Atunci incepea difuzarea unui serial tv care prezenta o poveste mai mult sau mai putin atractiva. Serialul incepe cu o tanara care descopera in ziua nuntii ca iubitul ei o inselase cu sora sa. Dezamagita, rupe logodna si pleaca din Kansas in Sunset Beach unde nu cunoaste pe nimeni, dar comunica cu cineva pe internet si este hotarata sa-l gaseasca.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sunset Beach | |
---|---|
An image from the second opening titlesequence of Sunset Beach (introduced on August 4,1997).[1] | |
Genre | Soapopera |
Created by | Josh Griffith Robert Guza,Jr. Charles Pratt Jr. |
Starring | Series cast |
Theme music composer | Timothy Truman |
Country of origin | United States |
Language(s) | English |
No. of episodes | 755[2] |
Production | |
Executive | Gary Tomlin |
Location(s) | NBC Studios Spelling Entertainment |
Running time | 60 mins. |
Broadcast | |
Original channel | NBC |
Original run | January 6, 1997 – December 31, 1999 |
Sunset Beach is a short-runningAmerican television soapopera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on January 6, 1997, and last airing on December31, 1999. The show followed the loves and lives of the peopleliving in a fictional coastal city named Sunset Beach, onthe coast of California. Although there is a town inCalifornia called Sunset Beach, the show's beach scenes were shoton nearby Seal Beach. The show was co-produced by NBC and SpellingTelevision. It aired in over 70 countries around the world.
Sunset Beach won two Daytime EmmyAwards and was nominated another 11 times. The show alsoreceived 22 nominations for various other awards.[3]Sunset Beach was released on DVD for the first time on 25July 2008 by the German company Koch Media. The first 12 episodes werereleased on four DVDs (in German and English).[4]
|
Conception anddevelopment
Sunset Beach was created early in 1996, in an attemptto rebuild the NBCDaytime lineup and target the younger audience. It was thefirst daytime soap opera produced by Aaron Spelling, the chief of SpellingTelevision (Spelling had also produced several primetime soapoperas, and was the executive producer of the 1991 film Soapdish, a satiricallook at daytime soap operas). Jonathan Levin, one of the show'sconsulting producers, commented on the change that a new soap operabrings to the lineup, and the tough process of a viewer getting toknow a new soap: 'It is very difficult to change the loyalty of thedaytime viewer, and we’re talking about shows that have been on for30 years. That's one of the reasons we’re targeting young viewers —they’re the most available and the most flexible in their viewinghabits.'[5]
In the process of making the show, Aaron Spelling liked the idea of namingit Never Say Goodbye, as suggested by Viacom chairmanSumner Redstone during a dinner with Spelling, but later testsproved that the viewers were more drawn to the title SunsetBeach. At first, the show was given a one-year deal, with 255episodes to produce. All 255 episodes were shown on Channel 5 inthe UK and episodes often got more viewers in the UK than inAmerica.
Before getting cancelled, the show was renewed twice, but itfailed to grab the show's audience. Through its short existence,Sunset Beach remained in the daytime ratings basement. However, during theShockwave storyline of 1998 it received its best ratingsand showed signs that it might move off the bottom. This spikeproved to be brief and was not sustained. [6]
Cast andcrew
Main article: List of Sunset Beachcharacters
Cast circa 1997
First Row: Cole, Annie, Tim
Second Row: Caitlin, Mark, Meg, Eddie
Third Row: Tiffany, Ricardo, Paula, Ben, Vanessa, Michael,Sean
First Row: Cole, Annie, Tim
Second Row: Caitlin, Mark, Meg, Eddie
Third Row: Tiffany, Ricardo, Paula, Ben, Vanessa, Michael,Sean
When the show first aired, it started with 21 contractcharacters, of which 7 had left the show during its three year run.The first actress to leave the series was Kelly Hu, whose character didn't mix well withthe others, and she was followed by the exit of AdrienneFrantz. Her character was recast after her but the changedidn't work out, resulting in the character eventually beingwritten out. By the end of the year, when Meg Bennett took over as a new head writer,LeighTaylor-Young and Laura Harring also left the series,followed by the exit of Nick Stabile, whose character was writtenout in a serial killer storyline. The final original character tobe written off was Eddie Connors, played by PeterBarton, who exited in mid-1998.
The remaining 14 original characters stayed on the show untilits end, and three of those characters were recast during thethree-year run. The first recast happened soon after the showstarted airing. The role of Cole Deschanel, initially played by AshleyHamilton, was recast with Eddie Cibrian. In mid-1998, followingcontract disputes, Vanessa Dorman vacated the role ofCole's wife Caitlin, and Kam Heskin was castinstead of her. The final recast was a temporary one. When Susan Ward left to film amovie, SydneyPenny stepped in to replace her, with Ward later returning toplay the character for the show's final few weeks. Shortly afterthe show premiered, Dominique Jennings, V.P.Oliver and Russell Curry joined the cast, but thefirst two were written off by March 1999, exactly two years aftertheir introduction.
