''Texas'' is an American daytime
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
, which aired on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
from August 4, 1980, until
December 31
It is known by a collection of names including: Saint Sylvester's Day, New Year's Eve or Old Years Day/Night, as the following day is New Year's Day. It is the last day of the year; the following day is January 1, the first day of the following ...
, 1982, sponsored and produced by Procter and Gamble Productions at NBC Studios in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York City.
It is a
spin-off of ''
Another World'', co-created by head writers
John William Corrington
John William Corrington (October 28, 1932 – November 24, 1988) was an American film and television writer, novelist, poet, and lawyer.
Corrington attended St. John's High School (now known as Loyola College Prep), but was expelled after smo ...
and
Joyce Hooper Corrington, and executive producer of ''Another World'' at the time,
Paul Rauch
Paul Rauch (1930 – December 10, 2012) was an American television and film producer. Rauch's work was primarily in American soap operas.
Career
Rauch's earlier jobs included Vice President, Programs-East Coast for CBS, Supervising Producer for ...
. Rauch held the title of executive producer for the parent series and its spin-off until 1981.
Overview
Initial development and debut
The Corringtons' initial concept was for a show set in the
''antebellum'' South entitled ''Reunion'', but NBC wanted something more in line with the hugely successful CBS primetime soap ''
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
'',
[Grunwald, D: "Who Shot Texas", pages 23-27. ''TV Guide'' (Canadian edition), March 5, 1983.] which was dominating the ratings. Rauch then chose to have the show revolve around the popular ''Another World'' character Iris Cory Carrington, played by
Beverlee McKinsey. Iris initially set out to visit her grown son Dennis (
Jim Poyner
Jim or JIM may refer to:
* Jim (given name), a given name
* Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James
* Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy
* OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism
* ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring
* ''Jim' ...
), who had relocated from Bay City to Houston. Within a matter of weeks, Iris reconnected and became romantically involved with her first love, Alex Wheeler (
Bert Kramer
Bert Kramer (October 10, 1934 – June 20, 2001) was an American actor, who was born in San Diego. He appeared in many different television shows including ''Kojak'', ''The Bionic Woman'', ''The Rockford Files'', ''Dallas'', ''Dynasty'', ''Fu ...
).
slewof characters debuted on ''Another World'' in the months prior to August 1980, in the hope that when they eventually moved over to ''Texas'', they would have made enough impact with viewers so they would watch ''Texas'', too.
The debut episode featured Iris on a plane, leaving
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
after visiting her son Dennis, who had relocated to
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
with his new love to open an art gallery. During her visit, she reconnected with her first love, self-made millionaire Alex Wheeler. Alex is determined not to let the past repeat itself and lose her again. He arranges for the Bay City-bound jet airliner, which Iris is on, to return to Houston.
During the first season of the series, the stories centered around the daily lives of the wealthy Wheelers and Bellmans and the middle-class Marshalls, and their ranching and oil interests.
The 1981 revamp
In November 1981, McKinsey left the show, and the secondary characters seen in the first year were given more story. ''Texas'' lost one million viewers upon McKinsey's departure. While ''Another World'', which also lost a million viewers upon her 1980 departure, could afford the drop in ratings, ''Texas'' could not, and its days were numbered. To try to appeal to the younger audience, the show rechristened itself ''Texas: The New Generation''.
In the daytime ratings for 1980-1981 season, ''Texas'' achieved a 3.8, tied with ''The Doctors'' at the 12th position. Its time slot contenders ''Guiding Light'' had an 8.2 rating, fourth position in the ratings, as opposed to an 11.4 rating for ''General Hospital'', which was the top-rated serial for the 1980-1981 season. In its second season, the series fell to a 3.6 rating. At the end of its broadcast season, it ended with a 2.7 rating, in the 12th position out of 14 daytime serials. According to A.C. Neilsen, the total viewers for the first two seasons was at 2.8 million, followed by a drop to 2.2 million in the final season.
Simultaneously, ''Texas'' aired on
CTV in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
at the 3:00 pm ET slot following ''Another World'', which had also aired on CTV since the early 1970s. The series was immensely popular in Canada, topping the BBM daytime ratings charts for many weeks.
Beverlee McKinsey vacationed often in
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
during her tenure on both shows, according to numerous soap-opera sources. After NBC moved ''Texas'' to 11:00 am in April 1982, CTV opted not to follow suit, and continued airing ''Texas'' at its original timeslot of 3:00 pm (ET). In addition, Canadian viewers who either lived near the border and had access to NBC terrestrial affiliates or a cable TV subscription had the option of viewing the series mornings or afternoons, respectively.
