Soap - The Complete First Season

Rating:
Summary: At least watch this once before you die!
Review: If you only accomplish one thing in your short presence on this planet, let it be this! Take the time to buy this series on DVD and spend a few weeks watching it. There is so much to do in life, but there is just nothing greater than watching the ensemble cast of Soap present their wild, wacky, crazy, happy, sad, and mental personalities to the viewer in each and every episode. Rather than offer additional praise for this series (which I'm always ready to do), I will offer some responses to common shootdowns mades at this show. First, the show is NOT dated - simply disregard the fact that this show is over 25 years old. I find this show much funnier than any comedy on television today or in the last 5 years. And that is saying a lot, considering Curb Your Enthusiasm and Arrested Development are both on the air! The show itself presents slapstick comedy like never before. The series is a real mocking of soap operas, but in itself, I find it to be a soap opera of its own. Not only does the entire series have a continuous storyline, but the characters come and go just as quick as they do on daytime shows (not that I would know these things...). The show isn't just about comedy however. I found myself very intrigued during the first and second seasons, especially in the storylines that involved murder, lust, and mystery. While I was laughing at Benson, the Colonel, and the rest of the cast, I was also paying very hard attention to the seriousness inside of this show. No matter how crazy this show became (UFO abductions, for example), the viewer is still able to grasp what is being presented as complete enjoyment on the tube. 5 stars, 10 out of 10, 110%, whatever... JUST BUY THE SHOW!

Rating:
Summary: "This is the story of two sisters....."
Review: SOAP was writer Susan Harris' hilarious take on the world of soap operas (and the often-ludicrous and impossible situations they depicted). The first season of SOAP introduces us to the main characters; the Tate family and the Campbell family.

Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond) lives with her rich husband Chester (Robert Mandan) and their children Eunice (Jennifer Salt), Corrine (Diana Canova) and Billy (Jimmy Baio). The house is rounded-out by Jessica's crazy old war veteran father The Major (Arthur Peterson) and smart-mouthed butler Benson (Robert Guillaume).

Jessica's sister Mary (Cathryn Damon) lives with her husband Burt Campbell (Richard Mulligan) and her 2 boys Danny (Ted Wass) and Jodie (Billy Crystal), who are from her previous marriage (a Mobster who was accidentally killed by Burt!).

The problems start right away when Burt's long-lost son is both the lover of Jessica and daugher Corrine! Danny learns his real father was in the Mob, and now he has been ordered to kill Burt! Jodie, a proud homosexual, surprises everyone when he announces he's going to have a sex change, and Burt's other son Chuck (Jay Johnson) comes to stay...with his ventriloquist dummy Bob in tow!

The main storyline throughout this first season is the murder of Peter, and the subsequent court case with Jessica as the accused. The rest of the season sets about establishing the relationships between the characters, etc. The writing is crisp and still quite hilarious. Probably one of the most hilarious characters was Ingrid (played by Inga Swenson) who popped in from time to time to wreak havoc in the lives of the Tate and Campbell clans. So don't delay...order the first season of SOAP today!

Rating:
Summary: A Good Start
Review: I purchased this set never seeing the series but recognizing the stars. The more I watched this show the more I got into it. The first 5 episodes are very boring on this set, partly because it is just introducing the characters and there is really no story lines.

The series is excellent when they start the Who Killed Peter episodes. It is very very funny. The series really develops in the second season and gets very bizarre (as most soap opera's do). I love this show because I hate soap opera's and this show makes fun of them. I would recommend this show to anyone who dislikes soap operas, loves the actress Katherine Helmond, or likes Harris-Witt Productions (such as Golden Girls, Empty Nest).

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious!
Review: Before The Golden Girls, Susan Harris created this hysterical (and at the time controversial) comedy series about two of the most dysfunctional families ever put on television. The wealthy Tates and the middle-class Campbells are the two families focused here, with the center of the show focused mostly on two sisters: Jessica Tate and Mary Campbell. This show had me laughing out loud alot, which is something that I hadn't experienced much on recent TV shows. Soap received much controversy back when it premiered in 1977, but the controversy weared off after it became a big hit. This is worth seeing to catch Billy Crystal in one of his early acting roles as Jodie. But the rest of the cast is great. Katherine Helmond (Jessica), Cathryn Damon (Mary), Robert Mandan (Chester, Jessica's husband), Richard Mulligan (Burt, Mary's husband), and Robert Guillaume (the real scene-stealer as Benson) are all hilariously excellent. The first season of Soap was outstanding. After watching it, I couldn't wait for season 2. (See review of Soap: The Complete Second Season).

Rating:
Summary: Too Bad Comedy Shows on TV now aren't this good
Review: This was a really excellent comedy tv series while it lasted...sure beats out what's on tv now. There are many funny characters here..like chuck and bob, Jessica, and Burt. Life is sometimes stranger than reality so this isn't always too unrealistic at times.

Rating:
Summary: Good - could have been better...
Review: One of the funniest (and bravest) shows ever to be produced or air on any network. The DVD set is good, but could have include some extras and better quality copies of the show. See Sledge Hammer! Season One and compare the difference. Ah well, at least it's finally out there.

