Endora Lenox

''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and produced by NBC Studios, ''Passions'' follows the lives, loves and various romantic and paranormal adventures of the residents of Harmony, a small town in New England with many secrets.

Storylines center on the interactions among members of its multi-racial core families: the African-American Russells, the white Cranes and Bennetts, and half-Mexican half-Irish Lopez-Fitzgeralds. The series also features supernatural elements, which focus mainly on town witch Tabitha Lenox (Juliet Mills) and her doll-come-to-life, Timmy (Josh Ryan Evans).

NBC cancelled ''Passions'' on January 16, 2007. The series was subsequently picked up by DirecTV. The series aired its final episode on NBC on September 7, 2007, with new episodes continuing on DirecTV's 101 Network starting on September 17. In December 2007, just months after picking up the series, DirecTV decided not to renew its contract for ''Passions'', and the studio was subsequently unable to sell the series elsewhere. The final episode was broadcast in August 2008. ''Passions'' was the last daytime television soap opera created for American network television until '' Beyond the Gates'' premiered on CBS in February 2025.

Series history

In the early days of the show, ''Passions'' heroine Sheridan Crane is identified as a close friend of Diana, Princess of Wales; soon Sheridan recalls speaking to Diana on the phone immediately before the 1997 car crash in which Diana was killed. Sheridan also has a similar accident in the same Paris tunnel, and speaks to a "guardian Angel Diana" who urges her to fight to survive, which drew considerable controversy. Sheridan later adopts the name Diana after a boating accident that results in amnesia.

The opening days of the show also introduced the Theresa/ Ethan/ Gwen love triangle that persisted as an ongoing main story line to the very last episode of the series.

For much of the first three to four years of the series, supernatural elements such as witches, warlocks, and closet doors leading to Hell were major plot points, many surrounding the machinations of the centuries-old witch Tabitha Lenox and her doll-brought-to-life sidekick, Timmy—named by ''Entertainment Weekly'' as one of their "17 Great Soap Supercouples" in 2008. In 2001, HarperEntertainment released '' Hidden Passions'', a tie-in novelization presented as Tabitha's diary, exposing the secrets and pasts of the town's residents. ''Passions'' featured a story-line involving Tabitha and Timmy promoting the book, which reached No. 4 on the real-life ''New York Times'' Best Seller list and garnered the series two alternative covers of ''TV Guide'' in July 2001.

In 2003, ''Passions'' submitted an orangutan named BamBam, who had been portraying the recurring role of Precious, for a Daytime Emmy Award. Precious was the non-speaking live-in nurse and caregiver for elderly Edna Wallace, and held an unrequited love for Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald, which was depicted in elaborate fantasy sequences. In early 2004, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which administers the awards, disallowed the entry with the following statement:

Our ruling is based on the belief that the Academy must draw a line of distinction between animal characters that aren't capable of speaking parts and human actors whose personal interpretation in character portrayal creates nuance and audience engagement that uniquely qualifies those performers for consideration of television's highest honor.

In summer 2005, the prominent character Simone Russell came out as gay; ''Passions'' made daytime history by being the first serial to show two women—Simone and love interest Rae Thomas—in bed making love. In 2007, it was revealed that longtime hero Chad Harris-Crane was cheating on his wife with another man. This was also a daytime first, with the men portrayed in bed together, committing—albeit unknowingly—incest. ''Passions'' also portrayed Vincent as an intersex person who became pregnant with his own father's son.

Nearly seven years after the debut of ''Passions'' on July 5, 1999, the NBC-owned Sci Fi Channel began airing the series from its first episode starting February 13, 2006. Due to low ratings, the reruns were taken off the air as of May 25, 2006. On August 15, 2006, ''Passions'' became the first daytime drama to make full episodes available for download and purchase from the online music store iTunes. On November 6, 2006, the show also became the first daytime drama to make full episodes available for free viewing via streaming on NBC.com.

Though plagued since its inception by low overall Nielsen ratings, ''Passions'' was historically top-rated in key demographics, namely the female 12-to-17 demographic; ''Passions'' and ''Days of Our Lives'' usually occupied the top two positions among all soaps in this age group.

