Loving
The Loving logo used in 1991 and early 1992
Genre	soap opera
Created by	Agnes Nixon, Douglas Marland
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	3169
Production
Running time	30 Minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Original run	June 27, 1983 – November 10, 1995

The U.S. soap opera Loving aired on ABC from June 27, 1983 to November 10, 1995 for 3,169 episodes. Image File history File links Loving logo from 1991. ... For Philippine soap opera, see Teleserye. ... Agnes Nixon Agnes Nixon (born Agnes Eckhardt on December 27, 1927) is a Daytime Emmy award-winning writer and producer. ... Douglas Marland Douglas Marland (born Marland Messner, May 5, 1935 - March 6, 1993) was a writer of American soap operas and serials, most known for his tenure as head writer and co-creator (with Agnes Nixon) of Loving. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 187 days remaining. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 10 is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 51 days remaining. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... For Philippine soap opera, see Teleserye. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 187 days remaining. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 10 is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 51 days remaining. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

It was co-created by Agnes Nixon and former actor Douglas Marland. ABC took the unusual step of premiering the show with a 2-hour primetime movie, starring much of the cast as well as Lloyd Bridges and Geraldine Page. Agnes Nixon Agnes Nixon (born Agnes Eckhardt on December 27, 1927) is a Daytime Emmy award-winning writer and producer. ... Douglas Marland Douglas Marland (born Marland Messner, May 5, 1935 - March 6, 1993) was a writer of American soap operas and serials, most known for his tenure as head writer and co-creator (with Agnes Nixon) of Loving. ... Bridges in The Sound of Fury (1950) Lloyd Vernet Bridges, Jr. ... Geraldine Sue Page (November 22, 1924 - June 13, 1987) was an Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated American actress. ...

The early years of the show revolved around the blue-collar Donovans and the blue-blood Aldens. Major social issues such as incest, alcoholism and post-traumatic stress syndrome of Vietnam vets were covered. But Marland and Nixon left the series after a few years and in spite of ABC bumping down Ryan's Hope to give Loving a choice timeslot, and cast additions of such popular All My Children stars as Debbi Morgan (Angie) and Jean LeClerc (Jeremy), the ratings remained poor throughout the show's run. Loving, dubbed "the little show that could" by viewers, suffered from a constant revolving door of writers and producers, leading to questionable story moments such as a heroine's addiction to cough syrup and one character selling his soul to the Devil. Ryans Hope was a soap opera which aired for fourteen years on ABC, from July 7, 1975 to January 13, 1989. ... All My Children (AMC) is an American soap opera that has been broadcast Monday through Friday on the ABC TV network since January 5, 1970. ... This article is about the actress. ... Jean LeClerc (born July 7, 1948 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian actor, best known for his work in the United States as Jeremy Hunter on All My Children and Loving in the 1980s and 1990s. ...

Long-running characters included Ava (played by Roya Megnot and then Lisa Peluso), a schemer whose adventures ranged from stuffing a pillow in her dress to simulate pregnancy to being kidnapped at Universal Studios to being menaced by her lover's identical twin, Gilbert. Another longtime favorite was Stacey Donovan (played by Lauren Marie Taylor) who was the only continuously running original cast member left when she was killed via a poisoned powder puff in summer 1995, and Gwyneth Alden (Christine L. Tudor, Elizabeth Savage, then Tudor), the long-suffering matriarch who never stopped loving her roguish ex Clay (James Horan, Randolph Mantooth and Dennis Parlato) or her mentally disturbed children Trisha (Noelle Beck) and Curtis (Christopher Marcantel). Lisa Peluso Lisa Peluso (born July 29, 1964 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American soap opera actress. ... This article is about the major American media conglomerate. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... James Horan (b. ... Randolph Mantooth (born September 19, 1945) is an American actor, best known for his work in the 1970s medical drama Emergency!, as well as his work on soap operas starting in the 1980s. ... Noelle Beck (born December 14, 1968) is an American actress, best known for her role as Patricia Trisha Alden on the TV soap Loving. ...