Hey, if anyone is interested, I recently started a new Yahoo 'group' for the TV comedy series "Soap" that ran from 1977-1981. If you'd like to join us or know anyone else that would, we'd be thrilled to have you! Here's the link:

http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/This-Is-Soap/

Hope to see you there!


Rating:
Summary: A gem in the vast wasteland
Review: In the annals of television history, "Soap" ranks as one of the most outrageous sitcoms ever aired on an American network. Ribald, over the top, whimsical, and with the potential to offend large segments of society, "Soap" handily lived up to each of these elements and more. But most importantly the show about two wacko families living lives of utter weirdness was incredibly hilarious. I was a mere seven years old when the program appeared in the late 1970s, but I did remember bits and pieces of the show since my parents let me watch it with them. I know; I can't believe they let a youngster view a program like this one, but they rightly figured that my tender age prevented me from understanding the adult themes behind the comedy. Of course, you didn't need to understand much to laugh at the physical machinations of Richard Mulligan. When I finally saw a few episodes on cable a few years back, I finally understood what the ruckus was all about. I usually avoid watching television nowadays, but I put "Soap" right up there with "The Rockford Files" as my two favorite network shows. It's great to see the former arrive on DVD.

"Soap" is the story of two related families. The wealthy Tate clan, headed by ditzy Jessica (Katherine Helmond) and the lecherous Chester (Robert Mandan), contain enough cranks to populate a mental asylum. Daughter Corrine (Diana Canova) spends her days at home and her nights sleeping with her mother's tennis instructor, at least when she isn't romantically pursuing a Catholic priest. Other daughter Eunice is a big shot reporter in a suspect relationship with a Congressman. Jessica's father, known as The Major (Arthur Peterson), is a World War II veteran who simply can't let go of his wartime experiences largely due to his fading mental state. The only normal person in the family--and that's saying a lot--is son Billy (Jimmy Baio), whose concerns involve dating girls and staying out of the way of his wacky family. Fortunately, the Tate's butler Benson DuBois (Robert Guillaume) serves as a sort of comedic relief to the constant shenanigans by snubbing the cheating Chester and protecting the hapless Jessica from the horrors of the family's activities. The Tate family isn't merely dysfunctional; the psychiatric profession came up with the term after watching this show.

Jessica's sister Mary (Cathryn Damon) heads up her own family, the Campbells. As strange as the Tate's are, they simply cannot hold a candle to this agglomeration of oddities. Mary married husband Burt (Richard Mulligan) after her first husband perished in an accident. Her two sons live at home with the couple. There's Jody Dallas (Billy Crystal), a man struggling with his sexuality and his relationship to a star professional quarterback. Brother Danny (Ted Wass) thinks his brother's joking when he claims to like men, but he's got problems of his own. Danny is mixed up in the Mafia, and when the Godfather (Richard Libertini) tells him someone he knows murdered his father, Danny seeks revenge as condition for leaving organized crime behind. The best addition to the Campbell household doesn't arrive for a few episodes, but once they do the show took on a dimension of craziness rarely witnessed on television. Burt's son by his previous wife, Chuck (Jay Johnson) and his dummy Bob arrive from Hawaii to stay with the family. Problem is, Chuck thinks Bob is real and acts accordingly by taking the mannequin with him everywhere he goes. Soon, everyone around them can't help but fall into thinking the dummy is real too. It's hilarious.

I'm not even going to get into a full exposition of the various twists and turns each character goes through during the course of the first season. Instead, I'm going to throw out a few of my favorite situations and scenes and let it go at that:

1) Burt prancing around a cabin in the woods while wearing a bear rug.

2) The whole first season moves toward a denouement where Jessica Tate takes the fall for a murder. Witness the scene where Police Chief Tinkler (Gordon Jump) arrives at her home to question both families about the crime. He methodically interviews each member and discovers that nearly every one of them is so weird, possesses so many mental and emotional hang-ups, that they are all suspects.

3) Jessica's lawyer decides to interview both families so he can create a list of potential character witnesses on her behalf. Again, everyone is so out of bounds that he can't find one family member to take the stand.

4) Veteran character actor William Daniels appears in one episode as Heinrich Himmel, a Gestapo like investigator determined to solve the murder. His lines are classic dialogue: "Please to put the toy away" and "ARE YOU JODY? DO YOU LOOK LIKE JODY? DO YOU SOUND LIKE JODY?" had me laughing for hours afterwards. I'm laughing now just remembering them.

5) Burt's reaction when he opens the refrigerator and sees Chuck's dummy stuffed inside.

6) Danny's rabbi disguise and conversation with the Mafia goons.

Obviously, there are many amusing scenes in this wonderful DVD set. Seeing them all together in chronological order is an interesting experience. The earliest episodes are the least amusing because creator Susan Harris and crew had to establish the characters first. Benson plays a crucial role in the beginning with many one-liners and wisecracks until we learn to recognize the traits of the cast. It's difficult to pick the best actors in "Soap," but special mention goes to Helmond and Mulligan. Jessica Tate's ditzy ramblings are jaw dropping to behold, and Burt Campbell's increasingly loony theatrics steal every scene he's in. If you're a fan of the show, you already have this and the second season collection. If you're not a fan, you will be as soon as you watch this completely insane show.