The exits of many characters opened the doors to theintroduction of new ones. Carol Potter and John Martin, who had been recurring duringthe show's first year, were promoted to contract status, and theexpansion of Meg's family also included the arrival of her sisterSara. The rolewas first played by then-unknown actress Lauren Woodland, but she was fired twoweeks later and replaced by Shawn Batten, who played the role for theremainder of the series. Aside from Meg's family, Ricardo got his family expanded, includingthe introduction of his mother Carmen (played MargaritaCordova), brother Antonio (played by Nick Kiriazis) and the suddenreappearance of his sister Maria (played by ChristinaChambers), Ben Evans' presumed dead wife.
The teen scene was revived in 1998, when Bette's daughter Emily(played by CristiHarris) arrived in town and fell in love with Sean, promptingAmy (played by Krissy Carlson) and Brad (played by MichaelStrickland) to intervene. The final teen cast was LeoDeschanel, Cole's brother (played by David Mathiessen).A long-time legend, A.J. Deschanel, was also cast in the form of Gordon Thomson,and a villain named Francesca (played by Lisa Guerrero) was added to the cast inthe middle of 1998.
In 1999, the show cast only three contract roles, the first twobeing in March, when Tracy Melchior and Chase Parker stunnedthe soap with their sudden arrival in town. The final role to becast on the show was the one played by Sean Kanan in late August. Things changed atthe end of the year, when fan favorite Eddie Cibrian left the show to pursue acareer in primetime. Several other cast members, including a feworiginal ones, considered leaving, but the show's cancellation camebefore they could make a decision.
During its entire run, Sunset Beach was executiveproduced by GaryTomlin. However, the head-writing history was much different.Robert Guza,Jr. was the first head writer (and also a co-creator), but heexited the show in October 1997, when Meg Bennett, who had been serving asAssociate Head Writer was promoted to Head Writing status. Fourmonths after being the sole head writer, Bennett got a co-headwriter in the form of Christopher Whitesell. During thesummer of 1998, Bennett was fired and replaced by MargaretDePriest, who stayed with the show until its cancellation.
Storylines
Maria's portrait, placed in Ben's apartment caused the development ofthe very first storyline on Sunset Beach.
Storylines in its nearly three-year run ranged from thetraditional to the supernatural. One of the first storylinesconcerned an Internet romance. Kansas farm girl Meg Cummingsdiscovered her fiancé, TimTruman, cheating on her on their wedding day. Meg had beentalking online with SB, a man who lived in Sunset Beach,California. And after catching Tim with her maid of honor, Meg fledto Sunset Beach in search of SB, who turned out to be wealthy,widowed businessman BenEvans.
When the moon rises early, just as the Santa Ana winds kicks upout of nowhere, and the sun is just dropping out of sight, whoeveryou meet at the far side of the pier, is who you're destined to bewith.
– Elaine Stevens(thelegend of Sunset Beach)[7]
The first year of the show revolved around Meg's pursuit of Ben(including her briefly breaking into his house, stealing a journalshe found there, and dressing up in his late wife's clothes), whowas initially not interested in her, and the gradual development ofa romance between them. A side plot showed the antagonisticrelationship between Meg and Annie Douglas, Ben's longtimebest friend. Meg hated Annie for being close to Ben and wanted tocut her out of his life; Annie hated Meg out of jealousy for herdeveloping romance with Ben. Their problems reached a head with aphysical fight in a hot tub. Meg's ex-fiancé Tim Truman followedher to Sunset Beach to win her back, and ended up becoming Annie'sally and almost love interest. Once Meg and Annie had overcometheir differences, Meg soon had a new problem when she began tosuspect Ben was a murderer, although this plot line was developedto lead up to the Terror Island storyline. After the TerrorIsland/Derek storyline (see below) none of the issues raised wereever mentioned again.
Meg and Ben became one of the show's first couples, along withreformed jewel thief Cole Deschanel and local heiress Caitlin Richards. Cole sleptwith and impregnated both Caitlin and Caitlin's unhappily married,alcoholic mother Olivia. Olivia and her fiendish husband,Gregory,planned to steal Caitlin's baby and pass it off as Olivia's(telling Caitlin her baby had died) in order to break up Caitlin'srelationship with Cole, who her parents disapproved of because ofhis criminal past. Caitlin lost the child in a car accident whenshe found out about her parents' horrible plan, and planned to fakethe rest of her pregnancy and adopt a baby to pass off as her own,as she was worried her inability to have children (caused by theaccident) would cause problems in her marriage to Cole. Sheenlisted the help of Annie, who was secretly trying to break upOlivia and Gregory, due to a term in her father's will that statedshe would only get her inheritance if she wed Gregory (her father'sway of breaking up his marriage to Olivia, who he had been havingan affair with). Annie drugged Olivia and stole her baby, tellingher the baby had been stillborn. Caitlin unknowingly raised herbaby half-brother (who was also her stepson, having been fatheredby her husband), until a grief-stricken Olivia discovered thetruth. Olivia was eventually reunited with her son.
