Passions

Infobox Television Soap Opera
show_name = Passions


network = NBC (1999—2007)
The 101 (2007—2008)
genre = Soap opera
creator = James E. Reilly
executive_producer = Lisa de Cazotte
head_writer = James E. Reilly
senior_cast_members = Galen Gering
Lindsay Hartley
Liza Huber
James Hyde
Ben Masters
Juliet Mills
Tracey Ross
Eva Tamargo
Kim Johnston Ulrich
McKenzie Westmore
distributor = NBC Universal
country = USA
first_aired = July 5, 1999
last_aired = August 7, 2008
run_time = 60 minutes with commercials, roughly 39 minutes without commercials
num_episodes = NBC: 2,075
The 101: 156 [cite-web|url=http://www.nbc.com/Passions/episodes/|title="Passions" episode recaps|publisher=NBC.com|accessdate=2008-07-30]
alternate_titles =
official_website = http://www.nbc.com/passions
imdb_id = 0192917
tv_com_id = 1211

"Passions" is an American television soap opera created by veteran writer James E. Reilly. Produced by NBC Studios, the series debuted July 5, 1999, on NBC (replacing "Another World"), and its last airdate on that network was September 7, 2007. DirecTV picked up the series with new episodes airing on DirecTV-exclusive channel The 101 starting September 17, 2007.cite-web|url=http://www.nbc.com/Passions/news/dtv.shtml|title="NBC'S "Passions" to work its magic on DIRECTV viewers with all new episodes beginning September 17|publisher=NBC.com|accessdate=2007-03-20] In December 2007, DirecTV decided not to renew its contract for the series, and the studio was unable to sell the show elsewhere.cite-web|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117983195.html?categoryid=14&cs=1|author=Josef Adalian
title=NBC squashes "Passions" chances|publisher="Variety"|date=2008-03-31|accessdate=2008-03-31] The final episode aired on DirecTV on August 7, 2008. [http://www.soapoperadigest.com/recaps/pass/2008/080408/ "Passions" recap (8/7/08) - SoapOperaDigest.com] ] [http://tvseriesfinale.com/articles/passions-after-10-years-the-supernatural-soap-ends/ "Passions:" After 10 Years, the Supernatural Soap Ends, part one] ]

"Passions" follows the various romantic and paranormal adventures of the residents of Harmony, a fictional New England hamlet. Storylines center around the interactions among members of its multi-racial core families — the African American Russells, Caucasian Cranes and Bennetts, and half-Mexican half-Irish Lopez-Fitzgeralds — as well as the supernatural including town witch Tabitha Lenox.

During its NBC run, "Passions" ran for 60 minutes every weekday (excluding some holidays). 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. The series was also available via online paid subscription from NBC within the United Statescite-web|url=http://passions.nbc.com/|publisher=NBC|title="Passions" All Access Pass|accessdate=2008-03-22] and on the paid cable Super Channel in Canada.cite-web|url=http://www.soapdom.com/content/view/34587/2/|title=NBC and Superchannel Bring "Passions" to Canada this Fall|date=2007-09-07|accessdate=2008-03-22|author=Linda Marshall-Smith|publisher=Soapdom.com]

eries history

"Passions" debuted in 1999 with major fanfare. Creator Reilly had been credited for a large surge in the ratings for "Days of our Lives" years before, thanks to innovative storylines like that of heroine Dr. Marlena Evans being possessed by Satan that drew new viewers, but also tended to alienate stalwart fans. With "Passions", Reilly was able to start with a blank slate and no pre-existing fan base to please. .

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.cite news| first=Abby| last=West | title=17 Great Soap Supercouples: Timmy and Tabitha|publisher="Entertainment Weekly"|accessdate=2008-01-29|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20174499_7,00.html] One central character was Charity, a saccharine young woman who would regularly become possessed by the "forces of evil."

In 2003, "Passions" submitted a trained 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."

