NBC’s Classic Soap THE DOCTORS To Run On Retro TV Later This Year!

[Vee]

I don't know if I get it here either. If it was one of the other shows I mentioned I'd probably make time for it.

[EricMontreal22]

Yes, but I share Carl's cynicism that it will probably only run a few months--the other shows these channels air nearly all have much bigger name recognition than The Doctors currently does. Still, this is pretty cool (of course I don't get the station either... I only get MeTV out of Seattle but the local one there runs two hours of religious programming in the mornings instead of the regular Me stuff...)

[amybrickwallace]

Dang, this channel IS available in Cleveland/Akron, but I don't get it because of my cable provider (which is why I don't get Antenna TV or MEtv anymore, both of which I miss).

I agree - I hope someone at myretrotv is smart enough to put up a YouTube Channel for TD for those of us who can't catch it in our respective cities, or that some kind soul who is able to see it in his/her area will upload episodes onto YT. From what little there is available on YT of TD, I've liked. I'd like to see more.

[DRW50]

Yeah, small cable channels dump low-rated shows all the time.

Believe me, I hope this lasts, as I want to get to see the Virginia Vestoff episodes, but I'm expecting a month or less.

[Paul Raven]

I wonder why 1967 has been chosen. Is that because C-P started saving from that time and if so,what was the reason?

Was that when the show went to live on tape? Or was it always that format?

It is a big commitment to start playing a show with another 15 years of eps available, so let's hope they thought this through.

This the Rita Lakin era, when the show started to take off in the ratings.

There's not a lot of storyline summaries around from this era so I'm sure we'll see some performers that we never knew were on TD.

[EricMontreal22]

And, even if they showed two episodes a day, that would mean what a 7-8 year run to get to the 80s end?

Yes, I assume so. Some earlier soaps were doing this--Days of Our Lives for example--already, but...

[SoapDope]

I have seen a few 60's and 70's episodes of Days, so did they save their entire run ?

I think almost for certain that the entire run of Y&R exists. Bill Bell probably made sure of that.

[KMan101]

Why would they pull something when ratings don't matter? If I were them, I wouldn't be going into airing it with high hopes that it gets stellar ratings, lol.

[marceline]

I don't see ratings being an issue. It's not like these channels are supposed to be major revenue generators. In most cases, they are secondary signals for existing affiliates. Here in Cleveland, MeTV, ThisTV and Bounce are all attached to other independent channels. I think the stations just use them as a chance to pick up a little extra money with counterprogramming. Granted this means they rotate shows all the time but that seems to me more an issue of availability than ratings. After you run through the entire series of Good Times five or six times it makes sense to switch it out for Sanford & Son or All in the Family.

The good thing about bringing on old soaps is that you have a lot more eps to burn through. Very few regular series offer that besides maybe Gunsmoke and MASH.

I also question the name recognition argument. These old soaps had an audience when a much larger portion of the audience were stay at home moms and their kids. That's how I remember it. I think these soaps occupy a larger amount of nostalgic bandwidth than we're giving them credit for. We'll see. I'm excited either way.

[ChitHappens]

Yes they do and I have all 3 only but Retro will have to be paid for. I'm willing! If MeTV (my favorite Network with Netflix a close 2nd) put old soaps on??? Lawd! I don't know how I would act. AW would have me doing cartwheels on the expressway during rush hour.

[JackPeyton]

Is t this a channel anyone can get with one of those digital boxes that replaced antennas?

[ChitHappens]

I don't believe it is. I tried that once and only got off shoots of MeTV with very bad reception. I could not run back to cable fast enough [which I now regret].

[KMan101]

Yes, you can pick it up with an over the air antenna. I can pick up MeTV, Antenna TV, Bounce, etc. with an over the air antenna. SOME cable companies will offer them in your package (likely MeTV). Satellite companies do not offer them.

It just depends on your area and if those channels are even being broadcast by your local networks. For me, Antenna TV is 27-2 and MeTV is 2-2. Over the air depends on your location (how far you are from the signals). With a bigger antenna I could likely pick up channel 2 regularly. I'm about 40-60 miles away from the towers that broadcast the signal and pick most local channels up perfectly with a midsized attic antenna (I can't place it outdoors unfortunately). It's not super complicated. If you live close enough, rabbit ears would work. For me, they don't.

antennaweb.org I believe can tell you what channels you are able to pick up with the right antenna. I haven't had cable in probably a year and do NOT miss it. Or a DVR. I thought for sure I would but I don't at all.

[EricMontreal22]

I think it had more to do with the fact Screen Gems or whoever owned Y&R but yes, I believe it's all there (and I think so is Days.)

Of course Agnes Nixon did make a point that ABC had to start saving their soaps as one of the compromises for agreeing to make AMC an hour, which she didn't wanna do.

[EricMontreal22]

I dunno, I think less ratings, but more name recognition is an issue for these channels. MeTV has dropped several series that seemed to be less successful without fully going through their runs. It will be interesting to see, and I'd like to be wrong. I guess SoapNet ran through the episodes of Ryan's Hope they had a few times, despite low ratings (or did they just repeat a few years?) Romance Channel (now Hallmark) did run through all of Peyton's Place... But PP and arguably even Ryan's Hope have way more name familiarity than The Doctors does, IMHO. Out of long running, successful soaps, The Doctors seems to be one of the more forgotten ones--I never hear the title come up except on here, but maybe that's just among the people I know.