"Soap" (1977) TV series 1977-1981

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 | Cult Comedy | Cult TV | Mafia | 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:

[Approaching Eunice to be a character witness at Jessica's murder trial]
Mallu: Do you have any secrets.
Eunice Tate: No.
Benson: Wanna bet?
Eunice Tate: No one knows.
Benson: I know.
Eunice Tate: You're the only one who knows.
Benson: Well if I know you never know who else knows.
Eunice Tate: You're right. I can't testify.
Mallu: I know!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Gilmore Girls: So... Good Talk (#5.16)" (2005)

These questions, and many more, will be answered...

I began watching this show when I was rather young - elementary-school aged, really, & because of its episodic nature (for I read comic books voraciously, & loved "to be continued" storylines) - well, probably because I liked the guy with the puppet - I was hooked. I watched it weekly & remember praying to God that it wouldn't be cancelled. The magic of the show was that it taught me so much. I knew little or nothing about homosexuality, infidelity, racism, hell, even the Mafia or Central American revolutions, until I watched this show. It was genuinely funny - Bert thinking he could turn invisible, Benson's "I ain't getting that," everyone talking to Bob when they knew damn well Chuck was throwing his voice - I laughed & laughed.

As I watch TV now, I really miss the topicality of this show - the fact that, with a simple parody of soap operas, they managed to bring important issues of the day to the forefront. No one was safe - even alien abductions were lampooned, years before there was an X-Files that could stand a bit of ribbing.

Yeah, it's dated, & when I saw a few episodes in repeats a while back, I was more moved by my old feelings - these were friends I hadn't seen in ages! - than by the story & the jokes. But the point was, it was brave - like "All In The Family," like "Good Times" - though not a Norman Lear creation - braver than anything on right now. Someone else suggested you watch from day one - that's not all that important, because you'll catch on soon enough (it's a soap opera, after all), but I do believe you'll come to care for the characters & their ridiculous predicaments soon enough. & you'll be amazed at how utterly clever it is.

Be warned, though - like "Twin Peaks" it doesn't really end, & if you're coming at it for the first time, you'll be sad when you get to season four's end & there's nothing following. I was.