7 hours ago, Titus Andronicus said:

Fox did run Tribes in 1990.

Oh. How easily I forget! Did you watch? What did you think?

I can't speak for Titus, but I think "Tribes" was an interesting concept that was ultimately bogged down by a mediocre execution (not to mention, lack of network affiliate clearance).  Same goes for "Swan's Crossing," which, despite its' brief run, developed a cult-ish following that I'll never understand.

2 hours ago, Khan said:

I can't speak for Titus, but I think "Tribes" was an interesting concept that was ultimately bogged down by a mediocre execution (not to mention, lack of network affiliate clearance).  Same goes for "Swan's Crossing," which, despite its' brief run, developed a cult-ish following that I'll never understand.

I've heard of Swan's Crossing, but I've never watched. I believe it to be on YouTube though. Something about the title never really did it for me.

Swan's Crossing.. SMG's audition reel for playing Kendall on AMC.  I was in middle school and it came on just as I got home from school.  I think it was left with a cliffhanger.

 

Tribes.. Created by leah Laiman (but headwritten by Trent Jones (I guess he played Ken George Jones on RH) and Mary munisteri (from Ryan's Hope)).  It was just getting it's footing when the show was canceled with none of their stories resolved (Michelle Stafford came on in the last few weeks and was slated for a romance with one of the lead characters in the show's main triangle when the plug was pulled).

1 hour ago, Soaplovers said:

Swan's Crossing.. SMG's audition reel for playing Kendall on AMC.  I was in middle school and it came on just as I got home from school.  I think it was left with a cliffhanger.

 

Oh, well.  We'll always have the jean jackets, bubblegum cards and zit removers to remember it by.

I always envisioned a teen soap airing multiple times a week at night on cable, around the time when the networks are airing their nightly newscasts. Tons of characters but never too many all at once, sorta how the British soaps are modeled in way where there are a lot of characters officially in the cast, but they move pretty regularly from the backburner to the frontburner. For a few weeks, you might have stories running focused on the cheer squad, the stoner kids, and a group of kids who work together at a supermarket, but then later, you'd have a major story focused on the basketball jocks and their girlfriends, then the band kids, etc. Some stories would last a long time, others would be short, some would be comic relief, others would be really deep, human issues. Degrassi did this well, but there were things that could be improved upon, IMO.

The main thing is that a teen soap worth some investment would have got to get over the obsession with cartoony stereotypes and cliques. High school kids are more alike than they are different, and that would have to be the central theme of the show. That head cheerleader is no more confident or "powerful" than the quiet girl in the corner who cuts herself.

That sounds like a really good concept for a teen-oriented soap.

 

18 minutes ago, All My Shadows said:

High school kids are more alike than they are different, and that would have to be the central theme of the show. 

 

I always felt like that was the main point of "Freaks and Geeks," a show that I love and miss to this day.

Edited June 28, 20187 yr by Khan

7 minutes ago, Khan said:

That sounds like a really good concept for a teen-oriented soap.

 

 

I always felt like that was the main point of "Freaks and Geeks," a show that I love and miss to this day.

I've never gotten around to watching Freaks and Geeks. I've always been turned off by what I perceived as an "us vs. them" narrative but that's just a surface-level judgment. I'll probably give it a shot soon.

Tribes can be found on a certain video site. Most, if not all the episodes seem to be available.

Edited June 29, 20187 yr by Titus Andronicus

I watched Swans and Tribes but scheduling/shuffling made it hard for me to keep up with either as a sixth grader. The one teen soap I watched most consistently was Nickelodeon's Fifteen. Every Sunday afternoon after church. I was obsessed with that show. When I met Ryan Reynolds at a screening of Van Wilder in D.C., that's the first thing I asked him about. He played far-from-heartthrob dorky Billy, Canadian accent and all ("What are you talking aboot, Brooke?")

5 hours ago, SFK said:

I watched Swans and Tribes but scheduling/shuffling made it hard for me to keep up with either as a sixth grader. The one teen soap I watched most consistently was Nickelodeon's Fifteen. Every Sunday afternoon after church. I was obsessed with that show. When I met Ryan Reynolds at a screening of Van Wilder in D.C., that's the first thing I asked him about. He played far-from-heartthrob dorky Billy, Canadian accent and all ("What are you talking aboot, Brooke?")

I totally remember Fifteen! I had my whole family watching! Wasn't Brooke the bitch?!

I'll have you know that "Swans Crossing" debuted exactly 26 years ago today, and I didn't look that up! For some reason, I remember it debuted on June 29th, 1992.  I was a wee boy of 9 years old and I loved every cheesy moment of it. Yes, the entire 2 month run can be found on YouTube. It's atrociously cheesy and 90's as all get out, but has an endearing, innocent charm to it. I don't think any couple was ever shown even kissing onscreen. It was always a case of "leaning in, then fade to black."   It gave us Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shane McDermott (whatever happened to him?), and one of the Sweet Valley twins, Brittany Daniel. 

 

They aired it locally in Chicago at 2pm on an independent station (which later became UPN). Then, reran it a couple times in the wee hours of the morning. As a youngster who didn't know how television worked at the time, I kept hoping it'd return the following summer and held out hope until the summer of '93 when the same station brought on another syndicated soap, "Paradise Beach" (which gave us Ingo Rademacher, pre-GH). 

 

Edited June 29, 20187 yr by Gray Bunny

I loved me some Paradise Beach. As I’ve said before Ingo and Manu Bennett made me realize some things about myself.

 

Swan’s Crossing had the most ridiculously ‘90s opening credits, though, with everyone awkwardly dancing.

 

Also loved Fifteen and cheered when Kelly stabbed her evil bestie Brooke in the back. It’s funny that Enuka Okuma has had the most enduring career of any cast member (aside from Ryan Reynolds, of course).

Edited June 29, 20187 yr by Faulkner

Swans Crossing was in the early 90s... the early 90s was a weird hybrid of 80s styles with a more 90s modest twist to it.  The hair wasn't as big, the shoulder pads weren't as big, etc.

 

Fifteen.. I never could get into that show only because it seemed to change from season to season.  I recall when Kelly stabbed Brooke in the back at the end of season 1 with Brooke vowing to get even.. and than season 2 started and Kelly was nowhere to be found and she had a new side kick.  The only consistent plot thread was Ashley/Matt.  Laura Harris (who played Ashley) had a decent career for awhile post-Fifteen including being in the Faculty (1998 horror movie) and was on a short-lived ABC drama Women's Murder Club.

Even though Swans Crossing wasn't great i faithfully watched. I mainly watched because i had crushes on all the cute boys on the show.