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The City (TV series)
Encyclopedia
The City is an American
television
soap opera
, first broadcast in the United States
on ABC
on November 13, 1995 and last broadcast on March 28, 1997. The show followed the loves and lives of the survivors of the Corinth Serial Killer (the final story on Loving
) as they all moved from the Pennsylvania
town of Corinth to an apartment building in New York's
SoHo
district.
The show was co-created by Agnes Nixon
, the creator of Loving, and the show's last pair of headwriters, Barbara Esensten and James Harmon Brown. The show won 2 Daytime Emmy Awards in 1996.
, The City was different from other soaps of its day, as the city wasn't the main setting of the series: the loft and its surroundings took precedence, and the city was secondary. Also, the show was shot on videotape
using the FilmLook
process for its entire run (one of two soap operas ever to do so, All My Children
also used the FilmLook processing from 2006 to 2010).
One of the most daring storylines was one involving a transsexual. Photographer Bernardo had a one night stand
with model Azure C. He went to the corner to get some orange juice
when he saw a picture of Azure C. before the sex change operation. The modeling agency
which they both worked had to do a lot of damage control. The storyline began to take off but was soon dropped, in part due to the subject matter and in part due to lackluster reaction to Chang's performance. Azure and Bernardo reconciled and left town.
Like its predecessor, the show did not catch on (even though the cast had many famous faces, such as Morgan Fairchild
and Debbi Morgan
). In an attempt to remind viewers of the well-received "Corinth Killer" plot, in mid-1996 the show had most of the characters stalked (and some murdered by) a killer who left notes saying "Happy Now". The killer was revealed to be Danny's girlfriend Molly Malone, whose sweet, perky behavior belied her true nature.
Several months later, Lorraine, who had dazzled critics and fans in the final months of Loving, joined the show. She had left her long-lost love Charles (Angie's ex-husband) and took up with fellow middle-aged alcoholic Nick Rivers. Rivers shared a past with Sydney Chase and there were plans to team the two up (they had palpable chemistry a decade earlier in ABC's short-lived prime time soap Paper Dolls
) but the plans never materialized.
had only signed a one-year contract and left when that contract expired in late 1996. ABC replaced her with Jane Elliot
, who was very popular as the witchy Tracy Quartermaine
on General Hospital
(Elliot had previously helped produce Loving from 1994-1995). Four months prior to her arrival, Elliot reprised her role on General Hospital
for the summer in order to cross over on The City in the fall. However, despite Elliot's addition to the show, ratings continued to be the lowest of any daytime soap opera and ABC pulled the plug.
Two months after the show's finale, after airing classic episodes of ABC's other soaps (All My Children
, One Life to Live
, and General Hospital
) in The City time slot, ABC would replace the show with Port Charles
, which remained until October 2003. The show did provide happy endings for most of its characters but when they failed to get Morgan Fairchild to appear again as Sydney Chase, the show killed her off by the "Happy Now" killer. Daytime talk show The View used Sydney Chase's loft set from The City until its fifth season.
), Steffi Brewster (Amelia Heinle
), Alex Masters (Randolph Mantooth
), Angie Hubbard (Debbi Morgan
), Tess Wilder (Catherine Hickland
), Buck Huston (Philip Brown), Danny Roberts (Ted King
), Jocelyn Roberts (Lisa Lo Cicero
), Jacob Foster (Darnell Williams
), Frankie Hubbard
(Alimi Ballard
), Richard Wilkins (Corey Page), and Tony Soleito (George Palermo). Among the original characters there were Zoey (Joni Allen), Nick Rivers (Roscoe Born
), Joey Soleito (James Sioutis), Bernard Castro (Philip Anthony-Rodriguez
), Sydney Chase (Morgan Fairchild
), Azure C (Carlotta Chang), and Molly Malone (Melissa Dye).
Angie Hubbard and her son Frankie
were characters that originated in the early 1980s on All My Children
, and were transplated to Loving in 1993. Thus, with the premiere of The City in 1995, Angie and Frankie became the first two individuals who have been regular characters on three ABC soap operas. Likewise, Angie's portrayer Debbi Morgan
became the first actor to portray the same character as a regular on three different soap operas.
