. Maggie Sullivan, 34, a General Hospital veteran who plays Eden's top femme fatale, found the first undress rehearsals an ordeal. "In the beginning it took a lot of guts and trust. You don't get that intimacy in a network situation, because you don't get that close."

Producer Jaffe has a track record of serious network TV shows, often about high-minded subjects. (Example: A Woman Called Moses, the story of Harriet Tubman, the former slave who helped run the Underground Railroad.) Just how well his newest venture is doing is hard to assess. He has wrapped 33 episodes, but only 10 have aired, and he is uncertain whether the show will be renewed.

Meanwhile Marland is determined to use every trick in the book to attract and hold an audience, including a Dallas-like season-ender in which the identity of that mad rapist is left undisclosed. By season's end, in fact, only patriarch Bryan Lewis will have kept his clothes on in every episode, a fact that disgruntles the actor who plays him. "I just wish he would get out of the office," grumbles McMullan. "I'm tired of sitting behind that desk and staring at that green carpet. When I finally do get into bed, it'll probably be with my tie on."

GREAT article! Wow really makes me wanna watch it tho

Reviving a rather old topic...

This weekend, I did some research and was able to put together an airdate guide for "A New Day in Eden" when it appeared on Showtime. Showtime aired episodes in two parts on Tuesdays and Thursdays (and later Wednesday and Friday in the final days). The show lasted a lot longer than I think most people would suspect, as it aired from November 2, 1982, until August 19, 1983. The show aired in three timeslots: 10:30 PM Tuesdays and Thursday, 11:30 PM Tuesdays and Thursdays, and then 1:30 AM Wednesdays and Fridays. Every three weeks or so the show would rerun the previous weeks episodes as a mini-marathon to catch viewers up. This would continue until mid-May. I wish there were more synopses available, but I provided what was available.

If anyone can provide anymore information it would be appreciated.

1. Part One

The powerful and passionate Lewis family take control of the dying town of Eden and turn it into a booming city.

a: November 2, 1982

2. Part Two

A powerful family turns a small town into a model rejuvenation project.

a: November 2, 1982

3. Part Three

a: November 9, 1982

4. Part Four

a: November 11, 1982

5. Part Five

a: November 16, 1982

6. Part Six

a: November 18, 1982

7. Part Seven

a: November 23, 1982

8. Part Eight

a: December 7, 1982

9. Part Nine

a: December 9, 1982

10. Part Ten

a: December 14, 1982

11. Part Eleven

a: December 16, 1983

12. Part Twelve

a: December 21, 1983

13. Part Thirteen

a: December 23, 1983

14. Part Fourteen

a: January 4, 1983

15. Part Fifteen

a: January 6, 1983

16. Part Sixteen

a: January 11, 1983

17. Part Seventeen

a: January 13, 1983

18. Part Eighteen

a: January 18, 1983

19. Part Nineteen

a: January 20, 1983

20. Part Twenty

a: February 1, 1983

21. Part Twenty-One

a: February 3, 1983

22. Part Twenty-Two

Biff gets the cash.

a: February 8, 1983

NOTE: Prior to this episode, the only episode description available was “A powerful family turns a small town into a model rejuvenation project.”

23. Part Twenty-Three

Pam’s new lover.

a: February 10, 1983

24. Part Twenty-Four

A surprise for Miranda.

a: February 15, 1983

25. Part Twenty-Five

Shelley raped.

a: February 17, 1983

26. Part Twenty-Six

Shelley’s revenge.

a: March 1, 1983

27. Part Twenty-Seven

Miranda threatens murder.

a: March 3, 1983

28. Part Twenty-Eight

Lovers for the first time.

a: March 8, 1983

29. Part Twenty-Nine

The rapist confesses

a: March 10, 1983

NOTE: This was listed in the TV schedule as appearing on March 5th, with the same description, but I suspect this is an error.

30. Part Thirty

Biff’s pay off backfires.

a: March 15, 1983

31. Part Thirty-One

Shelley’s new lover.

a: March 17, 1983

32. Part Thirty-Two

Miranda loses Clint.

a: ??????????????

33. Part Thirty-Three

Emmett’s secret visitor.

a: April 5, 1983

34. Part Thirty-Four

An explosion at Lewis Electronics.

a: April 7, 1983

35. Part Thirty-Five

The factory in chaos.

a: April 12, 1983

36. Part Thirty-Six

Shelley in critical condition.

a: April 14, 1983

37. Part Thirty-Seven

Biff Spies on Pam and Clint.

a: April 19, 1983

38. Part Thirty-Eight

Tragic news for Betty.

a: April 21, 1983

39. Part Thirty-Nine

Another surprise for Josh.

a: May 3, 1983

40. Part Forty

Biff’s personal maid.

a: May 5, 1983

41. Part Forty-One

The arsonist revealed

a: May 10, 1983

42. Part Forty-Two

Betty’s loss.

a: May 12, 1983

43. Part Forty-Three

a: May 17, 1983

44. Part Forty-Four

a: May 19, 1983

45. Part Forty-Five

Emmett threatens Cynthia.