Hitopah
A popular storyline at the end of 1981 called Hitopah involved numerous characters in adventurous settings and intriguing circumstances to locate Sutars Rock, which nonetheless offered comic relief provided by good friends Ruby and Lurleen. Hitopah was about an ancient Indian artifact called the Fire Compass that was covered with runes and which Ruby's boyfriend Beau Baker opened. The opening of the Fire Compass released a toxic gas that turned Beau instantly into a mummy. Then, following some comedic hijinks with Lurleen and Ruby attempting to get rid of the body and make sense of the situation, Gretchen tried to get part of the Fire Compass back from them, leading to a chase to find the secret underground chambers in Hitopah (which contain a huge quantity of petroleum), towards which the Fire Compass is supposed to guide the owner.
Special guests
Musical artists were featured on ''Texas'' to focus and contribute to some of the characters' storyline, such as siblings Elena and Rikki Dekker both venturing into the musical careers, although short-lived. Almost all serials in the 1980s had notable musical artists appearing on their respective shows, with some of the characters playing rising musical artists, and ''Texas'' was no exception, The character of Rikki Dekker (played by Randy Hamilton) gave his rendition of
Luther Ingram
Luther Thomas Ingram (November 30, 1937 – March 19, 2007) was an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter. His most successful record, "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right", reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and No. 3 ...
's R&B hit, "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right", and notable country music singers of the 1970s and 1980s such as
Johnny Paycheck
Johnny Paycheck (born Donald Eugene Lytle; May 31, 1938 – February 19, 2003) was an American country music singer and Grand Ole Opry member notable for recording the David Allan Coe song "Take This Job and Shove It". He achieved his greates ...
,
Tom T. Hall
Thomas Hall (May 25, 1936 – August 20, 2021), known professionally as Tom T. Hall and informally nicknamed "the Storyteller," was an American country music singer-songwriter and short-story author. He wrote 12 No. 1 hit songs, with 26 more ...
, and
Ray Stevens
Harold Ray Ragsdale (born January 24, 1939), known professionally as Ray Stevens, is an American country and pop singer-songwriter and comedian, known for his Grammy-winning recordings "Everything Is Beautiful" and "Misty", as well as novelty ...
all made appearances as themselves at venues, mostly at the Coop, on the series.
In addition, politicians also made appearances, such as Oklahoma Governor
George Nigh
George Patterson Nigh (born June 9, 1927) is an American politician and civic leader from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Nigh served as the 17th and the 22nd governor of Oklahoma and as the eighth and tenth lieutenant governor of Oklahoma. He was th ...
and his wife
Donna
Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian.
People
* Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name
* Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), ...
. They appeared in walk-on roles (playing themselves as governor and first lady of Oklahoma) during the show's first month on the air; cast member
Lisby Larson
Lisby Larson (born October 23, 1951, in Washington, D.C.) is an American film, musical theatre, soap opera and television actress. She made multiple appearances on the '' Law & Order'' franchise.
Television
Her daytime roles include ''Texas'' (Pa ...
(Paige Marshall) serenaded the couple with a rendition of "
Oklahoma!
''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...
". Also, while he never appeared on the actual series, Texas
Lieutenant Governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
William P. Hobby, Jr.
William Pettus Hobby Jr. (born January 19, 1932) is an American Democratic politician who served a record eighteen years as the 37th Lieutenant Governor of Texas. He held that office from January 16, 1973, to January 15, 1991, for an unpreced ...
, took a tour of the program's Brooklyn studio, and praised the show's realistic visual feel.
Final episodes
The last episodes featured a Christmas miracle (snow fell in Houston as Long's character Ashley and her unborn baby, who had been presumed dead after a flash flood, returned home to loving husband Justin) and a New Year's series finale where the local TV station was bought out and all the major characters were fired. ''
The Doctors'' also aired its last episode on this day. The final scene was a bittersweet, final toast, "To Texas!".
NBC replaced ''Texas'' with the game shows ''
Wheel of Fortune The Wheel of Fortune or ''Rota Fortunae'' has been a concept and metaphor since ancient times referring to the capricious nature of Fate. Wheel of Fortune may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Art
* ''The Wheel of Fortune'' (Burne-Jo ...
