Wow this is really good, anyone watching?(thanks for the reminder Ron )

I swear, I always forget to watch things on PBS. I forgot last week's episode.

"I felt...that his character of Buh-lake was more eeevil than my character of Alexis...because he KILLED people!" Classic Joan.

They really dropped the ball by not including Falcon Crest.

Edited January 23, 201312 yr by All My Shadows

"I felt...that his character of Buh-lake was more eeevil than my character of Alexis...because he KILLED people!" Classic Joan.

I'll catch it on PBS' website when I have a chance but I burst out laughing at that line. Classic Joan, indeed. You've gotta love her.

They really dropped the ball by not including Falcon Crest.

WT--? They didn't include FC? I wasn't a huge fan, but I think their fans were owed an inclusion. That's lame.

Falcon Crest and Peyton Place should've been equal the 80s soaps, but I still look forward to this.

I assume they touched on Peyton Place somewhere in the first half because the website does include a picture of Ryan O'Neal and Mia Farrow, but yeah, the bulk was Dallas, Dynasty, and Knots (in that order). The half I saw was really well-done, though. I don't think I've ever seen anything that explicitly focused on the primetime soaps as a set of shows that were different from everything else on TV at the time. Shame that FC wasn't given as much focus. I hope they at least touched on it and some of the shorter-lived shows for a moment.

Edited January 23, 201312 yr by All My Shadows

The half I saw was really well-done, though. I don't think I've ever seen anything that explicitly focused on the primetime soaps as a set of shows that were different from everything else on TV at the time. Shame that FC wasn't given as much focus. I hope they at least touched on it and some of the shorter-lived shows for a moment.

PBS always does an exceptional job. It's such a shame that it struggles for funding. It should be America's BBC.

There were so many prime time soaps in the 80s and 90s, off the top of my head: Dallas, Dynasty, Knots Landing, Falcon Crest, The Colby's, Flamingo Road, Bare Essence, Glitter, Melrose Place, 90210, Pacific Palisades, Savannah, Titans...they really are a genre unto themselves and it's time that they were recognized.

What I have seen so far is very nicely done. I wish the show had been 2 hours long.

I thought they did a great job. The story Linda Evans told about Rock Hudson was touching. I wish they had made a Part 2. The focus being kept on the 80s was nice, but I would have liked to seen the 90s soaps addressed as well.

Knots Landing was a bit overshadowed, but it always was. Overall I loved it.

I recorded it, but haven't watched--but I've enjoyed the past Pioneers of Television (though it's been shown so haphazardly I never know when a new episode is on--I had no idea that the third season had started last week, or about this episode except that SFK made amention about it in the Prospect Park thread--and I really felt they should have done a daytime soaps one first). I hope they do cover Peyton--that really was the first primetime soap, and something other networks had struggles copying.

To be fair, they always focus primarily on 3-5 shows it seems (judging by past episodes I have caught like Game Shows and Sitcoms). I'm excited for the Feb 5 episode as well which will be about miniseries. (If we get a fourth mini-season again next year, surely they'll have to focus on daytime soaps...)

Edited January 23, 201312 yr by EricMontreal22

Same here Eric, I DVR'd the late night showing, but won't watch until tomorrow. I reminded folks in the PP thread after I was reminded myself when the ladies of Knots were on The Talk the other day. I ended up going out to dinner with my dad and his wife and totally forgot about it.

Peyton Place is mentioned in the cable guide synopsis, but as I haven't watched yet, I don't know how much time is devoted to it in the program.

Peyton Place gets its due, this episode was clearly about the primetime soaps of the 80s. And though I think Falcon Crest has its place, when I think of The Big 3 it's Dallas, Dynasty and Knots Landing.

Larry Hagman, Donna Mills and Joan Collins all got their due and it was nice to see.

And though I think Falcon Crest has its place, when I think of The Big 3 it's Dallas, Dynasty and Knots Landing.

That's true. On the other hand, since Ronald Reagan is mentioned several times throughout the episode, it'd have been nice to include the fact that another, long-running primetime soap starred his ex-wife.

Seriously, even "The Colbys" got a photo and a quiz question. But FC? Zip. That's not right.

And that discussion about the shows adding "name" actors to their casts in order to goose ratings (which led into the Rock Hudson/Linda Evans controversy)? I'm sorry, but that was more FC's thang than any other's.

Edited January 24, 201312 yr by Khan

It was a nice special, but I find it odd they have the rights to show clips but not to use the theme songs, opting instead for close fakes.

It was a nice special, but I find it odd they have the rights to show clips but not to use the theme songs, opting instead for close fakes.

True. I was kinda wondering why all of the Dallas/Knots clips (as well as the clip of Linda Evans on Bachelor Father) were of such poor quality.