News
Retro TV Production Executive Gives Details On Acquisition & Re-Airing Of NBC's Classic Soap THE DOCTORS!
Courtesy/NBC
Fans of On-Air On-Soaps were very excited last week when we brought them news that Retro TV is going to be airing re-runs of the classic NBC soap opera, The Doctors that starred among others: James Pritchett, Elizabeth Hubbard, David O’Brien, Carolee Campbell, Alec Baldwin, Kathleen Turner, Kim Zimmer and many more!
Classic TV motion picture and television journalist, Will McKinley chatted with Retro TV’s Vice President of Production, Matthew Golden to get some answers to some burning questions about the acquisition and plans for the re-airing of The Doctors slated sometime this fall. Here are some excerpts below!
During their conversation, Golden revealed that as far as from what year the episodes will begin, he revealed: “We will begin with the 1967 season, which is the first of the show to be produced in color.”
As to what day part The Doctors will air and how often, Golden stated: “We’re still in the process of assembling all of the assets; this extends somewhat to the schedule for it, but as it stands right now, we plan to double-strip it Monday through Friday in the early afternoons. (Editor’s Note: “double-strip” means two episodes will air back-to-back) … There are a great number of episodes, and even double-stripping the series would run over six years with no repetition. We are committed to the series, and our commitment, like all networks’, is rooted in favorable response. That said, this is not a test: we will be running the episodes we’ve licensed, and if the response is good, then we’ll renew and continue.”
As to how soap fans can best get Retro TV in their area, Golden commented: “Retro TV is a broadcast network, not direct to cable, satellite, or Internet. We require local stations to affiliate with us on one of their channels, and often cable or satellite providers in those markets pick up and serve the channel on their offerings. The best way to get Retro TV in your area is to call and write your local TV stations and let them know that you want Retro TV. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve welcomed new affiliates in Albuquerque/Santa Fe (KYNM) and Tri-Cities, TN-VA (WLFG), and next week should hopefully bring even more. Stations have been very receptive and excited about the new programming coming to Retro TV.”
Now the question is, if The Doctors is a success could Retro TV become a home to other favorite soaps of the past? And what do you think about the year start date of the first year The Doctors was in color … the day part … and trying to get affiliates in your area to add Retro TV? Weigh-in!
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I hope The Doctors does well…then maybe I can see DAYS from the beginning! I don’t care if it’s black & white or bad picture quality, just as long as I can see and hear the first 18 years of DAYS. Please!!! Note: I’m aware that DAYS premiered in color and all the episodes survive. I’m not sure if all the color episodes survive though. A large amount of them could be Kinescope (black & white copies). Is there anybody that can give definitive answers on the subject? Michael Fairman: Please ask Ken Corday about the DOOL library. Thank you.
Doctors was a great soap back in the 60s to mid 70s…i wont give any plots away…Anna Stuart who played Toni is so young but she wont appear until the early 70s and Gil Gerard who plays Alan in the mid 70s stared in primetimes Buck Rogers…i got to see Days from the beginning(i missed much because my parents just had to send me to school…lol) and i hope its repeated too…black and white, color, or on kinescope ill take them any way i can…Alice, Tom, Tommy, Kitty, Addie, Ben, Steve, Julie, Mickey, Bill, Laura, Diane, Susan, Marie, Craig, Tony,… Read more »
Soapnet should have been the one to do this but im glad another cable channel is giving it a shot…
1975-1977 just prior to creating Luke and Laura on GH along with Bobbie Spencer and the Quarermaines..the late great (I followed him to every soap) Douglass Marland was head writer of The Doctors. I so hope this show extends long enough to see this period of writing. I watched on and off but by that time I was watching Love of Life fade out…all into Ryan’s Hope and not missing ONE moment of One Life to Live. Gosh I remember jumping off that school bus and a lot of us neighborhood kids busting through our front doors and straight to… Read more »
I meant to say Quartermaines…but oh well. Back in those days you watched what your friends mom’s watched especially in the summer when you were running around the neighborhood streets. Or you would be talking about shows and a friend would ask have you seen such and such…and they made it sound so good because something big was happening and you had the luxury of watching through the arc and going back to your show…not liking that shows arc for one reason or another and going back to that new show and sampling the other shows around it and on… Read more »
I remember one of my good friends insisting I watch As The World Turns because of Joyce Coleman and it was all she would talk about until one afternoon I watched the show of that shooting where Joyce came down the steps intending to shoot one person and shot another person by mistake which I’m almost sure were the Hughes brothers and for years I went back and forth to that show until 1986 and the Sabrina/Kim/Doug storyline and LISA BROWN….OH WELL…that’s what news of a 60’s replay will do to one.
I hope it is a success. ME TV will be airing Dark Shadows in the future maybe 2015, but they have not said yet. My one thing is I don’t think it is a good idea to strip the show during the hours that the 4 current soaps are airing, That would limit the audience not grow it. You want the people who are watching the 4 current soaps to watch The Doctors, not to compete with them. I know when the shows air on the East coast nationally between 12:30 PM and 3PM So I would place it after… Read more »
Agreed! I hope my area gets this station and it is successful enough that they air more shows!
