Daytime's Master Headwriters: Their Strongest and Weakest Work

[NothinButAttitude]

Whoa! I didn't realize that SFT had so many regime changes throughout the 80s. No wonder why it floundered the last 6 years it was on-air. From what little I've seen, the tone does change a lot in the 80s episodes. On portion of the 80s, when the McClearly clan came on, seemed like a Ryan's Hope knockoff. The height of the Liza/Travis did seem like GH. So did the last year of the show. This is why I always feel like the identity of shows need to be sustained on these shows. Once they are lost, the audience tunes out.

[Soapsuds]

The ratings for SFT were still good…but they replaced with it Capitol…who had the same or if not lower ratings…..CBS should have stuck with SFT…instead NBC got it and it was doomed.

[NothinButAttitude]

Wasn't their reason for getting rid of Search was b/c its target audience was older and Capitol was aimed to be a younger, sexier soap?

[soapfan770]

I think Phelps did well with the great writing team that was Demorest/Reilly/Curlee/Broderick but once it seemed both Reilly and Curlee left the show just faltered especially once Douglas Anderson took over the reins as HW. Of course P&G went into transition as whole there in 1994 when Edward Trach retired and was replaced by longtime ATWT supervising producer Kennenth Fitts as the head honcho which proved highly disastrous in the long run, so much so by 1996 everyone in charge of a P&G soap was fired including Fitts himself. Reva was an albatross for GL whether you liked her or not and even at GL's peak success during the above mentioned writing quad viewers were wondering when Reva was coming back. So much of an albatross that once the show was floundering and lost direction there was no choice but to bring Reva back. Certainly Phelps has been an excellent producer on the aesthetics whether it be Santa Barbara, GL, AW, or Y&R but works best with good writing involved. I hadn't minded Phelps at Y&R at all really until Pratt got involved. 

[Soapsuds]

Yes….but it failed miserably….I remember watching the soaps with my mom…we were CBS soap viewers…and we'd watch Y&R, ATWT, SFT and TGL. Once CBS got rid of SFT and put Capitol in its spot it was turn off tv for an hour till TGL…..LOL ….We both loathed Capitol….LOL

[NothinButAttitude]

So have you gone back and watched any episodes listed on YouTube? Has your opinion changed? 

[DRW50]

Phelps had her moments but I also think she was blessed with a superb cast and a talented writing team. For me, starting with Beverlee and Sherry Stringfield leaving in summer '92, the overly stylized nature of Phelps' work becomes more and more difficult to tolerate. 

[Soapsuds]

I have seen some of the episodes…but Capitol still is not my cup of tea. SFT was a much better soap opera than Capitol..IMO.

 

 

8. Search for Tomorrow (CBS) 6.8

9. Capitol 5.8

 

14. Search for Tomorrow (NBC) 3.4

SFT went from #8 in the ratings to last when it went to NBC. Capitol's numbers for the first year are much lower than SFT CBS version.

[Khan]

IMO, CAPITOL's saving grace was its roster of "old school" actors, which included Rory Calhoun, Richard Egan, Carolyn Jones, Ed Nelson, Constance Towers, Marj Dusay, and Julie Adams.  Their presence, along with John Conboy's trademark production values, helped viewers overlook most of the show's deficiencies.

[NothinButAttitude]

Do you think that SFT not getting promoted well on their move to NBC played pivotal part in the ratings drop?

By deficiencies you mean....? Specifically.

[Khan]

Specifically, I mean inconsistent writing (Peggy O'Shea and Henry Slesar were great, but everyone else...?) and poor acting from many of the show's younger, less experienced actors.  Cat Hickland was pretty good, I thought (although, I tend to agree with the opinion that she was better as Jenny Diamond than as Julie Clegg McCandless); Jess Walton, too.  But, my God, some of those others....  

[Soapsuds]

The problem with the move with SFT is that it was put in its old timeslot where P&G had requested CBS to put it but they refused. So SFT was up against then powerful Ryan's Hope and The Young and The Restless so the ratings suffered. When CBS expanded Y&R to an hour they moved SFT to 1:30 pm time slot after ATWT and before GL. I didnt think IMO that the ratings were that bad for SFT at that time slot ….but apparently P&G thought so….CBS didnt budge and took it off its lineup and P&G went looking for a new home…..interesting that when it was last in the ratings P&G decided to pull the plug on the show but NBC didnt want to cancel it…..reminds me of the ATWT and GL mess.

[NothinButAttitude]

That's why I wish P&G would've just sold the rights to their whole catalogue and washed their hands cleans. But of course they didn't wanna do that! Whoever they sold it too would've most likely fixed the issue and made them profitable, and P&G wouldn't reap the benefits. I utterly hate Procter & Gamble....

[cassadine1991]

Do you think if P&G did that their soaps might still be airing?

[NothinButAttitude]

On CBS, yes. At least one of them. Les Moonves, despite my hatred for him back in 2010, he did openly say that the network was done with company owned soaps (even though that's a lie b/c they still have Y&R and B&B), which made me believe that if given the chance they would've saved one if not both shows and CBS would've had full ownership.