a: May 31, 1983

46. Part Forty-Six

Miranda targets a victim.

a: June 2, 1983

47. Part Forty-Seven

Biff’s roadside romance.

a: June 7, 1983

48. Part Forty-Eight

Miranda seduces Pam.

a: June 9, 1983

49. Part Forty-Nine

Bryan’s surprise houseguest

a: June 14, 1983

50. Part Fifty

Emmett runs from Eden.

a: June 16, 1983

51. Part Fifty-One

A hitchhiker comes to Eden.

a: June 21, 1983

52. Part Fifty-Two

Bryan’s romance grows.

a: June 23, 1983

53. Part Fifty-Three

a: June 28, 1983

54. Part Fifty-Four

a: June 30, 1983

55. Part Fifty-Five

a: July 5, 1983

56. Part Fifty-Six

a: July 7, 1983

57. Part Fifty-Seven

Greg and Lauren plan marriage.

a: July 12, 1983

58. Part Fifty-Eight

A proposal for Francis.

a: July 14, 1983

59. Part Fifty-Nine

A fair warning to Miranda

a: July 26, 1983

60. Part Sixty

Shelley finds love.

a: July 28, 1983

61. Part Sixty-One

a: August 3, 1983

62. Part Sixty-Two

a: August 5, 1983

63. Part Sixty-Three

Biff and Miranda become allies.

a: August 10, 1983

64. Part Sixty-Four

Betty is raped.

a: August 12, 1983

65. Part Sixty-Five

a: August 17, 1983

66. Part Sixty-Six

a: August 19, 1983

BROTHERS & SISTERS should become soapier... Part of the problem is that it has been trying to be the opposite, against its inherent nature,--and mostly failing.

Really? the past year to my mind of Bros and Sis has become soapier--tho I don't liek hwo they've done it

So Eden aired 2 times a week, 30 mins?

For me, I think this season of B&S has been one of the most disappointing. It seems as if they're trying to embody more DH by infusing more comedy and shorter story arcs.

Gah do I miss the days of Justin's intervention. Now that was soap.

Brothers and Sisters isn't perfect--and I've been worried ever since its brilliant playwright creator, Jon RObin Baitz basically walked out last Fall after ABC was dictating stories (including, sound familiar? wanting more youth and less older characters), but it ended the season back on track and is definetly worth watching David--lotsa great stuff and it does integrate the gay stuff well and for the most part give it equal time.

My prob with Queer as Folk (though it is miles better than Dante's Cove, etc--which I agree are basically just there to have gay softcore porn on with some Buffy eleements--I guess someone realized how popular Buffy was in the gay community) is... Well I thought the British original was brilliant. And the remake just never measured up--but I think they tried for too much--the original creator Russell Davies, who did the Doctor Who remake of course, even said the reason his queer as folk didn't run very long was he had told the story of the group of people and how they all interconnected he wanted to ttell and there was nothing left. The men in charge of the remake (who I believe created Sisters) actually said they wanted to open it up so that all gays and lesbians watching would feel represented :rolls eyes: which I think was the first mistake.

Hmm, that is wild because I never saw myself represented on that show, (not that I really want to watch me on TV..but it would have been nice to show gay people who dont live in a gay ghetto, who are monogomous blah,blah,blah, blah.....

The first mistake was that they didn't know WHAT QAF was supposed to be, a realistic soap based on a group of gay characters, a campy over the top cheap thrill, a tounge in cheek comedy like DH or a social issue show. They tried to be all of those things and it was a mess. I also think that the gay writers of the show were a bit out of date and writing the show from their point of view when they were in their 20's. That would have been fine if they set the show in the 70's but it didnt work in "present," time. Things like poppers and back rooms were mentioned like it was 1978!

I also think the show leaned towards being too " mean spirited" and that is mainly due to the Brian character. Maybe its that the actor doesnt have the charisma to pull that kind of role off, but I was always wondering WHY anyone but Michael put up with this [!@#$%^&*]. But you could tell the writers loved him and didnt let anyone really ever win over their "bad boy." If Brian was a villian with some redeeming qualities I could have bought it...but he was written as the typical bad boy with a heart of gold, but I never saw any reason why anyone would be attracted to him.

Noah' Arc,while as silly and sterotypical as QAF, had more relatable characters who actually supported one another and that made the show more pleasent to watch .

So Eden aired 2 times a week, 30 mins?

On Showtime, Eden was aired for thirty minutes on Tuesdays and Thursdays for most of its run. Beginning August 3, the show was moved back an hour and half and was now airing Wednesday and Friday mornings. I've read Prism ran the show Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday early on. My understanding was Fridays the show reran the week's earlier episodes. Showtime did air "A New Day in Eden" nightly once a month. They would rerun the last six to eight episodes from Sunday to Friday or thereabouts. Showtime quit doing weeklong marathons in May.

I am curious about how the show was written. Were thirty-three episodes produced and split in half by cable outlets? Or were thirty-three hours of programming filmed to be aired in a variety of forms. The thirty three episode count has always bothered me because it is such a weird number. However, if they were trying to market the show as a nightly program, sixty-six episdoes would be one episode more than a thirteen week nightly cycle.

