In the early 90s, Paramount was planning a syndicated wheel of 4 30-minute soaps, each soap airing in a telenovela format of 13 weeks sharing the same timeslot. Paramount's hope was to shoot each show on location in a different city/locale and to cut costs by pursuing co-production deals with international broadcasters and US station groups (Tribune, Group W and the NBC O&Os were said to have been approached in this regard). The plans sadly died off when they merged with Viacom some time later.

Daytime should try this format again

delete wrong thread

Edited July 7, 201114 yr by wingwalker

Jason 47 reports from Variety

September 30, 1964: Screen Gems, whose parent company, Columbia Pictures, is experienced-wise in the depiction and box-office exploitation of sex has developed two, not just one, evening soap opera serials (or "sexials" as some in the trade are now calling them). One is called "West Wind," centering on two large families in a small town who get intertwined in illustrious illicitness. The other bears the title "Days Of Our Lives," a "Peyton"-styled saga. Screen Gems is determined, if at all possible, to get at least one or preferably both of them riding the networks in an across-the-board evening exposure next year.

November 9, 1965: Macdonald Carey, whose across-the-board NBC daytimer "Days of Our Lives" bows this week, says if the series is successful, it'll shift to a three-a-week nighttimer.

Interesting information. "Sexials", ha!

From SOD Feb 24 1987

New Soap: Creative credit to a new soap goes to Stephen & Elinor & Jason Karpf.Stephen and Elinor created Capitol;Jason is their son. Their show,Salem's Children is said to be the most expensive and elaborate show of its genre. the serial,which was shot in Canada,will span several centuries and take place off the coast of Massachusetts. The plots will involve the struggle between a good family and a -not-so-good clan. High levels sources have compared the show to Dark Shadows. An air date has not been set.

As I posted earlier in the thread,the show was planned for syndication and I recall a double page spread in Variety promoting it,Janice Lynde was a part of the cast. Not enough stations were interested in it to get the go ahead.

"High level sources", ha.

I didn't think Capitol was considered to have a very good start, in terms of story. I'm surprised their creators got another show.

I wish this had made it to air. I would have liked seeing Janice Lynde in a better defined role than what she got on AW or OLTL.

I was reading a Feb 1976 soap magazine and they mention CBS saying their new Rosemary's Baby serial would be scarier than Dark Shadows. I was wondering if they just meant the TV movie made with Donna Mills that year, or if this was ever planned to be a soap.

An October 1984 SOD mentions the shows Charlene Keel and Ken Corday had come up with for Columbia Pictures Television - "Stolen Moments" a 30 minute afternoon soap, and "Fortune's Daughters," an hour show aimed at primetime. "Moments" would have been based on her twelfth novel, and may be ready by autumn 1985. Lovers lost then located, progenies of problematical parentage, etc. "Daughters" was about Alexander Fortune, a billionaire Seattle newspaper publisher with no heirs, who wanted to leave everything in one lump sum. He summons his three nieces to his office - probably one nice, one nasty, one nebbishy - and hires them as copy girls, to see which deserves his money. One year later the decision is made, unless he lives.

They also mention Rituals and how details were still being worked out, and how the serial was now just loosely based on the book. Also mentioned is that an East Coast soap was talking to Keel for story advice.

SOD March 14th 1995

A "Dynasty" in the Making.

Richard and Esther Shapiro,the creators of Dynasty and its spin-off The Colbys,are working on a primetime pilot for ABC tentatively called Malibu Branch.

Can we expect another glamorous over the top hour drama? "You know the way we function" Richard Shapiro laughs."it's serialized",he continues,"but it's not exactly like Dynasty.It's got more stuff in it." What kind of stuff? "it's got cops and crime," the secretive scribe reveals."It's a blending of genres-a soap and a police show".

Shapiro wouldn't confirm whether or not such Dynasty favorites as Joan Collins,who has publicly expressed interest in returning to primetime,or Linda Evans would pop up in the pilot of Malibu Branch; the casting process had just begun at press time. Nonetheless, Shapiro predicts that soap fans will love the show."I think it's a good project," Everybody's excited about it". Stay tuned for more.

