User Reviews

The first of 93 half hour episodes, which do not include the "recap" shows that began the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th seasons. Susan Harris, a writer who had done scripts for THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY, ALL IN THE FAMILY, and MAUDE, was the creator, producer, and main writer, going on to other successful shows such as BENSON, THE GOLDEN GIRLS, and EMPTY NEST. SOAP was a prime time satire of the popular soap opera clichés of daytime television, which succeeded only because they created characters that audiences could care about or identify with, thanks also to brilliant casting. We begin in the Tate household, looked after by black manservant Benson Le Beau (Robert Guillaume, so arrogant yet lovable in his brutal honesty that he spun off the character into his own show), who genuinely cares about Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond), the head of the house, whose philandering husband Chester (Robert Mandan), deceives his wife at every turn. Their son Billy (Jimmy Baio, Scott's cousin) is preparing for his first date, while his sister Eunice (Jennifer Salt) is a hypocritical prude who criticizes him for reading "dirty" magazines (actually, he just looks at the pictures!). Another daughter, Corinne (Diana Canova, daughter of Judy), has a habit of staying out all night, while Jessica's father, Major Gatling (Arthur Peterson),hardly ever leaves the house, still believing he's fighting the Nazis in WW2, occasionally firing at the hapless neighbors. Meanwhile, in the Campbell home, Mary (Cathryn Damon), Jessica's sister, is newly married to her second husband, Burt (Richard Mulligan), who is having difficulty getting along with Mary's two sons from her first marriage. One son, Danny (Ted Wass), is a member of the Mob, conducting business on the phone in Italian, while the other, Jodie (Billy Crystal), is a homosexual depicted in these early shows in a limp-wristed clichéd fashion that would soon change. Burt and Mary are having their troubles as well, with Burt unable to make love to her out of guilt over killing her first husband out of his love for her. The final scene introduces Peter "the Tennis Player" (Robert Urich), who sleeps with a vulnerable Jessica while also seeing her unknowing daughter Corinne. Rod Roddy was the announcer for the entire series.

When ABC first promoed this show way back in 1977, I was nearly 10 and when the announcer said "Parental Discretion is Advised" at the end of that promo, my mom said it was a lousy show and that was probably enough for me and perhaps my brother and sisters from watching during that time. When Chicago station WGN reran the eps during 1983 when I was a teen, my curiosity got the best of me and I started watching during the middle run of the first season it was showing. I eventually watched the pilot some time after that having already known what would happen to the characters but still curious about how it all began. Some notes worth taking about this first ep: Butler Benson considers young Tate son Billy only one worth a damn but as the series goes on, he seems more fond of matriarch Jessica whose sweetness makes her scatterbrained demeanor appealing even this early in the run and which shows even during their (and the program's) first scene. That chemistry between Robert Guillaume and Katherine Helmond remained through their final performance with each other as those iconic characters on the spin-off "Benson" years later. Also, this wasn't the only series Robert Urich was in during this season-he was also in the "Bewitched" sequel "Tabitha" with Lisa Hartman which only ran several months. All I'll say now is this was a great beginning for this controversial yet hilarious series that was conceived-and mostly written-by Susan Harris whose Norman Lear roots are evident by the way she treats such topics as homosexuality and impotence with such humor and depth. I'll discuss much of the actual plot in the second episode...

Two sisters, two very different families, one has money, the other doesn't.

IMDb recommended this as a show to watch after my Golden Girls obsession, I understand the link, and I see a couple of similarities, one thing, both are hilarious.

It's a very, very funny first episode, lots of laughs, plenty of great one liners, what this one does however is set the scene and introduce us to the characters.

Benson was far and away my favourite character in this first episode, Robert Guillaume's sarcastic and cutting delivery was absolutely amazing, he's absolutely hilarious.

Favourite moment, had to be coffee, I love that there was an awareness of how bad carbs were for you back even in 1977.

That catchy theme tune and witty introduction worked so well.

9/10.

It is amazing how a little controversy can do to promote a show.

I recall the first time hearing about "Soap" during a service one Sunday. Our pastor was railing about some immoral TV show and the more I heard the more I realized that I had to see it. I was not disappointed with the pilot and became a fan and a regular viewer of the show.

I was fortunate recently to find the complete series (in VHS) at a local flea market and will soon be re-living a piece of the Seventies one episode at a time.

Bob

It's been four decades since I last saw this satire of daytime TV soap operas, but the one thing I remember perfectly from the show is the theme music. I now own Season One on DVD and as soon as that music kicked in, it all came flooding back: the brilliant Richard Mulligan as Burt Campbell, with his terrific facial expressions; Billy Crystal as effeminate 'fruit' Jodie; the excellent Katherine Helmond as trusting wife Jessica; Robert Guillaume as sardonic butler Benson; and so so much more.

This first episode is very much getting to know the characters and setting up the basics of the labyrinthine plot (adultery, murder, madness etc.), but by the end, the lunacy is in full swing and a sour face is not an option. Such a great show-and I guaranteed you'll be whistling that theme for at least forty years (if you last that long).