Falcon Crest

Executive producers Michael Filerman and creator Earl Hamner made the wise decision to make Robert McCullough the supervising producer and de facto show-runner by the end of the first season, and the result was three years of FALCON CREST which were near-brilliant -- a gently Gothic, slightly tongue-in-cheek entry in the DALLAS/DYNASTY era wealth-based nighttime soap genre which became so huge during the early-1980s.

Unfortunately, studio politics at Lorimar Productions resulted in a lunch-drinking executive demanding that McCullough be fired, even though the series was at its ratings peak, and FALCON CREST was never, ever the same again. Ever.

Once McCullough was gone, the show managed to maintain some momentum for a few months through most of its fourth season, but a CBS executive then demanded that the "offensive" nazi treasure plot line be dropped immediately, just ten episodes before the end of the season -- despite the fact that it was the year's main storyline. As a result, the remainder of the fourth seasons sees a bunch of side plots cobbled together and shoe-horned in just so they can finish off the year. But to me, the inertia of the program had been destroyed once and for all (even though its cushy post-DALLAS time slot kept it alive for several more years).

Season 5 was drab and cluttered. Season 6 seemed like it might be a renaissance for the show, but it turned too much towards excessive shlock by the end of that year and then Season 7 just became frenetically silly. The decision to turn the production design light and airy and '80s pastel, combined with Lorimar's new cheapy post-production process making the show look as if it had been shot on video, didn't help much either. A big ratings drop during Season 7 saw CBS demanding the show be fixed, but once they tried to get serious again for Season 8, they no longer seemed to know how to do it. And by Season 9, it just seemed like a different series entirely and ratings continued to spiral into the cellar.

Why do swollen executives think a show can make itself as long as you have a key star and a recognizable brand name title? Because it can't.

Shame, because the first three season, maybe even 3 1/2 seasons, were fabulous.

I got hooked on this show after the first few years had passed. These nighttime soap operas were known for their season-ending cliffhangers and this one was no exception. The best seasons of the series were 1986-1989, when they experimented with a faster-paced style of storytelling that was quite smart and exciting. This had by far the best sense of humor of all the soaps and featured excellent acting from Jane Wyman, Ana-Alicia, David Selby and Susan Sullivan (now on "Dharma and Greg") Interesting note: during many of its later years, this show's music was composed by Mark Snow, who went on to do the famous "X-Files" theme and score. I wish they still showed reruns of this show somewhere!

I love this show, i started watching it last year on soapnet and i absolutley love it, i taped every episode and i still watch it everyday. Angela, Richard and Chase when in scenes together have great chemistry. The cast is incredible, Abby Dalton as the psycho daughter of Angela and Margaret Ladd as her looney but very intelligent other daughter Emma are brilliant in their roles. Also stars Susan Sullivan, Ana Alicia, Laura Johnson. I can go on and on, i wish i watched this when i was younger but i was 3 when it started. I highly recommend watching this show.

I love this show and this is a lot coming from a 16 year old. The show is deliciously humorous and dramatic at the same time. The show is headed by Jane Wyman as the conniving and manipulative Angela Channing. I feel as though this is one of the best shows of the 80s along with Dallas, Dynasty, and Knots Landing. The show also had other great actors and characters such as Robert Foxworth as Chase, Susan Sullivan as Maggie, David Selby as Richard, Lorenzo Lamas as Lance, Ana Alicia as Melissa, and Cesar Romero as Peter. The number of guest stars was amazing. The wardrobe was fabulous. This show was a perfect example of prime time soaps in the 80s.

A TOAST TO YOU FALCON CREST AND LONG SHALL YOU LIVE.

I don't know if Jane Wyman was chosen to play the lead of hard-as-nails Angela Channing because she was then newly-elected President Reagan's first wife or not. The rumor back then was that the producers wanted her in the role as a kind of side-swipe at Reagan, whose right-wing politics they detested. Then came the rumors that first lady Nancy Reagan wouldn't let the president watch the show because Jane Wyman was in it. Back when we all had a common culture at the dawn of cable, this was all really very amusing. However, regardless of why and how she got the part, Jane Wyman owned that role and made it something special. Starting out playing the lead at age 64, she didn't miss a step until the last season or so, when bad health finally got the best of her.

The setting is the fictitious Tuscany Valley of California and its lush vineyards. Chase Gioberti, played by Robert Foxworth, was Angela's nephew who was always going round and round with her. This was the principle conflict - Chase's principled stand versus Angela's dog-eat-dog approach to all problems. This first season has a kind of Romeo and Juliet theme to it as Chase's son and wealthy heiress Melissa Agretti fall in love and Melissa finds out she is pregnant. Fate being what it is on soap operas, Melissa ends up in an arranged marriage to Angela's lazy grandson-heir, Lance, with everyone outside the principle trio - Melissa, Angela, and Lance - believing Lance to be the father. Angela arranged this marriage to give her eventual ownership of the Agretti vineyards. This show was one of the popular night-time soap operas of the 80's along with Dallas, Dynasty, and Knot's Landing. Most of the characters weren't as rich as in Dallas - after all, we're talking grapes here not gasoline - but the stories didn't have the goofiness that Dynasty always had and Dallas eventually descended into.

Highly recommended for people who remember the old nighttime soap operas and loved them like I did, and also for people who like soap operas in general.