Passionate Dreams

Passionate Dreams
Passionate Dreams final title card, circa 2011-2012
Created by	Irna Phillips
Written by	Kimberly McPherson
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	15,792
Production
Executive producer(s)	Wilbur Hatchman (1951-56) Jerry Ackerman (1956-63) Felix Brickman (1963-69) Henry Davis (1969-81) Jack Rauch (1981-86) Leanne Marie Asher (1986-93) Marilynn Kearney (1993-99) Michael D. Laibson (1999-2002) Madeline Harrison (2002–07) Amanda Demspey (2007–12)
Location(s)	New York City, New York
Running time	15 minutes (1940–1951) 30 minutes (1951–1976) 60 minutes (1976–2012)
Distributor	Procter & Gamble Productions, Inc. (1986–2008) TeleNext Media, Inc. (2008–12)
Broadcast
Original channel	LBC Radio (1940–1951) BGC (1951–2012)
Picture format	NTSC (480i)
Original run	LBC Radio January 15, 1940 – June 22, 1951 BGC Television June 25, 1951 – December 21, 2012

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Passionate Dreams is an American television soap opera that aired for 61 years on BGC Television from June 25, 1951 to December 21, 2012, preceded by an 11-year radio broadcast.

Passionate Dreams was created by Irna Phillips, and began as a radio serial on LBC Radio on January 25, 1940 and ran for 15 minutes until June 22, 1951. The show expanded to 30 minutes and moved to BGC Television on June 25, 1951. It expanded to a full hour on July 26, 1976. On September 18, 2009, Passionate Dreams broadcast its 15,000 episode on television, the same day as Guiding Light ended its run. On September 17, 2010, Passionate Dreams became the last Procter & Gamble produced soap opera after As the World Turns aired its final episode.

On July 11, 2012, BGC announced that it canceled Passionate Dreams after 72 years because of low ratings. The show taped its final scenes on November 16, 2012, and its final episode aired on December 21, 2012. On December 24, 2012, BGC replaced Passionate Dreams with a short-lived talk show called Beauty Queens and then replaced Passionate Dreams with a newly debuted Our Screams Can Last spinoff called Universal Lives on March 18, 2013.

Origins, plot development, and cast

Passionate Dreams has had a number of plot sequences during the series' long history, on both radio and television. These plot sequences include complex storylines, and different writers and casting.

1980s

The 1980s included the next two castmates who joined Passionate Dreams. In 1983, Genie Francis (Days of our Lives) was about to join Passionate Dreams, but was under prior contract to General Hospital, which prevented her from joining Passionate Dreams. Also, Tia Carrere was under prior contract to General Hospital, which prevented her from joining both The A-Team and All My Children and also prevented her from starring in Passionate Dreams. In March and June of 1989, Jeanne Cooper, star of The Young and the Restless, and Darlene Conley, star of The Bold and the Beautiful, guest starred on Passionate Dreams.

Robin Christopher, before heading to All My Children, One Life to Live and General Hospital, was cast on the series between July 1, 1986 to December 25, 1986 as Jennifer Milleson.

1990s

The 1990s included several characters from the 1980s, while some characters from the 1950s have died, and some other characters from the 1950s moved out of Bellwood. On September 30, 1991, actress Elizabeth Aberdeen debuted her role as Vernita Backwood, and actor Derek Carter debuted his role as Steve Morris. Later on September 18, 1992, actor Aladdin Adams debuted his role as Marty McLean, and on the same day, actress Ariel Summer-Adams (Aladdin's real life wife since their March 31, 1999 real life wedding) debuted her role as Mary Flowers. On September 17, 1993, actress Annika Bartoski debuted her role as Christina Hardwick. On March 7, 1994, actress Odette Morrison-Carter (Derek's real life wife since their June 30, 1999 wedding) debuted her role as Hayley Gilmore.

On March 31, 1999, Stephanie Canterbury made her first appearance as Ida Marie Flowers, Mary's cousin, and Marty's cousin-in-law.

2000s

The 2000s included several characters from the 1980s and 1990s, but added new characters.

On June 25, 2001, Passionate Dreams marked its 50th televised anniversary.

On September 18, 2002, Brittany Marson (Helga Johnson-Stephens) and Kirk Markson (Arnold Stephens) married and moved from Bellwood to Hawaii.

In September 2003, Melody Adams (Aladdin's and Ariel's daughter, born September 17, 1999) made her debut as Serena McFastin.

On September 19, 2005, Marcy Walker made her first appearance as Karen Harper, the ex-stripper from the wrong side of the tracks. Walker previously played the three roles on three soap operas All My Children, Santa Barbara, and Guiding Light. In September 2006, Walker chose to not renew her contract with Passionate Dreams.

The November 10, 2006 episode of Passionate Dreams included the first appearances of Anton Yelchin, Shawn Hatosy, and Justin Timberlake, and also included the final appearance of Marcy Walker. Karen Harper (Marcy Walker) confronted Zack Moravsky (Anton Yelchin) about his problems, but she goaded him into shooting her while he had the gun. Zack killed Karen with one shot. He then dragged her dead body out of the house and into the woods. Suddenly, Zack doused Karen's dead body with gasoline and set it on fire and burned it. The two cops (Shawn Hatosy and Justin Timberlake) later arrested Zack for Karen's murder and imprisoned him. Karen's family mourned her loss and arrived at the funeral after she died.

On September 18, 2009, actors Aladdin Adams and his actress wife Ariel Summer-Adams chose to cancel and not to renew their contracts, and made their final appearances as Marty McLean and Mary Flowers. However, Annika Bartoski continued her role as Christina Hardwick until October 23, 2009.

2010s

The 2010s included several characters who returned to the show, after having died on screen. Passionate Dreams marked its 70th Radio Anniversary on January 15, 2010. After leaving the show, Annika Bartoski returned to reprise her role as Christina Hardwick on Passionate Dreams on September 17, 2010. Vernita Backwood (Elizabeth Aberdeen), who left in September 2008, returned on April 9, 2010. The show marked its 60th televised anniversary on June 25, 2011.

Michelle Morrisen (Christina Halsey), after having left the show on September 30, 2008, returned on August 11, 2011. Marty McLean (Aladdin Adams) and Mary Flowers (Ariel Summer-Adams), after having left the show on September 18, 2009, returned on September 23, 2011.

On September 7, 2012, actress Charlotte McClellan reprised her Our Screams Can Last role as Helen before she reprised her role on its newly-debuted spinoff, Universal Lives.

On November 5, 2012, actors Shawn Hatosy, Anton Yelchin, and Justin Timberlake (from the 2006 movie Alpha Dog) returned to Passionate Dreams and reprised their roles for the show's final season, but headed out of the show on November 23, 2012.

End

On July 11, 2012, BGC confirmed that it would not renew Passionate Dreams, and its last broadcast was on December 21, 2012.

The final episode included the characters having a happy ending. Vernita Blackwell (Elizabeth Aberdeen) and Chip Marxen (Jimmy McKay) moved to San Francisco, California on a one-way ticket. Marty McLean (Aladdin Adams) and Mary Flowers McLean (Ariel Summer-Adams) left Bellwood and moved to Los Angeles, and Christina (Annika Bartoski) teamed up with them.

Madeline (Madeline Lawson) chose to stay with Stanley (Arthur McPherson) after their marriage, and Vanessa (Ursula Summer, Ariel's mother and Aladdin's mother-in-law), Mary's mother and Marty's mother-in-law, left Bellwood to move in with Marty and Mary. Josh and Beth packed up and left the town and drove off in the sunset. And later "The End" appeared before a final fadeout.