When the show began, it was the only soap on the air featuringAsian-American characters, though they were written off before theend of the first year. The show also had daytime television's onlyAfrican-American villainess, Virginia Harrison, who schemed tobreak up lifeguardMichael Bourneand reporter VanessaHart so she could have Michael for herself.
Outrageousstorylines
Sunset Beach gained most viewers during its 1998 summerstoryline Shockwave
In one of the most outrageous storylines on the show, Virginiadrugged Vanessa and, using a turkey baster andsome stolen sperm, impregnated her with the child of Tyus Robinson, to makeit appear Vanessa had been unfaithful to Michael, who was sterile.
The show was known for other outrageous storylines, suchTerror Island[8] inwhich several of the show's main characters were stranded on anisland with a masked serial killer (whose costume bore a closeresemblance to that of the killer from Scream) intent on killingthem, especially Meg. A handful of characters were killed by themaniac, mostly minor characters introduced as serial killer-fodder,but also one lead character, young runaway made good Mark Wolper. In hisdying moments Mark pulled off the killer's mask and audiences werestunned to see Ben's face behind it. As it turned out, Ben had anevil twin, Derek,who plagued Ben and Meg's lives off and on for the rest of the runof the show. Derek was killed after being shot in a struggle withBen during the show's final weeks, following a long storyline whereDerek kidnapped and impersonated his twin for months, sleeping withBen's wife Maria(having previously also slept with Meg).
Maria TorresEvans, who had wed Ben when she was still a teenager and he wasbarely in his twenties, had disappeared and been presumed drownedafter a boating accident that took place some years prior to thestart of the show. Ben was haunted by the terrible secret that hehad caught her in bed with Derek (it was later revealed that Derek-- who had impersonated Ben to Maria, who was unaware Ben had atwin -- had not slept with Maria, as she had stabbed him withscissors when he tried to rape her). Ben's guilt and grief overMaria caused a shadow over his relationship with Meg from thebeginning, which worsened when an amnesiac Maria came back from thedead at Ben and Meg's October 1998 wedding. Ben and Maria grewcloser while he helped her to regain her memory, and once she did,Ben flip flopped between the two women for much of the rest of theshow's run. During the show's last year a strange woman, Tess,turned up on his doorstep with a son she claimed was Ben andMaria's. After a positive paternity test they raised the child, Benjy, together,causing even more problems for Meg, who left Ben and brieflystarted dating her sister's boyfriend, Casey. Derek (who was also wrongfullypresumed dead) returned to kidnap Ben again, and it was revealed heand Tess were Benjy's parents.
Another outrageous storyline was the earthquake/tsunami[9] story,in which Sunset Beach was struck by a massive earthquake, trappingmany characters - most of them each other's rival - together inlife and death situations. While half the cast battled the disasteron land, the rest of the cast was on a pleasure cruise aboard aship that was overturned - à la ThePoseidon Adventure - by a tsunami created by theearthquake. This storyline was in many ways similar to the plot ofThe Poseidon Adventure.
The tsunami storyline proved so popular that two weeks' worth ofepisodes were compiled and turned into an hour-long show that wasincluded on NBC's lineup for one night in August 1998. The showtook a supernatural turn for a while with somecursed jewels, stolen from a religious icon, that turned thosewho'd touched them into shriveled mummies. The story culminated onChristmas Evewith the return of the jewels to the Madonna just in time toprevent the deaths of several key characters.
The show also featured two murder mysteries in its run. Thefirst was the murder of Annie's father Del Douglas (by Cole'smother, Elaine Stevens. Del hadkidnapped Cole as a baby and convinced Elaine the child was dead).The second murder mystery involved the death of seductress Francesca Vargas, whomjust about everyone in town wanted dead. The surprise twist in theWho Shot Francesca storyline was that the killer was main characterGregoryRichards.
Cancellation
The show was cancelled just before the third anniversary of itsoriginal air date. Most of the main characters were given happyendings.[10] Benand Meg and Michael and Vanessa married in a double wedding. Caseyand Sara got engaged, Cole and Caitlin were happy in theirmarriage, and Olivia was happily raising her children alone. Mariagave Ben a divorce so he could marry Meg and met a new man, RossEnglish. Maria also adopted Benjy, the little boy she had regardedas her own, and she and Ben planned to raise him together. The'baddies' all got their just desserts. Derek was accidentally shotand killed by Ben, his accomplice Tess went to jail, as did GregoryRichards. Tim Truman, who though not a villain spent most of thethree years causing problems for Ben and Meg, was murdered byDerek. Virginia remained languishing in a mental hospital, whilereformed bad girl Annie also got a happy ending, finding love withrelatively new character Jude.