In early 1995, ABC finally had enough. They planned to cancel the show, and asked new headwriters James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten to find a way to salvage a few components of the series. The writers embarked upon the show's last big storyline, and what many considered one of the show's best storylines, the Corinth serial killer. Stacey, Clay, Curtis, Cabot (Wesley Addy), Isabelle (Augusta Dabney, Celeste Holm, Patricia Barry, then Dabney) and Jeremy lost their lives, culminating in the revelation that an insane Gwyn had murdered most of her friends and family in a bid to "make their pain go away". Gwyn then injected herself with poison before the police could take her into custody. Loving characters Steffi (Amelia Heinle from All My Children), Ally (Laura Wright from General Hospital), Alex (Randolph Mantooth), Angie (Debbi Morgan), Buck (Phillip Brown), Jacob (Darnell Williams), and Tess (Catherine Hickland) moved to Soho and began a new series, The City, which would run until March 1997. James Harmon Brown is an American television soap opera writer. ... Wesley Addy is a American actor born on 4 August 1913 in Omaha, Nebraska. ... Augusta Dabney (b. ... Holm, circa 1950 Celeste Holm (born April 29, 1919, but some sources indicate 1917) is an American stage, film, and television actress. ... Amelia Heinle (born March 17, 1973 in Phoenix, Arizona) is an American actress best known for her work on daytime soap operas. ... All My Children (AMC) is an American soap opera that has been broadcast Monday through Friday on the ABC TV network since January 5, 1970. ... Laura Wright (born Laura Sisk on September 11, 1970 in Washington D.C.) is an American soap opera actress. ... General Hospital (GH) is the longest-running daytime American soap opera on the American Broadcasting Company television network, and is also the longest-running soap opera produced in Hollywood (having been taped at the Prospect Avenue ABC Television Center West and Sunset-Gower Studios). ... Randolph Mantooth (born September 19, 1945) is an American actor, best known for his work in the 1970s medical drama Emergency!, as well as his work on soap operas starting in the 1980s. ... This article is about the actress. ... Darnell Williams (born March 3, 1955) is an American actor, born in London, in the UK. Williams played on All My Children as Jesse Hubbard from 1981 to 1988, when his character was shot and killed. ... Catherine Hickland, in a still from One Life to Live. ... Soho is an area of central Londons West End, in the borough of the City of Westminster. ... The ABC soap opera The City aired from November 13, 1995 to March 28, 1997. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Cast