'' and ''
Hit Man
Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may ...
'' (the latter of which was cancelled after 13 weeks despite an increase in the network's ratings in the 11:30 am timeslot), as well as reruns of 1970s primetime shows.
Cast and characters
Entire run
Partial run
Broadcast history
In the run-up to the premiere of ''Texas'' in the summer of 1980, a handful of characters was introduced on ''Another World'', in the hope that once ''Texas'' began airing on August 4, 1980, the viewers who had become invested would continue watching as Iris Bancroft and these newer characters moved to ''Texas''. The premiere of ''Texas'' came at a time when NBC's daytime lineup (consisting of ''Another World'', ''
Days of Our Lives
''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...
'', and ''The Doctors'') had fallen into ratings trouble, after a highly successful period in the early and mid-1970s. Given that the show aired from 3:00-4:00 pm (ET), it caused a small
domino effect
A domino effect or chain reaction is the cumulative effect generated when a particular event triggers a chain of similar events. This term is best known as a mechanical effect and is used as an analogy to a falling row of dominoes. It typically ...
on the NBC daytime schedule: ''Another World'', which had become daytime's first 90-minute drama 17 months earlier (airing from 2:30-4:00 pm), was scaled back to 60 minutes and aired from 2:00-3:00 pm, and ''The Doctors'', which previously aired from 2:00-2:30 pm, now moved to 12:30-1:00.
Due in no small part to the then-peak success of ABC's ''General Hospital'', ''Texas'' remained in the bottom echelon of the daytime serial chart with a 3.8 rating, tying with ''The Doctors'' for last place, 12th, in 1980. However, the show's numbers fell gradually after its first year. The struggles of ''Texas'' also affected the ratings of its mother show, ''Another World'', in such a way that the latter show was no longer NBC's highest-rated soap. The 1980-1981 season had ''Another World'' finish with a 5.1 ratings by comparison to a 7.1 during the previous season (1979-1980). In that same season, ''Days of our Lives'' became the highest-rated serial on NBC.
The show had a very difficult task from the beginning in the ratings for NBC; its 3:00 pm timeslot competitors were ABC's ''General Hospital'', then the highest-rated daytime soap opera due in large part to the popularity of the
Luke and Laura
Luke and Laura Spencer are fictional characters, and the signature supercouple from the American daytime drama ''General Hospital''. Luke is portrayed by Anthony Geary, and Laura is portrayed by Genie Francis. Though other supercouples came bef ...
storyline, and CBS' ''
Guiding Light
''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...
'', which had undergone a ratings resurgence due to popular, more youth-oriented stories and characters created by headwriter
Douglas Marland
Douglas Marland (born Marland Messner; May 5, 1934 – March 6, 1993) was an American writer, known for his work as the head writer of several soap operas.
Career
Marland began his career as an actor, appearing on the Irna Phillips series ''The B ...
. At that time, NBC was third in the ratings. The serial finished with a 3.8 in the ratings for its first year.
Critics complained that Iris Bancroft (who was known on ''Another World'' as being a villainess) had become too tame in her new environment in Houston, and that other roles were poorly cast or suffered from paper-thin writing. In early 1981, the Corringtons were replaced as head writers.
Other casting moves were made with little gain, such as hiring away well established and popular ''General Hospital'' star
Kin Shriner
Kin Shriner (born December 6, 1953) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Scott Baldwin on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'' and its spin-off, ''Port Charles''.
Early life
Shriner and his twin brother, actor Wil Shriner, w ...
(Scotty Baldwin) in October 1980, at great expense, to be cast as Jeb Hampton, only to give him almost nothing to do except as a supporting role until he finally departed the series in August 1981.
In addition to popular Shriner, veteran actor Jay Hammer, who had a notable credit role as Allan Willis during the 1978–1979 season on the primetime CBS sitcom ''
The Jeffersons
''The Jeffersons'' is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of List of The Jeffersons episodes, 253 episodes. ''The Jeffersons'' is one of the longe ...
'', replaced Chandler Hill Harben in February 1981 as Max Dekker. The character was paired off with Carla Borelli's character, Reena Bellman Cook. They both brought charisma to the roles, but their storyline was short-lived, as Hammer's contract ended, and Max was killed off in a fatal explosion.
Gail Kobe and Pam Long
In late 1981,
Gail Kobe
Gail Kobe (born Gabriella Kieliszewski; March 19, 1932 – August 1, 2013) was an American actress and television producer.