During the summer of 2005, the prominent character Simone Russell came out as a lesbian; "Passions" made daytime history by being the first serial to show two women — Simone and love interest Rae Thomas — in bed making love. [cite-web|url=http://www.glaad.org/poc/coad/nominees/nominees06.php|title=GLAAD Media Awards Communities of African Descent Nominations |accessdate=2008-04-06] 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.Fact|date=March 2008 "Passions" also broke new ground in 2007 with its portrayal of Vincent as a hermaphrodite who becomes pregnant with his own father's son. [cite-web|url=http://www.expressgaynews.com/2007/11-29/arts/television/|title=TV: ‘Passions’ features pregnant man|publisher=Express Gay News|date=2007-11-29|accessdate=2008-04-06]

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; [cite-web|url=http://soaps.about.com/b/a/225672.htm|title="Passions" goes Sci Fi!"|publisher=Soaps.About.com|accessdate=2008-04-06 ] the reruns had originally been announced to begin on February 6. [ [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117934046?categoryid=14&cs=1&s=h&p=0 "Sci Fi Channel revives NBCU's used "Passions" - Variety.com] ] 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 popular 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. [ [http://www.nbc.com/Video/rewind/full_episodes/passions.shtml "Passions" video - NBC.com] ]

Though plagued since its inception by low overall Nielsen Ratings, "Passions" was historically top-rated in key demographics.cite-web|url=http://www.nbcumv.com/broadcast/release_detail.nbc/entertainment-20070111000000-039passions039.html|title="Passions" matches its highest ranking ever"|publisher=NBC Universal Media Village|accessdate=2008-03-21|date=2007-01-11] The series was not renewed by NBC for a full ninth season in 2007 as a result of the network's decision to extend its morning news and talk show "Today" to a fourth hour. [ [http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2007/01/the_today_show_.html "The Today Show" expands on NBC" ~ MercuryNews.com] ] Satellite provider DirecTV soon picked up "Passions" — with most principal cast members staying on [ [http://www.tvseriesfinale.com/2007/05/passions_some_characters_wont_survice_the_move.php "Passions": Who Won't Survive the Move to DirecTV?" - TV SeriesFinale.com] , May 24, 2007] — and began airing new episodes on its original-programming channel The 101 on September 17, 2007. [ [http://www.nbc.com/Passions/news/dtv.shtml "NBC'S "Passions" to work its magic on DIRECTV viewers with all new episodes beginning September 17" ~ NBC.com] ] The series ran Monday to Thursday at 2 pm ET/11 am PT, with repeats airing later in the day and on weekends.

On July 3, 2007, it was reported that new Canadian premium television service Super Channel would air "Passions" in Canada when the channel launched in October 2007, [ [http://www.soaps.com/passions/news/919/Passions_to_Continue_in_Canada "Passions" to Continue in Canada" - Soaps.com] July 3, 2007] and the series premiered on Super Channel on October 8, 2007. Though "Passions" episodes were no longer available via iTunes once the series left NBC, DirecTV announced on September 27, 2007 that new episodes of "Passions" would be made available online at NBC.com for a monthly fee. [ [http://www.tvseriesfinale.com/2007/09/passions_directv_soap_available_online_but_not_fre.php "Passions": DirecTV Soap Available Online — But Not Free" - TVSeriesFinale.com] , September 27, 2007] This service began on October 1, 2007 for $19.99 a month then reduced to $14.99 a month when "Passions"' schedule was cut from four episodes a week to three episodes a week.

