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Soap

Plot

Once the syndicated series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman had created a market for satirical soap operas, the networks rushed to the post with comical continuing "dramas" of their own. The most successful product of this genre -- and one of the most controversial -- was the weekly, half-hour ABC series Soap, which debuted September 13, 1977. Put simply, Soap was the sexy saga of two families, the wealthy Tates and the not-so-wealthy Campbells. Ditzy Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond), the wife of philandering businessman Chester Tate (Robert Mandan), is the sister of Mary Dallas Campbell, who lived with her second husband, blue-collar worker Burt Campbell (Richard Mulligan). Jessica and Chester's children included the sexy, libidinous Corrine (Diana Canova), who ended up marrying defrocked priest Father Timothy Flotsky (Sal Viscusco); strait-laced Eunice (Jennifer Salt), later the wife of convicted murderer Dutch (Donnelly Rhodes), who had escaped from prison with Chester after the latter had confessed to the murder of Jessica's paramour, tennis pro Peter (Robert Urich) (who happened to be the son of Burt Campbell!); and young son Billy Tate (Jimmy Baio), a typical hormone-driven teenager who would "mature" to the extent that he was stalked by a scorned lover.

The Campbell children included Mary's sons by her first marriage: Danny Dallas (Ted Wass), a young mobster, and Jodie Dallas (Billy Crystal), a homosexual who nonetheless enjoyed several heterosexual relationships, one of which produced a daughter. Among the many other characters were Jessica Tate's father, "The Major" (Arthur Pierson), a senile, shell-shocked WW2 veteran; the Tates' snide, sneering butler Benson (Robert Guillaume, who later starred as this character in his own sitcom); Detective Donahue (John Byner), who fell in love with Jessica while searching for the fugitive Chester; Mafia daughter Elaine Lefkowitz (Dinah Manoff), who, before being kidnapped and bumped off, forced Danny into a romantic relationship; Carol David (Rebecca Balding), the conniving mother of Jodie's baby; and "El Puerco" (Gregory Sierra), a South American revolutionary who became enamored of Jessica. The various and sundry plots and subplots wending their way through Soap's four seasons are far too multitudinous and complex to explain here. Suffice to say that the storylines incorporated false murder charges, amnesia, suicidal lesbians, interracial marriage, religious cults (in this case a group called the "Sunnies"), UFO abductions, extraterrestrial clones, satanic possessions, and banana-republic firing squads. In other words, Soap was just your average, typical soap opera, but with a laugh track. Even before the series debuted, Soap was under attack from a vast array of "clean up TV" brigades, religious organizations, and self-styled social arbiters. On the other hand, the series had scores of high-profile defenders who recognized Soap for what it truly was: A pungent lampoon of modern manners and mores, served up in a humorous and exaggerated fashion with no malice intended. The series ended on April 20, 1981, with its traditional season-ending "cliffhanger" -- which in this instance would not be resolved the following season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Credit

Susan Harris - Executive Producer, Tony Thomas - Executive Producer, Paul Junger Witt - Executive Producer, George Aliceson Tipton - Composer (Music Score), Stu Silver - Producer, Jenna McMahon - Producer, Dick Clair - Producer, Susan Harris - Show Creator