Move to DirecTV

On January 17, 2007, NBC announced that it would not renew ''Passions'' for a ninth season, in order to accommodate a planned expansion of its morning news and talk show ''Today'' to a fourth hour. NBC reclaimed the program's hour-long slot in order to extend ''Today'' into the 10:00 am ET hour, rather than acquiring an extra hour of programming time already allocated to its stations for syndicated or local programs. NBC soon began shopping the series to other networks. In April 2007, satellite television provider DirecTV reached an agreement with NBCUniversal Television Studio to acquire the exclusive broadcast rights to ''Passions'', with most of the serial's principal cast members staying on.

Ahead of the move from NBC to DirecTV, the call-in aftershow ''Passions Live'', hosted by Eric Martsolf (who succeeded original cast member Travis Schuldt as Ethan Winthrop in 2002), premiered on DirecTV's general entertainment network The 101 in August 2007, making ''Passions'' the first (and only) American soap opera to ever have a live talk show. Airing weekly on Thursday nights until October 2007 and streamed simultaneously on NBC.com's official ''Passions'' website, the show gave fans the chance to call into the program and interact live with cast members from the soap. ''Passions'' ended its NBC run after eight seasons on September 7, 2007, leaving ''Days of Our Lives'' as the network's lone remaining soap opera and conventional daytime program (until it was moved to the co-owned Peacock streaming service in September 2022 to accommodate the afternoon newscast '' NBC News Daily''); new episodes subsequently began airing on The 101 ten days later on September 17, becoming the first (and , only) American daytime network soap opera to move their first-run episodes to a linear subscription television service.

With the move to The 101, episodes were reduced to four days a week, airing Monday–Thursday at 2:00 pm ET/11 am PT (retaining the timeslot it had held since its NBC debut), with repeats airing later in the day and on weekends. NBC.com continued to maintain ''Passions'' official website after the series moved over to DirecTV; however, first-run episodes were no longer made available to stream for free on NBC's website or for purchase at iTunes. Initially, new episodes were supposed to air exclusively on DirecTV after the soap concluded its run on NBC; however, on September 27, 2007, DirecTV announced it would provide viewers who were not already DirecTV subscribers an "All Access Pass to ''Passions''" to stream all newer episodes on NBC.com after their initial airing on The 101 for a monthly fee. This subscription offering launched on October 1, 2007, originally priced at $19.99 per month (later reduced to $14.99 when ''Passions'' cut its weekly schedule from four episodes to three). In another first for the soap opera genre, episodes airing on The 101 included a interactive feature allowing viewers to answer a special ''Passions'' trivia question that appeared on-screen as a pop-up using their remote control.

On December 10, 2007, ''Variety'' magazine and various cast members"''Passions'' Canceled Again?" ''Soap Opera Digest''. January 1, 2008, Vol. 33 No. 1. confirmed that DirecTV had decided not to renew ''Passions'' for a tenth season, but extended its existing order to include 52 additional episodes to be taped through March 2008. In January 2008, DirecTV reduced the show's schedule to three episodes per week, airing Monday through Wednesday. Universal Media Studios wrapped up production of ''Passions'' on March 28, 2008. As confirmed by original cast member McKenzie Westmore (Sheridan Crane), the cast and crew were told at the wrap party that efforts to find a new outlet had failed and that the show's cancellation was final. New episodes continued to air on The 101 until August 7, 2008, when ''Passions'' ended its nine-season run. Though ''Passions'' had been the highest-rated original program on DirecTV's The 101, it was reported that the network had failed to meet the projected number of new subscribers they had hoped to attract with the series.

Theme song and opening sequence

The theme song for ''Passions'' is titled "Breathe"; it was performed by Jane French and written by French and John Henry Kreitler. A long version of this theme was also released but was never used on the show.

The opening title sequence used since the show's premiere in 1999 features shots of the city of Harmony and its landmarks (actually the real-life town of Camden, Maine). The sequence opens and closes with the show's logo in an italic typeface and in an Arial Black typeface in generic caps posted in front of the cursive form of the title. The opening theme is sometimes shortened to the last two verses to fit in extra scene time.

