Today in Soap Opera History (December 31)

December 31, 2017, 4:22 pm

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Four NBC daytime soap operas aired for the final time on
December 31st: Somerset (1976), Texas (1982),
The Doctors (1982) and Sunset Beach (1999).

"History is a vast early warning system."
― Norman Cousins

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1965: On Scarlett Hill, Kate (Beth Lockerbie) and Pearl discussed their fears that Ruth was only marrying Mr. Quill for his money. Sheila became extremely rude to Pearl when Pearl tried to show her pictures of the five-year-old she was about to adopt. Sheila revealed a bit of her tragic life to Stan. Ruth openly admitted to Kate that she was only getting married for the money, knowing there was nothing Kate could do to stop her, and Ruth discovered the recording device Pearl planted in the hopes of catching the avaricious woman's plans on tape.

Note: Scarlett Hill, a daytime serial about the residents of a hotel in Scarlett Hill, New York, originally ran in Canada from 1962-1964. This episode is from the show's first syndicated run in the United States.

1972: On The Edge of Night, Adam Drake (Don May) ran through the streets of Manhattan in an attempt to find and propose marriage to Nicole Travis (Maeve McGuire) by midnight.

1976: NBC aired the final episode of the Another World spin-off Somerset after a six year run. The show was canceled to make room for another P&G soap, Lovers & Friends.

1980: On Another World, as the party guests counted down to the New Year, an intoxicated Pat Randolph (Beverly Penberthy) collapsed just as Philip Lyons (Robert Gentry) proposed. The Brady Bunch star Christopher Knight made his first appearance as Leigh Hobson.

Thanks to Scott for sending in the item above.

1982: NBC aired the final episode of daytime soap opera The Doctors, ending a run of 5,280 episodes that began on April 1, 1963.

1982: NBC aired the final episode of daytime soap opera Texas after two years on the air. The show was a spin-off of Another World with Iris (Beverlee McKinsey) moving to Houston. She left the show a year later when it became "Texas: The New Generation."

1983: Dorrie Kavanaugh, who played Cathy Craig Lord on One Life to Live, died at age 38 after a battle with breast cancer. She also had roles on Guiding Light, Ryan's Hope, The Edge of Night and Dark Shadows.

1983: On Days of our Lives, Bo Brady (Peter Reckell) and Hope Williams (Kristian Alfonso) began to make love after her 18th birthday party.

1986: Actor Lloyd Haynes died age age 52. He played Ken Morgan in General Hospital and guest-starred as Judge Horatio Quinlan on Dynasty.

1986: On As the World Turns, Lisa (Eileen Fulton) married Earl Mitchell (Farley Granger).

1990:Guiding Light used the "My Guiding Light" theme for the last time. "Hold On To Love" debuted in the next episode.

Thanks to Enrique for sending in the item above.

1996: Actor Wesley Addy died at age 83. He played Cabot Alden on Loving, William Price Woodard in Ryan's Hope, and Dr. Cooper on Days of our Lives.

1996: On The City, Gino announced to everyone at the bar that he and Tracy (Jane Elliot) were engaged.

1999: NBC aired the final episode of Sunset Beach just shy of its third anniversary.

2003: On General Hospital, Dillon (Scott Clifton) had a silent movie dream on New Year's Eve.

2013: SOAPnet ceased operations.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Ben Kingsley (ex-Ron, Coronation Street) - 74
Barbara Carrera (ex-Angelica, Dallas) - 72
Tim Matheson (ex-Brick, Hart of Dixie) - 70
Jane Badler (ex-Diana, Neighbours; ex-Meredith, Falcon Crest; ex-Melinda, One Life to Live; ex-Natalie, The Doctors) - 64
Brett Porter (ex-Jack, The Young and the Restless; ex-Tug, Loving; ex-Brett, Search for Tomorrow) - 61
Joanna Johnson (ex-Karen/Caroline, The Bold and the Beautiful) - 56
Don Diamont (Bill, The Bold and the Beautiful; ex-Brad, The Young and the Restless; ex-Carlo, Days of our Lives) - 55
Julian Stone (ex-Jerry, General Hospital) - 55
Michael McDonald (ex-The Face in the Pool, Passions) - 53
Lance Reddick (ex-Phillip, Fringe; ex-John, Oz; ex-Matthew, Lost) - 48
Chandra West (ex-Devon, The Gates; ex-Gail, 90210) - 47
Kamilla Bjorlin (ex-Evil Serpent, Days of our Lives) - 47
Elizabeth Hobgood (ex-Allison, All My Children; ex-May, Guiding Light) - 47

Actress Rosalind Cash was born 79 years ago today. The General Hospital star, who played Mary Mae Ward, passed away in 1995 at age 56. Actress Margaret Mason was born on this day in 1940. She died in 1999 at age 58. Her soap roles included Eve Howard on The Young and the Restless, Linda Anderson on Days of our Lives and Selena Cross Rossi in Return to Peyton Place.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a soap history entry for this date or a future date, email editor@welovesoaps.com.

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'The Bold and the Beautiful' Spoilers (January 1-5, 2018)

December 31, 2017, 5:49 pm

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What's coming up on CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful during the week of January 1-5, 2018? Check out the day-to-day spoilers and a sneak peek video below to find out.

Monday, January 1
CBS is airing an encore episode from March 13, 2017. Katie becomes surprised and hurt at Brooke's reaction to her suspicions concerning Quinn and Ridge; Eric, Ridge and Brooke relish in the fact that things are on the upswing for the Forrester family.

Tuesday, January 2
Carter delivers a surprising amends and admission to a startled Maya; Liam demands answers from Steffy about why she had a paternity test.

Wednesday, January 3
Wyatt queries Bill regarding exactly how much he knows about Steffy's pregnancy; Steffy and Liam teeter on the brink of no return as the details of Steffy and Bill's betrayal are revealed.

Thursday, January 4
Overwrought with pain at losing Liam, Steffy allows herself to be comforted by Katie; angry and confrontational, Liam becomes the aggressor when he comes face-to-face with Bill.

Friday, January 5
Steffy confesses to an incredulous Katie about her affair with Bill, and then begs for her silence; appalled by the behavior of his father and his wife, Liam makes it clear to Bill that there are severe consequences for his actions.

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'The Young and the Restless' Spoilers (January 1-5, 2018)

December 31, 2017, 5:55 pm

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What's coming up on CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless during the week of January 1-5, 2018? Check out the day-to-day spoilers and a sneak peek video below to find out.

Monday, January 1
CBS is airing an encore episode of Y&R.

Tuesday, January 2
Nick confronts Abby; Jill calls the shots; J.T. worries about Billy's influence over Reed.

Wednesday, January 3
Sharon retaliates against Scott and Abby; Jack's efforts to help Dina backfire; trouble returns to Genoa City.

Thursday, January 4
A crisis divides Chelsea and Nick; Scott asks Sharon for forgiveness; Jack and Ashley reach an understanding.

Friday, January 5
Sparks fly between Cane and Lily; Traci is blindsided; Abby stands her ground.

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'Days of our Lives' Spoilers (January 1-5, 2018)

January 1, 2018, 6:07 am

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What will happen on Days of our Lives during the week of January 1-5, 2018? Check out the day-to-day spoilers and a sneak peek video below to find out.

Monday, January 1
Days is preempted.

Tuesday, January 2
Eve demands to know if Brady is playing her; Will admits to Marlena that he kissed Paul again; Vivian has shocking news for everyone at the party; a drunken Ciara is determined to expose Rafe's secret.

Wednesday, January 3
Vivian and Kate face off; Stefan has more surprising news for Chad and Abigail; Will decides to end things with Sonny; Chloe questions Brady about his true feelings for Eve.

Thursday, January 4
Chad accuses Stefan of sabotaging his company; Ciara makes a big confession; Rafe realizes Ciara must know about his dalliance with Sami; Abe and Theo get unexpected news about Theo's medical situation.

Friday, January 5
Chad and Abigail plot to thwart Stefan; Andre confesses to Kate he has feelings for her; Rafe gets Ciara to confirm she knows the truth about him and Sami; Eric is stunned to learn the identity of Roman's New Year's Eve date.

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'General Hospital' Spoilers (January 1-5, 2018)

January 1, 2018, 6:16 am

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What's happening on General Hospital during the week of January 1-5, 2018? Check out the day-to-day spoilers and a sneak peek video below to find out.

Monday, January 1
GH is preempted.

Tuesday, January 2
Anna is in a bind; Nina grows anxious; Sam is interrupted.

Wednesday, January 3
Jordan tracks Anna down; Franco's confusion grows; Michael and Ned meet.

Thursday, January 4
Anna pays a visit to the ICU; Amy hopes to have good news for Nathan; Lulu's attempts fall flat.

