Passions: Cancellation Details & Petition to Save NBC Soap
The peacock network is announcing today that the eight-year-old soap Passions has been cancelled. This comes as a shock to some but the writing has been on the wall for awhile. Still, things may not be as grim as they may seem.
Passions debuted on July 5, 1999 and was created by Jim Reilly, a writer from Days of Our Lives. Reilly is the head writer on the soap and is an executive producer with Lisa de Cazotte. The supernatural sudser takes place in fictional New England town Harmony and replaced the long-running Another World. Now it looks like Passions will be replaced itself.
The soap has been in danger for quite some time. When NBC renewed the series in May 2006, the network renewed it only for one year and required significant budget cuts. As a result, $4-5 million was slashed from the yearly budget and caused several crewmembers and performers to be let go. Now, nearly a year later, NBC has cancelled the soap. Why?
NBC recently announced that they would be expanding the popular Today Show from three to four hours weekdays. The Today Show is a great cash-earner for NBC and has been around for 55 years. The cast, including Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira, Ann Curry and Al Roker, is scheduled to hold a news conference today at the Television Critics Association (TCA) winter preview tour to announce the news show expansion.
That “super-sized” version of Today will leave NBC affiliates with one less hour in their mid-morning slot. To compensate, NBC is releasing the Passions timeslot to affiliates. As a result, Passions will be pulled — though not for awhile.
The present Passions contract runs out in June but the new expanded Today won’t debut until Fall 2007. To fill the summer months, NBC is expected to negotiate with the Passions cast and show creatives to extend the soap until August. That could be the end.
But, like Tabitha and any good soap fan knows, there are always possible ways to cheat death. How could Passions survive?
NBC is proud of the soap. As recent as last week, the network issued a press release touting the fact that Passions was fourth in the ratings for all soaps in the very desirable female 18-34 demographic. Passions even tied for first place (with Days of Our Lives) for that demographic for the first week in January. As well, NBC owns Passions completely, allowing the network to keep all profits.
Because of its strong popularity with young women, there are rumblings that NBC may try to keep the series alive elsewhere. Possibilities include producing the soap (perhaps in a shortened version) for Disney’s SoapNet cable station, the struggling MyNetwork TV or even on the Internet.
The soap won’t go off the air for several months so we probably won’t know what the future holds for Passions and the Harmony residents for quite some time.
What do you think? We know there are lots of Passions fans out there. Would you like to see the soap continue? If so, consider signing our petition (leave a comment) so NBC and Passions executive producers Jim Reilly and Lisa de Cazotte will know how you feel. We’ll keep you posted on any new developments. Stay tuned — and in the meantime, let’s save Passions! 
Please note, due to the overwhelming response, 4,500 petition comments have been archived (for bandwidth issues).
To NBC Daytime Programs
cc: Jim Reilly and Lisa de Cazotte
We, the undersigned have enjoyed much of your programming, particularly the ongoing Passions series. We have enjoyed the stories and the work of the cast each week and are dismayed about the announced cancellation.
We believe that the ratings have not accurately shown the show’s popularity and potential for future revenue.
We respectfully request that you reconsider your decision to cancel Passions and to find a way to keep it on NBC daytime. If that is not possible, we implore you to find another venue to continue telling the engaging stories of the people of Harmony.
Thank you in advance for your attention and consideration.
The Undersigned fans of Passions
December 16th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
please don’t cancel passions it’s my favorite show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 15th, 2007 at 9:35 am
Don’t cancel PASSIONS! It has a loyal audience plzzzzzzzz….can you try getting in on a different cable network other than nbc!!
December 12th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
SAVE PASSIONS!!!!
December 12th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
I can not believe this is happening again! Don’t cancel Passions! Please find a home for it!
December 12th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
I’ve been a fan of Passions since the promos started running on NBC and fell in love with it ever since…I WANT PASSIONS to be on the air somewhere…on my tv. I love the characters and love to hate other characters i love this show. Don’t take it away from me a second time!!!! do something…bring out passions dvd’s of the show to promote it. From the Beginning be the first soap to do this yes it probably will be an expensive venture but there are die hard fans like me who would buy it. Please give us PASSIONS…WE’RE PASSIONATE !!!
December 11th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
Please bring back Passions, I have watched it from the beginning. I miss it so.