Dark Shadows was one of my favorites- there were so many- I’m just hoping I will be able to see the retro shows as I only have an aerial 🙁
Yes, it would be a big mistake to air it against the current four and i hope they are wise to air the show a little later…i want it to succeed so maybe other serials like Dark Shadows, Strange Paradise, Days, and others that still have their episodes like Ryans Hope, Santa Barbara and Passions can find a new home and new fans!!!
you guys will love it!! have fun!!
I never heard of the Doctors..
In college we had a Dark Shadows night, sorta like The Rocky Horror Picture Show ..
But– believe me when I say; we did not watch it live/in current time, most weren’t born yet- ahaa..
I do not recall but believe it was via DVD..
Now, that was an awesome soap !!!! I really liked it!!
but- there was no real ending . now that stank ..
Not every New England state starts airing soaps at 12:30 PM. Some start as early as noon.
I agree it would probably be a mistake to air it at the same time that the current soaps are airing, but on the other hand, I personally would watch it over any of the current four, so . . .
My love of soaps began with Dark Shadows. I hope it’s true because I get ME TV, but I don’t get retro TV. I would gladly tune into a classic soap, such as The Doctors.
I’m very excited! Never thought I’d be watching this soap again in my lifetime! I enjoyed it in my early teens with my Mother & my Aunt, both of whom had ‘crushes’ on Dr. Matt Powers/James Pritchett & I can hear them now gushing over him! I will be watching definitely!
I used to watch it with my mother when i was home from school…i cant wait to see it again!!!
Micheal, can you interview former surving members of this show and get their opinion on it being repeated…i know James Pritchett, Lydia Bruce, David Obrien, Gerald Gordon, Geraldine Court, and a few others are no longer with us but there are others still with us like Liz Hubbard, Carolee Cambell, Jada Rowland, Julia Duffy, Anna Stuart, Gil Gerard, Armand Asante, Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Hougton ect…i think i got there names right…thats if they are able and willing to do it…thanks!!!
Just googled some former cast members and learned Meg Mundy(exMona Croft) is still with us and 99 years old…must be the oldest surviving actor/actress from any daytime drama!!!
I did the look up;
the list does NOT have Retro TV .. zero .. you need to get it to see it 🙂
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Dakota
Rhode Island
Nebraska
Minnesota
Maryland
Massachusetts
Indiana
Delaware
Alaska
Arizona
Retro TV is a broadcast channel, not a cable channel. It is usually broadcasted by a local TV station on one of their secondary channels. Some cable providers do carry it.
RetroTV is a BROADCAST network. Comcast can only add it if one of your local broadcast channels carries it, and there is an agreement with Comcast to carry that channel or subchannel.
So, it must be the same with the other cable providers..
I find it a curious choice…I am not opposed to it by any means. Its just that there are so many soaps that fans are clamoring to see like Texas, Santa Barbara, Another World, Ryan’s Hope etc. I hope it does well and that it opens the doors for other soaps to be placed on their schedule or any other network. I don’t understand why…with the hundreds and hundreds of channels…there is no all soap channel of defunct soaps. Anyone who says it wouldn’t work is wrong!! It could give old soaps new life and even possibly provide a platform… Read more »
well. about the rape stories..
All, ALL, the soaps from around 85 to 90 were doing rape stories, they were very popular lol.. Rape amaina ..!
Kept the fans tuned in mostly from hate and pity .. and it worked..
Also-
yes there are many soaps that could be brought back as retro reruns, thing is- most networks will not touch the soaps new or old..,..
and the licensing to re-air them is complicated..
The Doctors is one of those rare soaps with most of its episodes from the golden era of daytime drama unlike Another World with almost all of its early episodes from the 60s and 70s erased and reused to save money…those were the years AW was at its best and at the top of the ratings…episodes from the 80s to cancellation should be available but except for the Jake/Vicki and Cass/Frankie storylines AW started go downhill and it showed in the ratings especially in the 90s when they foolishly killed off Frankie then brought on her lookalike and also wrote… Read more »
In terms of the choice, as I recall The Doctors was a Colgate/Palmolive show. Maybe they are more willing to license it at a reasonable fee than Proctor and Gamble or ABC, who own many of the others you mentioned.
4Got to mention…yes, id like to see another soap channel too…they could have a show called the ‘Soap Hour’ that shows vintage clips and episides that manage to survive the wiping process and shortlived series like Never Too Young and do interviews with former soap stars and where they are now…maybe with new actors recreate scenes from missing soap episodes if old scripts are available…id like that…i miss soapnet!!!
Good ideas, jimh!!!
I miss Soapnet so much.
yes!!
I have a station not too far from me. Comcast does not carry them. Trying to contact local station to see if I am within range to use antenna tv. I have been requesting Comcast add them but they say to contact local station. I sure hope I can figure this out before they start airing them. I sure wish they had an app so I could watch on my iPad! I really would love watching The Doctors!
Too bad P&G turned its back on the medium that made them succesful, maybe we’d get reruns of GL and ATWT among others.