Friday, January 5
Nathan jumps to conclusions; Carly is forced to face the music; Nelle is nervous about her first day.

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Today in Soap Opera History (January 1)

January 1, 2018, 4:33 pm

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≪ Previous: 'General Hospital' Spoilers (January 1-5, 2018)

1951: The Archers premiered.
1968: Dark Shadows' Jeremiah tried to bury Angelique alive.
1981: Knots Landing's Diana and Karen "Put on a Happy Face".
1982: Dallas' Miss Ellie received tragic news.

Robert Desiderio and Judith Light

1985: Former One Life to Live co-stars Robert Desiderio and Judith Light were married.

1991: Actor Ted Demers, who briefly played Dan Wolek on One Life to Live, passed away at age 42. He died after a hypoglycemic seizure due to the Type 1 diabetes he suffered throughout his life.

2002: Actress Meg Wyllie passed away at age 84. She played Doris Roach on General Hospital in 1975, the nurse who was involved with switching Lesley's baby (Laura) years earlier. In 1994, she subbed for Anna Lee in the role of Lila Quartermaine.

2007: On Days of our Lives, passion ignited between Nick Fallon (Blake Berris) and Billie Reed (Julie Pinson).

2010: On EastEnders, an angered Zainab Masood (Nina Wadia) confronted her business partner, Christian Clarke (John Partridge), about how he was ruining her son Syed's wedding day with his "reckless infatuation." But when Zainab went one step too far and referred to Christian's feelings as "his perverted obsession," he snapped, leaving the mother of the groom with a shocking revelation of his own. A horrified Zainab would then confront Syed (Marc Elliott) over Christian's claims, resulting in his emotional confession that he's gay and loves Christian.

Thanks to FoxCrane for sending in the item above.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Sheila Mercier (ex-Annie, Emmerdale) - 99
Morris Chestnut (ex-Luke, American Horror Story) - 49
Neil Billingsley (ex-Danny, Search for Tomorrow) - 48
Alexia Robinson (ex-Alex, The Young and the Restless; ex-Claudia, Rituals; ex-Meg, General Hospital) - 48
Kimberly Page (ex-Kimberly, WCW) - 47
Nina Bott (Julia, Verbotene Liebe; ex-Celine, Alles was zählt) - 39
Eden Riegel (ex-Bianca, All My Children; ex-Heather, The Young and the Restless) - 37
Colin Morgan (ex-Merlin, Merlin) - 32

Former As the World Turns actor Michael David Morrison, the original Caleb Snyder, was born on this day in 1960. He died on February 18, 1993, at age 33.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a soap history entry for this date or a future date, email editor@welovesoaps.com.

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Today in Soap Opera History (January 2)

January 1, 2018, 9:01 pm

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1962: Our Five Daughters premiered on NBC.
1968: Dark Shadows' Angelique dug her way of Jeremiah's grave.
1980: ATWT's Barbara was keeping a big secret.
2004: Rebecca and Julian were married on Passions.

1959: CBS Radio aired the final episode of This is Nora Drake, the story of a nurse (Charlotte Holland, Joan Tompkins and Mary Jane Higby as Nora) and later departmental supervisor on the staff of Page Memorial Hospital. The series premiered on October 27, 1947. During its run the cast included Mercedes McCambridge, Larry Haines, Dick York, Alan Hewitt, Ralph Bell and Lesley Woods.

This is Nora Drake was written by Milton Lewis, directed by Arthur Hanna, with Bill Cullen as the announcer.

1959: CBS Radio aired the final episode of Road of Life, an Irna Phillips serial that had run on NBC and CBS radio stations since September 13, 1937. The show ran on both networks for several of its 22 years on the air. Road of Life was the first major soap opera to be set in the world of doctors and nurses.

According to "The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio," it departed significantly from the "common hero" so favored by Frank and Anne Hummert, and launched writer Irna Phillips to the top of daytime drama. The hero, Jim Brent, was first shown as a young intern at City Hospital; he was last heard two full decades later as a quiet, strong, and mature figure, at the top of his professional powers. Phillips took the title from a piece of personal philosophy--that the doctor's road is the Road of Life.

Although NBC was considered the home network during the best years, the CBS run often drew better ratings. The show's peak ratings year was 1940-1941 when the show drew a 9.2 on CBS and 7.3 on NBC.

1962: NBC daytime soap opera Our Five Daughters premiered. The show was written by Leonard Stadd and directed by Paul Lammers, and aired at 3:30 p.m. ET following Young Doctor Malone. Esther Ralston played Helen Lee, mother of five daughters, whose husband Jim (Michael Keene) was critically injured in an accident. He became an invalid and the abrupt change caused havoc for his wife and children. Other cast members included Jacqueline Courtney (pictured above) as Ann Lee, Patricia Allison as Barbara Lee, and Iris Joyce as Marjorie Lee. Our Five Daughters ran until September 28, 1962. Jacqueline Courtney went on to star in the original cast of NBC's Another World as Alice Matthews in 1964.

1962: On The Guiding Light, Bert (Charita Bauer) cooked breakfast for her son Mike (Paul Prokopf), who was back home from Venezuela, and told Mike she knew Bill had told him about her illness and need for surgery. Bert expressed her concern about Mike being in the same town as his ex-wife, Robin. Mike asked about Robin's marriage to Alex Bowden (Ernest Graves). At home, a suspicious Alex made phone calls to check on Robin's whereabouts and, unable to track her down, poured himself an early-morning whiskey. Attorney George Hayes (Philip Sterling) stopped by, and Alex told George his suspicions about Robin and Mike now that Mike was back. Alex's ulcer acted up, and George called Dr. Bruce Banning as Alex held his head in despair.

Note: Bert's uterine cancer surgery occurred soon after this episode. The impact of this story is one of the proud accomplishments writer Agnes Nixon speaks about often when discussing her career.

1968: On The Doctors, Dr. Nick Bellini (Gerald Gordon) told Dr. Althea Davis (Elizabeth Hubbard) they could get married now that "this Liz thing" was settled.

1968: On Dark Shadows, Ben (Thayer David) found Angelique (Lara Parker) after she clawed her way out of the grave. Angelique explained how she summoned Jeremiah (Timothy Gordon) and now his ghost remained to torment her.

1970: Augusta Dabney debuted as Barbara Norris on The Guiding Light.

1971: A ban on cigarette advertising on television went into full effect. In 1969, Congress proposed a ban on all cigarette advertising on TV and radio. As expected, the tobacco companies were initially against it. However, they soon realized that a ban on TV commercials would free up funds for other types of advertising, and would also remove the anti-smoking PSA requirement. Rather than fight the inevitable, they decided to cooperate, and the proposal was signed into law by President Nixon in 1970.

The ban took effect on January 2, 1971, in order to give the cigarette companies one final chance to advertise during the New Year's Day bowl games on TV. The last televised cigarette ad ran at 11:50 p.m. during The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson on January 1, 1971.

1980: On As the World Turns, Melinda (Ariane Munker) tracked Barbara (Colleen Zenk) down at a hospital in Philadelphia fearing she was sick. Meanwhile, Joyce (Barbara Rodell) made her way back to Oakdale.

1980: Peter Brown aired for the final time as Greg Peters in Days of our Lives.

1980: On The Edge of Night, April (Terry Davis) told Draper (Tony Craig) that she heard their baby's name in a dream.

1981: Philece Sampler debuted as Renée DuMonde on Days of our Lives.

Thanks to Enrique for sending in the item above.

1984:The Young and the Restless added a brush stroke logo to its opening. The logo was designed by Sandy Dvore who had previously drawn the actor images in the opening. He also designed the opening titles for The Waltons (1973-1981) and Knots Landing (1987-1989).

1984: On Emerald Point, N.A.S., Admiral Mallory and Naval Intelligence discovered more about the breach of Adams Industries security system. Glenn Matthews rejected Jack Warren's offer to move for a new court martial. Meanwhile, Harlan Adams revealed that he knew Hilary's dark secret, while Leslie and Russian Lt. Alexi's love for one another deepened.

Thanks to Jennifer for sending in the clip above.

1986: On Santa Barbara, Mason Capwell (Lane Davies) woke up with a massive New Year's hangover. Meanwhile, Dr. Mark McCormick (Jon Lindstrom) found his long lost wife, Wendy (aka Janice Harrison), after seeing her on the cover of a magazine. She ran out on him two years earlier.

1989: On Ryan's Hope, Delia (Ilene Kristen) sing "Chica Chica Boom Chic" in a fantasy sequence. Karen Morris-Gowdy returned to the show as Faith Coleridge after a five-year absence.

Thanks to Jennifer for sending in the item above.

1990: Actor Robert Perault, who played the third Jeff Martin in All My Children, died at age 43. His Jeff returned to Pine Valley during Christmas in 1976 after Mary's death.

