BTG: History, Behind the Scenes Articles & Photos

[Contessa Donatella]

These fans are stuck in time. They've been told over and over again, hey, it just ain't gonna happen. But do they listen? No they do not. They think they know better. It is clearly a delusion based on fond memories. I get it but there's no future in being stuck that way.

[Chris B]

When it comes to past soaps and old episodes, I do think there is value for them in streaming. The amount of content is perfect for a binge and long term subscriptions. Dark Shadows has been a staple since streaming began, B&B has been a success on YouTube and The Doctors has been trucking along. I feel like that should be the future of most of the cancelled soaps. 

In terms of reboots, I think AMC is the only one that I could see coming back and having potential to be a real success. I could maybe see a form of GL returning, but the problem any returning soap is going to have is endless complaints about things that are different, people who aren't there, continuity, etc. 

Launching a new soap that has something new to say was definitely the best thing they could've done. 

[Khan]

I agree.  As Gary Tomlin once said, nothing lasts forever.  I miss all my old, favorite soaps, but there comes a time when you have to accept that they're gone and not coming back (except as reruns).

[MontyB]

I cannot express how excited I am for this. Especially, looking forward to seeing Tamara, Karla and Daphnee on the same show. Can't wait to see what these ladies bring. 

 

[Maxim]

That's the kind of energy I appreciate. Thank you for bringing a breath of fresh air in this topic! 

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 It had become difficult to breathe. 

[Planet Soap]

Totally agree. I would love to see all old soaps available on streaming platforms. Even if we can't get every single episode at least the most critical episodes from each year. It would be a shame for decades of dramatic work with such a strong fan base to sit in a basement vault and rot.

Exactly. It just sucks that soaps and broadcast television had to collapse in my lifetime, When I'm old enough to appreciate both.

[Taoboi]

Exactly!!! 

[Contessa Donatella]

Since I was not personally excited about PASSIONS, then I guess for me it was SUNSET BEACH. But I'm not sure when PC came on. At any rate PC was the last show I was personally very very excited about.

[Taoboi]

I remember being excited about PASSIONS and PC, too. SUNSET BEACH...uh...nice promos, but no.

[Contessa Donatella]

You see, NBC let their affiliates decide between 3 or 4 shows. Of course they chose the Beach. NBC letting their affiliates make such a relatively important decision. OY. 

[Antoyne]

Passions is actually what got me into watching soaps

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[skiman12082004]

The days until the premiere of BTG are not moving quickly enough for me. Watching B&B, DAYS, GH and Y&R is no longer fun but rather chore. I have no doubt in my mind BTG is going to knock it out of the park and truly exceed all of our expectations.

[Alan]

Even if BTG ends up not being my cup of tea, I hope that it is successful, if only so that it may open the door to a broader revival of our beloved genre. The networks want eyeballs on their streaming services. So far the traditional five-days-a-week soap opera has been the only thing that guarantees daily log-ins at Paramount+ and Peacock.

Disney, which basically invented modern intellectual property management of entertainment assets, has yet to realize the value it has in its defunct soaps. If anything will open their eyes, a successful launch of BTG will. Same with P&G, one of the producers of this new soap. Merely making old episodes available on their streamers (remember P&G's classic soaps channel on AOL?) would be a major win.

[Paul Raven]

Not to derail the thread, but i must ask if you have any verification for that statement?

It's possible that NBC asked their affiliate board for some input, but i don't believe they would hand over programming decisions to local stations.

Just seeking clarity.

[Contessa Donatella]

Sorry, all this is just my recall of what was posted & in articles at the time. I'll see if I can come up with a link to an article at the time. What I recall is a kind of a competition between a Claire Labine soap (Union Place), Spelling's soap (Sunset Beach), a Stephen J. Cannell soap (lawyers, I think) & if there was a 4th one I do not recall anything about its identity. The set-up supposedly where the affiliates were made a part of the process was the annual meeting with them.