Episodes

Soap: Season 01 (1977)
The endless intrigues (sexual and otherwise) involving the Campbells and the Tates are already up and running as the satirical sitcom Soap launches its first season. By the time episode one has faded from view, the audience is aware that blowhard businessman Chester Tate (Robert Mandan) is cheating on his wife, Jessica (Katherine Helmond); that Jessica herself is fooling around with studdish tennis instructor Peter (Robert Urich), who in turn is sleeping with Jessica's daughter, Corrinne (Diana Canova); that Corrinne's brother, Billy (Jimmy Baio), is nervously anticipating his first score -- er, first date; that Billy's other sister Eunice (Jennifer Salt) is the only member of the family who isn't sex-obsessed; and that Jessica's senile father, "The Major" (Arthur Pierson), is still reliving the horrors of WW2 -- with a bit of prodding from the family's sneering butler, Benson (Robert Guillaume). Meanwhile, Jessica Tate's sister, Mary Dallas Campbell (Cathryn Damon), is having troubles of her own with her blue-collar second husband Burt Campbell (Robert Mulligan) and her sons, mobster Danny Dallas (Ted Wass) and homosexual Jodie Dallas (Billy Crystal) (it is revealed that Mary's first husband officially committed suicide, but that Mary "helped" his demise along). In future episodes, we learn that tennis pro Peter is the son of Burt Campbell; that a contract has been taken out on Burt, and Danny is to be the hit man; that Jodie is contemplating a sex change operation; and that Corrine is having an affair with an ex-priest. We are also introduced to "mob daughter" Elaine Lefkowitz (Dinah Manoff), whom Danny is forced to marry if he wants to save his skin. Season one ends on a cliffhanger with Jessica being arrested for, and convicted of, the murder of Peter Campbell -- but the series' narrator assures us that she didn't do it. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Soap: Season 02 (1978)
The cliffhanger that brought season one of Soap to a climax is resolved in season two when Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond) is cleared of the murder of her lover (and step-nephew!) Peter Campbell. Jessica's husband, Chester (Robert Mandan), confesses to the crime whereupon he is convicted and sent to prison. Later on, Chester escapes with fellow con Dutch (Donnelly Rhodes), who, while holding the Tate family hostage, sleeps with Jessica's far-from-unwilling daughter, Eunice (Jennifer Salt), leading to an elopement. As for Eunice's daughter Corrinne (Diana Canova), she marries defrocked priest Father Tim (Sal Viscusco), with whom she has a child -- who, alas, is possessed by Satan!. Still later, Chester loses his memory and wanders westward, ultimately getting a job as a fry cook. To find her missing husband, Jessica hires Detective Donahue (John Byner), with whom she falls in love! Meanwhile, Jodie Dallas (Billy Crystal), the gay son of Jessica's sister, Mary Campbell (Cathryn Damon), opts to give women a try and to that end moves in with Carol David (Rebecca Balding) -- who happens to be carrying Jodie's baby. Later on, Jodie will have a fling with a sucidal lesbian named Alice (Randee Heller). Elsewhere, Jodie's mobster brother, Danny (Ted Wass), forced into a relationship with Mafia daughter Elaine (Dinah Manoff), tries to figure out various ways of getting rid of her. But when Elaine is kidnapped and subsequently killed, a heartbroken Danny swears vengeance. And what of Danny and Jodie's stepfather, Burt (Richard Mulligan)? Well, he has his hands full trying to convince his family that he has seen a UFO. As season two rushes to a close, Jessica Tate is compelled to choose between hubby Chester and Detective Donahue, Billy Tate (Jimmy Baio) is being held captive by a religious cult called the "Sunnies," and befuddled Burt is abducted by those "non-existent" aliens. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Soap: Season 03 (1979)
When Soap arrived at its cliffhanging season-two finale, Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond) was trying to choose between her husband Chester (Robert Mandan) and a detective named Donahue; Jessica's son Billy (Jimmy Baio) was in the clutches of a religious cult called the "Sunnies"; and Jodie's step-father (and Jessica's brother-in-law) Burt Campbell (Richard Mulligan) had been abducted by space aliens. Season Three finds Billy being rescued from the Sunnies by Jessica's butler Benson (Robert Guillaume), while an alien clone of Burt moves into the Campbell home undetected -- much to the delight of Burt's spouse Mary (Cathryn Damon), who immensely enjoys the vast improvement in her sex life! In other developments, Jessica's daughter Eunice (Jennifer Salt) is getting tired of life on the run with her escaped-con husband Dutch (Donnelly Rhodes); Eunice's sister Corrine (Diana Canova) is just about fed up with her do-nothing husband, ex-priest Father Tim; Jodie's gangster brother Danny (Ted Wass) is saved from mob retribution by a girl named Millie (Candy Azzara), but ultimately forges a new romance with a black girl named Polly Dawson (Lynne Moody); Jessica decides to forgive Chester, only to have him cheat on her again; "Alien Burt" impregnates Mary, and later "Real Burt" runs for sheriff; Mary's gay son Jodie (Billy Crystal) launches a few more "straight" relationships; and Benson leaves the employment of the Tate family (a move necessitated by actor Robert Guillaume's defection to his own sitcom titled -- what else? -- Benson). This season's 60-minute cliffhanger finale finds Danny proposing to Polly, Jodie fighting for custody of the son born to him by Carol David, and Mary trying to figure out how to tell Burt that her baby is not his; and, after a lengthy illness, Jessica Tate dies. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Soap: Season 04 (1980)
The death of Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond) was the big shocker at the end of Soap's third season. So imagine everyone's surprise when, as the series launched season four, Jessica was brought back to life -- following a brief stopover in Heaven to commiserate with all her ex-lovers! In another dangling plot strand resolved by the fourth-season opener, Jessica's son, Billy Tate (Jimmy Baio), is rescued from the bullet fired by his scorned lover, Leslie Walker (Marla Pennington). Additionally, the Tates have acquired a new butler named Saunders (Roscoe Lee Browne), replacing their former retainer Benson (actor Robert Guillaume had of course left Soap to star in his own sitcom, titled -- you guessed it -- Benson). The many subplots wending their way through the series' final network season include the election of Jessica's brother-in-law, Burt Campbell (Richard Mulligan), as sheriff leading to Burt's run-in with mob-connected hooker Gwen (Jesse Welles) -- with whom Burt's stepson, Danny (Ted Wass), becomes enamored. Also highlighted are the long-delayed wedding of Jessica's daughter, Eunice (Jennifer Salt) and ex-convict Dutch (Donnelly Rhodes); the long, anguished search by Danny's brother, Jodie (Billy Crystal), for his missing daughter; and Jessica's abduction to South America, where she falls in love with revolutionary leader El Puerco (Gregory Sierra), culminating in her divorce from Chester (Robert Mandan). As in previous years, season four of Soap ends with a cliffhanger as Jessica Tate faces a South American firing squad. This time, however, there was to be no resolution -- the series had been canceled! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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