1990:All My Children's "Falling Pictures" opening debuted.

1991:Guiding Light's "Hold On To Love" theme debuted.

1995: German soap opera Verbotene Liebe (Forbidden Love) premiered. The show ended on June 26, 2015, after 4664 episodes.

1997: On Another World, Jake McKinnon (Tom Eplin) was being secretly watched.

2004: On Passions, Rebecca (Andrea Evans) and Julian (Ben Masters) were married.

2004: on One Life to Live, Kevin was upset to learn that Kelly faked a threatening note from the "Music Box Killer." Natalie accepted John's invitation to a party at Ultra Violet on New Year's Eve. Jen refused Rex's advances at the party. Nora was stunned to find Troy waiting for her in the ladies room at the Palace, and begged Troy to turn himself in. Troy refused, and took off. After another fight with Walker/Todd, Blair and Kevin made love. Gabrielle Medina (Fiona Hutchison) was the next victim of the Music Box Killer.

Thanks to Enrique for sending in the item above.

2005: Actor Stan Watt, who played Charles Lamont in Love of Life, died at age 74.

2006: Actor Raúl Dávila, who played Hector Santos in All My Children in the mid-1990s, died at age 74.

2007:Guiding Light's 2005-2007 opening aired for the final time.

Thanks to Enrique for sending in the item above.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
John Considine (ex-Reginald/Vic, Another World; ex-Grant, Santa Barbara; ex-Scooter, Knots Landing; ex-Phillip, The Young and the Restless; ex-Brian, Bright Promise) - 83
Ron Hale (ex-Mike, General Hospital; ex-Roger, Ryan's Hope; ex-Jim, Love is a Many Splendored Thing; ex-Walt, Search for Tomorrow) - 72
Wendy Phillips (ex-Lucille, Savannah; ex-Lauren, Falcon Crest) - 66
Gabrielle Carteris (ex-Andrea, Beverly Hills, 90210; ex-Tracy, Another World) - 57
Tia Carrere (ex-Jade, General Hospital) - 51
Nancy St. Alban (ex-Michelle, Guiding Light) - 48
Renee Goldsberry (ex-Evangeline, One Life to Live) - 47
Taye Diggs (ex-Sam, Private Practice; ex-Sugar, Guiding Light) - 47
Kiko Ellsworth (ex-Jamal, Port Charles; ex-Stan, General Hospital) - 45
Ronnie Marmo (ex-Ronnie, General Hospital)
Dax Shepard (ex-Crosby, Parenthood) - 43
Ryan Brown (ex-Billy, The Young and the Restless; ex-Bill, Guiding Light) - 43
Paz Vega (ex-Olga, Más que amigos; ex-Luz, Companeros) - 42
Erica Hubbard (ex-Cassie, Lincoln Heights; ex-Jenny, Undressed) - 39
Shelley Hennig (Malia, Teen Wolf; ex-Diana, The Secret Circle; ex-Stephanie, Days of our Lives) - 31
Danny Miller (ex-Aaron, Emmerdale; ex-Kyle, Grange Hill) - 27
Ben Hardy (Peter, EastEnders) - 27

Actress Anna Lee was born 105 years ago today. She was best known to soap fans for her longtime portrayal of Lila Quartermaine in General Hospital. She passed away in 2004.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a soap history entry for this date or a future date, email editor@welovesoaps.com.

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Pop TV Nielsen Ratings: 'Young and the Restless' Hit Cable Top 150 On Monday & Wednesday Last Week

January 2, 2018, 7:59 pm

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The Nielsen ratings are in for the week of December 25-29, 2017. Same-day repeats of CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless made the cable Top 150 on Monday and Wednesday.

Date	Total Viewers	Adults 18-49 Rating	Rank Among Cable Programs
Monday, December 25	294,000	0.03	107th
Tuesday, December 26	-	-	Not in Top 150
Wednesday, December 27	443,000	0.04	143rd
Thursday, December 28	-	-	Not in Top 150
Friday, December 29	-	-	Not in Top 150

The Bold and the Beautiful made the cable Top 150 on Thursday.

Date	Total Viewers	Adults 18-49 Rating	Rank Among Cable Programs
Monday, December 25	-	-	Not in Top 150
Tuesday, December 26	-	-	Not in Top 150
Wednesday, December 27	-	-	Not in Top 150
Thursday, December 28	305,000	0.04	141st
Friday, December 29	-	-	Not in Top 150

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Nielsen Ratings: 'Young and the Restless,''Days of our Lives' Up in Total Viewers Versus Previous Week

January 2, 2018, 8:10 pm

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The Live + Same Day daytime Nielsen ratings are in for the shortened week December 11-15, 2017. Versus the previous week, The Young and the Restless, General Hospital and Days of our Lives were up in total viewers.

Check out a breakdown below of the daytime soap opera Nielsen ratings by category:

Total Viewers (versus previous week/versus same week last year)
1. The Young and the Restless 4,556,000 (+80,000/-62,000)
2. The Bold and the Beautiful 3,524,000 (-79,000/-201,000)
3. General Hospital 2,790,000 (-110,000/+156,000)
4. Days of our Lives 2,330,000 (+12,000/-6,000)

Women 18-49 Viewers
1. The Young and the Restless 470,000 (+6,000/-79,000)
2. General Hospital 437,000 (-40,000/-39,000)
3. The Bold and the Beautiful 377,000 (-8,000/-95,000)
4. Days of our Lives 365,000 (+9,000/-47,000)

Women 18-34 Viewers
1. The Young and the Restless 110,000 (-8,000/-16,000)
2. General Hospital 107,000 (-22,000/-1,000)
3. The Bold and the Beautiful 98,000 (-3,000/-6,000)
4. Days of our Lives 75,000 (+5,000/-16,000)

Women 25-54 Viewers
1. The Young and the Restless 772,000 (+32,000/-65,000)
2. General Hospital 626,000 (-38,000/-35,000)
3. The Bold and the Beautiful 607,000 (-11,000/-109,000)
4. Days of our Lives 488,000 (+14,000/-54,000)

On Pop TV, same-day repeats of CBS soap operas The Young and the Restless made the cable Top 150 on Friday. The Bold and the Beautiful did not make the cable Top 150. For the latest Pop's soap opera ratings, visit our Pop TV Ratings Hub.

(Daytime ratings via SON)

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Today in Soap Opera History (January 3)

January 3, 2018, 9:30 am

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1977: Lovers and Friends premiered on NBC.
1980: Edge of Night's Cliff ate Mrs. Corey's soup.
1995: Days' Alice interrupted Bo and Billie's wedding.
2001: All My Children's Bianca was outed at the Crystal Ball.

1977: NBC daytime soap opera Lovers and Friends premiered. The show, created by Another World head writer Harding Lemay and executive producer Paul Rauch, was set Point Clair, a wealthy suburb of Chicago, and focused on the trials and tribulations of two neighboring families, the wealthy Cushings and the middle class Saxtons. The cast included Rod Arrants, Richard Backus, Vicky Dawson, Patricia Estrin, Stephen Joyce and Nancy Marchand.

Lemay commented on the show and his relationship with Rauch in a 1997 interview:

"We created a soap opera together, Lovers and Friends. That lasted a year or two. It was too much. I found it interesting to be working on one soap and to be able to switch my mind completely into a whole other set of characters. We had wonderful actors like Nancy Marchand and Richard Backus. It didn't work because I didn't have the energy to fight for what I wanted to do and they changed a whole lot of things. After the first six months I didn't write it anymore. I just collected the royalties."

1978: Kate Mulgrew aired for the final time as part of the contract cast of Ryan's Hope. Mary Carney took over the role of Mary Ryan two episodes later. Mulgrew returned to the show for visits as Mary's ghost in 1983, 1986 and 1989.

1980: On As the World Turns, Joyce (Barbara Rodell) secretly watched Teddy play after Nancy (Helen Wagner) and Mary picked him up after school.

1980: On The Edge of Night, Cliff (Ernie Townsend, now Ernie Pysher) ate the soup Mrs. Corey intended for Deborah.

1986: On Santa Barbara, Santana (Gina Gallego) and Cruz (A Martinez) arrived in Las Vegas and demanded Gina (Robin Mattson) tell them where to find Brandon. Back in Santa Barbara, Mark (Jon Lindstrom) and Janice signed the divorce papers.

1990: On General Hospital, Katherine (Edie Lehmann) and Sean (John Reilly) came to the secret room where a very much alive Robert (Tristan Rogers) was hiding.

1991: Aimee Brooks aired for the final time as Sarah Horton in Guiding Light.

1992: Dame Judith Anderson died at age 94. She starred as Minx Lockridge as part of the original Santa Barbara cast.

