History

Critical view

Technical information

It is in the tread of the summer 1984 Olympic Games that a new kind of daytime soap-opera appears on the network NBC in the United States : Santa Barbara is officially born on screen on Monday July 30, 1984.

Under the direction of Bridget and Jerome Dobson, the couple of scenario writers at the origin of the program, the show is immediately noticed by its innovative aspect : a light tone, some sprightly actors, a permanent humour... But in spite of very strong intrigues (in particular around the star-couple Kelly Capwell and Joe Perkins and Santana Andrade's search to refind her son), the ratings does not follow. In November 1984, an earthquake makes it possible to put in question a good number of storylines and to give a progress report on the situation of each character of the show.

1985 is the year when is finally solved the original intrigue of the first season : the murder of Channing Capwell Jr. In parallel, a new couple takes the succession of Kelly and Joe, and this for the remainder of the show : Eden Capwell and Cruz Castillo then become the emblematic figures of the program. In two years, a big number of characters successively appeared then disappeared, respecting the great soap-opera tradition : thus, in 1986, there remains nothing any more from the Perkins, and the Andrades and the Lockridges are represented only by one or two of their origin members.

In 1988, the Dobsons are averted from their position by New World Productions which directs the show on its own. From now on under the direction of the producer Jill Farren Phelps, Santa Barbara creates the shock this same year in the soaps world while proceeding to the rape of the heroin, Eden Capwell Castillo. The directing is so realistic and the act shown in a so terrible violence that the fans move to the direction of NBC. Moreover, the fact that the rapist is in fact Zack Kelton, Eden's gynaecologist does not arrange anything ! 1988 is still the year when Marcy Walker announces her pregnancy, which makes Eden a future mother for the little Adriana Castillo. Moreover, Justin Deas wins an Emmy Award for his interpretation of the district attorney Keith Timmons.

In 1989, after Robin Wright (Kelly Capwell) the previous year, it is the turn of Lane Davies (Mason Capwell) and Todd McKee (Ted Capwell) to leave the show. A part of the team goes that year to Paris for the shooting of the episodes of Adriana's kidnapping by Hollis Castillo, Cruz's sister-in-law. These episodes would have been used as thanks for the French public for its fidelity to the show, but unfortunately, they did not have been aired in France yet... At the Emmy Awards ceremony, Marcy Walker, Nancy Grahn (Julia Wainwright), Justin Gocke (Brandon DeMott Capwell) and again Justin Deas leave with a trophy.

In 1990, the show starts to fail in the ratings in the United States, and Jill Farren Phelps is fired and replaced by John Conboy, who had worked in particular on the soap Capitol (1982-1987). His first decision is to reform the Lockridges clan which had completely disappeared years after years since 1984. The Dobsons, after a long two years lawsuit with New World Productions, are reinstated as writers. One year after his arrival in the show, Terry Lester who was succeeding to Lane Davies in the role of Mason Capwell, leaves the show and is replaced by Gordon Thomson, more adapted to the role.The same year, A Martinez and Henry Darrow (Rafael Castillo) win the Emmy Award of the best actor, respectively for a first and a second role.

In 1991, Marcy Walker makes several infidelities to the show to play in TV movies before finally announcing her intention to definitively leave in July. Her departure is the cause of a new fall in the ratings in the United States and the producer Paul Rauch is called for  the rescue.

In 1992, the Dobsons are once more fired from the team and the end of the show is announced for July. At the last moment, six months of the last chance are given to Pam K. Long, head writer, to try to save the show. That is her who creates the characters of the Walker family and centres the story around the new Warren Lockridge, at the expense of the Capwells. In front of the desolation caused by the love-story between his character of Cruz and his sister-in-law Kelly, A Martinez prefers to leave the ship in July, before the unavoidable catastrophe. 

And that is how Santa Barbara definitively stops on Friday January 15, 1993, after 2137 episodes.

Before everything a soap-opera, Santa Barbara knew to succeed, while yielding to the rules of the type (daily shootings, not much outside scenes, reduced budget...), to exceed those and to precede in term of quality many American daytime soaps. It is initially the quality of its writing which differentiates it from its competitors : characters like Mason Capwell, Gina DeMott or Keith Timmons amply transcend the caricatural and interchangeable characters seen elsewhere. Some dialogues are pure jewels and bring a touch of second degree which plays with the structure of the soap-opera concept.

Indeed, the storylines are not always the most innovating (impossible loves, various blackmails, accidents, hidden children who reappear after years, psychopathes twin brothers...), but in Santa Barbara, they are always led to their extreme, which makes them emotionely stronger.  Without talking of the paranormal phenomenons that regularly come to rythm the life of the heros (premonitory visions, guardian angels apparitions, magic talisman...) And no matter the improbabilities of some cliffhangers, the credibility and the depth of the characters make that they are accepted the closed eyes.

Real popular success in France at the end of the Eighties (the show was then aired at 7 p.m. each evening), it was not the same in the United States. Many times saved by the fans and regularly rewarded by different awards, Santa Barbara had to undergo too much changes of casting and too little inspired producers in almost nine years to hope to last more. But who have been able today to forget the love cuddles of the emblematic couple Eden and Cruz, the verbal fights of Sophia and Gina or the annoyed loves of Kelly, Julia, Ted and the others ?...