Talk:Soap (TV series)

Series ending

Why did it end so abruptly? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 145.246.240.14 (talk) 05:36, 25 November 2007 (UTC)

The article gives declining ratings as the reason. This is however inconsistent with the statement later in the article that the series had high rating throughout the four seasons. It seems that the real reason was that the network had trouble getting advertisers for the show due to its controversial nature:

—Though the show’s ratings were still quite good in season four, ABC canceled the series because of continued pressure from the so-called “moral majority.” By the end of the series, only Vlasic pickles was the only advertiser interested in the series. In They’ll Never Put That on the Air, executive producer Paul Junger Witt said, “We weren’t killed by a fearful network. The network had been incredibly supportive. We had been doing this long enough to understand that they were in a business, and they sat down and showed us – dollar for dollar – why they couldn’t afford to do it anymore.”

Vuzman (talk) 12:31, 21 March 2011 (UTC)

References

If the OP meant why did the storylines end so abruptly, ie, without resolution, it was because the show was cancelled after 4 seasons when it had originally been meant to run at least 5 seasons. They were not given the opportunity to have a true series finale & have every plot point tied up & resolved. This was at a time when the major networks were pretty much it for original programming & home cable TV was in its infancy. Had a popular show like Soap been given the axe today, there would've been half a dozen cable channels standing by to scoop it up & continue it. ScarletRibbons (talk) 20:52, 13 June 2019 (UTC)

Bob, the dummy

Trivial matter: does anyone know if Bob (the dummy) was technically a Campbell, or was he just "Bob"? --Kairotic 04:16, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

He referred to himself as Bob Campbell at least once.Bkatcher (talk) 17:43, 10 December 2008 (UTC)

Parody

Was Soap a loose parody on Love of Life? You know, with the two sisters thing? One from money and one not? The main difference is that one of the sisters on LOL was a bitch, and both of them on Soap were really nice. Jessica was a ditz, though. Mike H 18:49, Sep 6, 2004 (UTC)

Soap was a parody of allot of things. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.247.244.120 (talk) 17:48, 23 May 2009 (UTC)

Fundamentalists

There should be some mention of the way the American Christian fundamentalists made sure no more episodes were made, by threatening the broadcasters with the removal of advertising from their stations if they continued to show Soap. After all, it was the only American comedy that ever made English viewers laugh.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.139.84.158 (talk • contribs) 5 December 2005

Soap was one of the funnier US sitcoms from the UK point of view, but I can also mention (from memory) The Phil Silvers Show, I Love Lucy, The Beverly Hillbillies, Get Smart, Hogan's Heroes, My Three Sons, Taxi, Rhoda, WKRP in Cincinnati, and M*A*S*H which all had good runs in, and were popular, in the UK. I believe that Police Squad! was more popular in the UK than US, and seem to remember that the makers continued making the show at the request of the BBC after the US TV stations lost interest. There was also Sledge Hammer!, although that was shown fairly late at night and I don't think made much of an impact. There was also the other comedies that were aimed more at children, such as Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, Big John, Little John, and Diff'rent Strokes that were also fairly popular.

I can't talk much of TV shows later than the early/mid nineties, as it seems on both sides of the Atlantic the broadcasters and TV companies started taking-the-piss out of the viewer, putting out any old crap, - that includes the BBC - so I no longer have a TV myself.

Peter Campbell

This article claims that Peter was Jessica's stepson, which is incorrect. He was the son of her sister's second husband (from his first marriage). I don't know what to change it to -- step-nephew? Is that even a word? Tuf-Kat 01:41, Jan 5, 2005 (UTC)

It would be better to say that Peter was the stepson of Jessica's sister Mary. 147.70.242.21 23:58, 7 November 2005 (UTC)

step-nephew is a cromulent word, since you ask, but rarely used. —Tamfang (talk) 07:48, 29 November 2014 (UTC)

Rod Roddy's introduction

I could swear from admittedly distant) memory of watching the show that the introduction went "Confused? You will be after this episode of Soap". But then I undersood that half the reason Soap got watched was that it was a complete send-up of that sort of programme. --Fraggle11 (talk) 15:54, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

I am pretty sure it usually went "Confused? You wont be after this episode of Soap". I will check my DVDs when I get home... Format (talk) 20:06, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

Both mine and my wife's recollection is that the intro went as quoted by Fraggle11 i.e. "...You will be..." Spitpilot (talk) 17:15, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

It's you "won't" be. You and your wife are misremembering.

67.180.44.133 (talk) 06:32, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

I have the DVDs, and it's definitely "Confused? You won't be..." Zachary Klaas (talk) 13:14, 22 September 2009 (UTC)

I too remember it as "Confused? You will be" otherwise it doesnt have any point. Its a saying I've often remembered when dealing with bureaucracy for instance. This is confirmed by the artcle in the British Daily Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1371369/Richard-Mulligan.html) Perhaps it changed at some point during the series 15:05, 27 July 2019 (UTC)

On YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BHQT3Omqtw) there is an example of the intro, about 20 seconds in you can hear "You won't be".

Chief of Police Tinkler

I made a change to spell it "Piece of Cholief" Tinkler...it's "oli" because the root word is "police", not "palice". Zachary Klaas (talk) 13:14, 22 September 2009 (UTC)

The correct number of episodes?