1994:Onderweg naar Morgen (On the Way to Tomorrow) debuted on Dutch television. The writers initially based the show on story bibles from American soap Ryan's Hope, written by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer.

1995: Morgan Englund aired for the final time during his initial run as Dylan Lewis on Guiding Light. He returned for guest appearances over the years, including the final week in 2009.

1995: On Days of our Lives, Alice Horton (Frances Reid) objected at Bo (Robert Kelker Kelly) and Billie's (Lisa Rina) wedding.

1997: On Another World, Rachel Cory (Victoria Wydham) fainted during dinner at Carlino's.

2000:As the World Turns moved production into the Midwood Brooklyn studio that had been home to Another World until June 1999.

2001: On All My Children, Bianca (Eden Riegel) was outed at the Crystal Ball to Erica's (Susan Lucci) dismay. When Erica pressed her to deny being gay, Bianca replied: "But Mom, I am gay."

2003: On The Bold and the Beautiful, Stephanie (Susan Flannery) explained to Bridget how important it was to keep the secret of Ridge's paternity.

2003: On The Young and the Restless, Ashley (Eileen Davidson) finally admitted to Brad (Don Diamont) that she was artificially inseminated, and Victor was Abby's biological father. Brad became furious that Ashley kept this information from him. Ashley tried to defend herself, but Brad stormed out.

2007: Brody Hutzler aired for the final time as Patrick Lockhart in Days of our Lives.

2007:Guiding Light debuted its "Find Your Light" opening theme.

Thanks to Enrique for sending in the item above.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Dabney Coleman (ex-Louis, Boardwalk Empire) - 86
Steve Inwood (ex-Moreno, General Hospital) - 71
Victoria Principal (ex-Pam, Dallas; ex-Gwen, Titans) - 68
Mark Drexler (ex-Roger, Days of our Lives) - 66
Frank Dicopoulos (ex-Frank, Guiding Light) - 61
Shannon Sturges (ex-Molly, Days of our Lives; ex-Sheridan, Passions; ex-Kate, Port Charles; ex-Reese, Savannah) - 50
Jason Marsden (ex-A.J., General Hospital) - 44
Nicholas Gonzalez (ex-Luke, Sleepy Hollow; ex-D.J., The O.C.; ex-James, Melrose Place) - 42
Telly Leung (ex-Wes, Glee) - 38
Alex D. Linz (ex-Phillip, The Young and the Restless) - 29

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a soap history entry for this date or a future date, email editor@welovesoaps.com.

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Today in Soap Opera History (January 4)

January 4, 2018, 9:43 am

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1954: The Brighter Day made its television premiere.
1979: Alice Horton performed in a hospital benefit on Days.
1983: GH's Edward learned Jimmy Lee was his son.
1985: Santa Barbara's Lionel learned Dominic's identify.

Cast of Return to Peyton Place

1974: NBC aired the final episode of daytime soap opera Return to Peyton Place. In April 1972, writer James Lipton and executive producer Don Wallace (both of The Best of Everything) performed the same chores to get Peyton off the ground in the daytime. Patricia Morrow (Rita Harrington), Evelyn Scott (as tavern owner Ada Jacks) and Frank Ferguson (as general store operator Eli Carson) repeated their nighttime roles, with other important roles filled by Guy Stockwell, Bettye Ackerman, Warren Stevens, Julie Parrish and Katherine Glass. The story sagged, and the series was canceled less than two years after its premiere.

1979: On Days of our Lives, the hospital held a variety show to raise money with performers including Alice (Frances Reid) and Maggie (Suzanne Rogers).

1980: On As the World Turns, Joyce (Barbara Rodell) waited for Teddy (T.R. Hill) after school and hugged him when he came out just as Mary walked up.

1983: On General Hospital, Jimmy Lee (Steve Bond) told Edward (David Lewis) that he was his son.

1985: On Santa Barbara, Lionel (Nicolas Coster) caught "Dominic" just before "he" was about to stab him. After a struggle, he saw Dominic's face and realized it was actually Sophia Capwell (Judith McConnell). Watch the great Friday cliffhanger at the end of the clip below (not in English).

1989: On Ryan's Hope, Delia (Ilene Kristen) sang "Can You Handle It" in a fantasy sequence with saxophonist Victor Lesser.

Thanks to Jennifer for sending in the item above.

1993: On Guiding Light, Maureen Bauer (Ellen Parker) confronted Lillian Raines (Tina Sloan) about Lillian's affair with Maureen's husband, Ed.

Thanks to Enrique for sending in the item above.

1995: Carol Burnett returned to All My Children as Verla Grubbs for the show's 25th anniversary celebration.

2001: On All My Children, when Erica finally arrived home after the Crystal Ball she told Bianca they would discuss her situation in the morning. Bianca told Erica would still be gay to which an upset Erica replied, "Must you keep saying that?"

2008: On Guiding Light, Doris (Orlagh Cassidy) vowed that the person who rigged the mayoral election would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Later, her daughter Ashlee (Caitlin Van Zandt) confessed and was arrested. Buzz (Justin Deas) was released from jail and held a press conference announcing Doris was about to be sworn in as mayor.

2010:All My Children began filming in high definition.

Celebrating a birthday today are:

Rosemary Prinz

Barbara Rush (ex-Nola, All My Children; ex-Eudora, Flamingo Road; ex-Marsha, Peyton Place) - 91
Rosemary Prinz (ex-Penny, As the World Turns; ex-Amy, All My Children; ex-Amy, First Love; ex-Sister Mary Joel, Ryan's Hope; ex-Julie, How to Survive a Marriage; ex-Mrs. Warren, Knots Landing) - 88
Oliver Clark (ex-Mario, Santa Barbara) - 81
John Bennett Perry (ex-Floyd, Falcon Crest; ex-Michael, Paper Dolls) - 77
Dot-Marie Jones (ex-Shannon, Glee; ex-Stella, Venice) - 54
Rick Hearst (ex-Ric, General Hospital; ex-Whip, The Bold and the Beautiful; ex-Matt, The Young and the Restless; ex-Alan-Michael, Guiding Light; ex-Scotty, Days of our Lives) - 53
Julia Ormond (ex-Joanna, Witches of East End) - 53
Charity Rahmer (ex-Belle, Days of our Lives) - 39
Kaitlyn Maggio (ex-Christina, Port Charles) - 20

Longtime soap opera star Conard Fowkes was born on this day in 1931. Fowkes played Frank Garner on Dark Shadows, Paul Britton on The Secret Storm, Allen Ramsey on Search for Tomorrow, Steve Prentiss on The Edge of Night, Don Hughes on As the World Turns and Arthur Adams on Hidden Faces. He also appeared on Love of Life early in his career. Fowkes passed away in 2009 at age 76.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a soap history entry for this date or a future date, email editor@welovesoaps.com.

↧

Annalise Keating & Olivia Pope to Share the Screen in 'Scandal' - 'How to Get Away with Murder' Crossover

January 3, 2018, 6:57 am

≫ Next: Today in Soap Opera History (January 5)

≪ Previous: Today in Soap Opera History (January 4)

TGIT worlds will collide later this season when Annalise Keating and Olivia Pope share the screen during How to Get Away with Murder and Scandal crossover episodes. Kerry Washington and Viola Davis posted the news on Instagram early Wednesday morning.

The Scandal crossover episode was written by Raamla Mohamed and directed by Tony Goldwyn.

The How to Get Away with Murder crossover episode was written by Morenike Balogun & Sarah L. Thompson and directed by Zetna Fuentes.

As previously announced, new TGIT episodes of Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder return on Thursday, January 18, on The ABC Television Network, streaming and on demand.

How to Get Away with Murder stars Oscar-winner Viola Davis as Professor Annalise Keating, Billy Brown as Detective Nate Lahey, Jack Falahee as Connor Walsh, Aja Naomi King as Michaela Pratt, Matt McGorry as Asher Millstone, Karla Souza as Laurel Castillo, Charlie Weber as Frank Delfino, Liza Weil as Bonnie Winterbottom and Conrad Ricamora as Oliver Hampton.

Scandal stars Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope, Guillermo Diaz as Huck, Darby Stanchfield as Abby Whelan, Katie Lowes as Quinn Perkins, Tony Goldwyn as President Fitzgerald Grant, Jeff Perry as Cyrus Beene, Joshua Malina as David Rosen, Bellamy Young as President Mellie Grant, Scott Foley as Jake Ballard, Joe Morton as Rowan Pope, Cornelius Smith Jr. as Marcus Walker and George Newbern as Charlie.

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Today in Soap Opera History (January 5)

January 5, 2018, 6:41 am

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1970: All My Children premiered on ABC.

