I was just thinking about this show and it was ahead of its time. A sitcom involving two families from both sides of the tracks. Classic writing. Remember the possessed baby storyline, the alien abduction, the ventriliquest,the first gay character(Jody) and of course Benson. (You want me to get that?) everytime the doorbell rang. Im sorry a few of the actors are no longer with us but I wish they got to do a reunion show for a retrospective. I dont think it was on the air for more than 5 seasons,  For those of you who were fans of the show what made it "jump the shark"?  :-X

http://www.inthe00s.com/index.php?topic=31713.0

SOAP only ran for 4 seasons (1978-1981) but it's spin-off 'Benson' ran for 7 seasons (1979-1986)

Before they became well-known for their roles on 'WKRP in Cincinnati', both Gordon Jump and Howard Hesseman had recurring roles in the show's first season

I LOVE Soap. Even got the DVD's  :)

The whole show was off base and out there, so I don't think I can pinpoint one thing that I consider "Jumping The Shark". But there was the possesed baby of Corinne & Tim & the alien baby of Mary & Burt.

What about Mary Hartman!

I don't think it did jump the shark. I remember hearing that a lot of Americans complained that it showed the USA in a bad light and that's why it was cancelled. Shame, because I thoroughly enjoyed it.

"A lot of famous people have been gay. Plato was gay."

"Mickey Mouse's dog was gay?"

Which actors/actresses are no longer with us?

Check out the web site  http://www.deadoraliveinfo.com/ Will have info on anyone of any importace who is alive or dead, birth dates and what they were famous or infamous for.

It was in syndication by the time I became aware but I remember it being a part of my first memories. I'm kinda surprised my parents let me watch.

I don't think it did jump the shark. I remember hearing that a lot of Americans complained that it showed the USA in a bad light and that's why it was cancelled. Shame, because I thoroughly enjoyed it.


Well, the show really pushed the envelope of the time for "Sexual Content".  In addition to having an openly gay character, it had other storylines that were not quite "ready for prime time".

Possession, Catholic Priests having love babies, impotance, infidelity, mental illness, Alzheimers, and the list goes on.  In fact, the series went out of it's way to try and offend almost everybody.  And because of this, it was very hard to find sponsors.  The ratings were always fairly good, but the inability to find sponsors is what eventually killed the show.

I absolutely loved this show!!