The article contains self-contradicting data on number of episodes inthe series. In the infobox it says there are 8 hour-long episodes, however the third paragraph says that there were only 4 of them. The total number of episodes (after splitting the hour-long ones) is stated as 93, but in the "DVD releases" section it is 95. What are the correct numbers, then? --Krótki (talk) 20:14, 2 January 2011 (UTC)

The info box is correct. In addition to the final four episodes, four other episodes including the season 2, 3 and 4 premieres. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.85.7.106 (talk) 01:01, 13 May 2014 (UTC)

Incest?

The "Controversy" section mentions many themes in the show that that caused controversy. One of them it mentions is "incest." I'm a big fan of the show; I've watched it through many times, and I don't recall any incest. I suppose there's Peter Campbell, whom both Jessica and Corinne had sex with. He is Jessica's Nephew and Corinne's cousin. But Peter was Burt's son from his first marriage. He had no blood relation to Jessica or Corienne, though he was technically Jessica's nephew. He had even less relation to Corienne, who was biologically the child of Jessica's brother. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.23.136.159 (talk) 05:33, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Also Danny had sex with Chester's second wife; Danny had already been revealed to be Chester's biological son, meaning he had slept with his step-mother. Again, no blood relation. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.23.136.159 (talk) 05:38, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

There was no incest actually depicted on the show but because Jessica is depicted sleeping with her sister's stepson in the pilot, the rumors spread in the media was that the show was dealing with an incestuous relationship. Since this was reported at the time, the article's claim that the show caused controversy because of the theme of incest is technically correct. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.85.7.106 (talk) 00:33, 13 May 2014 (UTC)

Also, remember that Jessica did not know that Peter was Mary's stepson at the time she was having the affair with him. Her finding that out was claimed to be her motive in killing him at the trial. CFLeon (talk) 07:11, 6 September 2022 (UTC)

Disclaimer

I dispute the accuracy of the statement that Soap's "viewer discretion advised" disclaimer was the first in TV history (is there another source beyond the one given?). For one thing I am certain James Bond films were preceded by similar disclaimers when they were broadcast prior to 1977. It's likely correct that Soap was the first TV series to have a disclaimer. 68.146.52.234 (talk) 16:28, 3 July 2014 (UTC)

death of Johnny Dallas

As I understood Bert's flashback, Johnny fell while attacking Bert, but Bert did nothing (other than dodge the attack, if that) to send him on his way; so morally he need not even claim self-defense. —Tamfang (talk) 07:56, 29 November 2014 (UTC)

Soap cancellation

Since Soap was unexpectedly (which I gather from this article) canceled in 1981 after four seasons, were there any attempts to revive the show in first-run syndication? They did this was many other shows later in the 1980s, like Mama's Family and Charles in Charge, achieving great success. Was this business practice not the trend when Soap ended? I haven't read this anywhere, but with a show like Soap, it seems like it would have been successful in a syndicated revival. Another soap opera parodies, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and All That Glitters, aired in first-run syndication. Does anyone out there have information centering on this topic? Thanks.

Re-release changes?

The dvd box set was re-released in 2015 and the running time (2312 vs 2161) states that it contains more material than the previous release. Does anyone know whether the previous syndicated episodes have been replaced by the broadcast versions or what other material has been added? If yes, please add information to dvd section on the wiki page. :-) Normann1974 (talk) 15:04, 15 May 2016 (UTC)

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Which sister is older?

If I recall correctly, Mary was the older sister between her and Jessica, but I can't remember if Corrine or Eunice was older. Anyonme know? CFLeon (talk) 07:06, 6 September 2022 (UTC)

The confusion over this is brought up in two episodes. Eunice claims she had to grow up in Corinne's shadow, but Dutch points out that Eunice is actually the older sister. In another episode, Mary and Jessica both claim to be the younger sister. Specialsam110 (talk) 18:58, 29 August 2023 (UTC)

The section regarding the Newsweek article seems incorrect, or at least misleading

I haven't watched the show myself, but after reading the Newsweek article here: https://soapcompanion.wordpress.com/2010/12/07/the-article-that-launched-a-thousand-protests/ It seems some things are being misconstrued. For instance the wikipedia article says:

"Despite having not seen the pilot, Waters called the show a "sex farce" and claimed (erroneously) that the show included a scene of a Catholic priest being seduced in a confessional."

But the Newsweek article says:

"The network is so optimistic about “SOAP” that it has had the show’s writers draw up a plot outline for the next five years. Jessica’s promiscuous daughter will try to seduce a Jesuit priest (in church), ..."

So it wouldn't be surprising it's not in the show because it's an outline of a potential plot.

Also, the Newsweek article mentions there was already controversy surrounding it among affiliate stations:

"But ABC intends to feed “SOAP” down the line at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, and some of the network’s affiliate-station heads, who screened the show at their convention last month, are understandably uneasy. “At this point, we don’t plan to run it,” says Dale Moore, president of KMVT in Twin Falls, Idaho. “ ‘SOAP’ needs its mouth washed out. It’s not a new frontier, it’s a new sewer.” Adds George Koehler, operator of ABC’s outlet in Huntington, W.Va.: “It’s in the vein of a dirty joke. You don’t walk into a stranger’s living room and tell a dirty joke.”"

So clearly there was some controversy before the article was published.

It also isn't clear if Waters actually didn't watch the episode, it seems he has just stated that he doesn't remember. As Aaron points out here he likely did. Glassier (talk) 19:38, 6 August 2024 (UTC)