On December 10, 2007, "Variety" magazine [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117977472.html?categoryid=14&cs=1 "DirecTV to cut ties with "Passions" - Variety.com] ] and various cast members "Passions" Canceled Again?" "Soap Opera Digest". January 1 2008, Vol. 33 No. 1.] cite-web|url=http://www.tvseriesfinale.com/2007/12/passions_cancelled_twice_in_one_year.php|title="Passions": Cancelled Twice in One Year?"|publisher=TV SeriesFinale.com|date=2007-12-10|accessdate=2008-03-22] confirmed that DirecTV had decided not to renew "Passions" for another season, but ordered 52 additional episodes to be taped through March 2008. New episodes of the series were broadcast until August 7, 2008, with DirecTV airing three new episodes per week starting January 2008. Universal Media Studios wrapped up production of "Passions" on March 28, 2008. The cast and crew were told at the wrap party that efforts to find a new outlet had failed and that the cancellation was final. Cast member McKenzie Westmore confirmed the news. [ [http://tvseriesfinale.com/articles/passions-the-soap-is-really-over-this-time/ "Passions": The Soap is Really Over This Time" - TVSeriesFinale.com] , March 31, 2007]

On August 11, 2008, Super Channel began to air "Passions" from the premiere episode. [http://www.soaps.com/passions/news/2128/Super_Channel_to_Re-run_Passions_From_the_Beginnin "Super Channel to Re-run "Passions" From the Beginning" - Soaps.com] July 10, 2008.]

Trademarks

Pop culture spoofs

Over its run, "Passions" has become widely known for its numerous parodies of pop culture. One fan favorite was the 2003 spoof of the 2002 film "Chicago", in which character Edna Wallace fantasized that she, her demented daughter Beth, Charlie, and her orangutan caretaker Precious had been incarcerated for the kidnapping of Sheridan Lopez-Fitzgerald and her unborn son, Marty. In this fantasy, the three women sang "I Ain't Sorry", a parody of "Cell Block Tango". The song received a ," and later notes that her parents had been "Samantha" and a mortal named "Darrin." [cite-web|url=http://www.tvacres.com/horror_witches_lenox.htm|publisher=TV Acres|title=Tabitha Lenox|accessdate=2008-04-06]

Dream sequences and flashbacks

One of "Passions"' most notorious trademarks is the false "dream sequence" or fakeout. Often, the show will play out an outlandish event, or explode a huge secret viewers have longtime been waiting to see, only to immediately after go back and reveal it all to be a day dream. This dream sequence can last anywhere from a few scenes to a few episodes, typically beginning without warning. On "Passions", often a dream sequence will begin with no visual cues of any sort what so ever, often going as far as to include contradictory elements to give the dream sequence credence. (For instance, another character may show up within the dream wearing an outfit, or revealing information that the daydreamer had no possible way of knowing about beforehand.) While a veteran viewer can usually spot a fake dream sequence once it has neared its climax, the fake dream sequence tends to cause confusion amongst the more casual viewer who may not get to catch the revelation that it was all a dream.

Characters on the show have flashbacks to earlier events quite often, so much so that a significant portion of an episode may be repeated scenes.

Roman Catholicism

Roman Catholicism and its principles figure greatly into the show's themes. Several characters, including Grace Bennett and Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald, are portrayed as being particularly devout Catholics, often praying with a rosary. Father Lonigan, the blind priest, has the ability to sense evil, causing lots of trouble for Tabitha over the years. Many theological debates on the importance of Catholic marriage vows have arisen over the years as well, as various characters attempt to divorce or remarry.

Fate and destined couples

Another trademark of the serial is its pre-occupation with the concepts of fate and soulmates. For the run of the series, the show established a few couples as "fated", and, with few short-lived exceptions, never mixed up any of the relationships. Some of the early "fated" couples were considered to be those of Luis and Sheridan, Ethan and Theresa, Miguel and Charity, and Chad and Whitney. Common indications of a couple's status as "fated" include (but are not necessarily limited to) Tabitha's desire to split said couple up, an unshakeable love that survives numerous break-ups and relationships with third parties, and/or an ability of one character, or perhaps both characters, to "sense" when his/her "soulmate" is in danger, as well as having shared past lives together in the case of Luis and Sheridan. However, despite the fact that each of these couples has existed as a storyline since the first episodes, the show seems to have given up on the "fated" angle as it approached its end. Ethan and Theresa are still in love and fighting to be together, but Miguel is now in love with Kay (not Charity), Luis loves Fancy (not Sheridan, though Sheridan schemes to get him back), and Whitney recently left Chad after finding out about his affair with Vincent. Chad later was shot and killed by his father, Alistair.

