Proposed Soaps Over The Years

[DRW50]

In a May 1986 Digest, I saw this:

Was this the same project? Does anyone know anything about it? This never aired did it?

[SFK]

This totally makes me think of the Saved by the Bell summer season on the beach. Interesting, "... a group of lifeguards and the women in their lives." I guess it wasn't until Bay Watch that the women folk got to be lifeguards too. Matter fact, Bay Watch (about Malibu lifeguards) was on ABC, maybe this project sort of sat in the shelf until then, who knows.

Ronnie head wrote The Doctors and she and Larry both wrote for AW, then went on to primetime success with Family, Cagney & Lacey, Hart to Hart, et cetera. Larry currently writes and produces Boardwalk Empire. here's an article about Ronnie's stroke:

http://www.latimesmagazine.com/2008/09/stroke-wenker-konner.html

their imdb pages:

Ronnie - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3044258/

Larry - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0465199/

[DRW50]

Wow that article is tough to read. She's a very good writer though, she gets across what she's saying and I feel like I'm there with her every step. I don't know very much about her stint on The Doctors though.

[Paul Raven]

For the record, Baywatch was on NBC

[SFK]

My bad, my mind pretzeled there for a moment, I had Saved by the Bell and Baywatch on the brain with this "Malibu Lifeguards" concept striking me as a very NBC-type show (add Sunset Beach, Malibu Shores, California Dreams, even Santa Barbara to the mix).

[DRW50]

Paul Raven do you know anything about the 1986 show?

[Paul Raven]

Carl,I think I made a mistake in stating ML was an 83 project. I'll have to try and find the SOD issue to verify.

The SOD article makes it sound like a definite go,but it never aired. and SOD never published a follow up. Maybe there was a change in management at that time and plans were ditched.

it's like the Agnes Nixon primetime show that was reported to be airing back in the late 70's that never saw the light of day.

[SFK]

An AN primetime series? Wow. It didn't have anything to do with that The Manions of America mini did it?

Just because if I say it enough maybe someone will respond, but, I'd sure like to see that 13 Bourbon St. pilot!

[Paul Raven]

The Nixon project was called Beggars and Choosers and was set to air May 77.That was reported im March so there was last minute decision not to go ahead.

[JackPeyton]

[soapfan770]

Actually as I understand, it probably never went through because the NBC Daytime honcho at the time was apparently hell-bent starting a new game show revival, hence Santa Barbara's replacements. I don't remember his name except he later quit NBC and left for rehab. Unfortunately he died a few years ago after a battle with cancer. In any case I find it interesting Wayne Northrop's original contract was up after a year. While Northrop while always be Roman over Josh Taylor, one must remember Hogestyn had played Roman for FIVE years, at that point longer than Northrop in the role. Not to mention looking back through old clips the Roman we saw 1991-1994 is one unlikeable hot mess. Oh and Gene Palumbo is perhaps one Days' worst, if not the worst writer in the show's 45 years. Not to mention the horrid Middendorf was out by the end of '92.

[DRW50]

Thanks for the details! Way more than I'd expected. It just seems strange to me they went this far into planning and then pulled the plug (and the game show revival didn't happen did it).

Which stories did Palumbo do...was it the botched return of Roman and Marlena, and the Shayla stuff?

I can't believe Agnes got so close to primetime. I wish they'd given her another show. I wonder if any soap people were supposed to be in it.

"Filmlook" -- I think that's the look which seems dipped in dirty bathwater.

[soapfan770]

Yep the planned game show revival produced three major flops there in '93 before NBC turned over the timeslots over to the affiliates leaving only Days, AW, and Leeza as NBC Daytime programs until Sunset Beach's premiere. I don't think Beach even had a definitive timeslot, by that point NBC affiliates could air same-day eps of their soaps in any time slot, unlike the day-behind GL airings on CBS until 2004 and day-behind airings of AMC on Central Time Zone stations. AW was on the chopping block itself in 1993 before being saved. Palumbo was indeed responsible for the botched return of "real" Roman and Marlena and Shayla, I think if I recall right he was only hired at Days because he had been HW of General Hospital or something.

[DRW50]

That's interesting. What did he do at GH?

I wonder sometimes why it seems like a lot of the first headwriters of spinoff shows aren't exactly big names.

[Paul Raven]

The success of Peyton Place had the networks thinking about imitating the format/themes of tht show.

For the 66 season, ABC and 20th Century Fox announced 'Men Against Evil'.that show would run 2 half hour episodes per week and show police at work and at home in continuing stories. Howard Duff,Jeanne Crain,Dennis Cole and Ben Alexander were mentioned as cast members.

Somewhere along the way,the serial concept was dropped as were the female cast members.The show was renamed 'The Force',then'The Heavy Squad' before the final title 'Felony Squad'.The show ran for three seasons as a once a week conventional crime show,

Had it gone ahead,it would have been quite a trailblazer as it wasn't until Hill St Blues that the private lives of police and continuing stories were introduced. tp primetime.

Also piloted in 66 were

'Reckoning' starred Richard Beymer,Audrey Totter,Sidney Blackmer and seven other regulars in a serial of small town life.Not sure which network was involved.

A TV version of From Here To Eternity,starring Darren McGavin which may have had soapy elements