The Doctors

[JarrodMFiresofLove]

 

Very interesting. I can see why Corbett received star billing. He had been a lead on a hit primetime series (Route 66). I don't think any of the other leads had been regulars on a primetime series, were they?

 

I liked Landrum. I think he was more suitable to playing Mike than Assante. Someone on one of these boards thought Assante would have been perfect as Rico, and I agree...that casting would have made more sense.

 

Landrum was on for seven months, from October 1974 until May 1975. Assante had just finished a role on 'How to Survive a Marriage' which NBC cancelled in April that year. So he moved over to take Landrum's place.

[MonaCroft]

I keep reading here of a March 1976 90 minute episode.   I am sure someone on this board will have the backstory on this.   What was the reason behind this?   Was NBC trying to promote TD or an adjacent soap?   Very curious.

[Franko]

saynotoursoap, from July 2010:

"In March 1976, The Doctors aired a highly publicized 90 minute special in which Gerald Gordon, immensely popular as the mercurial Dr. Nick Bellini, raced back to Madison to save the life of Althea after she tumbled off a ladder and crashed through a plate glass window. The following year, with Marland as writer, the serial expanded to one hour for its anniversary episode, in which Jada Rowland joined the cast as Carolee. The anniversary episode also debuted the new opening title sequence of cast drawings and re-orchestrated theme music. None of it succeeded. The Doctors continued to lose ground to The Guiding Light, making a major ratings comeback on CBS."

 

Later that month:

"Ratings for The Doctors held just fine until ATWT expanded to an hour, and the Dobsons took over Guiding Light. The time changes at CBS and NBC caused the ratings for all of NBC's soaps to fall, with Days and The Doctors taking the hardest hit initially. The drop in ratings really wasn't reflective of the writing."

 

From August 2011:

 

NBC did plan to expand The Doctors to an hour.

 

In 1974, Another World was the highest rated soap on NBC, and Paul Rauch could sell snowcones to Eskimoes, so AW was given the first trial 1 hour episode for its anniversary in May 1974. It was the highest rated episode of any soap opera that week, so plans were quickly made to expand the series permanently. Days of our Lives was the #2 soap on NBC and was also given a 1 hour trial episode which aired in November 1974. Once again, it scored very well in the ratings, even higher than normal episodes. That led to its planned expansion shortly afterward.

 

However, by the time Days expanded, The Doctors was beginning to slip in the ratings. The Pollocks were leaving, and the stories had become repetitive and not as fulfilling. NBC held off for a while with its possible expansion and finally, in late 1975, the network decided to produce an expanded trial episode for The Doctors. Margaret DePriest pulled out all the stops for the 90 minute special that aired in March 1976. Fan favorite Althea plunged headfirst through a plate-glass window in a very well performed stunt. Rushed to Hope Memorial with bleeding on her brain, Matt Powers sent for Althea's former husband Nick Bellini. TD fans had been waiting impatiently for a year and a half for actor Gerald Gordon's return. Despite heavy promotion and giving the audience a tense, exciting episode, the ratings failed to budge.

 

NBC gave the show one more chance the following year. For its 14th anniversary episode, there was a special hour-long episode penned by Doug Marland. Again, the storyline was very dramatic, as Ann Larimer prepared to marry Steve Aldrich just as Carolee escaped from the private sanitarium and made her way back to Madison. The series also debuted re-orchestrated theme music and the Y&R style logo. Unfortunately, the ratings were the usual middle of the pack numbers instead of a significant bump. At that point, NBC abandoned the idea of expansion altogether. It really would not have made sense, because once ATWT expanded to an hour in December 1975, Days suddenly saw its ratings dipping, too. Before that, The Doctors may have stood a chance, but by 1977, NBC was well on its way to losing its once powerhouse schedule. 

 

 

Edited April 29, 2018 by Franko

[robbwolff]

There's a few inaccuracies in this. Jada didn't join The Doctors in that April 1977 one-hour episode. She had already been in the cast for quite some time. I believe she arrived sometime in the summer of 1976 but Carolee was catatonic for a while. Beside the 1976 90-minute episode and 1977 60-minute episode, there was an episode in early 1975 that was 60 minutes long.

[Franko]

Good to know. Has Retro gotten to the 90-minute episode yet?

 

 

 

 

[amybrickwallace]

The 90-minute special originally aired on March 15, 1976. Right now, Retro is in the November 1975 episodes.

[MonaCroft]

All the intel about the stunt episode is great.  Thanks so much.

 

[DRW50]

 

[amybrickwallace]

Thanks, Carl...Glenn Corbett is another one I am looking forward to seeing on the show.

[Soaplovers]

Thankfully... the full 90 minute episode coming in March 1976 is in tact and not one of the lost episodes... so it will be interesting if it will be run in 3 parts... or if it will be run as a full 90 minute episode.  Should be aired in about two months time I predict

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  From what I've read, it was a great episode.

[amybrickwallace]

I think Gil Gerard/Alan leaves the show around the time Gerald Gordon makes his brief return (beginning with the 90-minute special).

[JarrodMFiresofLove]

 

Yes I felt there were a few inaccuracies as well. My understanding is that Jada joined as Carolee in October or November of 1976. Also the text said the writing under the Pollocks became repetitive which is surely someone's opinion. Others felt the Pollocks were doing just fine. All soap scribes repeat tropes.

 

Yeah, what a hunk Glenn Corbett was...better looking in my opinion than Gil Gerard.

[amybrickwallace]

Gil seemed a much better fit in sci-fi/action fare than soaps. 

[MichaelGL]

Billy and Greta are soooooo adorable in their scenes. 

[Soaplovers]

 

Oddly, I've liked Alan since the change in writers... and pairing him with MJ is a good idea.. shame is doesn't last.