The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts

"The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts" aka "L.A.T.E.R." was the last gasp of a very unusual genre, the soap opera spoof. This kind of show was pioneered by the cleverly satirical and well-written 1976 show "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman", which was followed by the not-so-good "Soap". "L.A.T.E.R" starred Renny Temple as a college professor and focused on his personal problems and family life.

The show only lasted three months in early 1980 before the plug was pulled. The series' marketing was pretty inept, consisting mostly of 30-second spots with Temple imploring people to watch, and never even hinting much about the show's theme. Also, I think audiences were fatigued of the show's spoof approach by this time. "L.A.T.E.R" also attracted some controversy with its treatment of impotence, which caused many stations to discontinue showing it. This series was probably Temple's big opportunity as an actor, because he pretty much disappeared after the show was canceled.

"L.A.T.E.R" was a not-bad time capsule of the very early 1980s but never was able to catch on. Too bad it's not available on DVD--but then again, neither is "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman".

This syndicated soap opera parody ran only briefly during 1980. If you weren't in one of the few markets that carried it, you're out of luck, as I doubt even TV LAND will ever show this again.

The basic setting was a boarding house where college instructor Eddie Roberts lived. The rest of the characters were either relatives, friends, or housemates. One of the housemates was in a Symbionese Liberation Army-like group, as I recall.

L.A.T.E.R. wanted to be another Mary Hartman or Soap but the talent pool just wasn't there.