The Doctors (1963 TV series): Difference between revisions
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From the late 1960s until the mid-[[1970s in television|1970s]], ''The Doctors'' was among the higher-rated soap operas of its time. In [[1973 in television|1973]]-[[1974 in television|74]], the show peaked at fourth place, behind CBS' ''[[As The World Turns]]'' and fellow NBC serials ''Days of our Lives'' and ''Another World.'' However, after [[1975 in television|1975]], the show's popularity went into terminal decline: it would rank in eighth place in 1975-[[1976 in television|76]] and in 11th place from 1976 through [[1980 in television|1980]]. This is partly due to ABC's expansion of ''[[One Life to Live]]'' to one hour in 1976, and CBS' promotion of ''Guiding Light'' to an hour in length in late [[1977 in television|1977]]. However, ''The Doctors''' own network, NBC, increased the running time of ''Another World'' from an hour to 90 minutes in March 1979, bumping ''The Doctors'' ahead to 2 p.m./1 Central, and alienating many longtime followers. A year and a half later, in August 1980, [[Procter and Gamble]] spun off ''[[Texas (TV series)|Texas]]'' from ''Another World''. This forced NBC to move ''The Doctors'' again, and the show relocated to an even more ratings-deprived time of 12:30 p.m./11:30 a.m. Central, in which the show faced off against the youth-oriented ''[[Ryan's Hope]]'' on ABC and the long-running ''[[Search For Tomorrow]]'' on CBS. In addition to that, some NBC affiliates aired no network programming in the 12:00 PM hour at all, which meant that ''The Doctors'' vanished from some markets when it moved from its previous slot. The move, predictably, caused a dramatic drop in the ratings and ''The Doctors'' fell from a 6.1 rating at the end of the [[1980 in television|1980 season]] to a 3.8 in [[1981 in television|1981]], and then to a 3.3 in the final [[Nielsen ratings]] for [[1982 in television|1982]]. In the latter two years, the serial finished in either last place in the ratings or tied for last; ''The Doctors'' tied ''Texas'' for the lowest rated soap opera in 1981. |
From the late 1960s until the mid-[[1970s in television|1970s]], ''The Doctors'' was among the higher-rated soap operas of its time. In [[1973 in television|1973]]-[[1974 in television|74]], the show peaked at fourth place, behind CBS' ''[[As The World Turns]]'' and fellow NBC serials ''Days of our Lives'' and ''Another World.'' However, after [[1975 in television|1975]], the show's popularity went into terminal decline: it would rank in eighth place in 1975-[[1976 in television|76]] and in 11th place from 1976 through [[1980 in television|1980]]. This is partly due to ABC's expansion of ''[[One Life to Live]]'' to one hour in 1976, and CBS' promotion of ''Guiding Light'' to an hour in length in late [[1977 in television|1977]]. However, ''The Doctors''' own network, NBC, increased the running time of ''Another World'' from an hour to 90 minutes in March 1979, bumping ''The Doctors'' ahead to 2 p.m./1 Central, and alienating many longtime followers. A year and a half later, in August 1980, [[Procter and Gamble]] spun off ''[[Texas (TV series)|Texas]]'' from ''Another World''. This forced NBC to move ''The Doctors'' again, and the show relocated to an even more ratings-deprived time of 12:30 p.m./11:30 a.m. Central, in which the show faced off against the youth-oriented ''[[Ryan's Hope]]'' on ABC and the long-running ''[[Search For Tomorrow]]'' on CBS. In addition to that, some NBC affiliates aired no network programming in the 12:00 PM hour at all, which meant that ''The Doctors'' vanished from some markets when it moved from its previous slot. The move, predictably, caused a dramatic drop in the ratings and ''The Doctors'' fell from a 6.1 rating at the end of the [[1980 in television|1980 season]] to a 3.8 in [[1981 in television|1981]], and then to a 3.3 in the final [[Nielsen ratings]] for [[1982 in television|1982]]. In the latter two years, the serial finished in either last place in the ratings or tied for last; ''The Doctors'' tied ''Texas'' for the lowest rated soap opera in 1981. |
