After Dallas and Dynasty, Santa Barbara
Télé Poche, 1985	Home   Cette page en Français

Here is the first true American "soap opera" (a stretchable serial broadcast in the afternoon and punctuated by detergent commercials) ever shown on a French television channel. This serial, in eighty episodes, which has met with great success across the Atlantic, will follow the joys and sorrows of four families living in Santa Barbara, one of the oldest cities in California.

The Capwell family, the wealthiest, owns a magnificent estate, hotels, and even an island; they are shaken by the murder of Channing, one of their sons. The Lockridge family retains only the remnants of its former fortune; it is ruled by Minx, a true matriarch who clashes with her son, Lionel.

The Andrade family, of Mexican origin, is much more modest : the father is a gardener, the mother a cleaning lady, and the children aspire to a better life. The Perkins family, representing average Americans, is deeply affected by the arrest of Joe, accused of murdering Channing Capwell.

Actors in "soap operas" can easily be replaced. Thus, C.C. Capwell will be played by three different actors. In the early episodes, Peter Mark Richman, who played the Carringtons' lawyer in Dynasty, appears as the head of the Capwell family.

First episode tonight on TF1 of this new U.S.-made "soap", which, since July 30, 1984, has kept Americans glued to their screens. Santa Barbara is a formula that works. Its creators, Jerry and Bridget Dobson, readily admit it. To win over the French audience, they went in search of a French actor to include in their scripts. Around the Lockridges and the Capwells, additional "satellite" roles will appear and disappear depending on audience preference. Producing one episode a day requires a boundless imagination...