Why Did Passions Go Off the Air?
"Passions," a quirky, campy and off-beat soap opera, debuted on NBC in July 1999. Although the soap harbors a strong cult following, repeated problems forced the show to be canceled multiple times.
Other People Are Reading
-
Sci-Fi Channel
-
Due to its multiple supernatural storylines, including witches, portals to the underworld, talking dolls and demonic possessions, the Sci-Fi Channel began airing reruns of "Passions" in 2006 before quickly pulling them due to low ratings.
NBC
-
"Passions"' first major cancellation came in 2007 after NBC decided to expand its morning show, the "Today" show, into four hours of programming.
-
Overall Concerns
-
NBC also voiced concerns over the soap opera's relatively high production costs and its inability to make that money back due to low-ratings. Such high-cost plot points included an earthquake, tsunami and an elaborate Bollywood number.
DirecTV
-
After being canceled by NBC, the satellite provider DirecTV picked up "Passions" in 2007 only to cancel it in 2008 due to a low number of new subscribers.
Soap Operas
-
Soap operas in general are currently in decline with networks preferring to spend money on talk shows, a cheaper daytime programming alternative.
-