In a twist ending, Meg appeared to wake up in Kansas and realize that the entire three yearsin Sunset Beach had been a dream - and the characters from the showwere actually her friends and family in Kansas (an obviousreference to The Wizard ofOz). However, at the last minute, Meg woke up in SunsetBeach and was in bed with Ben, the day after their wedding.Probably the dream was poking fun at how many writers use thesloppy ending of, 'It was all a dream' to bring a story to a close,as was done in stories such as Alice inWonderland.
The show gained a cult following in the UK, doingespecially well in the ratings for Channel 5, with some universitiesholding Sunset Beach parties where students would go dressed astheir favorite character. Channel 5 tried to save the show when itscancellation was announced, offering partially to fund it andtrying to get other networks involved, as had happened previouslywith Baywatch,but NBC was not interested. Channel 5 did buy NBC's other soapopera, Days of Our Lives, to air in SunsetBeach's place, even running promos during Sunset Beach's finalweek, but the show failed to catch on and 5 dropped Daysapproximately a year later.
Internationalbroadcasting
In South AfricaSunset Beach originally aired on SABC 3 for its entire run from 1999 to 2001.Currently e.tv is rebroadcastingthe entire series. It started airing again in mid 2008.
References and casting
Satire and pop culturereferences
Annie fantasized being a superhero, in 1999
Sunset Beach remains highly popular in many countriesyears after its cancellation. It frequently referenced othertelevision shows: many episodes featured characters fantasizingabout their lives and dreams in sequences that show the castdressed as Charlie's Angels or performingthe opening from Friends.
Fantasies involving the character AnnieDouglas Richards[11]included take offs of The LeezaGibbons Show and The Jerry Springer Show(titled 'Murderer of the Day'), which guest-starred theirrespective hosts. Annie fantasized about being a superhero, had a play ofthe movie The Wizard of Oz, aplay on Wheelof Fortune, and even her own imaginary soap opera titledThe Search for Dignity. Plus, the character of Annie wasusually the one to deliver funny quotes.[12]
What made Sunset Beach truly innovative was itssatirizing of itself and the soap opera genre. Advice was sometimesgiven to characters by the show's dog[13] andon one occasion, by God himself[14]. Oneof the show's lighthearted traits would be to incorporate pop-up trivia occasionally, taking a cuefrom the VH1 show. A few of thecharacters were also known for breaking thefourth wall, most notably Bette Katzenkazrahi and Vanessa Hart, whowere involved in a one-day special episode where they both had adream of resolving the complicated storylines of SunsetBeach.
DVD
DVD Name | Year | Region 2 (German) | Additional features |
---|---|---|---|
Box 1 | 1997 | June 25, 2008 | None |
Stunt casting guestappearances
The show went in for stunt casting guest appearances - Jerry Springerplayed talk show hostJerry Feller, MarlaMaples played socialite Barbara Birch, Judge Wapner playedhimself - and featured a ripped from the headline story about aWashington intern, Meg's sister Sara Cummings (Shawn Batten), who'd had an affair with amarried politician. Her affair was exposed by her supposed friend -Melinda Fall, a take off on Linda Tripp. Sara went on to develop arelationship with local lifeguard Casey Mitchum, and theirrelationship and her sibling rivalry with her sister (who at onepoint started an affair with Casey) made up the bulk of Sara'sstorylines, although she was also famous for her TV show-inspiredfantasy sequences, which included spoofs of the opening titles forFriends and The Mary Tyler MooreShow.
Other notable guest appearances include Finola Hughes as Cole's ex-fiancéeHelena, Christopher Darden as Les Gordon, John O'Hurley asthe host of Wheel of Misfortune, Kim Alexis as a hotel maid, JackWagner as a thief named Jacques Dumont, and BarbaraMandrell as Casey's ill mother Alex Mitchum.
Externallinks
- Sunset Beach atthe Internet Movie Database
- Sunset Beach atTV.com
References
- ^'[1]', Episode140. URL last accessed 2008-06-16
- ^'[2]', NBC.URL last accessed 2008-06-16.