Early years
Kobe was born Gabriella Kieliszewski in Hamtramck, Michigan (near Detroit) to Benjamin and Theresa Kobe. She ...
became
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
and
Pam Long
Pamela K. Long is an American writer and executive producer. Long won several Emmys for her work on CBS soap opera ''Guiding Light'' from 1983 to 1990. She was also writer and executive producer on the NBC film Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors, ...
(who appeared on the show as Ashley Linden Marshall) became head writer. The show began to improve in quality, but the ratings remained in the basement due to numerous factors such as losing affiliates due to timeslot rescheduling, contributing to the show's cancellation.
After the show ended, Kobe and Long were hired at ''
Guiding Light
''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...
'' in the same roles. Several Texas actors appeared shortly after Long began writing the show; Jay Hammer, James Rebhorn, Harley Jane Kozak, and Michael Woods were all cast in new roles on ''Guiding Light''. Long and Kobe also wooed Beverlee McKinsey back to daytime to portray Baroness Alexandra Spaulding Von Halkein, a role she played until 1992.
Other ''Texas'' actors who appeared shortly after the show ended included Alexandra Neil, Lisby Larson, and Jerry Lanning. Long had originally wanted Lanning for the role of Billy Lewis; Lanning eventually took on the role of Cain Harris, who befriended and then stalked the character of Reva Shayne.
1982
On April 26, 1982, ''Texas'' moved to the 11:00 am timeslot. The serial had been at a critical low point in the ratings, and NBC, as part of a reshuffling of its morning lineup and a last-ditch effort to save the show, opted for this late-morning move, which also resulted in a change of timeslot for the hit game show ''
Wheel of Fortune The Wheel of Fortune or ''Rota Fortunae'' has been a concept and metaphor since ancient times referring to the capricious nature of Fate. Wheel of Fortune may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Art
* ''The Wheel of Fortune'' (Burne-Jo ...
''. As part of this shuffle, NBC moved ''Wheel of Fortune'' from 11:00 to 10:30, which subsequently resulted in the termination of ''
Blockbusters'' and ''
Battlestars''.
This move, though, may have exacerbated the ratings problems for ''Texas''; although it no longer had to face ''General Hospital'', it was now directly against CBS' hit game show ''
The Price Is Right
''The Price Is Right'' is a television game show franchise created by Bob Stewart, originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman; currently it is produced and owned by Fremantle. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also inc ...
''. While ''Wheel of Fortune'' had given ''The Price Is Right'' some competition in the slot, ''Texas'' was unable to make even the slightest dent against the long-running CBS game. Therefore, NBC cancelled ''Texas'' and the still-struggling ''The Doctors'' (which had been bumped up to noon to make room for NBC acquiring CBS' ''
Search for Tomorrow
''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986.
Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show focu ...
'' at 12:30) on December 31, 1982. Strangely enough, ''
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
'', the first spin-off of ''Another World'', had aired its finale on the same date in 1976.
After initially filling the slot with reruns of ''
CHiPs
''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The serie ...
'' for a few months, NBC experimented with other programming in the 3:00 timeslot; two 60-minute game shows occupied the slot over a period of nearly two years. The first of these, ''
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
'', ran for thirteen months and was replaced by ''
The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour''. When the latter ended its run in July 1984, ''
Santa Barbara'' premiered in the 3:00 timeslot; aside from running for nine years, it achieved better ratings and critical acclaim than ''Texas'' ever did. ''Santa Barbara'' was also the last network program NBC aired in that slot, as NBC returned the hour to its affiliates after the show ended in 1993.
Shortly after the cancellation of ''Texas'' and ''The Doctors'', NBC turned its focus back to game shows and improving the
struggling but still higher-rated soaps ''
Days of Our Lives
''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...
'' and ''Another World'' in early 1983. The daytime block led off with the
Jim Perry James Perry may refer to:
* James Perry (journalist) (1756–1821), journalist
* James Franklin Perry (1790–1853), early Texas settler (with wife Emily Austin Perry)
* Jimmy Perry (1923–2016), English actor and scriptwriter
* James E. C. Perry ...
-helmed revival of ''
Sale of the Century
''Sale of the Century'' (stylized as ''$ale of the Century'') is an American television game show that originally debuted on September 29, 1969, on NBC daytime. It was one of three NBC game shows to premiere on that date, the other two being th ...
