If it wasn't for a chance meeting with a college roommate and his family on a Thanksgiving weekend in 1987, I probably wouldn't have paid too much attention to "Santa Barbara". I usually would've stayed with "General Hospital" or "Guiding Light" which was in the same time slot as SB.
What made SB slightly better than other daytime (and some nighttime) shows was that the show was able to balance between comedy and drama effortlessly. When it was funny, the dialog was biting and when it was dramatic, it was heartbreaking. It kept me interested in what was going to happen to these characters.
I was also impressed with the actors on the show. I started watching the show about 1987 after a number of cast members, including Robin Wright, left the show. As Cruz Castillo and Eden Capwell, the chemistry between A Martinez and Marcy Walker steamed up the TV screen. Prior to SB, Martinez seemed to always play the stereotypical Hispanic villain in many 1970s TV crime dramas. It was very nice to see Martinez playing a romantic lead. Eden and Cruz were not the only one that had great chemistry. There was Mason Capwell & Julia Wainwright (Lane Davies and Nancy Lee Grahn. Arguably, I thought Gordon Thompson did a good job playing as Mason as well.) also CC Capwell and Sophia Wayne (Jed Allen and Judith McConnell).
There were characters on the show that were way over-the-top like Gina Blake (Robin Mattson) and Augusta Lockridge (Louise Sorel). But it didn't matter that they were over-the-top. They were lively, unpredictable and interesting people.
With the number of daytime viewers dropping and fewer dramas in production right now, I don't know if there will ever be a more entertaining daytime drama like "Santa Barbara". As another user mentioned before, it certainly was ahead of it's time.
What made SB slightly better than other daytime (and some nighttime) shows was that the show was able to balance between comedy and drama effortlessly. When it was funny, the dialog was biting and when it was dramatic, it was heartbreaking. It kept me interested in what was going to happen to these characters.
I was also impressed with the actors on the show. I started watching the show about 1987 after a number of cast members, including Robin Wright, left the show. As Cruz Castillo and Eden Capwell, the chemistry between A Martinez and Marcy Walker steamed up the TV screen. Prior to SB, Martinez seemed to always play the stereotypical Hispanic villain in many 1970s TV crime dramas. It was very nice to see Martinez playing a romantic lead. Eden and Cruz were not the only one that had great chemistry. There was Mason Capwell & Julia Wainwright (Lane Davies and Nancy Lee Grahn. Arguably, I thought Gordon Thompson did a good job playing as Mason as well.) also CC Capwell and Sophia Wayne (Jed Allen and Judith McConnell).
There were characters on the show that were way over-the-top like Gina Blake (Robin Mattson) and Augusta Lockridge (Louise Sorel). But it didn't matter that they were over-the-top. They were lively, unpredictable and interesting people.
With the number of daytime viewers dropping and fewer dramas in production right now, I don't know if there will ever be a more entertaining daytime drama like "Santa Barbara". As another user mentioned before, it certainly was ahead of it's time.