- ^'Emmy Awards' NBC,URL last accessed 2008-06-16
- ^'[3]' DE,URL last accessed 2008-06-16
- ^Levin comment
- ^Nielsen Ratings,Info on Nielsen Ratings
- ^
Legend of SuBe 'In the veryfirst episode, the legend of Sunset Beach is introduced,and symbolizes the very first Sunset Beachsupercouple, Meg and Ben'. TV.com. http://www.tv.com/sunset-beach/episode-001/episode/299451/trivia.html#notesLegend of SuBe. Retrieved2008-06-16. - ^Terror Island, Welcometo Terror Island
- ^Shockwave, ShockwaveStoryline
- ^Final Episode Recap
- ^Annie's fantasy world,The fantasies of Annie Douglas
- ^Annie's quotes, AnnieDouglas quotes
- ^Spike's profile
- ^God speaks toAntonio
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sunset Beach | |
---|---|
An image from the second opening titlesequence of Sunset Beach (introduced on August 4,1997).[1] | |
Genre | Soapopera |
Created by | Josh Griffith Robert Guza,Jr. Charles Pratt Jr. |
Starring | Series cast |
Theme music composer | Timothy Truman |
Country of origin | United States |
Language(s) | English |
No. of episodes | 755[2] |
Production | |
Executive | Gary Tomlin |
Location(s) | NBC Studios Spelling Entertainment |
Running time | 60 mins. |
Broadcast | |
Original channel | NBC |
Original run | January 6, 1997 – December 31, 1999 |
Sunset Beach is a short-runningAmerican television soapopera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on January 6, 1997, and last airing on December31, 1999. The show followed the loves and lives of the peopleliving in a fictional coastal city named Sunset Beach, onthe coast of California. Although there is a town inCalifornia called Sunset Beach, the show's beach scenes were shoton nearby Seal Beach. The show was co-produced by NBC and SpellingTelevision. It aired in over 70 countries around the world.
Sunset Beach won two Daytime EmmyAwards and was nominated another 11 times. The show alsoreceived 22 nominations for various other awards.[3]Sunset Beach was released on DVD for the first time on 25July 2008 by the German company Koch Media. The first 12 episodes werereleased on four DVDs (in German and English).[4]
|
Conception anddevelopment
Sunset Beach was created early in 1996, in an attemptto rebuild the NBCDaytime lineup and target the younger audience. It was thefirst daytime soap opera produced by Aaron Spelling, the chief of SpellingTelevision (Spelling had also produced several primetime soapoperas, and was the executive producer of the 1991 film Soapdish, a satiricallook at daytime soap operas). Jonathan Levin, one of the show'sconsulting producers, commented on the change that a new soap operabrings to the lineup, and the tough process of a viewer getting toknow a new soap: 'It is very difficult to change the loyalty of thedaytime viewer, and we’re talking about shows that have been on for30 years. That's one of the reasons we’re targeting young viewers —they’re the most available and the most flexible in their viewinghabits.'[5]
In the process of making the show, Aaron Spelling liked the idea of namingit Never Say Goodbye, as suggested by Viacom chairmanSumner Redstone during a dinner with Spelling, but later testsproved that the viewers were more drawn to the title SunsetBeach. At first, the show was given a one-year deal, with 255episodes to produce. All 255 episodes were shown on Channel 5 inthe UK and episodes often got more viewers in the UK than inAmerica.
Before getting cancelled, the show was renewed twice, but itfailed to grab the show's audience. Through its short existence,Sunset Beach remained in the daytime ratings basement. However, during theShockwave storyline of 1998 it received its best ratingsand showed signs that it might move off the bottom. This spikeproved to be brief and was not sustained. [6]
Cast andcrew
Main article: List of Sunset Beachcharacters
Cast circa 1997
First Row: Cole, Annie, Tim
Second Row: Caitlin, Mark, Meg, Eddie
Third Row: Tiffany, Ricardo, Paula, Ben, Vanessa, Michael,Sean
First Row: Cole, Annie, Tim
Second Row: Caitlin, Mark, Meg, Eddie
Third Row: Tiffany, Ricardo, Paula, Ben, Vanessa, Michael,Sean
When the show first aired, it started with 21 contractcharacters, of which 7 had left the show during its three year run.The first actress to leave the series was Kelly Hu, whose character didn't mix well withthe others, and she was followed by the exit of AdrienneFrantz. Her character was recast after her but the changedidn't work out, resulting in the character eventually beingwritten out. By the end of the year, when Meg Bennett took over as a new head writer,LeighTaylor-Young and Laura Harring also left the series,followed by the exit of Nick Stabile, whose character was writtenout in a serial killer storyline. The final original character tobe written off was Eddie Connors, played by PeterBarton, who exited in mid-1998.
The remaining 14 original characters stayed on the show untilits end, and three of those characters were recast during thethree-year run. The first recast happened soon after the showstarted airing. The role of Cole Deschanel, initially played by AshleyHamilton, was recast with Eddie Cibrian. In mid-1998, followingcontract disputes, Vanessa Dorman vacated the role ofCole's wife Caitlin, and Kam Heskin was castinstead of her. The final recast was a temporary one. When Susan Ward left to film amovie, SydneyPenny stepped in to replace her, with Ward later returning toplay the character for the show's final few weeks. Shortly afterthe show premiered, Dominique Jennings, V.P.Oliver and Russell Curry joined the cast, but thefirst two were written off by March 1999, exactly two years aftertheir introduction.