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As large as the drop in ratings was when the series moved to 12:30, its third timeslot switch in as many years caused an even larger drop for ''The Doctors''. On March 29, 1982, ''The Doctors'' moved to Noon Eastern/11:00 AM Central to accommodate ''Search For Tomorrow'', which Procter and Gamble had moved to NBC after a dispute with CBS over a move away from its 12:30 PM slot it had occupied from its debut until 1981. ''The Doctors'' was once again hit with a rash of preemptions as a result of the move to 12:00: many NBC affiliates aired a noon newscast. In markets that ''did'' air the show, it faced off against ABC's ''[[Family Feud]],'' the top-rated game show in daytime, and the first half of ''[[The Young and the Restless]],'' which by this time had become a major phenomenon in its own right, on CBS affiliates in the Central Time Zone. Thus, the already struggling serial's ratings plummeted again, setting a record for the lowest seasonal Nielsen rating for any network-produced soap in history by finishing the season with a 1.6 Nielsen rating; in doing so, ''The Doctors'' broke a record set in 1970 by the ABC soap ''[[The Best of Everything]]'', which finished its only brief season with a 1.8 in the final ratings. NBC canceled the series shortly thereafter, three months shy of its twentieth anniversary. |
As large as the drop in ratings was when the series moved to 12:30, its third timeslot switch in as many years caused an even larger drop for ''The Doctors''. On March 29, 1982, ''The Doctors'' moved to Noon Eastern/11:00 AM Central to accommodate ''Search For Tomorrow'', which Procter and Gamble had moved to NBC after a dispute with CBS over a move away from its 12:30 PM slot it had occupied from its debut until 1981. ''The Doctors'' was once again hit with a rash of preemptions as a result of the move to 12:00: many NBC affiliates aired a noon newscast, sitcom reruns, or game shows. In markets that ''did'' air the show, it faced off against ABC's ''[[Family Feud]],'' the top-rated game show in daytime, and the first half of ''[[The Young and the Restless]],'' which by this time had become a major phenomenon in its own right, on CBS affiliates in the Central Time Zone. Thus, the already struggling serial's ratings plummeted again, setting a record for the lowest seasonal Nielsen rating for any network-produced soap in history by finishing the season with a 1.6 Nielsen rating; in doing so, ''The Doctors'' broke a record set in 1970 by the ABC soap ''[[The Best of Everything]]'', which finished its only brief season with a 1.8 in the final ratings. NBC canceled the series shortly thereafter, three months shy of its twentieth anniversary. |
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The 1.6 rating for ''The Doctors'' stood as an all-time low by itself for twenty-seven years. However, the final season of ''[[Guiding Light]]'', which ended in September 2009, finished with a 1.6 rating to tie ''The Doctors''. Those two soaps, along with ''The Best of Everything'', ''[[Sunset Beach]]'', ''[[Port Charles]]'', and ''[[Passions]]'', are the only network soaps to end a season with a Nielsen rating below 2.0. ''Passions'', ''Guiding Light'', and ''Sunset Beach'' finished with a sub-2.0 Nielsen rating twice; and each of these series except ''Sunset Beach'' finished their final season with a sub-2.0 rating. |
The 1.6 rating for ''The Doctors'' stood as an all-time low by itself for twenty-seven years. However, the final season of ''[[Guiding Light]]'', which ended in September 2009, finished with a 1.6 rating to tie ''The Doctors''. Those two soaps, along with ''The Best of Everything'', ''[[Sunset Beach]]'', ''[[Port Charles]]'', and ''[[Passions]]'', are the only network soaps to end a season with a Nielsen rating below 2.0. ''Passions'', ''Guiding Light'', and ''Sunset Beach'' finished with a sub-2.0 Nielsen rating twice; and each of these series except ''Sunset Beach'' finished their final season with a sub-2.0 rating. |
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Revision as of 16:52, 29 January 2010
| The Doctors | |
|---|---|
 The title card used from 1980 to 1982. | |
| Created by | Orvin Tovrov |
| Starring | James Pritchett Elizabeth Hubbard Ann Williams David O'Brien |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 5280 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 Minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | April 1, 1963 – December 31, 1982 |
The Doctors is a soap opera which aired on NBC from April 1, 1963 to December 31, 1982. There were 5280 episodes produced, with the 5000th episode airing in November 1981. The series was set in Hope Memorial Hospital in the fictional "Madison," located somewhere in New England.