ummertime extravaganzas

Likely due to "Passions"' school-aged target audience, the show often cooks up large, wild storylines for the summer, which often, but not always, take place in a city outside of Harmony. In 1999, a carnival came to town as characters were introduced; 2000 saw Luis and Sheridan traveling to New Mexico in search of his then-missing father, Martin Fitzgerald, and 2001 witnessed the failed double-wedding of popular couples Luis and Sheridan and Ethan and Theresa, and their subsequent journey to Bermuda, where Sheridan apparently perished in a boat explosion and Theresa wound up married to Ethan's ex-stepfather, Julian Crane. In 2002, Julian and Timmy set out on a journey in the magical land of Oz as Theresa was "executed" for Julian's "murder"; 2003 saw six characters (Chad, Whitney, Fox, Theresa, Ethan, and Gwen) travel to Los Angeles for the summer (and into October), while, in 2004, Luis and Sheridan traveled to Puerto Arena, Mexico, to retrieve his younger sister, Paloma (and ended up finding his missing father, Martin, and her "dead" mother, Katherine). The plot of the summer in 2005 was a deadly earthquake and tsunami, which destroyed much of Harmony and resulted in the death of James' mother, Maureen, while 2006 saw the extravagant "Passions" Vendetta plot, [ [http://www.nbc.com/Passions/Vendetta/ "Passions" Vendetta ~ NBC.com] ] in which Alistair lured seventeen people (Whitney, Simone, Paloma, Chad, Ethan, Theresa, Gwen, Lena, Spike, Jessica, Maya, Noah, Esme, Fancy, Luis, Beth, and Marty) to Rome, where he planned to take over the world with a chalice stolen from the Pope's private chambers; the plot saw the death of Lena, Maya, Alistair, Beth, and Marty. was saved from execution for Vincent's crimes by Endora's spell that turned back time in the execution chamber. In 2008, the show spent its final summer on the air wrapping up its plotlines at a rapid pace, with Alistair Crane being killed once and for all, the final showdowns between the main characters and the newly introduced villains Viki, Juanita, Pretty, and Vincent, the Tabitha's redemption as a born again Christian who sacrifices her powers to save the residents of Harmony, the return of Antonio and his reunion with Sheridan, the mass weddings of Fancy and Luis, Paloma and Noah, Miguel and Kay, and Edna and Norma (the first gay couple ever to go down the aisle on a soap opera), and Gwen and Rebecca being exposed for their crimes as Theresa and Ethan finally married, once and for all.

exual violence

Another recurring theme on "Passions" is sexual violence. Many storylines, especially since 2005, have included rape as a plot point.

In 2005, so many plotlines came to involve an element of rape that fans began to refer to that year as the "Year of the Rapes".Fact|date=March 2008 Early that year, Paloma Lopez-Fitzgerald was sexually assaulted and nearly raped during a club raid. The show then carried a plotline over whether they should do a rape test while Paloma was in a coma (at the time she was a virgin) and Jessica Bennett was also raped a few weeks later while at a club. Also early in the year, Alistair Crane repeatedly raped his wife, Katherine Crane, while at the Crane Compound. Late in May, heiress Fancy Crane was nearly raped by a man in Las Vegas who demanded "payment" for letting her into a party after she lost her invitation. During the tsunami and later in November, Liz Sanbourne attempted to rape Julian Crane at knifepoint. In August, Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald was raped by Alistair Crane when she refused to pay him (with sex) for helping her with visitation of her infant daughter, Jane; Theresa later married Alistair, and he continued to rape her throughout their marriage. Also in August or September, Kay Bennett was attacked by a gang of men while walking through the park at night, though Fox Crane soon arrived and the two defeated the group. Liz Sanbourne also revealed during the tsunami that Julian Crane had raped her in Boston many years previously (she later revealed that it had been Alistair who had done the deed, thus producing a son, Chad Harris-Crane).