The exits of many characters opened the doors to theintroduction of new ones. Carol Potter and John Martin, who had been recurring duringthe show's first year, were promoted to contract status, and theexpansion of Meg's family also included the arrival of her sisterSara. The rolewas first played by then-unknown actress Lauren Woodland, but she was fired twoweeks later and replaced by Shawn Batten, who played the role for theremainder of the series. Aside from Meg's family, Ricardo got his family expanded, includingthe introduction of his mother Carmen (played MargaritaCordova), brother Antonio (played by Nick Kiriazis) and the suddenreappearance of his sister Maria (played by ChristinaChambers), Ben Evans' presumed dead wife.
The teen scene was revived in 1998, when Bette's daughter Emily(played by CristiHarris) arrived in town and fell in love with Sean, promptingAmy (played by Krissy Carlson) and Brad (played by MichaelStrickland) to intervene. The final teen cast was LeoDeschanel, Cole's brother (played by David Mathiessen).A long-time legend, A.J. Deschanel, was also cast in the form of Gordon Thomson,and a villain named Francesca (played by Lisa Guerrero) was added to the cast inthe middle of 1998.
In 1999, the show cast only three contract roles, the first twobeing in March, when Tracy Melchior and Chase Parker stunnedthe soap with their sudden arrival in town. The final role to becast on the show was the one played by Sean Kanan in late August. Things changed atthe end of the year, when fan favorite Eddie Cibrian left the show to pursue acareer in primetime. Several other cast members, including a feworiginal ones, considered leaving, but the show's cancellation camebefore they could make a decision.
During its entire run, Sunset Beach was executiveproduced by GaryTomlin. However, the head-writing history was much different.Robert Guza,Jr. was the first head writer (and also a co-creator), but heexited the show in October 1997, when Meg Bennett, who had been serving asAssociate Head Writer was promoted to Head Writing status. Fourmonths after being the sole head writer, Bennett got a co-headwriter in the form of Christopher Whitesell. During thesummer of 1998, Bennett was fired and replaced by MargaretDePriest, who stayed with the show until its cancellation.
Storylines
Maria's portrait, placed in Ben's apartment caused the development ofthe very first storyline on Sunset Beach.
Storylines in its nearly three-year run ranged from thetraditional to the supernatural. One of the first storylinesconcerned an Internet romance. Kansas farm girl Meg Cummingsdiscovered her fiancé, TimTruman, cheating on her on their wedding day. Meg had beentalking online with SB, a man who lived in Sunset Beach,California. And after catching Tim with her maid of honor, Meg fledto Sunset Beach in search of SB, who turned out to be wealthy,widowed businessman BenEvans.
When the moon rises early, just as the Santa Ana winds kicks upout of nowhere, and the sun is just dropping out of sight, whoeveryou meet at the far side of the pier, is who you're destined to bewith.
– Elaine Stevens(thelegend of Sunset Beach)[7]
The first year of the show revolved around Meg's pursuit of Ben(including her briefly breaking into his house, stealing a journalshe found there, and dressing up in his late wife's clothes), whowas initially not interested in her, and the gradual development ofa romance between them. A side plot showed the antagonisticrelationship between Meg and Annie Douglas, Ben's longtimebest friend. Meg hated Annie for being close to Ben and wanted tocut her out of his life; Annie hated Meg out of jealousy for herdeveloping romance with Ben. Their problems reached a head with aphysical fight in a hot tub. Meg's ex-fiancé Tim Truman followedher to Sunset Beach to win her back, and ended up becoming Annie'sally and almost love interest. Once Meg and Annie had overcometheir differences, Meg soon had a new problem when she began tosuspect Ben was a murderer, although this plot line was developedto lead up to the Terror Island storyline. After the TerrorIsland/Derek storyline (see below) none of the issues raised wereever mentioned again.
Meg and Ben became one of the show's first couples, along withreformed jewel thief Cole Deschanel and local heiress Caitlin Richards. Cole sleptwith and impregnated both Caitlin and Caitlin's unhappily married,alcoholic mother Olivia. Olivia and her fiendish husband,Gregory,planned to steal Caitlin's baby and pass it off as Olivia's(telling Caitlin her baby had died) in order to break up Caitlin'srelationship with Cole, who her parents disapproved of because ofhis criminal past. Caitlin lost the child in a car accident whenshe found out about her parents' horrible plan, and planned to fakethe rest of her pregnancy and adopt a baby to pass off as her own,as she was worried her inability to have children (caused by theaccident) would cause problems in her marriage to Cole. Sheenlisted the help of Annie, who was secretly trying to break upOlivia and Gregory, due to a term in her father's will that statedshe would only get her inheritance if she wed Gregory (her father'sway of breaking up his marriage to Olivia, who he had been havingan affair with). Annie drugged Olivia and stole her baby, tellingher the baby had been stillborn. Caitlin unknowingly raised herbaby half-brother (who was also her stepson, having been fatheredby her husband), until a grief-stricken Olivia discovered thetruth. Olivia was eventually reunited with her son.