Characters Cooper Alden (Michael Weatherly
) and Deborah Alden (Nancy Addison
) made brief appearances at the start of the series. By 1996, several original cast members had already left the series, including Anthony-Rodriguez, Ballard, Chang, Dye, Fairchild, and Heinle. To refresh the cast, and substitute Fairchild's departure, the show welcomed Tracy Quartermaine
(a General Hospital
character, played by Jane Elliot
) to the show. Other new characters included Dillon Quartermaine
(also from GH, played by P.J. Aliseo), Jared Chase (Joel Fabiani
), Carla Soleito (Amy Van Horne), Gino Soleito (Al Martino
, Joseph Sirola) and Lorraine Hawkins (Maggie Rush).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, first broadcast in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
on November 13, 1995 and last broadcast on March 28, 1997. The show followed the loves and lives of the survivors of the Corinth Serial Killer (the final story on Loving
Loving (TV series)
Caden Grant Carlton loves Mika Ayako Ryan more.Loving is an American television soap opera which aired on ABC's daytime lineup from June 26, 1983 to November 10, 1995 for 3,169 episodes...
) as they all moved from the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
town of Corinth to an apartment building in New York's
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
SoHo
SoHo
SoHo is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, notable for being the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, and also, more recently, for the wide variety of stores and shops ranging from trendy boutiques to outlets of upscale national and international chain stores...
district.
The show was co-created by Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon is an American writer and producer. She attended Northwestern University where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and is best known as the creator of soap operas such as One Life to Live and All My Children...
, the creator of Loving, and the show's last pair of headwriters, Barbara Esensten and James Harmon Brown. The show won 2 Daytime Emmy Awards in 1996.
Storylines
While it was started by Loving creator Agnes NixonAgnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon is an American writer and producer. She attended Northwestern University where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and is best known as the creator of soap operas such as One Life to Live and All My Children...
, The City was different from other soaps of its day, as the city wasn't the main setting of the series: the loft and its surroundings took precedence, and the city was secondary. Also, the show was shot on videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
using the FilmLook
FilmLook
Filmlook is the name of a form of image processing used on television programs, established in 1989. Since 1992, Filmlook, Inc. is also the corporate name of the post-production company which invented the process.-Development:...
process for its entire run (one of two soap operas ever to do so, All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
also used the FilmLook processing from 2006 to 2010).
One of the most daring storylines was one involving a transsexual. Photographer Bernardo had a one night stand
One Night Stand
One Night Stand is an HBO stand-up series that first aired on February 15, 1989. The half-hour series aired weekly and featured stand-up comedy specials from some of the top performing comedians. The series originally comprised 55 specials over the course of its four years on HBO...
with model Azure C. He went to the corner to get some orange juice
Orange juice
Orange juice is a popular beverage made from oranges. It is made by extraction from the fresh fruit, by desiccation and subsequent reconstitution of dried juice, or by concentration of the juice and the subsequent addition of water to the concentrate...
when he saw a picture of Azure C. before the sex change operation. The modeling agency
Modeling agency
A modeling agency is a company that represents fashion models, to work for the fashion industry. These agencies earn their income via commission, usually from the deal they make with the model and or the head agency....
which they both worked had to do a lot of damage control. The storyline began to take off but was soon dropped, in part due to the subject matter and in part due to lackluster reaction to Chang's performance. Azure and Bernardo reconciled and left town.
Like its predecessor, the show did not catch on (even though the cast had many famous faces, such as Morgan Fairchild
Morgan Fairchild
Morgan Fairchild is an American actress. She achieved prominence during the late 1970s and early 1980s with continuing roles in several television series, in which she usually conveyed a glamorous image. Fairchild has also performed in live theater and played guest roles in television comedies...
and Debbi Morgan
Debbi Morgan
Deborah "Debbi" Morgan is an American film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Dr. Angie Hubbard on the ABC soap opera All My Children, and for her role as The Seer in the fourth and fifth seasons of Charmed.Morgan joined the cast of The Young and the Restless as...
). In an attempt to remind viewers of the well-received "Corinth Killer" plot, in mid-1996 the show had most of the characters stalked (and some murdered by) a killer who left notes saying "Happy Now". The killer was revealed to be Danny's girlfriend Molly Malone, whose sweet, perky behavior belied her true nature.
