
With Laura incapacitated, Luke married the conniving Tracy Quartermaine, but only to stake claim to the woman's substantial fortune. Throughout the course of their story, their love has weathered storms that only a soap opera could serve up with a straight face: Laura died, was brought back to life, gave birth to a son as the result of an adulterous affair with Stavros Cassadine, and much later tragically ended up in a catatonic state after being unable to cope with the fact that she had killed her stepfather. The characters' wedding in 1981 was the most-watched ever in soap opera history, and their divorce 20 years later did little to dissuade their fans from believing that the two were meant to be. Widely considered the first soap opera super couple, Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura (Genie Francis) of "General Hospital" began their relationship in 1979 with a controversial storyline, when Laura fell in love with Luke despite his having raped her in a violent drunken encounter.
Msnbc time and again sherwood schwartz series#
The 1993 series finale teased us with the possibility that Sam and Diane might end up together after all, but the two characters thought better of it at the last minute, ultimately parting as friends. Of course, our instincts turned out to be correct, as Diane ultimately rejected Sam's repeated marriage proposals and left both him and the bar behind to fulfill her dream of writing a book. The combination should have been doomed from the start, but somehow the writers of "Cheers" created a chemistry between this unlikely pair that kept viewers' attention from the series pilot in 1982 until Diane's departure in 1987. Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) was an underemployed and incompetent cocktail waitress who couldn't pass up an opportunity to demonstrate her superior intellect and whose every interaction reminded patrons and coworkers alike that she considered herself too good for Cheers. Sam Malone (Ted Danson) was a bar owner and former Red Sox pitcher (as well as an all-around "player") who flirted with every attractive customer and adored nothing more than his own reflection. NBC Television/Fotos International/Getty Images While Carol's single status is never explained on the show, series creator Sherwood Schwartz later said that he considered her a divorcee, but the network rejected the idea as too controversial. The original five-year run of the series began in September 1969 with the wedding of widower Mike Brady to single mother Carol Ann Tyler Martin. The children, ranging in age from grade school to high school, came to accept the wisdom in their parents' advice by the end of each show and resolved their sibling rivalries within the course of an episode. And what a glimpse it was! Father and stepfather Mike Brady (Robert Reed) was always there with a "homily that would explain to the children the lessons they had learned," while mother and stepmother Carol (Florence Henderson) reacted to the weekly antics of the six children with a knowing smile and a shake of her head. įor many children of the 1960s and 1970s, "The Brady Bunch" offered the first televised glimpse into a "blended" family consisting of step-parents, stepchildren and step-siblings. And even though both Ward and June were defined primarily by their roles as parents, June was responsible for identifying problems and bringing them to Ward's attention so he could administer the advice or discipline needed to resolve the situation.

We never saw June and Ward have a really serious argument.

īut the show also placed an utmost importance on the perfect relationship between husband and wife. As parents, we can only dream of maintaining the calm, unflappable competence and good humor that June (played by Barbara Billingsley) and Ward (Hugh Beaumont) exhibit as they help the boys find their way out of scrapes, including one involving a pet alligator the boys have hidden in the basement.

Its six-year run ended nearly 50 years ago, but thanks to reruns and cable TV, generations of kids have watched Ward and June Cleaver of "Leave it to Beaver" raise their children Wally and Theodore (more commonly known as the Beaver) with just the right blend of kindness and gentle guidance.