When the show began, it was the only soap on the air featuringAsian-American characters, though they were written off before theend of the first year. The show also had daytime television's onlyAfrican-American villainess, Virginia Harrison, who schemed tobreak up lifeguardMichael Bourneand reporter VanessaHart so she could have Michael for herself.
Outrageousstorylines
Sunset Beach gained most viewers during its 1998 summerstoryline Shockwave
In one of the most outrageous storylines on the show, Virginiadrugged Vanessa and, using a turkey baster andsome stolen sperm, impregnated her with the child of Tyus Robinson, to makeit appear Vanessa had been unfaithful to Michael, who was sterile.
The show was known for other outrageous storylines, suchTerror Island[8] inwhich several of the show's main characters were stranded on anisland with a masked serial killer (whose costume bore a closeresemblance to that of the killer from Scream) intent on killingthem, especially Meg. A handful of characters were killed by themaniac, mostly minor characters introduced as serial killer-fodder,but also one lead character, young runaway made good Mark Wolper. In hisdying moments Mark pulled off the killer's mask and audiences werestunned to see Ben's face behind it. As it turned out, Ben had anevil twin, Derek,who plagued Ben and Meg's lives off and on for the rest of the runof the show. Derek was killed after being shot in a struggle withBen during the show's final weeks, following a long storyline whereDerek kidnapped and impersonated his twin for months, sleeping withBen's wife Maria(having previously also slept with Meg).
Maria TorresEvans, who had wed Ben when she was still a teenager and he wasbarely in his twenties, had disappeared and been presumed drownedafter a boating accident that took place some years prior to thestart of the show. Ben was haunted by the terrible secret that hehad caught her in bed with Derek (it was later revealed that Derek-- who had impersonated Ben to Maria, who was unaware Ben had atwin -- had not slept with Maria, as she had stabbed him withscissors when he tried to rape her). Ben's guilt and grief overMaria caused a shadow over his relationship with Meg from thebeginning, which worsened when an amnesiac Maria came back from thedead at Ben and Meg's October 1998 wedding. Ben and Maria grewcloser while he helped her to regain her memory, and once she did,Ben flip flopped between the two women for much of the rest of theshow's run. During the show's last year a strange woman, Tess,turned up on his doorstep with a son she claimed was Ben andMaria's. After a positive paternity test they raised the child, Benjy, together,causing even more problems for Meg, who left Ben and brieflystarted dating her sister's boyfriend, Casey. Derek (who was also wrongfullypresumed dead) returned to kidnap Ben again, and it was revealed heand Tess were Benjy's parents.
Another outrageous storyline was the earthquake/tsunami[9] story,in which Sunset Beach was struck by a massive earthquake, trappingmany characters - most of them each other's rival - together inlife and death situations. While half the cast battled the disasteron land, the rest of the cast was on a pleasure cruise aboard aship that was overturned - à la ThePoseidon Adventure - by a tsunami created by theearthquake. This storyline was in many ways similar to the plot ofThe Poseidon Adventure.
The tsunami storyline proved so popular that two weeks' worth ofepisodes were compiled and turned into an hour-long show that wasincluded on NBC's lineup for one night in August 1998. The showtook a supernatural turn for a while with somecursed jewels, stolen from a religious icon, that turned thosewho'd touched them into shriveled mummies. The story culminated onChristmas Evewith the return of the jewels to the Madonna just in time toprevent the deaths of several key characters.
The show also featured two murder mysteries in its run. Thefirst was the murder of Annie's father Del Douglas (by Cole'smother, Elaine Stevens. Del hadkidnapped Cole as a baby and convinced Elaine the child was dead).The second murder mystery involved the death of seductress Francesca Vargas, whomjust about everyone in town wanted dead. The surprise twist in theWho Shot Francesca storyline was that the killer was main characterGregoryRichards.
Cancellation
The show was cancelled just before the third anniversary of itsoriginal air date. Most of the main characters were given happyendings.[10] Benand Meg and Michael and Vanessa married in a double wedding. Caseyand Sara got engaged, Cole and Caitlin were happy in theirmarriage, and Olivia was happily raising her children alone. Mariagave Ben a divorce so he could marry Meg and met a new man, RossEnglish. Maria also adopted Benjy, the little boy she had regardedas her own, and she and Ben planned to raise him together. The'baddies' all got their just desserts. Derek was accidentally shotand killed by Ben, his accomplice Tess went to jail, as did GregoryRichards. Tim Truman, who though not a villain spent most of thethree years causing problems for Ben and Meg, was murdered byDerek. Virginia remained languishing in a mental hospital, whilereformed bad girl Annie also got a happy ending, finding love withrelatively new character Jude.
