Soap: Difference between revisions

Mary, too, likes life. Unfortunately, life doesn't seem too crazy about her. As you can see, the Campbell's don't have nearly as much money as the Tates. They do, however, have as many secrets...''|The [[Opening Narration]]}}

 

 

''Soap'' followed the misadventures of the wealthy Tate family, and the equally bizarre misadventures of their relatives, the far less wealthy Campbells. Over the course of a few years, they face adultery, a murder trial, abduction by aliens, demonic possession, cultists and mental illness (several times). The cast consisted of a large ensemble, including Richard Mulligan, Katherine Helmond, Robert Urich, Billy Crystal, and Robert Guillaume as Benson, the cynical housekeeper to the Tates, who would eventually be spun off into [[Benson|his own show]] (in which he would eventually become [[Ascended Extra|lieutenant governor]] of his state.)

** In one episode Danny accidentally drops an apple. The cop was okay.

** One of Burt's co-workers falls off a girder after seeing Burt sitting next to {{spoiler|the alien that has been transformed to look exactly like him.}}

** Gordon Jump (Chief of Police Tinkler) originally refused to take the part because he'd heard the rumors that the show was lewd and immoral, only to realize he was wrong when the producers actually showed him some episodes.

* [[Creator Cameo]]: Susan Harris appears as a prostitute in episode # 15.

* [[Dad the Veteran]]: The Major.

* [[Dead Baby Comedy]]: Murder, suicide, racism, homophobia, and mental illness (among other things) are all fair game for jokes. That said, racists and homophobes were nearly always played as fools, if not the butt of the joke.

* [[Disguised in Drag]]: Danny meets Jodie in hospital disguised as a nurse (because the mob is after him).

* [[Dramatically Missing the Point]]: Burt thinks a disease with no treatment means it will just go away.

* [[Expy]]: Susan Harris tried to update the formula in the "Soap meets [[Dynasty]]" 90s sitcom ''[[Good And Evil]]''.

* [[Fictional Counterpart]]: The "Sunnies", a cult led by Reverend Sun, standing in for Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church (known colloquially as "Moonies").

** ''Soap'' itself was the prime-time answer to the previous season's hit ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'', a daytime soap opera parody from Harris's former boss [[Norman Lear]].

* [[Food Fight]]: Fairly common in the first season, almost always involving Burt (although he rarely seemed to start them).

* [[Shell-Shocked Veteran]]: Major

* [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog]]: In one episode, when Burt is feeling down, he talks to his priest about how worried he is and tells him the story of a man who worked extremely hard in his life and survived a lot of health issues (multiple heart attacks, etc.) who is eventually killed by a mugger in a park over a Schwinn (a type of bike). Burt says he's worried that his life will go the same way: loads of work and with no pay-off. {{spoiler|The priest died while listening to his story}}.

* [[Story Arc]]

* [[Surprise Incest]]: Learning that Peter is Burt's son means that Jessica has been sleeping with her nephew and Corinne has been sleeping with her cousin.

* [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute]]: Saunders, another African-American [[Servile Snarker]] brought in to replace Benson as the Tates' butler.

* [[Teacher-Student Romance]]: Billy and his teacher.

** Mary's English Professor was extremely interested in her and eventually attacked her on the sofa. Burt was always worried she would leave him for somebody smarter and happened to walk in when the professor was all over his wife.

** The Major isn't exactly a bright bulb either.

* [[Ventriloquism]]: Chuck and Bob.

** This is most likely a leftover from the original plan of Chuck (and/or Bob) being Peter's murderer and showing a darker side.

* [[Whole-Plot Reference]]: When Danny asks Burt how to deal with Elaine, Burt says they should follow the plot of an opera (the name of which he can't quite remember) which is an adaptation of ''[[The Taming of the Shrew]]''. {{spoiler|It works.}}