Daytime/Primetime Serials

Kay Alden on parlaying her interest in daytime television into a career

Kay Alden on writing and producing The Young and the Restless

Kay Alden on writing and producing The Young and the Restless

Kay Alden on writing and producing The Young and the Restless

Howard Anderson Jr. on creating the opening titles for Dynasty

John Aniston on playing "Dr. Eric Richards" on Days of Our Lives

John Aniston on playing "Eddie Aleata" on Love of Life

John Aniston on playing "Victor Kiriakis" on Days of Our Lives

John Aniston on how he feels about working in daytime

Bonnie Bartlett on appearing on Love of Life

Joe Behar on directing the pilot for General Hospital

Joe Behar on directing the Days of Our Lives pilot and becoming a regular director on the soap opera

Joe Behar on the amount of turnover in daytime soap operas

Joe Behar on working with the cast of Days of Our Lives and significant storylines while he was directing the show

Joe Behar on becoming a regular director for General Hospital in the 1990s

Joe Behar on the future of the soap opera genre

Joe Behar on working with the cast of General Hospital

Joe Behar on the sets, rehearsals, and production on General Hospital

William Bell on writing for Guiding Ligh t on television; on meeting and working with Irna Phillips, creator of Guiding Ligh t

William Bell on the popularity of, characters on, and writing for As the World Turns  

William Bell on writing Guiding Light in Chicago while production was in New York; on interactions with sponsors

William Bell on Walter Cronkite interrupting As the World Turns to announce President Kennedy had been killed

William Bell on taking over Days of Our Lives from Ted Corday and changes he brought to the show

William Bell on a typical workday with Irna Phillips on As the World Turns

William Bell on writing for, production of, and major storylines on Days of Our Lives

William Bell on co-creating (again with his wife, Lee) The Bold and the Beautiful

William Bell on the format changes, adult nature, and popularity of The Young and the Restless

William Bell on creating the show The Young and the Restless and how the title came about

Wiliam Bell on the excitement of creating new characters on The Young and the Restless

Frank Biondo on getting a job as a cameraman on the soap opera The Nurses -- a three-camera setup

Eric Braeden on his role as "Victor Newman" on The Young and the Restless; on not enjoying daytime television when he first got the role; on the love story between "Victor Newman" and "Nikki Newman"

Eric Braeden on playing "Victor Newman" on The Young and the Restless

Robert Caminiti on stage managing for The Doctors

Robert Caminiti on working on Another World

David Canary on his first big TV role on Peyton Place, playing Mia Farrow's doctor

David Canary on his early experiences in soap operas on The Doctors and Another World

David Canary on his start on and how he plays twin brothers "Adam Chandler" and "Stuart Chandler" on All My Children

David Canary on changes he's seen in soap operas over the years

David Canary on production on All My Children and working with his co-stars

Reuben Cannon on casting Santa Barbara 

Diahann Carroll on the essence of the creation of her Dynasty character Dominique Deveraux

Diahann Carroll on joining the cast of Dynasty

Robert Clary on appearing on Days of Our Lives

Robert Clary on appearing on The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful

Richard Coogan on acting in Love of Life

Hal Cooper on directing Search For Tomorrow

Jeanne Cooper on working on The Young and the Restless

Jeanne Cooper on the cast and crew of The Young and the Restless

Jeanne Cooper on the production process for The Young and the Restless

Jeanne Cooper on learning dialogue; on the rehearsal process and shooting schedule for The Young and the Restless

Jeanne Cooper on the subject of plastic surgery on The Young and the Restless

Jeanne Cooper on the challenges of playing dual roles on The Young and the Restless