The most prominent rape storyline began in December 2006, when Crane heiress and police cadet Fancy Crane was raped during a sting operation designed to catch a peeping tom. The brutal attack left Fancy in a brief coma and emotionally traumatized the young woman. Fancy was also the show's first rape victim to visibly experience prolonged effects; her bubbly demeanor disappeared, and she became extremely nervous and could not stand to be touched for several months. Fancy was eventually raped for a second time in January 2007, and her boyfriend, Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald, was framed for the crimes; the rapist was later revealed to be Vincent Clarkson, Fancy's biological half-brother through their father.

Rape also played prominently into the 2007—2008 storyline involving Mexican drug cartel leader Juanita Vasquez. Sometime between the births of Pilar's second and third children, the Lopez-Fitzgerald matriarch returned to her native Mexico to visit with her childhood best friend, Juanita Vasquez. There, she discovered that Juanita's husband, Carlos, was still involved with his family's drug cartel and was planning a hit on a rival family; when Pilar confronted Carlos, he raped her, and she accidentally killed him in self-defense. Pilar then called the police in an attempt to stop the hit, but the police ended up murdering the entire Vasquez family, including Juanita and Carlos' young children, except for Juanita. Juanita refused to believe that her husband had raped Pilar and made it her life's mission to murder Pilar's entire family, eventually murdering Pilar's sister and two nephews.

Men on the show were equally as likely to be violated as women. Fox Crane, Julian Crane, Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald, Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald, and Ethan Winthrop have all been victims of sexual assault.

Eerie deaths

One unfortunate trademark for "Passions" has been eerie deaths. In 2002, Josh Ryan Evans, who played Tabitha's extremely popular doll sidekick Timmy, died while on medical leave, just as scenes were airing where Timmy died in the hospital and went to Heaven.cite-web|url=http://www.soapoperadigest.com/features/passions/features/characterstudy/|title=Character Study: Passion's Most Entertaining Characters|accessdate=2008-01-03|publisher=Soap Opera Digest] cite-web|url=http://rarediseases.about.com/od/rarediseasesa/a/achondroplas05.htm|title=Josh Ryan Evans and Achondroplasia|publisher=About.com|accessdate=2008-01-03] cite-web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,334485,00.html|title=Goodbye|publisher=Entertainment Weekly|accessdate=2008-01-04] "Passions" had planned to revive the character in a few months once Evans returned from his own surgery, but instead had to write Timmy out. After five years of evil Crane patriarch Alistair being heard but never having his face seen (voiced by Alan Oppenheimer), "Passions" finally cast the role with longtime daytime vet David Bailey. Bailey was a hit with the cast as well as the fans, but on Thanksgiving Day 2004, he drowned in his pool, just as scenes were airing where various characters tried to kill Alistair, who actually suffered clinical death before being magically revived by Tabitha. Again, the viewers and the producers were stunned, but the show had no choice but to recast the pivotal role (with John Reilly).