This does seem to confirm some things though. It seems Miranda and Clint and Pam and Biff were initially involved before Clint and Pam got together. Once Pam and Clint united, Miranda set out to seduce Pam in order to keep Clint. It's not clear whether or not Miranda was succesful in keeping Clint and Pam apart, but I suspect by the fact aunt and nephew were uniting, they were scheming to keep Clint and Pam apart. Also, the fact Betty Franklin (Lara Parker's motherly character) was raped in Part 64 would definitely suggest that the rapist's identity hadn't been revealed. I suspect Lauren is actually Laurel and that Laurel Franklin and Greg Lewis were planning to wed. I am curious about Betty's loss, which comes on the heels of the Lewis Electronics factory explosion. I'm also surprised that Shelley, who is so prominent in these teasers, is not lised in any cast list.

I still can't believe NOTHING from this has popped up on Youtube

This is getting so off topic but... re Bros and Sis I agree with the above comment--what I meant by soapy was, especially when brilliant playwright/'creator Baitz was still on th eshow (he left during season 1 because ABC was forcing too many stories on him) the show had really interesting and, for a soap, different plots. Now the plots seem to be more and more typical soap cliche ones (the missing child, constant break ups and getting back together, less emphasis on politics in a real way and more ona soap way, etc) but you're right the story arcs are shorter, etc which is less soapy.

Mitch I wrote that QAF thing a year ago but I agre 110% and yous aid it better than I could. I still REALLY have a lot of affection for the original UK series which never pretended to be anything it wasn't--a tightly written examination fo three characters not some sort of "all inclusive" gay show. And yeah the thing with backrooms and all that is just bizarre--I've gone to gay bars in many fo the biggest cities in the world--I came out mor eor less in Montreal which is fairly debaucherous (they have 8 gay strip bars courting to every taste for example) and still I never encountered an actual backroom lol--the last one closed in the 80s apparantly. One example--the UK version's "Brian", Stuart, while less model perfect looking, you got why he had this charisma over his friends and peopel he met and was appealing despite his selfish ways. With Brian I NEVER did--he was just so ridiculously selfish and mean, etc, for nearly every season it made no sense. (not to mention how they liked to lecture on the show that drug use was bad--witness the big Ted does Meth story, yet would show Brian doing drugs nearly everynight and always looking fabulous and being a huge success) Anyway I cna get quite riled up abotu QAF but this is the wrong place I guess

Really? the past year to my mind of Bros and Sis has become soapier--tho I don't liek hwo they've done it

Yes, they have embraced their soapiness more, but I am talking about full-fledged soap. Murders, a stalker for Kitty so that she can cry relentlessly, Justin getting into drugs and having trouble with the druglords, Holly into full bitch mode and truly running the Walker company, with Nora as her mortal enemy, and Becca kidnapped and so on and so forth. They have it in their DNA, they can do it!!!

Mitch I wrote that QAF thing a year ago but I agre 110% and yous aid it better than I could. I still REALLY have a lot of affection for the original UK series which never pretended to be anything it wasn't--a tightly written examination fo three characters not some sort of "all inclusive" gay show. And yeah the thing with backrooms and all that is just bizarre--I've gone to gay bars in many fo the biggest cities in the world--I came out mor eor less in Montreal which is fairly debaucherous (they have 8 gay strip bars courting to every taste for example) and still I never encountered an actual backroom lol--the last one closed in the 80s apparantly. One example--the UK version's "Brian", Stuart, while less model perfect looking, you got why he had this charisma over his friends and peopel he met and was appealing despite his selfish ways. With Brian I NEVER did--he was just so ridiculously selfish and mean, etc, for nearly every season it made no sense. (not to mention how they liked to lecture on the show that drug use was bad--witness the big Ted does Meth story, yet would show Brian doing drugs nearly everynight and always looking fabulous and being a huge success) Anyway I cna get quite riled up abotu QAF but this is the wrong place I guess

LOL..sorry, I didnt look at the date!

I never hound Gale Howard, (I think his name is) as sexy...cute yea, but not HAWWTTT that we are supposed to believe...but he could have over come that with the force of his personality, which seems to be what they have done with the British version. I guess it wouldn't have stood out so much if they didnt have everyone in Pittsburgh look like they were gay porn actors, if they had cast realistic looking actors with Gale Howard being the lone exception..uh, no I still couldnt believe it, he came off as so unpleasant and annoying, like you wanted to kick his ass. Not to mention his supposedly "brilliant," ad campaigns made Darrin Stephen's look like genius.

A big agree that the producers wanted their cake and to eat it too. We get lectures on drugs, yet Brian is snorting things to beat the band. I took that to be the producers fanstasy of what a Super Gay should be, screwing around but doenst get anything, and doing drugs but still healthy and active unlike the rest of us poor humans!!! However, in one episode, we have him dropping something in the punch bowl at a party which, did not make people freak out, loosened them up to have a good time and be FREE!!! So how are drugs bad producers?

Okay, I could go on and on about a show I HATE but I watch every episode of time and time again, to find new things to hate....but I am embarrasing myself!