Ken Corday on the creation of and early days of Days of Our Lives

Ken Corday on the Days of Our Lives cast

Ken Corday on storylines and production on Days of Our Lives

Ken Corday on storylines and production of Days of Our Lives

Ken Corday on the Days of Our Lives legacy

Douglas S. Cramer on developing Peyton Place

Douglas S. Cramer on developing Dynasty

Elinor Donahue on her role as "Evil Nurse Hunnicut" on Days of Our Lives

Barbara Eden on joining the cast of Dallas

Edie Falco on appearing on the soap opera Loving early in her career

Julian Fellowes on how he came to write Downton Abbey

Julian Fellowes on writing Downton Abbey  (Part 2) 

Director Norman Felton on bringing These Are My Children to television- TV's first soap opera - with creator Irna Phillips; on working in radio 

Sally Field on starring in the feature "Soapdish", which was about the making of a soap opera

Dorothy Fontana on writing for Dallas early in its run

John Forsythe on playing "Blake Carrington" on Dynasty

Genie Francis on taping her first on-screen kiss (with Kin Shriner) on General Hospital

Jonathan Frid on playing "Barnabas Collins" Dark Shadows

Jonathan Frid on playing "Barnabas Collins" on Dark Shadows

Pamela Fryman on directing Santa Barbara

Eileen Fulton on playing "Lisa Miller Hughes" on As the World Turns

Eileen Fulton on playing the character of "Lisa" on As the World Turns

Eileen Fulton on playing "Lisa" on As the World Turns

Eileen Fulton on playing "Lisa" on As the World Turns

Anthony Geary on the evolution of General Hospital's Luke and Laura "rape" storyline

Anthony Geary on the future of the daytime serial

Anthony Geary and Genie Francis on the wedding of "Luke and Laura" on General Hospital

Actor Anthony Geary on his celebrity during the time of the "Luke and Laura" craze on General Hospital

Herb Granath on the start of Daytime cable TV programming

Herb Granath on the start of the Lifetime cable channel

Lee Grant on appearing on Search for Tomorrow

Lee Grant on starring on Peyton Place

Larry Hagman on the infamous "Who shot J.R.?" storyline of Dallas

Larry Hagman on his role on The Edge of Night

Earl Hamner on the casting of Falcon Crest leads Jane Wyman, Robert FoxWorth, Susan Sullivan and other cast members

Don Hastings on appearing on The Edge of Night

Don Hastings on appearing on The Edge of Night

Don Hastings on playing "Bob Hughes" on As the World Turns

Don Hastings on As the World Turns

Katherine Helmond on the difficulty of writing a long-term series, such as Soap, written by Susan Harris

Leslie Hoffman on doing stunts for Falcon Crest

Hal Holbrook on being cast as "Grayling Dennis" on the daytime drama The Brighter Day

Lee Holdridge on composing for the soap opera One Life to Live

Ellen Holly on playing "Carla Gray" on One Life to Live

Ellen Holly on playing "Carla Gray" on One Life to Live

Ellen Holly on playing "Carla Gray" on One Life to Live

Monica Horan on her work on the Daytime series General Hospital

Felicity Huffman on Desperate Housewives

Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on Huffman's experience at the advertising upfronts for the first season of Desperate Housewives and how Macy helped her in a tough moment

Kim Hunter on appearing on The Edge of Night

Suzuki Ingerslev on becoming an assistant art director on Days of Our Lives

David Jacobs on the genesis and production of Knots Landing and Dallas

Allison Janney on playing "Ginger" on Guiding Light

Geri Jewell on her role on The Young and the Restless

H. Wesley Kenney on producing Days of Our Lives

H. Wesley Kenney on producing Days of Our Lives

H. Wesley Kenney on producing The Young and the Restless

H. Wesley Kenney on producing General Hospital

Lynwood King on how he came to be a freelance director for daytime dramas such as The Doctors and Ryan's Hope

Lynwood King on directing daytime dramas

Bernie Kopell on trying to make a living while trying to be an actor, and on appearing on the daytime drama The Brighter Day with his friend Harvey Korman

Rita Lakin on writing for Peyton Place

Rita Lakin on being head writer for The Doctors

Rita Lakin on creating and acting as showrunner for Flamingo Road

Rita Lakin on during down Dallas, and on her very short stint on Dynasty

Louise Lasser on playing the title character on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman

