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
Please don’t cancel Passions, It’s such a breath of fresh air….I tape it everyday!!!
We love all of Harmony…don’t let this great show be cancelled…someone HELP…pick up the soap. yeah I’m talking to you ABC, CBC, CBS, Global etc….come on..just give it a chance
We love all of Harmony…don’t let this great show be cancelled…someone HELP…pick up the soap. yeah I’m talking to you ABC, CBC, CBS, Global etc….come on..just give it a chance
Please save Passions!!!
plase dont take this show off air i have been a fan since the show started an d i tape it when im at school no one needs a fourth hour of news we do need passions.
This is so sad news about my favorite all time soap “Passions” not being on air!! Come on NBC peoples I want my show to stay I love everyone who has been acting on there since I have been watching the show since 1999. Just please don’t let “Passions” be cancelled please let the show live on in the near future because there alot of fans like me of the show who like the show alot like I do alot so much. I will be so broken hearted if NBC didn’t have a heart to cancel my favorite show!! I… Read more »
I have been watching Passions for about three years. Passions is a world where you can escape and enter in the dramatic, hilarious lives of those who live in Harmony. Passions is a great show. Watching it is also a great way to relax. I, as well as many other people would be very upset if you cancelled it.
Taking Passions off the air will be a big mistake. It is very entertaining, The show you put on today with Jane Pauley, was boring and out of date, why do you put stupid shows on like that? and the show that follows Passions is just as rediculas. Not interested in Gays and redecorating ugly apartments. You will be making a big mistake IF YOU TAKE PASSIONS OFF THE AIR AND PUT MORE THAN STUPID SHOWS ON LIKE YOU HAVE BEEN DOING. NO WONDER YOUR RATINGS ARE GOING DOWN DOWN.
Keep Passions on the air: its a great show that entertains millions………
There is no reason to cancel it..
I have been watching passions since I was in Middle School!! I would ditch High School classes to watch this show!!! I would be devestated if it went off air!!! PLEASE SAVE PASSIONS!!!
As anyone can see by the length of this petition, Passions has a lot of very dedicated fans and it will be a shame to take it off the air. Most of the fans of this show are young women and men who TiVo the show every day just so they can watch it every night. Not many people can say that about the Today Show. It would be a real loss to take this show off the air.
do not cancel Passions!!!!!!
Please don’t cancel PASSIONS! I must say, though, I miss the old Fox! he was such a hottie! Can we get him back????
Passions is a great soap. It doesn’t take itself seriously, but I do. We watch it in the dorm everyday. I even skip class if my video tape is full so I can catch every crazy detail. A bunch of us get a pizza and bunker down to watch it here in the northeast especially on a snowy or rainy day. The ridiculous story lines and the crazy nater make a day just that much better. Seeing Pilar hawking a floor cleaner on a commercial geared toward our soap is great fun. I like how shows like Buffy point out… Read more »
Please keep Passions alive. We here at our job take our lunch hour at 2 so we can scramble into the lounge and watch it! We are the Passions Club and we are all diehard fans. This show is the most interesting afternoon show on tv. We play a game based on how many times someone on the show gives away the whole storyline while someone who is standing inches away hears nothing. We call it Passion Grumblings. If you can spot the dream sequence before anyone else you get to delegate a portion of your workload to the losers.