"History is a vast early warning system."
― Norman Cousins

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1953: Ellen Demming made her first appearance as Meta Bauer White Roberts on both the television and radio versions of The Guiding Light. Demming played the role until 1974.

1965: On Another World, Dru (Geoffrey Lumb) assured John (Michael M. Ryan) he had done everything he could for Pat, whose trial was about to begin.

1970: ABC premiered Agnes Nixon's daytime soap opera All My Children. It ran for over 41 years on on the network, ending after 10,712 episodes on September 23, 2011. Original cast member Susan Lucci stayed with the soap for its entire run. Ray MacDonnell, another original member of the cast, returned for the show's final week on ABC. The rights to All My Children were licensed by Prospect Park, who brought the show back on April 29, 2013 for one season on Hulu, HuluPlus and iTunes (as well as repeats on OWN).

Watch All My Children clips from the show's first year below:

1972: On The Edge of Night, Ron (Burt Douglas) met with Nicole (Maeve McGuire) to talk about opening his own PR firm. Vic (Ted Tinling) spotted Nicole and Ron and misconstrued their intimate lunch.

1976: Syndicated soap opera parody Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman premiered. The series was produced by Norman Lear, and starred Louise Lasser as Mary Hartman.

Thanks to Jennifer for sending in the item above.

1978: Mary Carney debuted as Mary Ryan on Ryan's Hopere, placing Kate Mulgrew.

1984: On Knots Landing, Mack (Kevin Dobson) had Karen (Michele Lee) admitted to a hospital chemical dependency program even though Karen denied she had a problem. Meanwhile, Greg Sumner (William Devane) won the primary race.

1987: On As the World Turns, Frannie Hughes (Julianne Moore) was anxious to find Sabrina (Julianne Moore).

1987: Rick Edwards made his first appearance as Jake Morton in Santa Barbara. Ted Capwell (Todd McKee) met Jake at the Abernathy stables. Jake left Santa Barbara on April 22, 1988 to become a model in New York.

1988: On Another World, Rachel (Victoria) congratulated Jason (Chris Robinson) after he bought the Frame farm for $200,000 at an auction.

1990:All My Children celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Thanks to Na'Vell for sending in the clip above.

1996: On One Life to Live, Blair (Kassie DePaiva) needed an emergency C-section.

2004: On Passions, Dr. Ackland (Roark Critchlow) arrived at Sheridan's (McKenzie Westmore) to take her back to the psych ward.

2005: Ruth Warrick appeared for the last time on All My Children as Phoebe Wallingford. Warrick passed away 5 days later on January 10, 2005.

Thanks to Ann for sending in the item above.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Ted Lange (ex-Judge, General Hospital) - 70
Pamela Sue Martin (ex-Fallon, Dynasty) - 65
Jade Wu (ex-Judith, One Life to Live) - 65
Ricky Paull Goldin (ex-Jesse, The Bold and the Beautiful; ex-Jake, All My Children; ex-Gus, Guiding Light; ex-Gary, The Young and the Restless; ex-Dean, Another World) - 53
Carl T. Evans (ex-Nick, As the World Turns; ex-Alan-Michael, Guiding Light) - 50
Shea Whigham (ex-Eli, Boardwalk Empire) - 49
Marilyn Manson (Thomas, Salem; ex-The Shadow, Once Upon A Time) - 49
Bradley Cooper (ex-Tom, Jack & Bobby; ex-Aidan, Nip/Tuck) - 43
January Jones (ex-Betty, Mad Men) - 40
Blanca Soto (Sara, Señora Acero; ex-Alma, Porque el Amor Manda; ex-Camila, El Talisman; ex-Eva, Eva Luna) - 39

Actress Jane Wyman, who played Angela Channing on Falcon Crest in the 1980s, was born on this day in 1917. She passed away in 2007 at age 90.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a soap history entry for this date or a future date, email editor@welovesoaps.com.

↧

Today in Soap Opera History (January 6)

January 6, 2018, 7:34 am

≫ Next: Today in Soap Opera History (January 7)

≪ Previous: Today in Soap Opera History (January 5)

1975: Another World expanded to an hour full-time.
1983: Felicia Gallant arrived in Another World's Bay City.
1986: General Hospital's Monica was at odds with Alan.
1997: Aaron Spelling's Sunset Beach premiered on NBC.

1975:Another World expanded to an hour full-time, the first daytime soap opera to broadcast 60-minute episodes five days a week.

On May 3, 1974, the show aired a one hour special featuring Steve and Alice's wedding. It performed well in the ratings leading to NBC's decision to expand the show to an hour daily.

In that day's episode, Liz (Irene Dailey) told Alice (Jacqueline Courtney) it was all over between her and Mac thanks to Rachel. Iris (Beverlee McKinsey) promised Mac (Douglass Watson) to do everything she could to make Rachel feel comfortable. Rachel (Victoria Wyndham) agreed to let Mac handle Jamie's visits with Steve. Robert (Nicolas Coster) and Lenore (Susan Sullivan) spied on them from across the restaurant as Mac told Rachel that after many lonely years he had found in her something to look forward to.

1983: Linda Dano debuted as Felicia Gallant on Another World.

1986: On General Hospital, Alan (Stuart Damon) grabbed Monica (Leslie Charleson) and tried to kiss her. She angrily told him to keep his hands to himself: "You keep your hands off me until I say I'm ready! You got that?". Meanwhile, Bobbie (Jacklyn Zeman) was kidnapped and held hostage in Laurelton.

1987: On Guiding Light, Alexandra Spaulding (Beverlee McKinsey) remembered good and bad times with Simon Hall (Shawn Thompson), who left Springfield.

1988: Actor Brent Collins died at age 46. He starred as Wallingford on Another World at the time of his passing. He previously had played Mr. Big in As the World Turns.

1992: On The Young and the Restless, Jack (Peter Bergman) demanded Nikki tell him what it would take for her to give up booze. Jack stormed out in frustration saying, "Victor! Victor! I've had it up to here with Victor!"

1997: Actor Vince Williams died at age 39. He was best known for his work as Hampton Speakes in Guiding Light. He also played Lamar Griffin on As the World Turns and Joe Morgan on Loving. His final role was Dustin Carter on Another World.

Meg left Kansas and moved to Sunset Beach.

1997: Aaron Spelling daytime soap opera Sunset Beach premiered on NBC. Fresh-faced Kansas girl Meg Cummings (Susan Ward) ditched her husband-to-be in favor of a mysterious Southern California man she met on the Internet, and traveled to the picturesque coastal town touched by romance, murder, misunderstandings and nefarious schemes in equal measure.

The original cast included Lesley-Anne Down, Sam Behrens, Clive Robertson, Sherri Saum, Randy Spelling, Jason George, Timothy Adams, Sarah Buxton, Hank Cheyne, Ashley Hamilton, Kathleen Noone, Nick Stabile, Kelly Hu, Vanessa Dorman, Peter Barton, Adrienne Frantz, Leigh Taylor-Young and Laura Harring.

Gary Tomlin, the executive producer, who had 20 years experience as a daytime actor, writer and director at the time, was chosen by Spelling to run the show's day-to-day operations. "The pace of our storytelling is slightly faster than on other shows," Tomlin said in a 1997 interview with The New York Times. "And with all the location shooting on the beach, we look different than shows that are shot mainly in the studio."

Sunset Beach ran until December 31, 1999.

2009: Taylor Spreitler debuted as Mia McCormick in Days of our Lives.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Michael Wilding Jr. (ex-Jackson, Guiding Light; ex-Alex, Dallas) - 65
Scott Bryce (ex-Tom, Beacon Hill; ex-Frank, Deception; ex-Craig, As the World Turns; ex-Dr. Crosby, One Life to Live) - 60
Andrea Thompson (ex-Genele, Falcon Crest) - 58
Norman Reedus (Daryl, The Walking Dead) - 49
Greg Lauren (ex-Brett, The Young and the Restless) - 48
Dick Billingsley (ex-Phillip, The Young and the Restless; ex-Scotty, Days of our Lives) - 43
Danny Pintauro (ex-Paul, As the World Turns) - 42
Rinko Kikuchi (ex-Churasan) - 37
Georgie Daburas (ex-John, Hitman 101)

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a soap history entry for this date or a future date, email editor@welovesoaps.com.

↧

Today in Soap Opera History (January 7)

January 7, 2018, 7:27 am

≫ Next: Today in Soap Opera History (January 8)

≪ Previous: Today in Soap Opera History (January 6)

1963: Search for Tomorrow's Marian faced troubled times.
1974: How to Survive a Marriage premiered on NBC.
1980: As the World Turns' Mary was shocked to see Joyce.
2005: Young and the Restless' Drucilla and Phyllis faced off.

How to Survive a Marriage's Joan Copeland as
Monica Courtland, Jennifer Harmon as Chris Kirby
and Steve Elmore as Peter Willis.