Ratings and broadcasting history

United States

A replacement for the serial '' Another World'' (which ended on June 25, 1999 after a 35-year run) on NBC's daytime schedule, ''Passions'' debuted in tenth place among the eleven soaps airing on American network television at the time, ahead of only fellow NBC soap '' Sunset Beach'', with a 2.1 rating (1.9 million viewers) and remained there until ''Sunset Beach'' was cancelled in December 1999. From January 2000 until early May, the show came in last place in the ratings among the ten soaps on the air then. During the May 2000 sweeps period, ''Passions'' gained in popularity and pulled ahead of ABC's ''Port Charles''. ''Passions'' remained ahead of ''Port Charles'' until the latter show's cancellation in October 2003. From then on, ''Passions'' once again was last in the American daytime ratings, where it would stay for virtually the rest of its run. It did top ''Guiding Light'' on occasion, but never for more than one week at a time. From 2001 to 2003, when ''Passions'' was at the peak of its popularity, it averaged a weekly 2.1–2.3 rating (roughly 2.4 million viewers). However, the ratings slowly declined each year afterwards; by the 2006–07 season, the show averaged a 1.5 weekly rating (about 1.9 million viewers). The final episode on NBC had a household rating of 1.3/4 (1.68 million viewers). No ratings information was ever released for the show's run on DirecTV.

While ''Passions'' was never a big hit in household ratings, the show was a powerhouse in the younger-skewing demographics. For its entire NBC run, it ranked as the No. 1 soap among girls aged 12 to 17 and women aged 18 to 24. The show also ranked at No. 2 among women aged 18 to 34, and even overtook fellow NBC soap ''Days of Our Lives'' for a short period during the 2004–05 season. In the crucial 18-to-49 demographic, ''Passions'' usually ranked No. 7, ahead of CBS soaps ''As the World Turns'' and ''Guiding Light''. The highest ranking ''Passions'' ever achieved in the 18-to-49 demographic was fourth place in November 2002 and once again in January 2007.

During its NBC run, ''Passions'' ran for 60 minutes every weekday (excluding some holidays). For its final season on NBC (2006–07), episodes were available online at NBC.com for free viewing and for purchase on iTunes. After the move to DirecTV, the schedule was shortened to four days a week (Monday through Thursday) plus weekend marathon encores, then later three days a week (Monday through Wednesday) starting in January 2008 until the finale. Initially, DirecTV episodes were only available on its own exclusive channel; later they were made available for a paid subscription fee at NBC.com.

Canada

''Passions'' aired in Canada for its entire NBC run, first on CTV in 1999 and then on Global TV in 2000. The series lasted there until its final airdate on NBC in September 2007, at which time it was then succeeded by ''Guiding Light'' in the same time slot. NTV in Newfoundland and Labrador also aired ''Passions'' for almost its entire NBC run and was replaced by ''As the World Turns'' just before the series ended on NBC. On July 3, 2007 it was reported that new Canadian premium television service Super Channel would air the DirecTV episodes of ''Passions'' in Canada when the channel launched in October 2007. Those episodes premiered on Super Channel on October 8, 2007 (airing two new episodes at a time only until it caught up to the DirecTV episodes) and ran until the series finale on August 7, 2008. On August 11, 2008, Super Channel began to air ''Passions'' from the premiere episode. Season 2 re-ran on Super Channel starting August 2009 and season 3 in 2010. Season 4 premiered on July 14, 2011. Passions run on Super Channel ended on July 3, 2012. Super Channel chose not to renew their contract due to technical issues.

Australia

''Passions'' was broadcast nationally in Australia on the Seven Network each weekday at 3:00pm, beginning on 29 January 2001 with the series' 1999 episodes. In 2005, the series was moved to an earlier 9:30am time slot, before the show's international licensing was cancelled due to the music copyright fees. ''Passions'' then went into re-runs in a 2am weekday-morning time slot, before ultimately ending with a "series finale."