Louise Lasser on the real-life incident that inspired the dollhouse episode of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman

Michael Learned on appearing on daytime dramas

Judith Light on playing "Karen Wolek" on One Life to Live

Judith Light on playing "Judith Ryland" on the revival of Dallas

James Lipton on his earliest acting roles, and on appearing on daytime dramas early in his career

James Lipton on playing "Dr. Dick Grant" on Guiding Light

James Lipton on his time on Guiding Light, and on writing for Another World

Susan Lucci on playing "Erica Kane" on All My Children

Susan Lucci on playing "Erica Kane" on All My Children

Stewart MacGregory on being unit manager for The Doctors

Loring Mandel on writing for Love of Life at the behest of Fred Silverman

Loring Mandel on writing for Love of Life

Randolph Mantooth on appearing on Loving, General Hospital, All My Children, and As the World Turns

Ann Marcus on writing for Peyton Place

Ann Marcus on creating The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts

Ann Marcus on writing for Knots Landing

Wink Martindale on retiring from hosting, and on acting on The Bold and the Beautiful

Leslie H. Martinson on directing Dallas

Rue McClanahan on being dropped from the soap Another World and going on Where the Heart Is

Eryn Krueger Mekash on the type of work she did on General Hospital, and on getting her union hours on the show

Nolan Miller on costume designing for Dynasty

Nolan Miller on designing costumes for Dynasty

Nolan Miller on Dynasty

Nolan Miller on costume designing for the Dynasty spin-off The Colbys starring Emma Samms and Charlton Heston

Paul Monash on creating Peyton Place

Paul Monash on creating and writing Peyton Place

Thomas W. Moore on programming and developing Peyton Place, and on ABC dealing with the advent of color

Robert Mott on various sound effects bloopers including on Studio One, The Edge of Night, and Search For Tomorrow

Robert Mott on working on The Edge of Night

Gareth Neame on producing Downton Abbey

Horace Newcomb on his first writing about television, "Reflections on the Structure of Soap Opera"

Agnes Nixon on collaborating with Irna Phillips on the creation of As the World Turns; on the differences between writing a thirty-minute and fifteen-minute program

Agnes Nixon on writing for the television and radio versions of Guiding Light

Agnes Nixon on the creation of All My Children and how it reflected its era; on the title and setting of the show

Agnes Nixon on creating One Life to Live; on topical storylines on the show

Agnes Nixon on how the process of writing soap operas evolved throughout her career

Agnes Nixon on creating the character "Erica Kane" on All My Children

Agnes Nixon on the humor, characters, and production on All My Children

Janis Paige on starring on the daytime drama Capitol

Janis Paige on appearing on the series Santa Barbara

Pam Polifroni on casting General Hospital when it first went on the air in 1963

Pam Polifroni on casting The Young Marrieds and Alexander the Great

Pam Polifroni on casting Santa Barbara, and on the process of casting a daytime drama

David Pressman on directing Another World 

David Pressman on directing One Life to Live

David Pressman on directing One Life to Live

Frances Reid on being cast as Portia Blake Manning on Portia Faces Life

Frances Reid on starring in Portia Faces Life and the state of early TV soap operas

Frances Reid on appearing on As the World Turns

Frances Reid on appearing on Edge of Night

Frances Reid on playing "Alice Horton" on Days of Our Lives

Frances Reid on playing "Alice Horton" on Days of Our Lives

Del Reisman on being associate producer on Peyton Place

Del Reisman on writing the network presentation for the daytime version of Peyton Place, and on the show bible

Lee Rich on Dallas

Edgar Scherick on the development of Peyton Place

William Self on developing Peyton Place

Ralph Senensky on his role in the creation of Dynasty

Richard and Esther Shapiro on writing for the soap opera Love of Life and how it helped them later when creating Dynasty

Richard and Esther Shapiro on the cast, producers, audience reaction, and memorable storylines on Dynasty