1974: Daytime soap opera How to Survive a Marriage premiered on NBC with a special 90-minute episode. Created by Anne Howard Bailey, the show starred Rosemary Prinz as Dr. Julie Franklin in its early episodes. The premiere featured two couples in bed together after having sex and implied they were nude under the covers. It was quite risqué at the time. The show replaced Return to Peyton Place in NBC's daytime lineup.

NBC vice president of daytime programming Lin Bolen said How to Survive a Marriage would be "a very contemporary dramatization of a problem which confronts so many couples in today's society - separation and impending divorce."

The 30-minute How to Survive a Marriage initially aired at 3:30 p.m. ET following the high-rated Another World. The show moved to 1:30 p.m. ET when Another World expanded to an hour January 6, 1975. The ratings, already low, got even worse.

How to Survive a Marriage ran for 335 episodes with the finale airing on April 17, 1975. Days of our Lives expanded to an hour the following Monday.

1976: On Ryan's Hope, Sam flirted with Mary and offered her a job. She made it clear to him if she accepted, their relationship would remain strictly business.

1980: On As the World Turns, Mary (Kelly Wood) was shocked to see Joyce (Barbara Rodell) alive and back in Oakdale.

1980: On Another World, Charlie Hobson (Fred J. Scollay) married Ada McGowan (Constance Ford) in the Cory mansion living room.

1983: On General Hospital, Tiffany (Sharon Wyatt) thought Noah (Rick Springfield) was about to propose marriage. Instead, Noah told her that he wanted to be free to date other woman.

1983: On The Edge of Night, Nora Fulton (Catherine Bruno) was strangled by a cable at the WMON-TV station. The episode ended with Gavin Wylie (Mark Arnold) seeing Nicole Cavanaugh running out of the TV station and then seeing Nora's dead body inside.

Thanks to Jack for sending in the item above.

1985: On Santa Barbara, Lionel (Nicolas Coster) tried to wrap his brain around the fact that "Dominic" and Sophia (Judith McConnell) were the same person. Lionel later fell off the train during a confrontation with Dr. Marcello Armonti (Wolf Muser, who began a 6-month run).

1993: On General Hospital, after lying to Jason (Steve Burton) and Brenda (Vanessa Marcil) so they could spend more time together, Karen (Cari Shayne) and Jagger (Antonio Sabato Jr.) played in the snow.

1997: UK soap Quayside premiered. The show was canceled after 17 episodes.

1997: On Sunset Beach, Casey (Timothy Adams) was intrigued by Rae (Kelly Hu).

2005: On The Young and the Restless, it was another round in the long-running "Drucilla vs. Phyllis" feud when Drucilla (Victoria Rowell) came calling to tell Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) about her promotion at Newman Enterprises. But this particular encounter would spill into real life due to the now-infamous "spit take" that occurred between the two actresses.

Thanks to FoxCrane for sending in the item above.

2005: On All My Children, JR (Jacob Young) rushed off before Adam (David Canary) could tell him Dorian (Robin Strasser) Lord was arriving from Llanview. JR said he was going to visit Kelly Buchanan to get information on his son. When Dorian arrived, Adam started by congratulating her on her recent release from prison and Dorian said she did not kill Paul. In order to get Dorian to trust him, Adam told her about his idea—that Paul crashed the plane on purpose, switched babies and JR got Bianca's baby. He said that JR's child did not die in the crash and that Paul gave him to Kelly. Dorian did not seem surprised and when Adam asked her why, she said she was just in shock. Adam suggested they team up, but things went sour when Mary walked in, Dorian left and apologized for not being able to help Adam.

Thanks to Enrique for sending in the item above.

2013: Prospect Park confirmed the return of All My Children and One Life to Live.

Camryn Grimes

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Joe Ponazecki (ex-David, Another World; ex-Larry, Guiding Light; ex-Phil, Ryan's Hope) - 84
Fern Fitzgerald (ex-Marilee, Dallas; ex-All My Children) - 70
Kristen Meadows (ex-Victoria, Santa Barbara; ex-Mimi, One Life to Live) - 61
Kevin Rahm (ex-Lee, Desperate Housewives) - 47
Esta TerBlanche (ex-Gillian, All My Children; ex-Bienke, Egoli: Place of Gold) - 45
Josh Blake (ex-Craig, Search for tomorrow; ex-Jamie, Spyder Games) - 43
Lyndsy Fonseca (ex-Alex, Nikita; ex-Colleen, The Young and the Restless) - 31
Camryn Grimes (Mariah/ex-Cassie, The Young and the Restless) - 27

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a soap history entry for this date or a future date, email editor@welovesoaps.com.

↧

Today in Soap Opera History (January 8)

January 8, 2018, 7:25 am

≫ Next: Pop TV Nielsen Ratings: 'Young and the Restless' Made Cable Top 150 on Friday

≪ Previous: Today in Soap Opera History (January 7)

1975: Ryan's Hope's Pat comforted Delia with a song.
1985: Santa Barbara's Lionel fell off a train and had his ID stolen.
2008: Days of our Lives' EJ found John in Stefano's basement.
2014: Guy Wilson made his first appearance as Will on Days.

"History is a vast early warning system."
― Norman Cousins

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1937:Clara, Lu & Em actress Isobel Carothers died suddenly at age 37. Clara, Lu, and Em was radio's first network daytime soap opera, beginning June 16, 1930 over WGN-AM Chicago, Illinois. It moved to the Blue Network in 1931 and later NBC.

The show began as a Northwestern University sorority sketch by Louise Starkey (Clara), Isobel Carothers (Lu) and Helen King (Em). Their friends suggested they go on the radio, so the trio approached WGN and did their first shows for no pay.

After Carothers' death, Starkey and King decided not to continue the program. When the program returned with Starkey and King in 1942 on CBS, another of their Northwestern University friends, Harriet Allyn, portrayed Lu. Allyn continued in the 1945 cast as Em, along with Fran Allison as Clara and Dorothy Day as Lu.

1970: On Dark Shadows, Maggie Evans (Kathryn Leigh Scott) heard the sound of breathing coming from behind the secret panel.

1976: On Ryan's Hope, Delia Reid Ryan (Ilene Kristen) told her brother-in-law, Pat (Malcolm Groome) that she was miserable and believed that was why her husband, Frank, had lost all interest in her. Delia convinced Pat to sing "Believe Me, if All Those Endearing Young Charms" to make her feel better.

1980: On As the World Turns, Barbara Ryan (Colleen Zenk) returned to Oakdale following a mysterious trip to Philadelphia.

1980: On The Edge of Night, Miles (Joel Crothers) assumed the worst when Derek (Dennis Parker) made dinner plans with Nicole.

1981: On Another World, Rachel Cory (Victoria Wyndham) tracked down Sue, the woman who had seen a man that had been shot the night Mitch Black supposedly died. Rachel told her she wasn't going to let her go until she got the information she needed. Judy Cassmore aired for the final time as Margo Grove in this episode.

1981: On Knots Landing, Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford) began an affair with Judy Trent (Jane Elliot).

1982: On Dallas, J.R. (Larry Hagman), Bobby (Patrick Duffy) and Ray (Steve Kanaly) went to South America to search for their missing father, Jock Ewing, but the only managed to recover his medallion. They returned to Southfork and broke the news to Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes).

1985: On Santa Barbara, a bum found an unconscious Lionel Lockridge (Nicolas Coster) and switched IDs with him. Meanwhile, Peter Flint (Stephen Meadows) murdered a waitress.

1993: On The Young and the Restless, Molly Carter (Marilyn Alex) gave her daughter, Sheila (Kimberlin Brown), valuable information about Scotty's custody.

2001: On One Life to Live, Max Holden (James DePaiva) tried to convince Blair Cramer (Kassie DePaiva) not to marry Todd Manning (Roger Howarth). Later, on his jet, Todd revealed a new passport to Blair with the name "Blair Cramer Manning."

2004: Actor Charles Brown died at age 57. He played Russ Anderson in All My Children as well as roles in Loving and Another World.

2008: On Days of our Lives, EJ DiMera (James Scott) went downstairs at his Stefano's (Joseph Mascolo) mansion and found John Black (Drake Hogestyn) in Rolf's lab.

2009: Actor Don Galloway died at age 71. His soap roles included Buzz Stryker in General Hospital and Kip Rysdale in The Secret Storm.

2014: Guy Wilson debuted as Will Horton on Days of our Lives. Wilson left the show in October 2015 when the character was murdered.