• Nancy Addison-Altman (Deborah Brewster Alden) (1993-1995)
• Jennifer Ashe (Lily Slater #1) (1983-1984)
• Alimi Ballard (Frankie Hubbard) (1993-1995)
• Bernard Barrow (Louie Slavinsky) (1990-1993)
• Noelle Beck (Patricia "Trisha" Alden Sowolsky Hartman McKenzie) (1984-1993, 1995)
• Victor Bevine (Douglas "Doug" Donovan #2) (1985-1986)
• Pamela Blair (Rita Mae Bristow) (1983-1985)
• Philip Brown (Lyndon "Buck" Huston) (1993-1995)
• James Carroll (Leo Burnell) (1992-1994)
• Jessica Collins (Dinah-Lee Mayberry Alden #1) (1991-1994)
• Matthew Cowles (Eban Japes) (1986-1987)
• Bryan Cranston (Douglas "Doug" Donovan #1) (1983-1985)
• John Cunningham (Garth Slater) (1983-1984)
• Peter Davies (Fr. Jim Vochek) (1983-1989)
• Geoffrey C. Ewing (Charles Harrison) (1993-1995)
• John Gabriel (Zack Conway) (1986-1987)
• Rebecca Gayheart (Hannah Mayberry) (1992-1993)
• Meta Golding (Brianna Hawkins) (1995)
• Amelia Heinle (Stephanie "Steffi" Brewster) (1993-1995)
• Catherine Hickland (Tess Wilder Partou) (1993-1995)
• Judith Hoag (Charlotte "Lottie" Bates Alden) (1986-1988)
• John R. Johnston (Steven "Steve" Sowolsky) (1984-1988)
• Patricia Kalember (Merrill Vochek) (1983-1984)
• Teri Keane (Rose Donovan #1) (1983-1984)
• Susan Keith (Shana Sloane Vochek Burnell) (1984-1989, 1990-1994)
• James Kiberd (Michael "Mike" Donovan) (1983-1985)
• Alexander Kniffen (Michael Slavinsky) (1991-1992)
• Jean LeClerc (Jeremy Hunter) (1991, 1992-1995)/ (Gilbert Nostrand) (1994-1995)
• Tom Ligon (Billy Bristow) (1983-1985)
• Patty Lotz (Ava Rescott Forbes Alden Masters #1) (1984)
• Randolph Mantooth (Clay Alden/Alex Masters) (1987-1990, 1993-1995)
• Christopher Marcantel (Curtis Alden #1) (1983-1985, 1993-1995)
• Marisol Massey (Abril Domecq Alden) (1989-1991)
• Roya Megnot (Ava Rescott Forbes Alden Masters #2) (1984-1988, 1990)
• Elizabeth Mitchell (Dinah-Lee Mayberry Alden #2) (1994-1995)
• Ed Moore (Harry Sowolsky) (1984-1989, 1994)
• Debbi Morgan (Dr. Angela "Angie" Hubbard Harrison) (1993-1995)
• John O'Hurley (Keith Lane/Jonathan Matalaine) (1984-1986)
• Corey Page (Richard Wilkins) (1991-1995)
• Lisa Peluso (Ava Rescott Forbes Alden Masters #3) (1990-1995)
• Luke Perry (Ned Bates) (1987-1988)
• Nada Rowland (Katherine "Kate" Rescott Slavinsky) (1984-1995)
• Maggie Rush (Lorraine Hawkins) (1995)
• Rena Sofer (Amelia "Rocky" McKenzie Domecq) (1988-1991)
• Perry Stephens (Jack Forbes #1) (1983-1990)
• Paul Anthony Stewart (Casey Bowman) (1992-1995)
• Lauren Marie Taylor (Stacey Donovan Forbes) (1983-1995)
• Rick Telles (Rio Domecq) (1989-1991)
• Robert Tyler (Thomas "Trucker" McKenzie) (1988-1995)
• Susan Walters (Lorna Forbes Perelli #1) (1983-1986)
• Michael Weatherly (Cooper Alden) (1992-1995)
• Ann Williams (June Slater) (1983-1984)
• Eric Woodall (Matt Ford) (1991-1992)
• Laura Wright (Allison "Ally" Rescott Alden Bowman) (1991-1995)