Several months later, Lorraine, who had dazzled critics and fans in the final months of Loving, joined the show. She had left her long-lost love Charles (Angie's ex-husband) and took up with fellow middle-aged alcoholic Nick Rivers. Rivers shared a past with Sydney Chase and there were plans to team the two up (they had palpable chemistry a decade earlier in ABC's short-lived prime time soap Paper Dolls
Paper Dolls
Paper Dolls is an American prime time soap opera which aired for 14 episodes on ABC from September 23, 1984 to December 25, 1984. Set in New York's fashion industry, the show centered around top modeling agency owner Racine , her conflicts with the family of cosmetics tycoon Grant Harper , and the...
) but the plans never materialized.
The end
Morgan FairchildMorgan Fairchild
Morgan Fairchild is an American actress. She achieved prominence during the late 1970s and early 1980s with continuing roles in several television series, in which she usually conveyed a glamorous image. Fairchild has also performed in live theater and played guest roles in television comedies...
had only signed a one-year contract and left when that contract expired in late 1996. ABC replaced her with Jane Elliot
Jane Elliot
Jane Elliot is an American actress, known for her role as Tracy Quartermaine, a role she has played on General Hospital and The City ....
, who was very popular as the witchy Tracy Quartermaine
Tracy Quartermaine
Tracy Angelica Quartermaine Spencer is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital...
on General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
(Elliot had previously helped produce Loving from 1994-1995). Four months prior to her arrival, Elliot reprised her role on General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
for the summer in order to cross over on The City in the fall. However, despite Elliot's addition to the show, ratings continued to be the lowest of any daytime soap opera and ABC pulled the plug.
Two months after the show's finale, after airing classic episodes of ABC's other soaps (All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
, One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
, and General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
) in The City time slot, ABC would replace the show with Port Charles
Port Charles
Port Charles was a daytime soap opera which aired on ABC from June 2, 1997 to October 3, 2003. It is a spin-off of the serial General Hospital, which has been running since 1963 and takes place in the fictional city of Port Charles, New York...
, which remained until October 2003. The show did provide happy endings for most of its characters but when they failed to get Morgan Fairchild to appear again as Sydney Chase, the show killed her off by the "Happy Now" killer. Daytime talk show The View used Sydney Chase's loft set from The City until its fifth season.
Cast
The original characters of the show included the survivors of the murder storyline on Loving, including Ally Alden (played by Laura WrightLaura Wright
Laura Wright is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Cassie Layne Winslow on Guiding Light , and since 2005, her portrayal of Carly Corinthos on General Hospital; the latter garnered her the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in 2011.-Filmography:* 1991 - 1995:...
), Steffi Brewster (Amelia Heinle
Amelia Heinle
Amelia March Heinle Luckinbill is an American actress best known for her roles in American soap operas.-Career:...
), Alex Masters (Randolph Mantooth
Randolph Mantooth
Randolph Donald Mantooth is an American character actor of stage, film and television. Mantooth is best known for his work in the 1970s medical drama, Emergency!, as Johnny Gage, a Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedic...
), Angie Hubbard (Debbi Morgan
Debbi Morgan
Deborah "Debbi" Morgan is an American film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Dr. Angie Hubbard on the ABC soap opera All My Children, and for her role as The Seer in the fourth and fifth seasons of Charmed.Morgan joined the cast of The Young and the Restless as...
), Tess Wilder (Catherine Hickland
Catherine Hickland
Catherine Hickland is a singer and an actress best known for roles in soap operas broadcast in the United States, most notably as the character of Lindsay Rappaport on ABC's One Life to Live, a character which she has portrayed since 1998.- Early life :Hickland was born and raised in Fort...
), Buck Huston (Philip Brown), Danny Roberts (Ted King
Ted King
Theodore William King is an American actor, formally credited as T.W. King.-Personal life:In September 2008 King married his girlfriend Maya Rodwell, with whom he became engaged the year before...
), Jocelyn Roberts (Lisa Lo Cicero
Lisa Lo Cicero
Lisa Lo Cicero is an American actress.-Career:Her first notable role was Jocelyn Roberts Brown on the ABC daytime soap opera Loving in 1995. Lo Cicero stayed with the series when it was spun off as The City, and remained until its cancellation in 1997. She next appeared in small roles in the films...
), Jacob Foster (Darnell Williams
Darnell Williams
Darnell Williams is a British-born soap opera actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Jesse Hubbard on the ABC soap opera All My Children, a role which has earned him two Daytime Emmy Awards.-Biography:...
