Generations

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.

There was this big interest for soap operas in late 80's. Generations was the most important one. Newspapers and magazines went crazy when kelly rutherford came Turkey. Still it's very interesting, we Turks never really understood what was the big deal about having focus on African Americans. No one here remembers the series as a breakthrough from the race discrimination perspective. Yes there were Marshals and they were nice people and Adam and Maia were cool but that was all. It was just like any other series. We were really surprised when we learned that the show was somewhat a breakthrough...Anyway I still remember vividly all characters. All girls in Turkey were in love with Kyle Masters and there was this evil guy Reginald. I remember callin people you're so "reginald" even years after the shows ended

I've grown up with 'generations'. I remember the days that my mother, my sister and especially me anxiously wait for the next episodes of 'generations'. We were usually coming together at one of us' home and watching the hottest chain of events. Even all the people from my family were curious about the new episodes, that had the only one meaning for me: Kyle Masters. My first love, whom all the friends of mine know.. The one that made me feel some kind a 'strange' once in a life time, at my 10. The one that made me feel that I fell in love, for the first time. The one that made me feel that there's something in life that people called 'love', something makes you feel like drunk or makes you feel like you're walking on air. Even though I ever know him or I will hardly ever have a chance to meet him in my life time... Although he is 20 years older than me... He was my precious platonic first love, who made me notice my feelings for the very first time.

People have talked about 'Generations' and its problems over the years. I just wanted to point out the positives. One of them being that it was a major network's first honest attempt to make a soap opera with black characters in the forefront of the story. They were not maids or chauffeurs or domestic servants, but they were in business. The Marshalls had a successful ice cream business that was made with the sweat and blood of a black man, Henry Marshall, despite having a limited education.

Ruth Marshall, Henry's wife, grew up as the daughter of the maid of Rebecca Whitmore. She had a very difficult experience, but she turned that resentment and became an ambitious person. Ruth brought the Whitmore estate, and the problems she faced in doing it, which I thought was a very good storyline, which represented to her that she finally made it big. Vivian, Ruth's mother, was Rebecca's housekeeper who worked for her for years and remained friends ever since. Rebecca's oldest daughter, Laura, wasn't close to Ruth growing up and the feeling seemed mutual.

For me, I liked the way the writers introduced the viewers with voice-overs. Also I like how the characters' backgrounds were shown through the writing. I guess the problem was that people weren't' that excited about a family who owned an ice cream business That would have been more of a plot for a sitcom on primetime than a daytime soap opera. Plus some it its characters could have been more developed in its short run.

All in all, "Generations" is an example of black success on television, even though its overall aim didn't make an impact.

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.