In a twist ending, Meg appeared to wake up in Kansas and realize that the entire three yearsin Sunset Beach had been a dream - and the characters from the showwere actually her friends and family in Kansas (an obviousreference to The Wizard ofOz). However, at the last minute, Meg woke up in SunsetBeach and was in bed with Ben, the day after their wedding.Probably the dream was poking fun at how many writers use thesloppy ending of, 'It was all a dream' to bring a story to a close,as was done in stories such as Alice inWonderland.
The show gained a cult following in the UK, doingespecially well in the ratings for Channel 5, with some universitiesholding Sunset Beach parties where students would go dressed astheir favorite character. Channel 5 tried to save the show when itscancellation was announced, offering partially to fund it andtrying to get other networks involved, as had happened previouslywith Baywatch,but NBC was not interested. Channel 5 did buy NBC's other soapopera, Days of Our Lives, to air in SunsetBeach's place, even running promos during Sunset Beach's finalweek, but the show failed to catch on and 5 dropped Daysapproximately a year later.
Internationalbroadcasting
In South AfricaSunset Beach originally aired on SABC 3 for its entire run from 1999 to 2001.Currently e.tv is rebroadcastingthe entire series. It started airing again in mid 2008.
References and casting
Satire and pop culturereferences
Annie fantasized being a superhero, in 1999
Sunset Beach remains highly popular in many countriesyears after its cancellation. It frequently referenced othertelevision shows: many episodes featured characters fantasizingabout their lives and dreams in sequences that show the castdressed as Charlie's Angels or performingthe opening from Friends.
Fantasies involving the character AnnieDouglas Richards[11]included take offs of The LeezaGibbons Show and The Jerry Springer Show(titled 'Murderer of the Day'), which guest-starred theirrespective hosts. Annie fantasized about being a superhero, had a play ofthe movie The Wizard of Oz, aplay on Wheelof Fortune, and even her own imaginary soap opera titledThe Search for Dignity. Plus, the character of Annie wasusually the one to deliver funny quotes.[12]
What made Sunset Beach truly innovative was itssatirizing of itself and the soap opera genre. Advice was sometimesgiven to characters by the show's dog[13] andon one occasion, by God himself[14]. Oneof the show's lighthearted traits would be to incorporate pop-up trivia occasionally, taking a cuefrom the VH1 show. A few of thecharacters were also known for breaking thefourth wall, most notably Bette Katzenkazrahi and Vanessa Hart, whowere involved in a one-day special episode where they both had adream of resolving the complicated storylines of SunsetBeach.
DVD
DVD Name | Year | Region 2 (German) | Additional features |
---|---|---|---|
Box 1 | 1997 | June 25, 2008 | None |
Stunt casting guestappearances
The show went in for stunt casting guest appearances - Jerry Springerplayed talk show hostJerry Feller, MarlaMaples played socialite Barbara Birch, Judge Wapner playedhimself - and featured a ripped from the headline story about aWashington intern, Meg's sister Sara Cummings (Shawn Batten), who'd had an affair with amarried politician. Her affair was exposed by her supposed friend -Melinda Fall, a take off on Linda Tripp. Sara went on to develop arelationship with local lifeguard Casey Mitchum, and theirrelationship and her sibling rivalry with her sister (who at onepoint started an affair with Casey) made up the bulk of Sara'sstorylines, although she was also famous for her TV show-inspiredfantasy sequences, which included spoofs of the opening titles forFriends and The Mary Tyler MooreShow.
Other notable guest appearances include Finola Hughes as Cole's ex-fiancéeHelena, Christopher Darden as Les Gordon, John O'Hurley asthe host of Wheel of Misfortune, Kim Alexis as a hotel maid, JackWagner as a thief named Jacques Dumont, and BarbaraMandrell as Casey's ill mother Alex Mitchum.
Externallinks
- Sunset Beach atthe Internet Movie Database
- Sunset Beach atTV.com
References
- ^'[1]', Episode140. URL last accessed 2008-06-16
- ^'[2]', NBC.URL last accessed 2008-06-16.
- ^'Emmy Awards' NBC,URL last accessed 2008-06-16
- ^'[3]' DE,URL last accessed 2008-06-16
- ^Levin comment
- ^Nielsen Ratings,Info on Nielsen Ratings
- ^
Legend of SuBe 'In the veryfirst episode, the legend of Sunset Beach is introduced,and symbolizes the very first Sunset Beachsupercouple, Meg and Ben'. TV.com. http://www.tv.com/sunset-beach/episode-001/episode/299451/trivia.html#notesLegend of SuBe. Retrieved2008-06-16. - ^Terror Island, Welcometo Terror Island
- ^Shockwave, ShockwaveStoryline
- ^Final Episode Recap
- ^Annie's fantasy world,The fantasies of Annie Douglas
- ^Annie's quotes, AnnieDouglas quotes
- ^Spike's profile
- ^God speaks toAntonio