), Frankie Hubbard
Frankie Hubbard
Dr. Franklin "Frankie" Quentin Hubbard is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, All My Children. He is the son of soap opera supercouple Jesse Hubbard and Angie Baxter.Frankie has also appeared on Loving and The City...
(Alimi Ballard
Alimi Ballard
Alimi Ballard is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as FBI agent David Sinclair on the CBS drama television series Numb3rs....
), Richard Wilkins (Corey Page), and Tony Soleito (George Palermo). Among the original characters there were Zoey (Joni Allen), Nick Rivers (Roscoe Born
Roscoe Born
Roscoe Born is an American actor, born in Topeka, Kansas, who is best known for playing a variety of roles over the years in successful television shows, most recently in The Young and the Restless.-Career:...
), Joey Soleito (James Sioutis), Bernard Castro (Philip Anthony-Rodriguez
Philip Anthony-Rodriguez
Philip Anthony-Rodriguez is an American actor and voice actor of Puerto Rican descent who is known for his roles on Jake 2.0 as Kyle Duarte and the voice of disc jockey Maurice Chavez in the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. His voice is also heard in the 2010 video game Halo: Reach...
), Sydney Chase (Morgan Fairchild
Morgan Fairchild
Morgan Fairchild is an American actress. She achieved prominence during the late 1970s and early 1980s with continuing roles in several television series, in which she usually conveyed a glamorous image. Fairchild has also performed in live theater and played guest roles in television comedies...
), Azure C (Carlotta Chang), and Molly Malone (Melissa Dye).
Angie Hubbard and her son Frankie
Frankie Hubbard
Dr. Franklin "Frankie" Quentin Hubbard is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, All My Children. He is the son of soap opera supercouple Jesse Hubbard and Angie Baxter.Frankie has also appeared on Loving and The City...
were characters that originated in the early 1980s on All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
, and were transplated to Loving in 1993. Thus, with the premiere of The City in 1995, Angie and Frankie became the first two individuals who have been regular characters on three ABC soap operas. Likewise, Angie's portrayer Debbi Morgan
Debbi Morgan
Deborah "Debbi" Morgan is an American film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Dr. Angie Hubbard on the ABC soap opera All My Children, and for her role as The Seer in the fourth and fifth seasons of Charmed.Morgan joined the cast of The Young and the Restless as...
became the first actor to portray the same character as a regular on three different soap operas.
Characters Cooper Alden (Michael Weatherly
Michael Weatherly
Michael Manning Weatherly, Jr. is an American actor, best known for his roles as Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo on the television series NCIS, and Logan Cale on the television series Dark Angel.-Early life:...
) and Deborah Alden (Nancy Addison
Nancy Addison
Nancy Addison was an American soap opera actress, best known for her role on the television soap opera Ryan's Hope as Jillian Coleridge, which she played from 1975 until the show's demise in 1989.-Biography:...
) made brief appearances at the start of the series. By 1996, several original cast members had already left the series, including Anthony-Rodriguez, Ballard, Chang, Dye, Fairchild, and Heinle. To refresh the cast, and substitute Fairchild's departure, the show welcomed Tracy Quartermaine
Tracy Quartermaine
Tracy Angelica Quartermaine Spencer is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital...
(a General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
character, played by Jane Elliot
Jane Elliot
Jane Elliot is an American actress, known for her role as Tracy Quartermaine, a role she has played on General Hospital and The City ....
) to the show. Other new characters included Dillon Quartermaine
Dillon Quartermaine
Dillon Albert Quartermaine is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital. He first appeared in 1992, and is the son of Paul Hornsby and Tracy Quartermaine. He also appeared briefly on ABC's now-defunct The City . Dillon was portrayed by actor Scott Clifton from 2003...
(also from GH, played by P.J. Aliseo), Jared Chase (Joel Fabiani
Joel Fabiani
Joel Fabiani is an American film and television actor.Fabiani was born in Watsonville, California. He co-starred in the British espionage series Department S as Stewart Sullivan in 1969-1970...
), Carla Soleito (Amy Van Horne), Gino Soleito (Al Martino
Al Martino
Al Martino was an American singer and actor. He had his greatest success as a singer between the early 1950s and mid 1970s, being described as "one of the great Italian American pop crooners", and also became well known as an actor, particularly for his role as singer Johnny Fontane in The...
, Joseph Sirola) and Lorraine Hawkins (Maggie Rush).