Screening of daytime soap operas in Australia
A number of American daytime soap operas have aired in Australia over the years.
In March 1968 the first United States Daytime soap premiered on Australian screens, Days of our Lives. In February 1974 the Nine Network ran NBC's Days of our Lives (in 55 minute installments) at 12.00 midday each week day, and General Hospital (in thirty minute episodes) at 2.30 pm.[1] By December that year the Nine Network was screening Days of our Lives (now in thirty minute episodes) at 12.00 midday each week day, followed by The Young and the Restless (in twenty-five minute installments followed by a five-minute news service) at 12.30 pm. General Hospital now screened on Nine at 1.30 pm in thirty minute installments.[2]
Currently, the Nine Network holds Days of our Lives, while Network Ten airs CBS's The Bold and the Beautiful and Foxtel's W. Channel screens The Bold and the Beautiful's "sister soap", The Young and the Restless, multiple times a day. In 2010, Seven Network affiliate 7Two began screening American Broadcasting Company's All My Children. In the past, Search for Tomorrow, Another World, Texas, One Life to Live, Santa Barbara and Passions have appeared on the major Australian networks, and cable television has showed other daytime soaps.
Contents |
[edit] The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful is the most popular daytime soap in Australia. It aired in 1987 on Network Ten originally at 1.00pm, and was then moved to 4:30pm where it stayed for many years until the Summer of 2008 when it was moved to primetime 6pm with a time-shifted airing on Network Ten's now defunct HD channel at 5:30pm. The move to prime time was promoted heavily during the summer ratings season of 2008/2009 and initially appeared to be successful despite widespread protests from loyal viewers. However, within several weeks, the show was attracting a smaller audience than at 4:30pm. The show was quietly returned to the 4:30pm slot for the beginning of ratings in February 2009, and the time shifted airing was discontinued. Episodes are only 4 Months behind, making The Bold and the Beautiful episodes closer to the U.S. airings than that of Days of our Lives, The Young and the Restless and All My Children. Due to its late-afternoon/early evening timeslot, classification restrictions often call for episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful to be edited in order to retain a G classification. This includes cutting some violent or sexually explicit scenes, as well as use of words such as "rape", "abortion", "slut", "whore", etc.
[edit] Current The Bold and the Beautiful cast in Australian episodes
[edit] Days of our Lives
The Nine Network has aired Days of our Lives on 25 March 1968, since several years after its U.S. debut in 1965 and is currently aired 2pm weekdays. It soon garnered a huge Australian fan base. By 2004, episodes had fallen four-and-a-half years behind those airing in the U.S., due to the show being pre-empted for cricket and other sporting telecasts over the Summer. As was the case with The Young and the Restless, Nine skipped four years of episodes to bring Australian viewers almost in-line with their U.S. counterparts, in September 2004, which proved highly controversial amongst viewers. Australian episodes were now only six months behind, although, due to the cricket broadcasts are now 14 months behind (as of February 2012, Australia is seeing episodes from November 2010).
[edit] Current Days of our Lives cast in Australian episodes
[edit] The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless began airing in Australia on the Nine Network on 1 April 1974, one year after its U.S. premiere. Although The Young and the Restless has never been as popular in Australia as Days of our Lives or The Bold and the Beautiful (in the U.S. the opposite is true), it was always coupled with Days of our Lives, with the two airing one after the other. As was the case with Days of our Lives, The Young and the Restless was "fast-forwarded" in September 2004 in order to bring viewers closer to the U.S. episodes.
In January 2007 it was announced that Nine had not renewed its contract with The Young and the Restless, and that subscription TV distributor Foxtel would pick up the show from where Nine left off. Nine's final episode aired on 23 February 2007. On 2 April 2007, The Young and the Restless began airing on W at 12pm and 6:40pm, and on its timeshift channel, W2, at 2pm and 8:40pm. In January 2008, the primetime repeats (6:40pm on W and 8:40pm on W2) were discontinued. This move caused uproar among fans, and the W Channel's response was to begin airing omnibus editions on Saturdays from 12pm to 4pm (2pm to 6pm on W2), as well as repeats of each day's episode at 6:10am the following day. In January 2009, the omnibus screenings on Saturdays moved to 7:50am and the next-day repeats moved to 7:05am.
Episodes are approximately 20 months behind at present (as of January 2012, Australian viewers are seeing episodes from May 2010).
[edit] Current The Young and the Restless cast in Australian episodes
[edit] Others
[edit] All My Children
All My Children aired briefly on Network Ten in the late 80s, on Fox Soap in the late 90s and on 7Two from 2009 to 2011.
[edit] As the World Turns
As the World Turns aired for a short period on Network Ten, first at 1.30 pm, then moved to 5:00pm before ultimately being dropped entirely..[citation needed]
[edit] General Hospital
American Broadcasting Company's General Hospital aired on the Nine Network and on Network Ten. It was relatively successful on the Nine Network's morning schedule (airing from at least 1983, with episodes five years behind the US) but by the late eighties was in a slump, and left Australian television soon after. It was briefly revived in the early nineties by Network Ten and again in 1999, lasting less than a year. It was picked up by Foxtel in 2004. After running for several months on W, it was moved to FOX8, before being pulled altogether in December 2005. Fans in Australia had been lobbying to get it back. It returned to Australian television on 5 July 2010, again on W, at 12:50pm and on its timeshift channel, W2, at 2:50pm, with episodes that aired ten weeks after they aired in the U.S.[3] Recently it was announced that W will drop General Hospital when it ends its run on Friday 17 June.[4]
[edit] Passions
Passions ran on the Seven Network from 2001 to 2007 and Seven affiliate Prime from 2001 to 2004. New episodes stopped airing in Australia as NBC Productions judged it too expensive to clear music rights for international distribution.[5]
It originally began in a 3pm timeslot on weekday afternoons, before being shifted to a 9.30am timeslot. After new episodes were ceased to be received, it was moved into re-runs in a 2am weekday morning timeslots. It has recently broadcast a "Series Finale" in its slot, and is unlikely to return to Australian television.
[edit] Santa Barbara and Another World
NBC's Santa Barbara and Another World also ran in Australia until their cancellations in 1993 and 1999 respectively. Santa Barbara premiered in Australia on the Ten Network the same day as The Bold and the Beautiful in November 1987, in a soap opera block from 12PM - 1:30PM. Another World appeared variously on both the Nine and Ten Networks. Another World in particular became very popular in the early 1990s when Australian actress Carmen Duncan, formerly of Number 96, played the role of villainous Iris Wheeler.
[edit] Rituals and Generations
Both Rituals and Generations had short runs in Australia. They were screened on the Seven Network in the early hours of the morning.
[edit] Texas
Texas, the ill-fated Another World spin-off, aired on the Ten Network in an early morning timeslot for a period in the early 1980s.[citation needed]
[edit] Loving
Loving also aired for a short time on the Nine Network in an early morning timeslot in the late 1980s.
[edit] One Life to Live
One Life to Live also appeared briefly on the Network Ten's daytime schedule in the late 1980s. It was also part of Foxtel channel Fox Soap in the 1990s.
[edit] References
- ^ "Television", The Sun: 46, 8 February 1974
- ^ "Television", The Sun: 40, 2 December 1974
- ^ http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2010/05/returning-general-hospital.html
- ^ http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/05/w-to-drop-general-hospital.html
- ^ "http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/networking/2005/08/02/1122748642614.html", Networking, 4 August 2005 retrieved 8 April 2007
