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
This is one of the only reasons I came back to NBC … to take back this award winning show lacks foresisght on your part. It It is also the reason I’ll leave NBC as a devoted viewer.
Maybe it doesn’t mean much … but remember Cagney & Lacey???????????
Extremely upset viewer in Walnut Creek California.
By the the way…there are a lot of us out here.
Bettesbest@yahoo.com
Please dont take passion’s off i watch it everyday when i come home from skool and im bout to go back to skool please please please dont take passion’s off the air is it gonna come on any were on dish network???
I am a 19 year old man and I watch the show everyday when I am not at college or at work. A 4 hour show of The Today Show is a dumbass idea. You guys are really pushing your luck of The Today Show. Don’t you think that Americia will get tired of the show? Well, I do. I watch the show and that is just too much for me to watch.
This just sucks! I watch the Today show every day and I really like Matt, Ann, Al, and sometimes Merideth, but if NBC takes Passions off so the TODAY people have another hour on the air just so they can talk about the same things they talked about the first hour, I will totally stop watching ALL programs on NBC(and any channels associated with them)Obviously NBC doesnt care about the people that tune them in everyday (which is what keeps them on the air in the first place.) We Passions fans have proved our loyalty by watching this program everyday… Read more »
miguel is hot hahaha
I hope the people out there are listening, but Passions needs to go on. I think it will be a soap powerhouse, if it has just a little more time to grow up! i watched it since it was a little baby show, and i can’t believe it’ll go off the air!!!!
I have been watching this show from the start and would hate to see it gone. The rest of the soaps are all our parent and grandparents era. Please dont let it go.
Efucci10@yahoo.com
i dont usually watch soaps.
when i saw passions several years ago, i was hooked.
please dont let it go off the air..
i will be totally lost without passions.
please dont cancel passions. the escape from reality helps me cope with life!
Please keep Passions on Regular tv and not Direct TV. Regular cable allready costs to much and direct Tv cost to much for people who all ready don’t have much money.
Please keep passions on…we all love it!
before passions i watched another world. when they took that off i was upset and never thought i would watch another soap again. i gave passions a try since day one and i love it please dont let it go to direct tv i am not switching. please let passions go on thank you ang
PLEASE DONT TAKE IT OFF AIR BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN WATCH IT SINCE 2000 AND FAR BACK I LOVE THAT SHOW I EVEN TOLD MY BOYFRIEND TO WATCH IT.
save passions!
Passions is the only daytime TV show I watch. I don’t enjoy the Today Show. I can’t even keep it on for noise. Discovering Passions a couple of years ago with my daughter made me turn the TV on in the daytime again. I guess it’s going to be quiet around the house in the daytime again.