I think great things could come from this, but, I really wish you would start this show from the beginning. Perhaps those eps are no longer available, but it would be cool to begin right from the start. Jumping into the usual myriad soap operas become, joining THE DOCTORS midstream may be a tad confusing.
I wish theyd start from the begining but i feel starting it where they plan will not be any less different to the soap viewer than a new soap fan who just tuned in to any one of the four remaining soaps without watching from the begining…you gradually get to know the characters and the plots…seeing The Doctors again starting from the 1967 is a lot better than not at all…maybe they’ll eventually put the entire series on dvd!!!
that is so cool!! Bring them all back. I’d so enjoy Edge of Night and Secret Storm!!
Both of those series had most of their episodes erased and reused…The Doctors luckily survived…Edge last 6 years should be available…only a handful of its pre 1978 episodes are known to survive and im certain most of the Secret Storm is also gone forever…only a few episodes survive as well…sad!!!
News
Eva Longoria on Reprising Her Role of ‘Desperate Housewives’ Gabby : “I Would Be The First to Sign Up for a Reboot”
Just where would Gabrielle Solis be today? That was the question posed to Eva Longoria, who is on a publicity campaign for her directorial film debut with Flamin’ Hot.
The former Desperate Housewives star spoke with Access Hollywood’s Mario Lopez, where she revealed where she thinks Wisteria Lane’s Gabby would be today. Longoria chimed in, “She’d be an influencer for sure … she’d be a social media mogul.”
When asked if she would be down for a revival of Desperate Housewives, Longoria enthusiastically said, “I would be the first to sign up for a reboot. I miss Gabby so much. I miss being Gabby Ruiz.”
Photo: ABC
Even though, Desperate Housewives ran from 2004-2013, since its premiere 20 years ago times have changed. The series creator, Marc Cherry, doesn’t seem so ready to bring back Wisteria Lane.
Longoria shared, “He feels like there’s no Why now?” She added that Cherry also expressed, “What do I have to say with these characters that we haven’t already fully mined?”
Photo: Hulu
Soap fans also recall Eva played Isabella on The Young and the Restless from 2001-2003, before joining Desperate Housewives a year later. Flamin Hot, which tells the biographical story of the invention of the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos” is set for release on Hulu and Disney+ on June 9th.
Would you want to see a reboot of Desperate Housewives? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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GH’s Nicholas Chavez and Tabyana Ali to ‘Sprina’ Shippers: “Thank You For Not Only Being Fans, But Turning into Family”
The hottest young duo on daytime drama these days belongs to General Hospital. The couple known as ‘Sprina’ played by Nicholas Chavez (Spencer) and Tabyana Ali (Trina), is being given plenty of non-stop intrigue and drama and romance, much to the delight of their fans, who just can’t get enough of them.
In the latest issue of Soap Opera Digest on newsstands everywhere Friday, Chavez and Ali weigh-in on all the latest developments and recent airshows including: the reading of Victor’s will, what to do about Esme and baby Ace, the action-adventure scenes in ‘Greenland’ and the Haunted Star, and most notably, that emotional leap from Trina into Spencer’s arms when he turned up alive!
Ali told SOD on her preparation for the moment: “I did a couple of jumps and held a baby, and that was about it!”
Courtesy/ABC
Chavez added, “That is my favorite ‘Sprina’ scene, Spencer is walking toward Trina and Trina breaks into a full sprint towards him, jumps into his arms and they kiss. I’ve always wanted to do a moment like that, you know what I mean?” Ali said, “I really loved that scene, too. It was just so fulfilling.”
When addressing what each of them would like to say to their lively and constant fan base, Tabyana expressed; “I would just say we love you, we appreciate you, thank you for all of your support and thank you for not only being fans, but turning into family.”
Nick added, “I co-sign all of that. Every single word.”
Photo: ABC
So, if you are a ‘Sprina” fan, what makes this couple so special and swoon-worthy for you? What do you hope happens next for Trina and Spencer in story? Let us know in the comment section below.
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B&B Alum Pierson Fodé in Consideration to be the Next ‘Superman’
This seems like it would be a great casting choice to us! According to a report in Variety, actor and model Pierson Fodé , the former Thomas Forrester of The Bold and the Beautiful, is in serious consideration to play Superman in the upcoming film Superman: Legacy.
Apparently, James Gunn told the outlet’s Senior Culture & Events Editor, Marc Malkin that, “The next Superman has to be someone who has all the humanity that Superman has, but he’s also an alien. It’s gotta be somebody who has the kindness and the compassion that Superman has and be somebody who you want to give a hug.”
Photo: Fode IG
Gunn added his take on just who will be the newest Clark Kent/ Superman,”We have some really great choices, which I’m excited about.” Back in March, James also revealed that he will be directing the upcoming film himself.
Sources revealed to Malkin that Fodé sent in a self-tape and that Gunn liked what he saw. Pierson played the role of B&B’s Thomas from 2015-2018 and was twice nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award during his run.
If Fodé was chosen for the Man of Steel, he would follow in the footsteps of another former daytime star, Sasha Calle (ex-Lola, Y&R) who is about to debut next week as Supergirl in the motion picture The Flash.
So, could you see Pierson as the next Clark Kent/Superman? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
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