Alimi Ballard is an American born actor currently starring in the television program Numb3rs. ... Bernard Barrow (December 30, 1927 - August 4, 1993) was an American actor, best known for his fourteen-year role as Johnny Ryan on the soap opera Ryans Hope. ... Noelle Beck (born December 14, 1968) is an American actress, best known for her role as Patricia Trisha Alden on the TV soap Loving. ... Philip Brown is an American actor probably best known for his performances on television. ... James Carroll can refer to: James Carroll (actor) , American James Carroll (author), American James Carroll (politician) , American James Carroll (scientist), American James Milton Carroll, baptist pastor, leader, historian, and author James Carroll (New Zealand politician) James Carroll (Ireland) , politician This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with... Jessica Collins was born in San Antonio, Texas. ... Bryan L. Cranston (born March 7, 1956 in San Fernando Valley, California) is an American actor, voice actor, writer and director, best known in his role as Hal, the father of the family in the Fox Network television situation comedy Malcolm in the Middle. ... John Cunningham or Jack Cunningham may refer to: John Cunningham (Royal Air Force), Group Captain, RAF Night fighter Ace. ... Garth Slater was a character in the now-defunct American soap opera Loving. ... Peter Davies (March 22, 1989 – Present) is an actor who has appeared in many minor roles in such BBC productions as Little Britain, Holy Cross, and the more recent Sweeney Todd. ... Note: For the NBA executive of the same name, see John Gabriel. ... Rebecca Gayheart (born August 12, 1971 in Hazard, Kentucky) is an American actress. ... Amelia Heinle (born March 17, 1973 in Phoenix, Arizona) is an American actress best known for her work on daytime soap operas. ... Catherine Hickland, in a still from One Life to Live. ... Judith Hoag (born on June 29, 1968 in Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA) is an American actress and acting teacher. ... Patricia Kalember is an American actress. ... James Kiberd, in a still from All My Children. ... Jean LeClerc (born July 7, 1948 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian actor, best known for his work in the United States as Jeremy Hunter on All My Children and Loving in the 1980s and 1990s. ... Randolph Mantooth (born September 19, 1945) is an American actor, best known for his work in the 1970s medical drama Emergency!, as well as his work on soap operas starting in the 1980s. ... Elizabeth Mitchell (born on March 27, 1970 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress who is currently known for her role as one of main characters on ABCs hit TV series Lost as Juliet. ... This article is about the actress. ... John OHurley and Julia Louis Dreyfus in Seinfeld John Gerald OHurley (born October 9, 1956, in Kittery, Maine) is an American actor who is known for his career in soap operas as well as his role as J. Peterman on the hit television series Seinfeld. ... Lisa Peluso Lisa Peluso (born July 29, 1964 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American soap opera actress. ... Luke Perry is an American actor who remains best known for his role as Dylan Michael McKay in the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210. ... Rena Sofer (born December 2, 1968 in Arcadia, California) is an American actress. ... Perry Stephens (February 14, 1958 - September 8, 2005) was an American actor known primary for his roles on daytime soap operas, including roles on both Loving and The Bold and the Beautiful. ... Paul Anthony Stewart (born Paul Anthony Tomaccio on February 23, 1970 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American soap opera actor. ... Susan Walters (born September 28, 1963) is an American actress, best known for her role as Diane Jenkins on CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, which she played from 2001 to 2004. ... Michael Weatherly, Jr. ... Ann Williams, toward the end of her stint on Search for Tomorrow. ... June Slater was a fictional character in the American Soap Opera Loving. ... Laura Wright (born Laura Sisk on September 11, 1970 in Washington D.C.) is an American soap opera actress. ...

Ratings history

Although Loving rated poorly throughout its history, its first few years were relatively encouraging. In its debut 1983-84 season it finished in 11th place and 3.9, above the now ailing soaps The Edge of Night and Search for Tomorrow. The following season it moved to a fairly comfortable 10th place and 4.1, holding that for the 1985-86 season with 4.2. A change in timeslot, with Loving occupying the slot previously held by Ryan's Hope, was a major factor in ratings improvement (albeit having the opposite effect on Ryan's Hope). The Edge of Night title card from 1956-67. ... Search for Tomorrow was a soap opera which started airing on Monday, September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS, its original broadcaster, on Friday, March 26, 1982, with NBC picking it up on the following Monday, March 29, 1982. ...

Unfortunately, the slow but steady ratings growth was not sustained- Loving would fall back to 11th place and down to last place by 1991, where it remained until its cancellation.

When it originally premiered, the show aired at 11:30am (EST). In the fall of 1984, the show was given the 12:30pm EST timeslot bumping Ryan's Hope up to noon. This caused Ryan's Hope's ratings to plummet because many ABC stations pre-empted network programming at Noon for local news. Despite airing in the 12:30pm timeslot, Loving never achieved the ratings Ryan's Hope had during its glory years.

After ABC stopped airing network programming at Noon EST/11am PST/CST, Loving was made available to affiliates at Noon or 12:30pm. Many ABC O&Os in the Pacific and Central time zones moved Loving to 11am to air local newscasts at 11:30. Despite the timeslot changes on some affiliates, the national ratings for the show never improved.

