"Soap" (1977) TV series 1977-1981

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Creator:

Susan Harris

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

13 September 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

The soap-operish antics of two families: the Campbells and the Tates.

Plot Keywords:

Soap Opera | Alien Abduction | Post Traumatic Stress Disorder | Shell Shock | Gay Son

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

Rod Roddy	...	Announcer (84 episodes, 1977-1981)
Katherine Helmond	...	Jessica Tate (82 episodes, 1977-1981)
Richard Mulligan	...	Burt Campbell (82 episodes, 1977-1981)
Cathryn Damon	...	Mary Campbell (80 episodes, 1977-1981)
Ted Wass	...	Danny Dallas (74 episodes, 1977-1981)
Billy Crystal	...	Jodie Dallas (73 episodes, 1977-1981)
Robert Mandan	...	Chester Tate (72 episodes, 1977-1981)
Jennifer Salt	...	Eunice Tate / ... (63 episodes, 1977-1981)
Jimmy Baio	...	Billy Tate (60 episodes, 1977-1981)
Diana Canova	...	Corinne Tate-Flotsky / ... (59 episodes, 1977-1980)
Arthur Peterson	...	The Major (56 episodes, 1977-1981)
Jay Johnson	...	Bob Campbell / ... (56 episodes, 1977-1981)
Robert Guillaume	...	Benson DuBois (49 episodes, 1977-1980)
Donnelly Rhodes	...	Dutch Leitner (35 episodes, 1978-1981)

Runtime:

30 min (93 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M (some episodes) | Australia:PG (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Trivia:

The series ended with several cliffhangers unresolved, including Jessica about to be executed by a communist firing squad. A 1983 episode of "Benson" (1979) mentions Jessica's disappearance, noting the Tate family is seeking to have her declared legally dead. In this episode, Jessica appears as an apparition whom only Benson can see or hear, revealing to Benson that she is not dead, but in a coma somewhere in South America. The other cliffhangers are not referenced, leaving it to the viewers' imagination as to what might have happened.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the first episode, Chester Tate tells Benson he can't eat eggs as he has high cholesterol, but in several other episodes, he is clearly seen eating eggs.

Quotes:

Announcer: This is the story of two sisters. Jessica Tate and Mary Campbell. These are the Tates, and these are the Campbells, and this is Soap.
Jessica Gatling Tate, Mary Gatling Dallas Campbell: [after Burt and Chester start a physical altercation] Hey! Stop!
[soon the whole family tries to stop Burt and Chester from fighting]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Freaks and Geeks: Noshing and Moshing (#1.15)" (2000)

Oh, the nostalgia

I came across this one when it first aired shortly after I came to Canada, and I thought it was one of the funniest shows ever made for TV, with everyone enjoying poking fun at TV soap shows. Some of the characters were utterly brilliant and/or perfect foils for others and at times I thought I was going to do myself an injury I laughed so hard. The wonderful - though perhaps not very amazing - thing was how many of the actors went on to their own series and fame and fortune afterwards - Billy C., Katherine H., Richard S., Robert G., to name but a few, and the shorter, vignette appearances were as brilliant and memorable as some of the main roles. I was genuinely saddened when they wrote out one or two of the roles - and shocked and horrified when ABC abruptly pulled the plug on it. I guess it just showed up the real soaps for how stupid and silly they really are and the networks were making an awful lot of money from those - and still are!!!(It's incredible how people will put up with that stuff without throwing a brick through the screen!) Sadly, Soap, for all its innovative ideas and killingly-funny skits way back 25 years ago, really hasn't stood up to the test of time. TV, soaps, comedy and touchy topics have moved on and the show is no longer nearly as funny as it was originally. Now running on the Comedy Channel once a week (way too infrequently to provide the momentum it now truly needs), it still brings back twinges and some of the performances are obviously as good as they were back in the 70s. But the comedy isn't as fresh as it was, the shine is off the peach, and I guess it's fair to say that even nostalgia isn't quite what it used to be! I'm still enjoying it enough to put it on tape though - that's an opportunity I don't want to miss. Way to go, Ms Harris and your fine cast!!