Croatia

In Croatia, private televizor Nova TV aired the first two seasons of the show (520 episodes). The show was well received by the public, but badly by the critics.

Awards and nominations

''Passions'' has been honored with numerous awards and nominations during its run, including Daytime Emmy Awards, Imagen Foundation Awards, and a GLAAD Media Award.

Critical reception

At its debut, reviews for the series were mixed. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' gave ''Passions'' a "bleak prognosis" regarding the Princess Diana controversy. Their critic wrote: "A show's dearth of creativity is evident when it shamelessly keeps picking over the bones of the dead. ''Passions'' seems to have a death wish." ''Time'' magazine wrote that apart from the show's supernatural elements, "''Passions'' would appear indistinguishable from almost any other soap opera." Unlike the ''Orlando Sentinel'', Time approved of the Princess Diana link, stating that it showed that ''Passions'' was not "devoid of promise" and that the storyline showed "flashes of a certain kind of genius."

By 2001, Michael Logan of ''TV Guide'' remarked of ''Passions'', "There hasn't been this sort of buzz about a soap since the Luke and Laura days on ''General Hospital''...It's unlike anything else out there. There's a real sense of hipness to it."

Craig Tomashoff of ''The New York Times'' praised the campy storylines by calling ''Passions'' the "''Twin Peaks'' of daytime": "It's a staggeringly psychotic blend of supernatural thriller, melodramatic soap opera and situation comedy, featuring acting that would make a pro wrestler blush. I'm never quite sure whether this is a ''laughing at'' or a ''laughing with'' kind of show; either way, I'm still laughing."

Cast

Main

Noted guest stars

In a nod to ''Bewitched'', Bernard Fox appeared as that series' " Dr. Bombay" on ''Passions'' in 1999 and 2000. Alice Ghostley, who portrayed bumbling witch Esmeralda on ''Bewitched'', also appeared on ''Passions'' in 2000 as the ghost of Matilda Matthews, a friend and rival witch from Tabitha's past in colonial New England. Comedian Ruth Buzzi portrayed Nurse Kravitz, an eccentric nurse who discovers that the character Endora has a demon tail, in 2003. Marla Gibbs appeared in 2004 and 2005 as Irma Johnson, the cantankerous aunt of Eve Russell and Liz Sanbourne. Gibbs was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series for the role. From 2005 to 2006, Julia Duffy portrayed the Mother Superior at the convent to which Whitney Russell flees, and Georgia Engel played Esmeralda, Tabitha's childhood rival, in a 2007 ''Wicked''-themed storyline.

Professional basketball player Robert Horry appeared as himself in 1999, as did singer Mýa in 2003 and the band Scissor Sisters in 2007. Judge Mablean Ephriam also portrayed herself in a 2003 fantasy sequence in which the character T. C. and Eve Russell go on the ''Divorce Court'' television program.

The band Scissor Sisters appeared on two February 2007 episodes and performed two songs from their '' Ta-Dah'' album: " Land of a Thousand Words" on February 8 and " I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" on February 9.

Juliet Mills' daughter Melissa Caulfield appeared in 1999 and 2005 as Nanny Phoebe Figalilly, a role played by Mills in the sitcom ''Nanny and the Professor''. Gabby Tamargo, daughter of Eva Tamargo, portrayed a young version of the elder Tamargo's character, Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald, in 2008.

''Hidden Passions''

In 2001, HarperEntertainment released '' Hidden Passions: Secrets from the Diaries of Tabitha Lenox'', a tie-in novelization presented as Tabitha's diary, exposing the secrets and pasts of the town's residents. ''Passions'' featured a storyline involving Tabitha and Timmy promoting the book, which reached No. 4 on the real-life ''New York Times'' Best Seller list and garnered the series two alternative covers of ''TV Guide'' in July 2001. While the novel was billed as being canonical, by the show's final episode, the televised canon had diverged significantly from the novel since its publication.

See also

* List of ''Passions'' awards
* List of ''Passions'' crew
* List of American daytime soap opera ratings

References

External links

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