Members AbcNbc247 Posted October 22, 2019 Members Share Posted October 22, 2019 Why did NBC give up on Generations so quickly? Pretty much every NBC soap was at the bottom of the ratings in its first year or two. What was different about this one? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khan Posted October 22, 2019 Members Share Posted October 22, 2019 Good question(s)! I've wondered the same myself! I will give NBC credit, though, for not de-emphasizing (as far as I could tell) the Marshalls when the show didn't make an immediate splash. Any other network would have blamed the low ratings on the African-Americans and ordered them phased out. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Contessa Donatella Posted October 22, 2019 Members Share Posted October 22, 2019 Cut back early (less than a third year) because of pre-emptions due to the Persian Gulf War. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AbcNbc247 Posted October 22, 2019 Members Share Posted October 22, 2019 (edited) I’ll admit l don’t know that much about the show but from what I’ve seen of it, it seemed ok. The execs. just needed to spend a little more time on it. I know it was Frons’ pet project. Thanks! Edited October 22, 2019 by AbcNbc247 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chrisml Posted October 28, 2019 Members Share Posted October 28, 2019 The storytelling did Generations in. The cast was strong, but as I wrote previously in the thread, the days spent around the fruitcake showed just how much the writing needed overhauled. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BetterForgotten Posted October 28, 2019 Members Share Posted October 28, 2019 Sally Sussman Morina is her own worst enemy. She simply didn't have the creative talent to craft the show she wanted and it would have likely been better off in the hands of others. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John Posted October 28, 2019 Members Share Posted October 28, 2019 YEP SSM shpuld have just EP'd and had someone with more writing experience at that point be HW like Tom Racina with MVJ as Co-HW 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members j swift Posted October 28, 2019 Members Share Posted October 28, 2019 There was a SOD article (summarized in our classic SOD thread) that suggested it was Generations time slot, and not creative issues, that were to blame for its cancellation. It was on in the early non-contiguous slot, so it didn't get habitual soap watchers like a soap that would have been placed after AW. Also, Faith Daniels was an up and comer at NBC, and after the tumult surrounding Jane Pauley leaving Today in 1989, Daniels was given her own talk show in Generations time slot rather than further destabilizing the apple cart. It's neither the first time nor the last time that NBC overspent on a blond reporter who proved to be too stiff for daytime audiences. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members amybrickwallace Posted October 29, 2019 Members Share Posted October 29, 2019 I had never even heard of Faith Daniels until now, but I did some searching around and found this interesting article. It was published just three months ago: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.businessinsider.com/nbc-trump-mar-a-lago-faith-daniels-kiss-interview-2019-7 Who would have guessed then that someday she'd be involved in something even soapier than Generations? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BetterForgotten Posted October 29, 2019 Members Share Posted October 29, 2019 To be fair, it doesn't take much to be "soapier" than Generations... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ~bl~ Posted October 29, 2019 Members Share Posted October 29, 2019 On WNBC-4 in NYC, Generations was moved from 12:30 pm to 11:30 am, as Santa Barbara was switched from 3 pm to noon. I doubt that helped Generations keep viewership, as the last 30 minutes of The Price is Right was already a huge ratings winner. (Faith Daniels had at least one episode with soap people, which I appreciated...) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members amybrickwallace Posted October 29, 2019 Members Share Posted October 29, 2019 No argument here! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AbcNbc247 Posted October 29, 2019 Members Share Posted October 29, 2019 Thanks! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members amybrickwallace Posted October 29, 2019 Members Share Posted October 29, 2019 The show had a good premise, she had some good ideas and the cast was filled with both seasoned vets and talented up and comers. It's a shame that there weren't more behind-the-scenes people to stabilize things, and that the show itself was the victim of bad timing. I still wish Unsung Hollywood would dedicate an episode to this show. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khan Posted October 29, 2019 Members Share Posted October 29, 2019 CAPITOL encountered a similar problem when they premiered. Creators Stephen and Elinor Karpf had developed a very strong premise, filled with intriguing characters, backstories, and plotlines. However, it was clear almost from the beginning that they weren't really cut out to head-write their own creation. (Plus, it seems there were BTS issues with their producer, John Conboy). Eventually, though, the Karpfs were replaced with the Corringtons, who themselves were replaced with Peggy O'Shea. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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