It should be noted however that Loving did beat the #1 soap The Young and the Restless in strong ABC markets (New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia), however nationally the show was last place among all daytime soaps. For the Australian band, see Young and restless (band). ... New York, NY redirects here. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Nickname: The Windy City, The Second City, Chi Town, City of the Big Shoulders, The 312, The City that Works. Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in Chicagoland and Illinois Coordinates: Country United States State Illinois County Cook & DuPage Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Cradle of Liberty, the City That Loves You Back, the Quaker City, The Birthplace of America Motto: Philadelphia maneto - Let brotherly love continue Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Government...

Opening Visuals

For its first six years on the air, Loving's main title visual consisted of a rather simple flash of the show's iconic script logo against a sky blue background. The outline of the title would appear in pink, entering diagonally, and then match itself with a white layer of the title; the two would zoom out together until the pink outline in the background disappeared, leaving the title in white. An underline under the Loving title was used in both opens and closes during this period. The instrumental theme, a pleasant 10 second ditty, was titled "Theme from Loving".

After Joseph Hardy replaced original executive producer Joseph Stuart in the spring of 1988, it was iminent that Hardy would revamp the show's theme and visuals, among other points. On Monday, March 27, 1989, a new theme package debuted on Loving. The new theme, a full orchestral sung by Johnny Mathis, was accompanied by visuals of charcoal and pastel paintings of couples in love, which overlapped each other while glass letters of the Loving logo flew over them (one at a time). At the end of the sequence, the show's title in glass would zoom inward, with another layer meeting it in the back, over the final painting. It has been suggested that Joe_Hardy be merged into this article or section. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (87th in leap years). ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... John Royce Mathis (b. ...

During the run of the Mathis theme/painting visuals, there would be an accelerated turnover in Loving staff, especially in the executive producer's chair. First, ABC moved Joseph Hardy over to General Hospital in November 1989, replacing him with veteran daytime producer and future Real World creator/producer Mary-Ellis Bunim. Bunim, however, only served four months as the show's EP before abruptly leaving. In March 1990, former All My Children producer Jacqueline Babbin took over. Babbin decided to make some noticeable adjustments of her own, which eventually included the Loving theme package. After just less than two years, the Mathis theme was retired on February 1, 1991. // ABC are the first three letters in the Latin Alphabet. ... Look up November in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term Real World or real world may mean: the stage of life that one enters after completing ones schooling, as in the sentence, After students enter the real world, they may not be able to sleep late as often as they did while in school. ... Mary-Ellis Bunim (July 9, 1946 - January 29, 2004) was a producer and co-creator of MTVs The Real World. ... March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ... February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On February 4, 1991, new opening visuals premiered, composed of a series of videotaped, live-action shots of a couple's romance. These shots include a man feeding a strawberry into a woman's mouth, a shattering wine glass, the man placing a ring on the woman's finger, etc. The last scene is a silhouette of the man and woman holding hands, and then embracing, over a sunset sky visual, while the Loving logo flashes to the center of the screen, with the font clear and transparent. The visuals, and the new age, synthesized theme song that accompanied it, were later seen as a preview of the similar "New Age" visuals of One Life to Live, which ran from January 1992 to November 1995. While this Loving theme package was still running when OLTL's new package debuted, it would be gone a month later - due to the fact that Jacqueline Babbin was replaced with new EP Fran Sears in July 1991, with Sears wanting to implement different visuals of her own. February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January is the first month of the year and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Look up November in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Appropriately enough, for Valentine's Day on Friday, February 14, 1992, the final Loving main title visuals and theme debuted. It was clear that Fran Sears wanted to bring a back a vocal theme, but this time with a more contemporary artist, R&B star Jeffrey Osborne. The new theme by Osborne was joined by new visuals that panned over the inside of the master bedroom of two lovers, over to their bed, which was followed by overlapping squares and shots of rose pedals. The entire sequence was tinted in shades of red and pink. The final scene displayed a "dollhouse model" of the lover's home, while a brand new Loving logo appeared over it; the logo consisted of each letter of the title, in white capital script, encased in individual black boxes. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Events First year of tianfeng era of the Chinese Xin Dynasty. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Jeffrey Osborne is a funk musician from the band LTD. He started his career in 1969. ...

External link

• Loving at the Internet Movie Database