From anthology to serial
Originally, The Doctors was not supposed to be a conventional soap opera. It first aired in 1963 for a trial run as an anthology series with self-contained episodes about medical emergencies. When the show was brought back in 1964, the show adopted a serial form of storytelling. For most of the series, storylines revolved around Chief of Staff Matthew Powers (played by James Pritchett).
Storylines
The Doctors was considered to be more risqué in storyline choices than its rival, General Hospital (which premiered on the same day). While the doctors on General Hospital worked in harmony with one another for the most part and in some cases were intimate friends, the physicians on The Doctors were much more cutthroat.
For example, Dr. Powers was put on trial for murder, was forced to rescind his Chief of Staff position, and became very depressed. Another doctor took over Powers's spot and immediately schemed to remove his allies, such as Dr. Althea Davis, from positions of influence in the hospital. In another storyline, one doctor's nurse found out that he killed his rival and made it look like suicide. When he discovered that she knew the truth, he tormented her every day at work until she committed suicide herself, allowing him to get away with the murder.
Another medical storyline that was notable on the show was that of cancer. Doreen Aldrich, (played by Jennifer Wood and then by Pamela Lincoln), suffered from leukemia.
Awards and production
In 1972 and 1974, the serial received a Daytime Emmy for Best Drama. In the years following, announcer Mel Brandt would inform the audience at the beginning of each episode: And now, The Doctors: The (Emmy-award winning) program dedicated to the brotherhood of healing.
For most of its run, The Doctors was packaged and sponsored by the Colgate-Palmolive company through its Channelex division; in 1980, NBC took over production in-house.
Broadcast history
The Doctors became very popular in the late 1960s when it was featured in advertisements for NBC's 90-minute serial block - particularly when it was placed in the timeslot of 2:30 p.m. Eastern/1:30 Central, in between Days of our Lives and Another World, two highly rated shows. The show, upon debuting in April 1963, succeeded an 18-month-long early effort by entertainment mogul Merv Griffin to establish a daytime talk show, and spent nearly 16 years in the 2:30 pm timeslot. This is an extraordinary feat for daytime shows of its day, especially since some of its victims in the ratings were long-running favorites such as CBS' House Party with Art Linkletter, ABC's Dating Game, and even broadcasting history's longest-running soap opera, CBS' The Guiding Light, which actually went up against The Doctors more than once in the ratings.
From the late 1960s until the mid-1970s, The Doctors was among the higher-rated soap operas of its time. In 1973-74, the show peaked at fourth place, behind CBS' As The World Turns and fellow NBC serials Days of our Lives and Another World. However, after 1975, the show's popularity went into terminal decline: it would rank in eighth place in 1975-76 and in 11th place from 1976 through 1980. This is partly due to ABC's expansion of One Life to Live to one hour in 1976, and CBS' promotion of Guiding Light to an hour in length in late 1977. However, The Doctors' own network, NBC, increased the running time of Another World from an hour to 90 minutes in March 1979, bumping The Doctors ahead to 2 p.m./1 Central, and alienating many longtime followers. A year and a half later, in August 1980, Procter and Gamble spun off Texas from Another World. This forced NBC to move The Doctors again, and the show relocated to an even more ratings-deprived time of 12:30 p.m./11:30 a.m. Central, in which the show faced off against the youth-oriented Ryan's Hope on ABC and the long-running Search For Tomorrow on CBS. In addition to that, some NBC affiliates aired no network programming in the 12:00 PM hour at all, which meant that The Doctors vanished from some markets when it moved from its previous slot. The move, predictably, caused a dramatic drop in the ratings and The Doctors fell from a 6.1 rating at the end of the 1980 season to a 3.8 in 1981, and then to a 3.3 in the final Nielsen ratings for 1982. In the latter two years, the serial finished in either last place in the ratings or tied for last; The Doctors tied Texas for the lowest rated soap opera in 1981.