Richard and Esther Shapiro on memorable storylines and the legacy of Dynasty

Richard and Esther Shapiro on the Dynasty spinoff The Colbys

Richard and Esther Shapiro on creation of Dynasty

Richard and Esther Shapiro on writing for the soap opera Love of Life and how it helped them later when creating Dynasty

Richard and Esther Shapiro on the cast, producers, audience reaction, and memorable storylines on Dynasty

Richard and Esther Shapiro on memorable storylines and the legacy of Dynasty

Richard and Esther Shapiro on the Dynasty spinoff The Colbys

Richard and Esther Shapiro on creation of Dynasty

Fred Silverman on making CBS the "serial network."

Doris Singleton on her role on the soap opera Days of Our Lives

Doris Singleton on her role on Dynasty

Erika Slezak on her role as "Victoria Lord" on One Life to Live and some of her character's early storylines

Erika Slezak on the popularity of the soap opera genre

Erika Slezak on the impact of One Life to Live on her life and on viewers' lives

Erika Slezak on her co-stars of One Life to Live

Herbert F. Solow on Daytime Serials as a mainstay for NBC

Aaron Spelling on Joan Collins joining Dynasty

Fred Steiner on scoring episodes of Dynasty

Dick Stiles on acting as assistant art director for Peyton Place

William Tankersley on CBS Standards & Practices not having many issues with daytime soap operas

Richard Thomas on appearing on From These Roots co-starring Charlotte Rae, and on appearing on As the World Turns

Daniel J. Travanti on appearing on The Doctors and General Hospital

Helen Wagner on appearing on Guiding Light  as a tryout for As the World Turns

Helen Wagner on playing "Nancy Hughes" on As the World Turns (Pt. 2)

Helen Wagner on how As the World Turns  changed during her tenure and why the show has been so successful 

Helen Wagner on playing "Nancy Hughes" on As the World Turns

Ruth Warrick on acting on Guiding Light

Ruth Warrick on her stint on As the World Turns

Ruth Warrick on playing "Hannah Cord" on Peyton Place

Ruth Warrick on playing "Hannah Cord" on Peyton Place

Ruth Warrick on playing "Phoebe Tyler" on All My Children

Ruth Warrick on playing "Phoebe Tyler" on All My Children

Ruth Warrick on playing "Phoebe Tyler" on All My Children

Ruth Warrick on working with Agnes Nixon on All My Children

Ellen Wheeler on playing "Marley Love Hudson McKinnon" and "Vicki" on Another World

Ellen Wheeler on playing "Cindy Parker" on All My Children

Ellen Wheeler on appearing on Dark Shadows

Ellen Wheeler on appearing on The Bold and the Beautiful

Ellen Wheeler on appearing on As the World Turns

Ellen Wheeler on directing As the World Turns  and Another World

Ellen Wheeler on how she came to be a producer for Guiding Light

Ellen Wheeler on executive producing Guiding Light (Part 1)

Ellen Wheeler on executive producing Guiding Light (Part 2)

Ellen Wheeler on executive producing Guiding Light  (Part 3)

Perry Wolff on going to write for Guiding Light

Alan Young on guest starring on General Hospital

Kim Zimmer on her first TV role on One Life to Live, where she played a character based on Patty Hearst

Kim Zimmer on replacing Kathleen Turner on The Doctors in 1979

Kim Zimmer on starring on The Doctors

Kim Zimmer on returning to One Life to Live

Kim Zimmer on being hired for Guiding Light

Kim Zimmer on the particulars of playing "Reva Shayne" on Guiding Light

Kim Zimmer on a typical workday on Guiding Light and on leaving the series in 1990

Kim Zimmer on returning to Guiding Light after a five-year absence and how long she saw herself staying with Guiding Light at the time

Kim Zimmer on her favorite Guiding Light storyline and the infamous Guiding Light fountain scene

Kim Zimmer on whether or not daytime dramas will last