December 6th, 2007 at 6:10 am
Please save passion
December 4th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
I am so mad because passions moved to dtv.i looked forward to watching it every day.dtv wants an arm and a leg for there service.i bet they lost alot of ratings because of the move. i wish they would bring it back,because im not paying that much for dtv when all i want to watch is passions.they advertise that it is 20 dollars but they dont tell you that if u want the 101 which is the channel passions is on it is not included in the package and you have to pay like 60-70 dollars just to get the package that includes passions.All i have to say is dtv sucks.
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:13 pm
I am so upset that passions is no longer on cable tv. PLEASE BRING IT BACK!! Some people don’t like DTV. and that should of been taken into consideration before the change was even made. And dtv wants to charge $19.95 to watch online!there is no way I would subscribe to DTV!
November 28th, 2007 at 6:31 am
please do not cancel passions i have dish and i do not like directv im bout to change to insight i have watched passion since its been on air i even got my sister to start watching it i do not watch any soaps but passion please put the back on tv
November 26th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
I have watched Passions from the first episode until it went to directv. I have dishnetwork and can’t get it anymore and I am extremely disappointed it’s not on dish network. I work every day and so I would tape it as well as Days of Our Lives which I have watched since I was a little girl. Please bring Passions back to dish network and also please don’t cancel it. I don’t even know if Teresa and Ethan are together. Please, please don’t cancel the show and please, please bring it back to dish network.
November 26th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
hello i am writing to you to just let you know nbc that i have been watching passions since my sister is little boy was a baby,in 1998 and now he will be nine years old december 30th and that tell me nbc is just messed up and now they will make passions lose a lot of viewers and ya,ll just need to just put passions back on nbc i will boy cott if i have to with millons of fans that passions have i just missed watching passions because terssa have been thew a;ot and i do to with my relationships and i can,t love are trust another man passions just get my mind off of things dirrect tv sucks and and the will run your bill up high i should know i had them before and my bill was like 240 and i just could not aford it and whenever there is bad weather it don,t work and on friday,s dirrect tv don,t play passion so ya,ll should just put it on nbc whenever passion was with nbc it alway,s played they would play passions on friday,s all thew the week plase put passions back on nbc thanks.
November 26th, 2007 at 12:52 am
please bring my passions back!!!
November 22nd, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Passions shouldnt have stopped!!!!!!!it is a good show . if nbc wanted to cancel passions they should of let the show finish not cancel it in the middle of the season now were here stuck wondering whats going to happen but we will never know plz nbc reconcider ur decision
November 18th, 2007 at 10:36 am
Please!!!!Do not cancel Passions forever.When Passions aired for the last time on Nbc I cried.I love passions so much and besides for Days of our lives, passions is one of my favorite soaps.You see,I have one year old twins and a four year old so watching my two favorite soaps is what keeps me sane and keeps me watching everyday.Even my 95 year grandma watches Nbc soaps everyday.Please reconsider keeping Passions because alot of people will be heartbroken if it’s taken off of the air for good.
November 17th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
Hello there NBC,
I have never been interested in any other Soap besides Passions. Everyone thought I was a nut for watching it but I eventually got my Mother and (believe it or not my boyfriend) to watch the show!! I work in real estate and I am stuck in an sales office all day long. I loved being able to go to NBC.com and catch up on my Passions!!Now the show is unavailable on your website and I can’t move to Direct TV. I understand you all have made a business decision when you choose to stop airing the series but there are many FANS out there that wish you still had it. I wonder if there is any ethical aspects involved in your decision making process. Charging $19,95/monthly is ridiculous! If you were to charge at all it should only be $1.99/monthly.There are usually several people in a household and one person wanting to switch cable companies is not enough to get the ball rolling. My parents have been with COX for years they will not switch companies just becuase of one show. I beg you guys to put the show back on your network. To be honest with you that was the ONLY show I ever watched on your network. Now that the show does not air I have not tuned in to your station at all. We have enough talk shows, daily shows ect. Please reconsider and BRING PASSIONS BACK!!
Thanks
Sandy
November 15th, 2007 at 6:44 am
Passions is also my favorite soap, and from all these comments i see. i’m not alone. now shouldn’t that stand for something.
November 13th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
PLEASE DON’T CANCEL PASSIONS. THAT IS MY FAVORITE SOAP SHOW ON NBC IN THE DAYTIME . I;VE WATCHED PASSIONS SINCE DAY ONE PLEASE DON’T GO
November 12th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
please bring passions back to nbc i miss watching my favorite soap i didn’t miss an eppisode until u took it away from me please please bring it back
November 7th, 2007 at 3:59 am
PLEASE BRING BACK PASSIONS. I’VE BEEN WATCHING IT SINCE IT STARTED & IT IS GREAT!!