Thanks to Enrique for sending in the item above.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Bob Eubanks (Guest Star, Days of our Lives) - 80
John LaMotta (Ghost of Marco, Dark Shadows) - 79
Kathleen Noone (ex-Patricia, General Hospital: Night Shift; ex-Edna, Passions; ex-Ellen, All My Children; ex-Bette, Sunset Beach; ex-Claudia, Knots Landing; ex-Margaret, As the World Turns) - 73
Michelle Forbes (ex-Sonni/Solita, Guiding Light; ex-Mitch, The Killing; ex-Maryann, True Blood) - 53
Maria Pitillo (ex-Nancy Don, Ryan's Hope) - 52
Eric Scott Woods (ex-Evan, Another World) - 51
Patricia Healy (ex-Tammy, General Hospital)
Ami Dolenz (ex-Melissa, General Hospital) - 49
Sebastian La Cause (Fahri, Orange is the New Black; ex-Ryan, Hustling; ex-Silvio, Days of our Lives) - 47
Yvonna Kopacz Wright (ex-Mel, Guiding Light; ex-Wendy, Days of our Lives) - 46
Jessica Leccia (Ani, Venice; ex-Inez, One Life to Live; ex-Natalia, Guiding Light) - 42
Amber Benson (ex-Tara, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) - 41
Genevieve Padalecki (ex-Ruby, Supernatural) - 37
Gaby Hoffmann (ex-Rhonda, The Good Wife)- 36

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a soap history entry for this date or a future date, email editor@welovesoaps.com.

↧

Pop TV Nielsen Ratings: 'Young and the Restless' Made Cable Top 150 on Friday

January 8, 2018, 8:33 pm

≫ Next: Today in Soap Opera History (January 9)

≪ Previous: Today in Soap Opera History (January 8)

The Nielsen ratings are in for the week of January 1-5, 2018. Same-day repeats of CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless made the cable Top 150 on Friday.

Date	Total Viewers	Adults 18-49 Rating	Rank Among Cable Programs
Monday, January 1	-	-	Not in Top 150
Tuesday, January 2	-	-	Not in Top 150
Wednesday, January 3	-	-	Not in Top 150
Thursday, January 4	-	-	Not in Top 150
Friday, January 5	603,000	0.08	121st

The Bold and the Beautiful did not make the cable Top 150 during the week.

↧

Today in Soap Opera History (January 9)

January 9, 2018, 7:12 am

≫ Next: Today in Soap Opera History (January 10)

≪ Previous: Pop TV Nielsen Ratings: 'Young and the Restless' Made Cable Top 150 on Friday

1984: One Life to Live's Estelle was full of herself. 1985: Cruz
found Eden unconscious and tried to save her on Santa Barbara.
1986: Days of our Lives' Mike met Robin Jacobs.
1989: Delia and Roger were married on Ryan's Hope.

"History is a vast early warning system."
― Norman Cousins

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1958: On The Edge of Night, Virginia (Cathleen Cordell) bumped into John H. Phillips (House Jameson) and identified him as "Mr. X". Phillips told Virginia he wanted to keep his identity confidential to avoid making enemies with any of his clients. He wanted to remain politically neutral in their eyes.

1968: On Another World, Rachel Matthews (Robin Strasser) told Walter Curtin (Val Dufour) she no longer had plans for Hollywood.

1980: On As the World Turns, Joyce (Barbara Rodell) told Don (Conard Fowkes) she came back to make amends.

1981: Judith McConnell aired for the final time as Miranda Bishop on Another World.

1984: UK daytime soap opera Miracles Take Longer premiered on ITV. The series depicted the life and cases dealt with by a branch of the Citizens Advice Bureau. It only lasted four months, and was replaced by Australian soaps Sons and Daughters, The Young Doctors and The Sullivans.

1984: On One Life to Live, Estelle (Elizabeth Hubbard) bragged to Dorian (Robin Strasser) she might win the Community Service Award thanks to her many efforts. "These things are just thrust on me," Estelle said, as only she could.

1984: On The Edge of Night, Geraldine Saxon (Lois Kibbee) worried about Shelley Franklyn (Pamela Shoemaker), who began drinking heavily and mixing pills with alcohol.

1984: On Emerald Point, N.A.S., Lt. Simon Adams suffered jet aircraft "flame-out" during Naval maneuvers with tragic results for his flying partner. Also, the problems of the storm-tossed love affair between Ensign Leslie Mallory and Russian Lieutenant Alexi reached a dramatic climax when the lovers learned that the young Russian officer had been ordered home. And Deanna Kincaid, now fearing for her own safety at the hands of co-conspirator Admiral Yuri Bukharin, took drastic action to complete her espionage assignment and protect her identity from becoming known to Naval Intelligence.

Thanks to Jennifer for sending in the item above.

1985: On Santa Barbara, Cruz (A Martinez) tried to revive Eden (Marcy Walker).

1986: Derya Ruggles debuted as Dr. Robin Jacobs in Days of our Lives.

1989: On the first episode of Ryan's Hope's final week, Roger (Ron Hale) and Delia (Ilene Kristen) were married.

1991: Michael Easton made his first appearance as Tanner Scofield in Days of our Lives.

1997: On Sunset Beach, Olivia (Lesley-Anne Down) found herself in an awkward position.

1998: On The Young and the Restless, Christine (Lauralee Bell) and Danny Romalotti (Michael Damian) traveled to New York City hoping that Peter Garrett (Justin Gorence) would hand over the manuscript, which Sasha Green had penned prior to her death, outlining all of Phyllis' misdeeds. But Phyllis (Sandra Nelson) had gotten to her ex-boyfriend, Peter, first, and a fight over the tell-all book ensued.

Thanks to FoxCrane for sending in the item above.

2006: Actor Don Stewart died at age 70. He was best known to soap fans for his 15 year run as Mike Bauer in Guiding Light. Click here to watch Stewart sing on the 1979 Christmas episode. The Norfolk Daily News reached out to We Love Soaps in 2015 while they were working on a new feature about Stewart's life. Read their story here.

2007: On All My Children, Danielle Frye (Tanisha Lynn) was poisoned by the Satin Slayer. Before falling unconscious, Danielle caught a glimpse of her assailant.

Thanks to Enrique for sending in the item above.

2008: On Passions, Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald (Lindsay Hartley) fantasized what it would be like to finally tell Ethan Crane (Eric Martsolf) that he was the father of her young son. And Theresa's inspiration? An imaginary Spanish-language telenovela called "Las Pasiones de Theresa" starring her and Ethan.

Thanks to FoxCrane for sending in the item above.

2012: On the first episode of One Life to Live's final week on ABC, multiple residents of Llanview visited Heaven and Hell.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Kathryn Walker (ex-Eileen, All My Children; ex-Barbara, Another World; ex-Emily, Search for Tomorrow) - 75
John Doman (Bruce, The Affair; Carmine, Gotham; ex-Edward, Oz) - 73
Crystal Gayle (Guest Star, Another World) - 67
Margaret Klenck (ex-Edwina, One Life to Live; ex-Marion/Kitty, As the World Turns) - 65
Kimberly Beck (ex-Julie, Capitol; ex-Claire, Dynasty; ex-Samantha, General Hospital; ex-Kim, Peyton Place) - 62
Melissa Morgan (ex-Brittany, The Young and the Restless) - 54
Joely Richardson (ex-Julia, Nip/Tuck) - 53
Philip Tanzini (ex-Jeremy, General Hospital) - 51
Joey Lauren Adams (ex-Jennice, Switched at Birth) - 50
Omari Hardwick (James, Power; ex-Andre, Being Mary Jane) - 44
Kerris Dorsey (ex-Paige, Brothers & Sisters) - 30
Nina Dobrev (ex-Elena, The Vampire Diaries; ex-Mia, Degrassi: The Next Generation) - 29
Steve Lund (Luc, Reign; ex-Nick, Bitten) - 29
Nicola Peltz (ex-Bradley, Bates Motel) - 22

In honor of Crystal Gayle's birthday, here's her duet performance with Gary Morris from the end of her week of guest appearances on Another World in March 1987. "(You Take Me Away To) Another World" became the show's new theme song.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a soap history entry for this date or a future date, email editor@welovesoaps.com.

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Today in Soap Opera History (January 10)

January 10, 2018, 7:09 am

≫ Next: Today in Soap Opera History (January 11)

≪ Previous: Today in Soap Opera History (January 9)

1980: Edge of Night's Calvin and Star were married.
1983: General Hospital's Luke was found after an avalanche.
1984: One Life to Live's Asa was not happy with Clint.
2006: Days' Bo and Hope said goodbye to Zack.

"History is a vast early warning system."
― Norman Cousins

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1968: On Dark Shadows, angered and frightened by Angelique Bouchard (Lara Parker), Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) attempted to meet Josette duPres (Kathryn Leigh Scot). Angelique sent a bat to spy on him.