Breaking the fourth wall

With its humor and occasional tongue-in-cheek tone, "Passions" has been known to "break the fourth wall," or somehow call attention to the fact that the show is fictional. In an early episode, Kay, Simone and Zombie Charity were seen actually watching "Passions", and when the television in the Bennett's kitchen covered what would have been Theresa's execution, the news report actually pre-empted "Passions", cutting in during the theme song just after the appearance of the logo. In a 2002 episode Theresa was giving birth while stuck in a cabin with Ethan and Gwen; she had a hallucination in which the three of them did a dance together and sang the show's theme song "Breathe." In 2004, TC made a reference to "that crazy soap after "Days of our Lives", which in most areas airs before "Passions". In one episode Fancy Crane used a magazine to hide her face from Noah; the magazine had an image of the then-unseen Rachel Barrett with the sentence "Who is she?" under the "Passions" logo. Fancy later commented that serials "are just like life; you never know what's going to happen!" In an early 2006 episode, Ivy and assistant Valerie were searching on the internet for Miguel to bring him back to Harmony and interfere with Fox and Kay's relationship. They couldn't find him, but Valerie tracked down his last place of employment: he was last seen working as a gardener in some suburban town on a street called Wisteria Lane. At that time, Jesse Metcalfe (ex-Miguel) was playing a gardener on the prime-time serial "Desperate Housewives", which takes place on a street called Wisteria Lane. In the March 30, 2006 episode, while "Passions" reruns were airing on the Sci-Fi Channel, Simone compared life in Harmony to living in a show on the Sci-Fi Channel. [ [http://www.soapoperafan.com/passions/2006summaries/march4.html SoapOperaFan.com Episode Summary] ] Similarly, in the August 10, 2006 episode, Theresa commented that her office wasn't like a NBC daytime serial, and that she wouldn't hire somebody just because he looked like Jesse Metcalfe (who had portrayed her brother Miguel from 1999-2004). A similar inside joke occurred when the character Fancy had a dream that she was a cheerleader; in real life, Fancy's portrayer Emily Harper was a "Laker Girl" (cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers) from 2000-2003.

In April 2007, Kay was watching the sixth ["sic"] hour of "The Today Show" (an apparent jab at NBC's decision to extend it at the expense of the "Passions" timeslot) when it was interrupted with a news report that Luis had been arrested. In one August 2007 episode, Tabitha said that a certain soap opera was starting on DirecTV and she would have to tell her friends not to call her between the hours of two and three PM, blatantly referring to "Passions" itself. At the beginning of the show's final week on NBC, as Whitney was preparing to move to New Orleans, Theresa asked if she was sure she wanted to go, and Whitney commented that she had already arranged to have her DirecTV hooked up in Louisiana so she could "keep up on everything happening in Harmony." And also in 2007, Endora flat-out made a reference to the "audience" in one of her thought balloons, prompting Norma to look in the camera and respond, "Audience? What audience?" Endora also pointed out in one of her thought balloons that when Miguel returned to "Passions", he looked nothing like Jesse Metcalfe ("Nope, not even close!"). In May 2008 while Juanita was looking for clues in a book store as to where Pilar was, the bargain shelf was full of copies of "Hidden Passions". In June 2008, Tabitha mentions the fourth hour of "Today" being a ratings-grabber, poking fun as to how they canceled the soap making way for this fourth hour trying to bring the ratings on NBC up.In the June 30, 2008, episode, Sheridan mentions Pretty's fake scar with references to her real family the Westmores. Michael Westmore did make up for "Star Trek". In the July 30, 2008, episode, Tabitha tells Endora about the volcano in Harmony referring to it as how "Passions" was canceled at the last moment and the actors not knowing. She tells Endora to look in the bowl and Endora says she sees a man sitting a desk with the initials J. Z. this is referring to NBC President Jeff Zucker. Tabitha looks at the audience mentioning Universal forces and Direct Intervention. This is a nod at both Universal Studios and Direct TV for canceling the series twice in one year.

Promotion and product placement

During its NBC run, "Passions" was known to "promote" other NBC programming within its storylines, and to incorporate commercial products into the plot in a promotional tactic known as product placement.

Shortly after "Passions" debuted, Campbell tomato soup was featured as an ingredient in Grace Bennett's tomato soup cake. Also, Nestlé Purina Dog Chow was used to feed Tabitha Lenox's pet cat Fluffy.

