Passions Soap Opera
From LoveToKnow Soap-Operas
James E. Reilly created the Passions soap opera which debuted on the NBC network in 1999. The soap opera aired on the NBC network until September of 2007 before moving to the DirecTV and aired on channel 101. The contract for Passions soap opera was not picked up by DirecTV and the last episode aired on August 11, 2008. Passions is also available via paid subscriptions on iTunes.
Passions Soap Opera History
Set in the fictional town of Harmony in New England, the Passions soap opera followed the lives and loves of the Russells, the Bennetts, the Cranes and the Fitzgeralds. The multi-racial core families were highly applauded on daytime television, but they were also joined by a supernatural element in the form of Tabitha Lenox played by Juliet Mills. Tabitha is the most well known face of the daytime soap opera.
She often cooked up spells to control others or prevent actions she didn’t want to have happen. Her most constant companion for many years was Timmy, a doll she brought to life. The role was played by Josh Ryan Evans. The actor suffered from achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. He was often interchanged with a stuffed doll as all the other characters on the show just saw the doll, but he truly adored Tabitha and their story was beloved by fans. Unfortunately, the actor died in 2002 and Timmy passed away forever.
Tabitha gave birth to a child in 2003 that she named Endora and in a loving nod to Bewitched fans everywhere, she named her parents as Samantha and Darrin. Dr. Bombay even put on an appearance to fully complete the homage to the original show about a witch with a twitch.
Passions Pop Culture Parodies
The Passions soap opera did not make its mark for its supernatural storylines, although they had their place. Instead, it was the program's pop culture references and parodies that made it well-known amongst its fans. Spoofs of Chicago, Bollywood, and Pirates of the Caribbean, The Wizard of Oz, Brokeback Mountain, Titanic, Wicked and The Little Mermaid became regular events on the daytime show.
The fanfare that surrounded the launch of the Passions soap opera came from the creator of the show, James E. Reilly. Reilly was credited with writing the devil’s possession of beloved daytime heroine Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives. Reilly wanted to create a show where he could write storylines outside of the daytime box norm without alienating fans. Passions quickly became a part of the pop culture phenomenon, but the show never quite pulled in the viewership of its older daytime siblings.
Passions Breaks Ground
The time traveling adventures, witch’s spells and campy spoofs are not the only things that made Passions soap opera stand out from the crowd. The daytime soap opera is credited with showcasing daytime’s first lesbian couple in bed, making love, when central family member Simone Russell revealed that she was gay. Another couple dealt with a husband’s infidelity, not with another woman, but with another man. In 2007, Passions continued its trend of tackling ground breaking storyline choices when Vincent revealed that he was a hermaphrodite and he was pregnant with his father’s son.
Storylines
Passions often broke the fourth wall, letting characters talk to the audience and the audience, including the key 18 to 24 demographic responded to that. Since 1999, many storylines have intrigued [Soap Opera Fans|fans] of the show. Fan favorites include:
- Vincent the Hermaphrodite becomes pregnant. While many fans were left with their jaws dropping, they were still tuning in to find out what happens.
- Heroine Sheridan goes evil. Long running heroine Sheridan Crane (once the best friend of Princess Diana) took a walk on the wild side. The storyline appealed because it allowed the character to display a range of humor and depth that had yet to be seen.
- Tabitha teaches Endora how to be a witch. This storyline needs no explanation. Though Tabitha Lenox has occupied a beloved place in many favored storylines, only her storylines with Timmy top the work she does with her own daughter.
- The summer extravaganzas that made the soap so popular with its demographic. Unsurprisingly, some of the best storylines on Passions occurred during the summer months when the show’s audience was on summer vacation.
- Fated couples and Tabitha’s meddling interference. Whether it was Whitney and Chad or Luis and Sheridan, Passions loved to showcase the ‘fated lovers’ and the interfering witch Tabitha. Fans were as intrigued with how Tabitha would break them up as she was with how they would eventually reunite.
Whether battling the forces of evil, popular expectations or simply turning traditional soap storylines on their ear, Passions leaves an indelible mark on daytime soap operas.
Passions Links
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Comments
Thanks for visting Love To Know Soap Operas Oluwabukolami. I know many people who still miss Passions.
-- Contributed by: HVLongpassions is the only soap opera i ever watched and never ever wanted it to end!
-- Contributed by: oluwabukolamiDee, a DVD collection for a soap opera would seem ideal, but the practical applications are more difficult considering how many episodes of a soap air in one year, much less in the eight years that Passions enjoyed! Thanks for visiting Love To Know Soap Operas.
-- Contributed by: HVLong
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