When
TF1 broadcast for the first time in France on Monday, October 14 1985, the first
episode of Santa Barbara, its
executives are far from imagining the tidal waves that are going to surge in
France. Aired in access primetime in a country unaccustomed to soap-operas, the
show finds its public very quickly. Only the American nightime soaps are then
aired on our screens : Dallas,
Dynasty, Falcon
Crest and Knots Landing.
The Santa
Barbara madness grabs France, and on average between 6 and 7 million
televiewers are passionate about the adventures of the Capwells and the
Lockridges. The craze is such that between 1987 and 1992, the French TV
magazines (from Télé
7 jours
to Télé Star, and from Ciné Télé Revue to Télé
Loisirs),
will write and write articles in the Burbank studios to satisfy the curiosity of
the French viewers.
Very quickly, some characters stand out, taking a place in the viewers' heart :
Marcy Walker - Eden Capwell, Robin Wright - Kelly Capwell and A Martinez - Cruz
Castillo. On several occasions, the main actors of the show will be invited in
France to unveil the new adventures of their characters. Ciné Télé Revue will
even publish three special issues summarizing a big part of the articles already
published : only Knots Landing and Falcon
Crest have had already known this privilege.
Santa
Barbara is undoubtedly largely responsible for the awareness by the
advertisers and the broadcasters of the importance of the access prime-time
slot. At the time, Antenne 2, rival of TF1, had then launched to win the ratings
war the airing of The
Bold and the Beautiful ace to Santa
Barbara, hoping to ride the same wave. Even today, TF1 and its
advertisers must dream of the ratings of that time. What new program, what new
TV show does not wish to get the coverage known by Santa Barbara in the late
80s and early 90s ?
To nowadays, no other program can present a number of press coverage so
important : even the TV reality shows and the other soap-operas aired with
success in France (The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless)
never managed to monopolize all the editors of TV magazines. The media extent
and the television success of Santa
Barbara are so far unmatched in France. This phenomenon is even more
remarkable than the airing of the show on its last years has known many
timeslots and than, to this day, the final episode have not been aired yet,
leaving a taste of unfinished business...
Lilian
The magazine covers
from France