In a 2004 episode, TC watched an NBC ad for "Days of our Lives" on his TV, and went on to praise the writers of "Days of our Lives" for coming up with such good storylines; "Days", at that time, was under the helm of James E. Reilly, head writer of "Passions". In the September 4, 2006, episode, Fox was sucked into a black hole; he then told Tabitha that it was the kind of black hole that one gets sucked into on the Sci Fi Channel, which was the channel on which "Passions" repeats aired in 2006. Tabitha then told him stick with NBC ("Passions"' network). In an episode later in September 2006, Siren tried to get Miguel into bed by singing her Siren's song. Miguel told her that she should not audition for "America's Got Talent", which airs on NBC. In another episode, Tabitha talked about "The Biggest Loser" season finale, which was also aired on NBC. A more recent episode featured characters watching a trailer for the 2007 Diane Keaton film "Because I Said So" (produced by Universal Studios, which, like NBC, is owned by General Electric).

For a time, Jessica Bennett was an Avon mark saleswoman,cite-web|url=http://www.rotten.com/library/culture/passions/|title="Passions"|publisher=Rotten.com|accessdate=2007-03-20] and more recently the show featured Johnson & Johnson's K-Y Jelly personal lubricant, and characters were seen drinking from Brita water pitchers. Both Jessica and Theresa were seen using Clearblue Easy pregnancy test products. [cite-web|url=http://tvmegasite.net/day/passions/transcripts/older/2007/pass-trans-04-06-07.shtml|publisher=TVMegasite.com|title="Passions" transcript from April 9, 2007|accessdate=2007-03-20] [cite-web|url=http://tvmegasite.net/day/passions/updates/older/2007/pass-05-04-07.shtml|title=Passions update 5/4/07|date=2007-05-04|publisher=TVMegasite.com|accessdate=2007-03-20] After Kay and Miguel's wedding in 2008, Norma gave Miguel the 2 in 1 K-Y Jelly personal lubricant by Johnson & Johnson telling him how it is so great for her and Edna and that Miguel and Kay will find great enjoyment in it.

In July 2007, "Passions" began to promote its own move to DirecTV the following September. Several characters' homes were seen sporting DirecTV dishes on their roofs, and characters began to make frequent references to switching to DirecTV.

Time dilation

Another trademark of "Passions" is its unusual handling of the passage of time. A single story day can take weeks of episodes to play out, with simple conversations sometimes taking days to complete on-screen. On the other hand, events that should take many hours, such as international travel, can take place in just a few minutes of story time.

Theme song and opening sequence

The theme song for "Passions" is titled "Breathe" 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. From time to time, the opening theme is shortened to the last two verses to fit in extra scene time.

"Passions" is one of the few long-running American serials that, with the exception of occasional abbreviated versions of the intro, never changed its opening theme from the series debut through its cancellation.

Ratings and broadcasting history

USA

As a replacement for the long-running serial "Another World", "Passions" claimed "Another World"'s 2 PM time slot when it debuted on NBC on July 5, 1999, and spent its entire NBC run there until September 7, 2007. "Passions" then moved exclusively to DirecTV's The 101 and debuted on September 17, 2007. The final episode of the series aired on August 7, 2008.

"Passions" debuted on NBC ahead of fellow NBC soap "Sunset Beach" with a 2.1 rating (1.9 million viewers) and remained there after "Sunset Beach" was canceled in December 1999. From January 2000 until early May the show remained dead last among all 10 soaps. During May Sweeps 2000, "Passions" was gaining in popularity and pulled ahead of ABC's "Port Charles". "Passions" remained ahead of "Port Charles" until its cancellation in October 2003. "Passions" once again was dead last, and would stay there for virtually the rest of its run. It did top "Guiding Light" on occasion, but never for more than one week at a time. During 2001-2003 when "Passions" was at the peak of its popularity, it averaged a weekly 2.1-2.3 rating (which at that time equaled roughly 2.4 million viewers). However, the ratings slowly declined with each passing year, to the point that the show averaged a 1.5 weekly rating (about 1.9 million viewers) throughout much of the 2006—2007 season. The final episode on NBC had a household rating of 1.3/4 (1.68 million viewers). Fact|date=October 2007