1972: On The Doctors, Dr. Hendryx insisted that he could not find a physical problem for the issues facing Dr. Maggie Powers (Lydia Bruce), leaving her husband, Matt, to wonder if psychiatry was the next step in her case.

1975: On Another World, Mac (Douglass Watson) asked Rachel (Victoria Wyndham) to marry him at Iris' (Beverlee McKinsey) party.

Mac: I want to take care of you the rest of my life."
Rachel: "Iris will never let you marry me."
Mac: "Iris has nothing to do with it. Well, don't keep me in suspense, please... Will you marry me?"
Rachel: "Yes... Oh yes!"

1980: On As the World Turns, Lisa (Eileen Fulton) scoffed when John (Larry Bryggman) told her he thought the two of them were alike.

1980: On The Edge of Night, Calvin Stoner (Irving Allen Lee) married Star Wilson (Yahee). Owen Madison(Bruce Gray) proposed to Deborah Saxon(Frances Fisher).

1980: On Knots Landing, running for a seat on the school board, Richard Avery (John Pleshette) hinged his campaign on the dismissal of a high school teacher (David James Carroll) whose teaching methods were unorthodox. However, Karen Fairgate (Michele Lee) set out to save her daughter's controversial teacher, who later became attracted to Karen.

1983: On General Hospital, rescue workers found Luke's (Anthony Geary) body on the mountain, covered with snow, after the avalanche.

1984: On One Life to Live, Asa (Philip Carey) questioned Clint's (Clint Ritchie) family loyalty.

1985: On Santa Barbara, Joe (Mark Arnold) was reluctant to take a job with C.C. Lionel (Nicolas Coster) confronted Sophia (Judith McConnell) on the train about her being alive; later, the sheriff shot at him.

1989:Ryan's Hope stars Helen Gallagher and Bernard Barrow appeared on Good Morning America to discuss their soap, which ended its run a few days later. On Ryan's Hope that day, Roger (Ron Hale) and Delia (Ilene Kristen) celebrated their wedding night.

1999: David Chase's primetime mobster drama The Sopranos premiered on HBO.

2006: On Days of our Lives, a devastated Bo (Peter Reckell) and Hope Brady (Kristian Alfonso) said goodbye to their young son, Zack, who was brain dead after being hit by a car. Bo and Hope agreed to let Zack's liver be donated to Claire Brady, who need a transplant to survive.

2007: On All My Children, Josh and Babe found Danielle Frye (Tanisha Lynn) motionless on the floor after being attacked by the Satin Slayer with a gardenia and white ribbon in her hands. After CPR was performed, she was rushed to Pine Valley Hospital in critical condition.

Thanks to Enrique for sending in the item above.

2012: On One Life to Live, Starr (Kristen Alderson) revealed to Dani (Kelley Missal) that Cole (Van Hughes) was still alive. Later, James (Nic Robuck) told Starr their relationship was over.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
William Sanderson (ex-Bud, True Blood; ex-E.B., Deadwood) - 74
Tim Haldeman (ex-Graham, Passions) - 69
Pat Benatar (Guest Star, The Young and the Restless) - 65
Sherman Augustus (ex-Hank, The Young and the Restless) - 59
Evan Handler (ex-Conrad, One Life to Live; ex-Duncan, The Astronaut Wives Club; ex-Douglas, The West Wing) - 57
Krista Tesreau (ex-Mindy, Guiding Light; ex-Tina, One Life to Live; ex-Andie, Santa Barbara) - 54
Magaly Colimon (ex-Ruth, Guiding Light) - 53
Robert Sudduth (Former Writer, GCB) - 41
Sarah Shahi (ex-Carmen, The L Word) - 39
Emily Meade (ex-Aimee, The Leftovers) - 29

Passions star Josh Ryan Evans (Timmy) was born on this day in 1982. He died in 2002 at age 20.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a soap history entry for this date or a future date, email editor@welovesoaps.com.

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Today in Soap Opera History (January 11)

January 11, 2018, 7:02 am

≫ Next: Today in Soap Opera History (January 12)

≪ Previous: Today in Soap Opera History (January 10)

1968: Angelique's bat continued to spy on Dark Shdows' Barnabas.
1974: Y&R's Chris and Snapper were married.
1980: ATWT's Barbara remembered a past mystery man.
2005: GH's Jason and Sam made love for the first time.

"History is a vast early warning system."
― Norman Cousins

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1966: On Peyton Place, Betty Anderson (Barbara Parkins) testified in court. After the hearing, Julie Anderson (Kasey Rogers) worried Elliot Carson (Tim O'Connor) would print articles in the newspaper which portrayed her in a negative way, but Constance Mackenzie (Dorothy Malone, who returned to the show after a medical leave) assured her that would not happen.

1968: On Dark Shadows, Peter Bradford (Roger Davis) agreed to represent Victoria (Alexandra Moltke) at her trial for witchcraft. Barnabas (Jonathan Frid) begged Josette to leave town as Angelique's bat spied on them.

1974: On The Young and the Restless, Chris Brooks (Trish Stewart) married Snapper Foster (William Gray Espy).

Thanks to Scott for sending in the item above.

1980: On As the World Turns, Barbara (Colleen Zenk) had a flashback to a mysterious man from her past. Only the man's hand was shown. This was the first "appearance" of Anthony Herrera as James Stenbeck. Zenk and Herrera had already shot scenes together on location in the Dominican Republic, recreated flashbacks from the time Barbara and James were in love two years earlier. Their location scenes were shot at the same time as the infamous Roger Thorpe "death" in April 1980.

1984: On Ryan's Hope, Maggie Shelby (Cali Timmins) told Roger Coleridge (Ron Hale) about her new modeling job, and told them she was going to have a "me first" attitude from now on.

Thanks to Jennifer for sending in the clip above.

1984: On One Life to Live, Asa (Phil Carey) accused Bo (Robert S. Woods) of having Rafe spy on him.

1985: On Guiding Light, Lujack (Vincent Irizarry) became angry when he thought Beth (Judi Evans) was still blind after the bandages were removed from her eyes. He was overjoyed when she revealed that she could see again.

1988: On Santa Barbara, Jake Morton (Rick Edwards) proposed to Hayley Benson (Stacy Edwards). Later, Cain hosted a benefit party at the Lair, where Hayley was hit by Carmen's drunk date. Hayley died in Jake's arms. The clip below also includes Hayley's funeral.

1989: The character of Sally Spectra, played by the late Darlene Conley, first appeared on The Bold and the Beautiful.

1989: On Ryan's Hope, Cali Timmons returned as Maggie, who was surprised to hear Roger (Ron Hale) and Delia (Ilene Kristen) were married.

1993: On Guiding Light, Maureen Bauer (Ellen Parker) crashed her car following a confrontation with her husband, Ed (Peter Simon), over his affair with Lillian Raines (Tina Sloan). Ann Hamilton debuted as Mindy Lewis in this episode.

1993:WWF Monday Night Raw debuted on USA Network. The "action soap opera" continues to air, and is now known as WWE Monday Night Raw.

2005: On General Hospital, Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) and Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco) made love for the first time.

2006: Kimberlin Brown last aired as Sheila Carter on The Young and the Restless. In the episode, Lauren was shocked when the police brought out Sheila, and screamed that it wasn't really her, since her ankle wasn't bandaged and she didn't have a limp. Sheila said the same thing, that she only went after Scott because she wanted to destroy the one thing that meant anything to Lauren. The real Sheila was in a plastic surgeons office and held up a photograph. She told the surgeon that she wanted to look like the person in the photo.

2007: On The Young and the Restless, Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson) and her daughter, Abby Carlton (Darcy Rose Byrnes), left Genoa City to got to Hong Kong, where Ashley accepted a position at House of Kim.

Thanks to Enrique for sending in the item above.

2013: On the 12,000th episode of Days of our Lives, Chad DiMera (Casey Jon Deidrick) interrupted Gabi Hernandez (Camilla Banus) and Nick Fallon's (Blake Berris) wedding.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Stan Ivar (ex-Daniel, Days of our Lives; ex-David/Jack, General Hospital) - 75
Eileen Dietz (ex-Sarah, General Hospital; ex-Linette, Guiding Light) - 73
Katherine Glass (ex-Alison, Return to Peyton Place; ex-Jenny, One Life to Live; ex-Kim, The Best of Everything; ex-M.J., The Doctors) - 71
Sharon Brown (ex-Daisy, Love of Life; ex-Chantel, Generations) - 56
Kyle Richards (ex-Casey, Days of our Lives) - 49
Amanda Peet (ex-Layle, One Life to Live) - 46
Deanna Wright (ex-Kay, Passions) - 38
Kristolyn Lloyd (ex-Dayzee, The Bold and the Beautiful) - 33

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a soap history entry for this date or a future date, email editor@welovesoaps.com.

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