Bare Essence

From Wikipedia:

Bare Essence is an American television soap opera which aired on the NBC network during the 1982-1983 season.

Bare Essence starred popular daytime soap actress Genie Francis and dealt with the intrigues of the perfume industry. (The movie version was directed by Walter Grauman and written by Robert Hamilton.)

Initially, the show started its life as a 4-hour TV mini series shown in October 1982 on CBS with supporting performances from veteran prime-time soap actresses Linda Evans and Donna Mills, as well as Lee Grant and Bruce Boxleitner. The mini series garnered excellent ratings but CBS passed on a proposed series, which NBC picked up. By the time the series went to air in February 1983, the roles which had been played in the mini series by Evans, Mills, Grant, and Boxleitner were taken over respectively by Jennifer O'Neill, Jaime Lyn Bauer, Jessica Walter and Al Corley. Genie Francis reprised the lead role in the new series.

The series revolved around Tyger Hayes' (Francis) efforts to succeed in the business world. In the first episode, her new husband Chase Marshall (Corley) is killed in a racing car accident. Chase's father Hadden (John Dehner) opposes Tyger's efforts to join the family business, Kellico, but she is encouraged by Hadden's sister Margaret (Susan French) to try her hand with a new line of perfumes. Ava (Walter), the widow of Hadden's other son, is concerned that any success Tyger might have will undermine her son Marcus' (Jonathan Frakes) position in the company. Both Ava and Marcus' wife Muffin (Wendy Fulton) plotted to undermine Tyger's success. To this end, Ava eventually seduces and marries Hadden. Tyger's mother, Lady Bobbi Rowan (O'Neill), falls in love with a Greek millionaire, Niko Theopolous (Ian McShane), who wants to exact revenge on the Marshalls.

Despite a great deal of promotion (with commercials like "Love her. Use her. Or destroy her. Everyone wants a piece of Tyger Hayes."), the show was not a success and was cancelled at the end of the season with cliffhangers left unresolved. A total of 11 episodes were produced, plus the TV movie pilot.

Format Soap opera

Starring Genie Francis

Jennifer O'Neill

Jessica Walter John Dehner

Ian McShane

Michael Woods

Jonathan Frakes

Wendy Fulton

Jaime Lyn Bauer

Al Corley

Susan French

Michael Nader

Country of origin United States

No. of seasons 1

No. of episodes 11

Production

Executive producer(s) Philip Saltzman

Running time 60 min.

Production company(s) Warner Bros. Television

Broadcast

Original channel NBC

Original run April 15, 1983 – June 13, 1983