'' at 10:30 am in January 1983. The 11:00 slot went back to ''Wheel of Fortune'', which ''Texas'' had displaced with its move to the mornings, and the 11:30 slot was filled by ''
Hit Man
Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may ...
'', which introduced audiences to
Peter Tomarken
Peter David Tomarken (December 7, 1942March 13, 2006) was an American television personality primarily known as the host of the game show ''Press Your Luck''.
Early life
Tomarken was born in Olean, New York, the middle son of Barnett and Pearl ...
. The noon slot, which ''The Doctors'' previously occupied, was taken by ''
Just Men!
''Just Men!'' is an American game show that aired on NBC Daytime from January 3 to April 1, 1983. The show starred Betty White, who won an Emmy award for her work on the show, with Steve Day announcing. It pitted two female contestants who were ...
'', hosted by
Betty White
Betty Marion White (January 17, 1922December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of early television, with a television career spanning almost seven decades, White was noted for her vast work in the entertainment indust ...
. Of the shows that premiered that day, ''Sale of the Century'' lasted until March 1989, but ''Hit Man'' and ''Just Men!'' each lasted only 13 weeks.
Beverlee McKinsey
''Texas'' was used as a starring vehicle for Daytime Emmy-nominated Beverlee McKinsey, whose ''Another World'' character of Iris Carrington, penned in 1972 by Harding Lemay on the mother show as the rich, spoiled daughter of publishing magnate
Mackenzie Cory
This is a list of some of the major characters that have appeared in the soap opera '' Another World'', which originally aired from May 4, 1964, to June 25, 1999.
A
;Joyce Abernathy
:Played by Rena Sofer, 1987
;Dave Adama
:Played by John Mattey ...
, was made the focal point of the series. McKinsey was given the distinction of having a starring credit on the opening of the show. Narrator Ken Roberts announced at the end of the theme song, "''Texas'', starring Beverlee McKinsey," grazed with an outside picture of the iconic actress. However, she left ''Texas'' 16 months after its debut.
''Texas'' was also the first daytime soap opera to air hour-long episodes from its inception, as all the other hour-long soaps airing at the time had expanded from 30 minutes. Noteworthy, the multiple
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
-winning ''Santa Barbara'', which took over the former ''Texas'' time slot in 1984, also premiered with hour-long episodes. ''Santa Barbara'' managed to achieve more critical acclaim and slightly higher ratings during its 8-and-a-half-year run.
Repeats
Soon after ''Texas'' was cancelled,
TBS began airing the show in a weekday morning timeslot in a 30-minute format. These airings were paired with a new half-hour soap, ''
The Catlins
The Catlins (sometimes referred to as The Catlins Coast) comprises an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between the Otago and Southlan ...
'', which was one of the few made-for-cable soaps.
In 2006, Procter and Gamble began making several of its soaps available, a few episodes at a time, through
America Online
AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo! Inc. ...
's AOL Video service, downloadable free of charge. Reruns of ''Texas'' episodes began with the show's first episode from August 4, 1980.
As of January 1, 2009, Procter and Gamble announced that ''Texas'' and three other of its cancelled soap operas would no longer be streamed on AOL Video.
["PGP Classic Soap Channel," ''pgpclassicsoaps.com'', January 1, 2009.] The notice referred to exploring other options to make the shows available for viewing. The last ''Texas'' episode made available through AOL Video was #339, which originally aired on December 4, 1981. Additionally, numerous clips of the show are available on the video-sharing site
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
.
Five episodes are known to be missing so far:
* Episode #47 dated October 7, 1980, posted at AOL is the same as episode #24 and it seems to be either missing or was somehow mislabeled.
* Episode #203 dated May 21, 1981
* Episode #245 dated July 21, 1981
* Episode #247 dated July 23, 1981
* Episode #288 dated September 18, 1981
Episodes 78-163 were once available at AOL, but removed sometime in spring 2008. Although episodes 1-77 are still available through the WMV stream URLs, AOL has completely removed the embedded player pages at the website.
References
External links
*
Texas fan websiteat the ''Another World'' Home Page
Clips from ''Texas'' episodes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Texas (Tv Series)
1980 American television series debuts
1982 American television series endings
1980s American drama television series
American television soap operas
Another World (TV series)
English-language television shows
NBC original programming
Television series by Procter & Gamble Productions
Television shows set in Houston
American television spin-offs
NBC network soap operas