"Santa Barbara" 25th Premiere Anniversary July 30, 1984

[CCCapwell]

25 years ago today.... Bridget and Jerome Dobson premiered their soap opera "Santa Barbara" on NBC. Only the second new soap to premiere in the hour-long format. After a rocky premiere, the Dobson's wrote an Earthquake and serial killer storyline as a plot device to kill off characters that weren't working. When the dust settled in 1985, the "SB" that has been beloved ever since was born. The Dobson's were ahead of their time with their mix of comedy and drama, no soap opera before SB was like it, and despite failed attempts to copy SB in the past 25 years, no soap opera could copy the magic of SB. The Dobson's created complex characters who were at the core of their character-driven storylines, the humor of SB was intellectual, not "dumbed down" like other shows failed attempt at humor. No one ever accused SB's comedy as parody, as other soaps have found out when attempting the SB comedy-drama format. "Santa Barbara" made Emmy history when it won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series for three consecutive years: 1988, 1989, 1990. Only "General Hospital" in the 1990's tied SB with the same three consecutive win record. "Santa Barbara" also won the Best Soap Award in 1990 at the Soap Opera Digest Awards a significant accomplishment for a low-rated soap opera, back then soap fans purchased the Soap Opera Digest, completed a ballot and mailed it to SOD, this was before the internet my friends! LOL The back-stage legal fight between SB creators the Dobson's and NBC/New World Television was the primary reason for the ultimate demise of SB. The Dobson's were illegally removed from "SB", they were successful but the lawsuit took years to resolve and the show suffered greatly creatively with the loss of the creative genius of the Dobson's. SB was a huge success internationally, in some countires "Santa Barbara" was retitled "California Clan". Sites like YouTube have SB clips/episodes as they were broadcast in such counties like Italy, France, Germany, and even Russia! After airing over 2000 episodes SB broadcast its final episode on January 15, 1993

[bellcurve]

Santa Barbara, the quintessential Reagan soap. Didn't they actually write a letter to Augusta Lockridge saying, "I hope you're okay." LOL.

Seeing how badly daytime got destroyed in the 90's and today, it's almost a blessing that SB didn't limp on the way it did. New World was smart enough to stage a coup to overthrow Bridget and Jerry Dobson, yet the show fell apart after JFP got demoted and especially when she left.

There is alot to be learned, both speaking in terms of business and in terms of the actual on-screen drama, from SB.

[juniorz1]

Ah, the 25th anniversary of the birth of my all-time favorite show, 'Santa Barbara'. Boy do I miss the good old days of Cruz, Eden, Keith, Gina, Mason, Julia, CC, Sophia, Lionel, Augusta, Kelly, Ted and many other beloved characters who appeared over the years, but especially from 85-90. I could go on & on about it, as many here already know, but CC & Bellcurve's posts are dead on the money, though selfishly I still wish SB was on the air today. But it would likely be a shell of its former self like most soaps and that would be painful. There will never be another 'Santa Barbara' and for soap fans, it's a real shame. I still hold out a tiny bit of hope for the show being re-aired somehow, someday, though that hope dwindles a little more each day. SB, you are missed.

[skiman12082004]

Santa Barbara is definitely missed and will always be my favorite soap opera. I can remember like yesterday me watching the first episode. Great memories!

[Cat]

Add me to the list of SB mourners. This show fired up my pre-teen imagination like no soap before or since. As Bellcurve indicated, maybe it was best that SB burned out quickly instead of dying a slow death à la GL. Thank goodness for YouTube. Every once in a while, I get the itch to check out some SB clips and -- while it totally ruins me in terms of watching what Daytime currently has on offer -- it also reminds me what potential soaps have (had?) when the stars align with great writing, actors and production.

Twasn't perfect, but at its height, the show was perfect for me.

[kalbir]

Hard to believe that 25 years ago there were 14 daytime dramas on the air. Sadly it's now almost half that number.

[DRW50]

I started watching soaps because of Santa Barbara. I used to stay at someone's house after school and SB would be on. I remember the theme and credits, which I was fascinated by at the time, and I remember being drawn into a few of the characters like Eden, Gina, Mason (Lane Davies). For years afterward even when I couldn't remember their stories that well, if I saw the actors on something else, I still felt like I "knew" them, just by the impressions I got from those days with SB.