Generations

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.

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 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.

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.