The Doctors
The title card used from 1980 to 1982.
Genre	soap opera
Running time	30 Minutes
Creator(s)	Orvin Tovrov
Starring	James Pritchett Elizabeth Hubbard Ann Williams David O'Brien
Country of origin	United States
Original channel	NBC
Original run	April 1, 1963–December 31, 1982
No. of episodes	5280

The Doctors was a soap opera which aired on NBC from April 1, 1963 to December 31, 1982. There were 5280 episodes produced, with the 5000th episode airing in November 1981. The series was set in Hope Memorial Hospital in the fictional "Madison", located somewhere in New England. Image File history File links Thedoctorstitle. ... The first TIME cover devoted to soap operas: Dated January 12, 1976, Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes of Days of our Lives are featured with the headline Soap Operas: Sex and suffering in the afternoon. A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction, usually broadcast on television... James Pritchett (born October 27, 1922 in Lenoir, North Carolina) is an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Matt Powers on the long-running soap opera The Doctors. ... Elizabeth Hubbard is an American soap opera actress, best known for her role as Dr. Althea Davis on The Doctors. ... Ann Williams, toward the end of her stint on Search for Tomorrow. ... David OBrien (b. ... It has been suggested that NBC, NBC Radio City Studios, NBC Studios be merged into this article or section. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The first TIME cover devoted to soap operas: Dated January 12, 1976, Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes of Days of our Lives are featured with the headline Soap Operas: Sex and suffering in the afternoon. A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction, usually broadcast on television... It has been suggested that NBC, NBC Radio City Studios, NBC Studios be merged into this article or section. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The states marked in red show New England. ...

Originally, The Doctors was not supposed to be a conventional soap opera. It first aired in 1963 for a trial run as an anthology series with self-contained episodes about medical emergencies. When the show was brought back in 1964, the show adopted a serial form of storytelling. For most of the series, storylines revolved around Chief of Staff Matthew Powers (played by James Pritchett). It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... James Pritchett (born October 27, 1922 in Lenoir, North Carolina) is an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Matt Powers on the long-running soap opera The Doctors. ...

The Doctors was considered to be more risqué in storyline choices than its rival, General Hospital (which premiered on the same day). While the doctors on General Hospital worked in harmony with one another for the most part and in some cases were intimate friends, the physicians on The Doctors were much more cutthroat. General Hospital 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). ...

For example, Dr. Powers was put on trial for murder, was forced to rescind his Chief of Staff position, and became very depressed. Another doctor took over Powers's spot and immediately schemed to remove his allies, such as Dr. Althea Davis, from positions of influence in the hospital. In another storyline, one doctor's nurse found out that he killed his rival and made it look like suicide. When he discovered that she knew the truth, he tormented her every day at work until she committed suicide herself, allowing him to get away with the murder. Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of willfully ending ones own life. ...

The show became very popular in the late 1960s when it was featured in advertisements for NBC's 90-minute soap bloc. The Doctors flourished when it was placed in the time slot in between Days of Our Lives and Another World, two highly rated shows. Days of our Lives is a long-running American soap opera. ... This AW logo was used between 1987 and 1989. ...

In 1972 and 1974, the serial received a Daytime Emmy for Best Drama. In the years following, the announcer would inform the audience at the beginning of each transmission: And now, The Doctors: The Emmy-award winning program dedicated to the brotherhood of healing. The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming. ...

For most of its run, The Doctors was sponsored by the Colgate-Palmolive company. Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE: CL) is a multinational corporation in the business of the provision of products such as soaps, detergents, and oral hygiene products such as toothpaste and toothbrushes. ...

Recently, SFM Entertainment reached an agreement with Colgate-Palmolive and the Hallmark Channel by which SFM would assume syndication rights to the show. SFM Entertainment is an American television syndicator, established in 1968. ... The Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts in over 100 countries. ...

Ratings history

From the late 1960s to mid-1970s, The Doctors was among the higher-rating soaps of the day. In 1973/74 the show peaked at 4th place, behind CBS' As The World Turns and fellow NBC soaps Days of Our Lives and Another World.

However, after 1975 the show's popularity went into terminal decline: 8th place in 1975-76 and 11th place from 1976-80, before falling to bottom of the pack by 1982.

Core characters

The five core characters during the series' run were:

• James Pritchett as Dr. Matt Powers
• Ann Williams, Bethel Leslie, and Lydia Bruce as Dr. Maggie Powers
• David O'Brien as Dr. Steve Aldrich
• Carolee Campbell, and later Jada Rowland, as Carolee Simpson Allison Aldrich
• Elizabeth Hubbard (replaced briefly by Virginia Vestoff, 1969-1970) as Dr. Althea Davis

James Pritchett (born October 27, 1922 in Lenoir, North Carolina) is an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Matt Powers on the long-running soap opera The Doctors. ... Ann Williams, toward the end of her stint on Search for Tomorrow. ... David OBrien (b. ... Jada Rowland (born February 23, 1943 in New York City) is an American actress. ... Elizabeth Hubbard is an American soap opera actress, best known for her role as Dr. Althea Davis on The Doctors. ... Virginia Vestoff (born December 9, 1939 in New York City- died May 2, 1982) was a Broadway actress most famous for having played Abigail Adams in 1776, a 1972 musical about the Second Continental Congress, as well as the same role in the film version of the musical. ...

Additional well-known actors

Several well-known actors and actresses had roles on The Doctors throughout its long run:

• Armand Assante as Dr. Mike Powers
• Alec Baldwin as Billy Allison Aldrich
• Julia Duffy as Penny Davis
• Jonathan Frakes as Tom Carroll
• Gil Gerard as Dr. Alan Stewart
• Anna Stuart as Toni Ferra Powers
• Kathleen Turner as Nola Dancy Aldrich
• Ian Ziering as Erich Aldrich
• Kim Zimmer as Nola Dancy Aldrich (replacing Kathleen Turner)
• Kathryn Harrold as Nola Dancy Aldrich (original actress in the part)

Armand Assante (born October 4, 1949, New York City, New York) is an American actor born to an Italian American father and an Irish American mother. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Julia Duffy is a respected comedic actress who was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 27, 1951. ... Jonathan Frakes (born August 19, 1952) is an American actor and director best known for his portrayal of Commander William Riker in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. ... Gil Gerard as Buck Rogers Gilbert Gerard, better known as Gil Gerard (born January 23, 1943) is an American actor. ... Anna Stuart Anna Stuart (born November 1, 1948 in Bluefield, West Virginia) is an American actress. ... Turner as private detective V.I. Warshawski Kathleen Turner (born June 19, 1954) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress. ... Ian Andrew Ziering (March 30, 1964 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American actor best known for playing Steve Sanders on the television series Beverly Hills 90210. ... Kim Zimmer Kim Zimmer (born February 2, 1955 in Grand Rapids, Michigan) is an American actress. ...

External links

• Imdb Site

• http://www.soapoperahistory.com/daytime/series/doctors/index.htm