Generations

I remember when Generation was showing on t.v. My family & friends was very excited about the series. We were very disappointed when the series was cut short. I regret that I could only watch a few episodes because I was working and I did not own a VCR recorder at the time. I wish that all the episodes would run again on "BET" or another channel. I wonder if maybe it could be put out on DVD? Most of the people from the show I still watch on t.v. and at the theater. I was not interested in the past until I watched Generation. This series showed the past and the present. It showed where the families started and how they ended up. Because of Generation I am now a genealogy researcher.

First of all,"Generations" ran on NBC-TV from 1989-1991. Second,this soap opera was the first daytime serial to feature an all multiracial cast which centered mainly on the African-American characters and the first to do so on any major network. It was also to featured not only the first interracial relationships,but the first to show an interracial marriage. The whole storyline of Generations chronicles the sequences of the proud African-American family The Marshalls who owned one of the Chicago's exclusive Ice Cream empire and had the luxury house on Chicago's lakeshore resort. It was like any other soap,and it had the same twist and turns within the complexity of the characters. However,the show had several actors who went big after this show went off the air like Vivica Fox,Kristoff St. John,Kelly Rutherford,Joanelle Allen,and Christopher Duncan(basically all of the actors mention were making a name from themselves before they went big time)and not to mention a very young looking Halle Berry who only came on in the first season of the series.

After it was cancelled after 22 months,but it clearly excelled over its competition,but the sad thing was it was on the lowest-rated network(in daytime ratings anyway)since the network put it on a sorry time slot. However,after it was cancelled in 1991 it reappear on cable's BET network in all new episodes but it was yank off the airwaves again in 1993. Since it was seen only in prime time. After all,the show was making in the history by bringing African-Americans into the light.

The first and foremost show that made soap opera history.

i remember back in 1992, surfing the channels and i saw these African-American characters in a soap opera like setting and sat and watched it thru to the end. i found out the name of the show was called "Generations" on NBC. i was immediately hooked. it was the story of a well-to-do African-American family in the ice-cream business, the Marshalls, who resided on the North Shore of Chicago, i think around Evanston. i couldn't wait for the next day to see this groundbreaking soap with predominantly all African-American characters. i loved it! the plots and story lines were good, and some of the characters from "Generations" have moved on to other things...i.e., Kristoff St. John (Adam Marshall) went to CBS' "Young and the Restless", Vivica Fox gained stardom in movies like "Set it Off", "Why Do Fools Fall In Love", "Soul Food" (the movie); Rick Fits (Martin Jackson) i've seen in commercials, and who was the nemesis of Henry Marshall in the show, and Jonelle Allen (Doreen Jackson) i think went back to Broadway. anyways i was real upset when "Generations" was suddenly snatched off NBC, because it was just getting good. i believe BET tried to pick it up but failed, so i can only hope "Generations" will be put on DVD one day. i remember a part where Maia (Vivica Fox) and Adam (Kris St. John) were in bed together and Adam was singing to her the popular song by After 7 called "Ready or Not"....it was very sexy to me. FYI: Kristoff St. John's dad played in the 1971 version of "Shaft" as one of the militant brothers.

why is it that shows like "Generations" or other positive black shows are kicked off the air and silly shows like "The Parkers", continue with their buffoonery? for the life of me i just cant understand it...and i guess i never will.

I really miss this show! I used to watch this everyday along with Another World and Days of Our Lives. I would come home from school and watch it with my Grandmother. I do not remember a lot about the story lines now, it has been so long since it was taken off air, and I was in jr high when I started watching it) I do, however have 2 autographed pictures of cast members, Robert Torti (who played Det. Kyle Masters) and Kelly Rutherford (Stephanie "Sam" Whitmore). I think I might still have the last episode on VHS somewhere. Anyhow, I am glad to see that I am not the only one who remembers this show. (and a great one it was too!) Looking forward to see more of both Kelly Rutherford and Robert Torti.

Generations was a soap that featured primarily african americans and sported interacial relationships. it was cancelled in 22 months. i LOVED generations!. the theme song was awesome and the intro was touching with the montage of struggles overcome by african americans such as vietnam and civil rights. whew! 22 month and abc let it get away. i think it was abc. that is a station so notorious for sticking with bad shows till they can't stand it or getting rid of potention ones way too early. we can't watch generations for two years but we can sit thru Drew Carey forever. common abc! anyway...generation was awesome and culturally diverse and smart and sexy and richard roundtree was a doctor on it. the end.