That would have been interresting

A September 1978 Afternoon TV describes a soap I've never heard of, Gold Coast. There are also photos. That this got as far as photos and a pilot shocked me. I wonder why it fell through. Or did this make it to air?

Another new serial, schedule for this fall, is "Gold Coast." The story takes place in Miami Beach and will be taped there. Joe Manetta is the producer for the series and Maggie DePriest is the headwriter. "Gold Coast" will be a syndicated serial, with local stations airing the program. The show will have quite a bit of on-location scenes incorporated into the studio-taped segments. In fact, at least one day a week will be devoted exclusively to on-location taping! A brand-new concept in soap operas and one that's very exciting!

The show will be a half-hour long. "I believe it's difficult for viewers to watch an hour show," says Producer Manetta. He feels that "Gold Coast" will attract a large audience because of the balmy beach locations. The writing will be basically soap opera formula - the usual complex romances, marriages, affairs, and problems soap characters face on all of the serials. But the on-location Miami Beach scenes, at least one per show, will add an intriguing dimension that other serials do not have.

After viewing the pilot for "Gold Coast", we think it will be an interest success. The on-location scenes are exciting to watch and blend nicely with the studio scenes. Of course, Florida lends itself to unique onscreen shootings. But the lovely Florida background isn't all this show has going for it _"Gold Coast" has interesting characters and storyline, too.

The story revolves around two families - the Hanlons and the Winters. Oscar Hanlon owns and operates a resort hotel in Miami Beach. As the story opens, Oscar gives the resort hotel to his granddaughter Katie to manage. Widower Mike Winters is an ex-F.B.I. agent who has returned to Florida looking for a place to raise his two children. Katie hires him as the new security director for the hotel. Diane Squires is cast as Katie, Lou Bedford plays Mike Winters, Charlie White is Oscar Hanlon, and Tony Ringo, an old school friend of Katie's, is played by Peter Burnell.

Joe Manetta, the show's producer, has extensive television production work on serials such as "As the World Turns", "Guiding Light," and "Another World," he's done CBS specials and situation comedies for network television. Manetta and writer Maggie DePriest have done an excellent job in creating vibrant characters and fresh storylines. We can only wish the show the well-deserved success it is sure to get come September.

Edited July 17, 201114 yr by CarlD2

Another syndicated show that didn't find enough buyers.I wonder what timeslots they were hoping for? I always thought a late afternoon soap might work.

Manetta and DePriest had the pedigree and knowhow. The only actor I have heard of is Peter Burnell.who was Mike on The Doctors.

Sorry, I meant to include that this was in Afternoon TV.

I'd never heard of any syndicated soaps starting up around this time so like you said I wonder what they had in mind. I wonder if they thought they might become like Mary Hartman a few years earlier.

This was in an article which also talked about High Hopes. They had less info about that show, even though it was the one that actually made it to air.

I wonder if DePriest has ever talked about the show in interviews.

Gold Coast looked interesting

Shapiro wouldn't confirm whether or not such Dynasty favorites as Joan Collins,who has publicly expressed interest in returning to primetime,or Linda Evans would pop up in the pilot of Malibu Branch; the casting process had just begun at press time. Nonetheless, Shapiro predicts that soap fans will love the show."I think it's a good project," Everybody's excited about it". Stay tuned for more.

I feel dense, but don't know my Dynasty stuff too well--did Joan leave the show for a while?

I feel dense, but don't know my Dynasty stuff too well--did Joan leave the show for a while?

She was in negotiations/accused of holding out for more money (which she denied) and wasn't in the season six opener after everyone got shot up in Moldavia. It all worked out and she showed up in a nun's habit by episode two. In the final season, her episode count was cut for cost reasons and she stated that she wouldn't return for season 10 (the show was cancelled anyway, and Joan has said her imminent departure was why).