As large as the drop in ratings was when the series moved to 12:30, its third timeslot switch in as many years caused an even larger drop for The Doctors. On March 29, 1982, The Doctors moved to Noon Eastern/11:00 AM Central to accommodate Search For Tomorrow, which Procter and Gamble had moved to NBC after a dispute with CBS over a move away from its 12:30 PM slot it had occupied from its debut until 1981. The Doctors was once again hit with a rash of preemptions as a result of the move to 12:00: many NBC affiliates aired a noon newscast, sitcom reruns, or game shows. In markets that did air the show, it faced off against ABC's Family Feud, the top-rated game show in daytime, and the first half of The Young and the Restless, which by this time had become a major phenomenon in its own right, on CBS affiliates in the Central Time Zone. Thus, the already struggling serial's ratings plummeted again, setting a record for the lowest seasonal Nielsen rating for any network-produced soap in history by finishing the season with a 1.6 Nielsen rating; in doing so, The Doctors broke a record set in 1970 by the ABC soap The Best of Everything, which finished its only brief season with a 1.8 in the final ratings. NBC canceled the series shortly thereafter, three months shy of its twentieth anniversary.
The 1.6 rating for The Doctors stood as an all-time low by itself for twenty-seven years. However, the final season of Guiding Light, which ended in September 2009, finished with a 1.6 rating to tie The Doctors. Those two soaps, along with The Best of Everything, Sunset Beach, Port Charles, and Passions, are the only network soaps to end a season with a Nielsen rating below 2.0. Passions, Guiding Light, and Sunset Beach finished with a sub-2.0 Nielsen rating twice; and each of these series except Sunset Beach finished their final season with a sub-2.0 rating.
Cast
The five core characters during the series' run were:
- James Pritchett as Dr. Matt Powers
- Ann Williams, Bethel Leslie, and Lydia Bruce as Dr. Maggie Fielding Van Alen Powers
- David O'Brien as Dr. Steve Aldrich
- Carolee Campbell, and later Jada Rowland, as Carolee Simpson Allison Aldrich
- Elizabeth Hubbard (replaced briefly by Virginia Vestoff, 1969-1970) as Dr. Althea Davis
Several well-known actors and actresses had roles on The Doctors throughout its long run:
- Armand Assante as Dr. Mike Powers
- Hillary Bailey as Kit McCormick
- Alec Baldwin as Billy Aldrich (1980-1982)
- Ellen Burstyn as Dr. Kate Bartok
- Julia Duffy as Penny Davis
- Jonathan Frakes as Tom Carroll
- Jock Gaynor as Dr. William Scott (1963-1964)
- Gil Gerard as Dr. Alan Stewart
- Kathryn Harrold as Nola Dancy Aldrich #1 (1975-1977)
- Adam Kennedy as Brock Hayden (1965)
- Louise Lasser as Jackie
- Franc Luz as Dr. John Bennett
- Nancy Stafford as Adrienne/Felicia Hunt (dual role)
- Anna Stuart as Toni Ferra Powers
- Kathleen Turner as Nola Dancy Aldrich #2(1977-1979)
- Thor Fields as Erich Aldrich #1 (1977-1981)
- Ian Ziering as Erich Aldrich #2 (1981-1982)
- Kim Zimmer as Nola Dancy Aldrich #3 (1980-1982)
- Chris Calloway as Ivy Gooding Dancy
- Rex Robbins as Murray Glover
- Kathy Bates as Phyllis
- Denise Nickerson as Katie Harris
- Victoria Racimo as Tia Mahala
- Katherine Glass as Mary Jane Match #3 (1978-1981)
- Meg Mundy as Mona Aldrich Croft (1971-1982)
- Jennifer Wood as Doreen Aldrich #1 (1975-1977)
- Pamela Lincoln as Doreen Aldrich #2 (1977-1979)
- Jocelyn Somers as Althea Davis #3 (1977-1981)