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 #1 soap in Girls 12-17, Women 18-24 and Girls 12-24. The show also ranked #2 in Women 18-34 and even overtook fellow NBC soap "Days of our Lives" for a short period during the 2004-2005 season. In the crucial 18-49 demographic, "Passions" usually ranked #7, ahead of the long running CBS soaps "As The World Turns", and "Guiding Light". The highest ranking "Passions" ever achieved in 18-49 demographic was 4th place in November 2002 and once again in January 2007. Fact|date=February 2008

CAN

"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. Beginning on October 8, 2007, Super Channel began airing the DirecTV episodes until the series finale on August 7, 2008. On August 11, 2008, Super Channel began airing "Passions" from the very first episode. Re-runs air Monday through Friday at 2 and 4 PM ET.

AUS

"Passions" was broadcast nationally in Australia on the Seven Network each weekday at 3 pm, beginning in 2001 with the series' 1999 episodes. In 2005, the series was moved to an earlier 9:30 am time slot, before the show's international licensing was cancelled due to the music copyright fees. [ [http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/networking/2005/08/02/1122748642614.html TheAge.com.au - "Passions" run amok"] August 4, 2005. Retrieved 11 February 2008.] "Passions" then went into re-runs in a 2 am weekday morning timeslot, ultimately ending with a "series finale."

CRO

"Passions" aired in Croatia for two seasons on Nova TV, which broadcast 520 episodes until the 2005 cancellation of international licensing. [ [http://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strasti "Passions" - Croatian Wikipedia] ]

FRA

"Passions" aired in France for 2 months on TF1 starting July 31, 2001, at 5:10pm CET after the end of "Sunset Beach". The soap ended on October 8, 2001.

BUL

The first 260 episodes of "Passions" aired in Bulgaria on TV 7 days from 2001 to 2002.

RSA

"Passions" Aired 1040 episodes in South Africa on e.tv from 16:40 to 17:30 Monday to Friday Starting on 24 Septtember 2004 and ending on 12 September 2008. It was stopped due the the music copyright prices to African countries. It was replaced by "Real TV" in the same time slot from 15 September 2008.

NGR

"Passions" has been shown on African Independent Television, Lagos since 2001.

Awards

:"For a full listing of award wins and nominations, see List of awards for Passions""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, the "Orlando Sentinel" gave "Passions" a "bleak prognosis" regarding the Princess Diana controversy:

It is still early days for "Passions", but a review published in the "Orlando Sentinel" gave the soap opera a rather bleak prognosis.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."

Cast

Contract cast members

Noted guest stars

"Hidden Passions"

In January 2001, HarperEntertainment released "", an inside look into the history of "Passions" involving all the major characters, written from the viewpoint of Tabitha Lenox. A storyline involving the characters Tabitha and Timmy and the promotion of this book was written into the show, and the book reached #4 on the "New York Times" Best Seller list. The novel was billed as being canonical, but the televised canon has diverged significantly from the novel since its publication.

ee also

*List of "Passions" awards
*List of "Passions" characters
*List of US daytime soap opera ratings

References

External links

*imdb title|0192917
* [http://www.nbc.com/passions/ "Passions" - NBC.com]
* [http://www.rotten.com/library/culture/passions/ "Passions" - Rotten.com]
* [http://www.soapcentral.com/ps/index.php "Passions" - SoapCentral.com]
* [http://www.soapoperafan.com "Passions" - SoapOperaFan.com]
* [http://www.soaps.com/passions/ "Passions News/Updates" - Soaps.com]
* [http://members.aol.com/jason47/passionsguests.html "Passions" Guest Star List]