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Soap

  • TV Series
  • 1977–19811977–1981
  • 30m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
7K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,457
74
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Billy Crystal, Katherine Helmond, Roscoe Lee Browne, Cathryn Damon, Jay Johnson, Robert Mandan, Richard Mulligan, and Arthur Peterson in Soap (1977)
Watch {VideoTitle}
Play trailer2:02
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • Romance

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

IMDb RATING
8.2/10
7K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,457
74
  • Creator
    • Susan Harris
  • Stars
    • Katherine Helmond
    • Rod Roddy
    • Richard Mulligan
Top credits
  • Creator
    • Susan Harris
  • Stars
    • Katherine Helmond
    • Rod Roddy
    • Richard Mulligan
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 51User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 4 Primetime Emmys
      • 7 wins & 18 nominations total

    Episodes88

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:02
    Trailer

    Photos319

    Billy Crystal and Bob Seagren in Soap (1977)
    Katherine Helmond and Cathryn Damon in Soap (1977)
    Cathryn Damon, Jay Johnson, and Ted Wass in Soap (1977)
    Jay Johnson in Soap (1977)
    Robert Mandan in Soap (1977)
    Cathryn Damon and Richard Mulligan in Soap (1977)
    Katherine Helmond and Robert Mandan in Soap (1977)
    Edward Winter in Soap (1977)
    Cathryn Damon in Soap (1977)
    Diana Canova and Sal Viscuso in Soap (1977)
    Katherine Helmond and Robert Mandan in Soap (1977)
    Robert Mandan in Soap (1977)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Katherine Helmond
    Katherine Helmond
    • Jessica Tateas Jessica Tate
    88 episodes88 eps • 1977–1981
    Rod Roddy
    • Announceras Announcer
    87 episodes87 eps • 1977–1981
    Richard Mulligan
    Richard Mulligan
    • Burt Campbellas Burt Campbell
    86 episodes86 eps • 1977–1981
    Cathryn Damon
    Cathryn Damon
    • Mary Campbellas Mary Campbell
    83 episodes83 eps • 1977–1981
    Ted Wass
    Ted Wass
    • Danny Dallasas Danny Dallas
    79 episodes79 eps • 1977–1981
    Robert Mandan
    Robert Mandan
    • Chester Tateas Chester Tate
    78 episodes78 eps • 1977–1981
    Billy Crystal
    Billy Crystal
    • Jodie Dallasas Jodie Dallas
    77 episodes77 eps • 1977–1981
    Jennifer Salt
    Jennifer Salt
    • Eunice Tateas Eunice Tate…
    65 episodes65 eps • 1977–1981
    Jimmy Baio
    Jimmy Baio
    • Billy Tateas Billy Tate
    66 episodes66 eps • 1977–1981
    Arthur Peterson
    Arthur Peterson
    • The Majoras The Major
    62 episodes62 eps • 1977–1981
    Diana Canova
    Diana Canova
    • Corinne Tate Flotskyas Corinne Tate Flotsky…
    59 episodes59 eps • 1977–1980
    Jay Johnson
    Jay Johnson
    • Bob Campbellas Bob Campbell…
    61 episodes61 eps • 1977–1981
    Robert Guillaume
    Robert Guillaume
    • Benson DuBoisas Benson DuBois
    51 episodes51 eps • 1977–1980
    Donnelly Rhodes
    Donnelly Rhodes
    • Dutch Leitneras Dutch Leitner
    38 episodes38 eps • 1978–1981
    Sal Viscuso
    Sal Viscuso
    • Tim Flotskyas Tim Flotsky…
    24 episodes24 eps • 1977–1979
    Rebecca Balding
    Rebecca Balding
    • Carol Davidas Carol David
    19 episodes19 eps • 1978–1980
    Marla Pennington
    Marla Pennington
    • Leslie Walkeras Leslie Walker
    18 episodes18 eps • 1979–1981
    John Byner
    John Byner
    • Detective Donahueas Detective Donahue
    17 episodes17 eps • 1978–1980
    • Creator
      • Susan Harris
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Parody of television soap-operas--the show's humor relies on exaggerating soap-operas' characteristic plot implausibility and melodrama to ridiculous extremes, then adds a fair bit of the truly bizarre, including some remarkable characters. —Tad Dibbern <DIBBERN_D@a1.mscf.upenn.edu>
    • f rated
    • ventriloquist dummy
    • ptsd post traumatic stress disorder
    • soap opera
    • sitcom
    • 30 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The Groundbreaking Comedy Series!
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Romance
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      "Soap" was actually the working title for the show, while the producers tried to come up with a better name, and was used all through pre-production. No better name was ever decided upon, so "Soap" became the formal title when the show went into production.
    • Quotes

      Burt: Seven of my guys are going to be off today 'cause it's a Jewish holiday and I'm gonna have to do all their jobs. What really gets me is that I don't think they're all Jewish... two of them are black and one's an Indian.

    • Crazy credits
      Original network broadcasts opened with an on-screen content warning. This was one of the first TV programs to include such a warning, though such disclaimers are now commonplace.
    • Alternate versions
      A 12-disc Region 1 DVD set is available. All 90 episodes are featured, but some scenes are not present. For example, when Jessica dies and goes to Heaven, she tells Mary she went there, and a still of her sitting on steps in Heaven is present in the next episode recap, but we never see the scene.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Magic of ABC (1977)

    User reviews51

    Review
    Top review
    Still holds up
    I remember when this premiered on TV. I was in high school and this played at 9:30 at night. The original airings had a warning saying that "some material may not be suitable for younger viewers". Naturally every high school kid in the country tuned in! It was ahead of its time. It dealt with senility, racism, adultery, murder, sex...all in a funny manner! Also it had the first positive gay character on TV--Jodie played by Billy Crystal (in fact he said many gay men thanked him for how well he played it). Also it had a great cast--Katherine Helmond and Cathryn Damon especially (both won Emmys for their work on this).

    I was unsure of seeing this again on DVD but--it still works! It's dated of course (especially in the clothes and hair styles) and it's nowhere near as shocking as it once was, but it's still very funny and the cast works exceptionally well together. The first three seasons are the best--it really started to fall apart during season four (it's last). However the dramatic parts never really worked--they didn't jell with the comedy well and were HORRIBLY written. Still the focus on the show was the comedy so it worked almost all of the time.

    DVD: Season one is OK but the colors are faded and I've noticed bits and pieces missing from certain episodes. I assumed they got the originals but maybe not. The color got better with seasons 2 and 3. No extras on any of the discs--couldn't there have been a few little interviews with the surviving cast members? Still--I would rather have these than not. Recommended highly.
    helpful•16
    4
    • preppy-3
    • Jan 30, 2006

    FAQ2

    • A NOTE ABOUT SPOILERS
    • List: Ventriloquists who have disturbing relationships with their dummies

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 13, 1977 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Die Ausgeflippten
    • Filming locations
      • Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      30 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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    Billy Crystal, Katherine Helmond, Roscoe Lee Browne, Cathryn Damon, Jay Johnson, Robert Mandan, Richard Mulligan, and Arthur Peterson in Soap (1977)
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