Review of Soap

I watched "Soap" with high expectations when it premiered in September 1977, but was sadly disappointed. It is nothing more than a cheap knockoff of the far superior, scathing satire of American life, Norman Lear's "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman." The pilot for the latter was filmed in December of 1974, three years before "Soap" was created. "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" was not picked up by the networks, so Lear syndicated it on local channels across the country, where it ran from January 1976 to May 1977. It received a loyal cult following and much critical acclaim. The networks, wanting to cash in once they saw the soap-opera framing and offbeat characters were successful, created a watered down version called "Soap." Some reviews note that "Soap" seemed like a Norman Lear creation, a la "All in the Family." This is because it was based on the Lear creation, "Hartman." Others note that it did not age well coming off as more slapstick than scathing satire today. Believe me, it seemed the same to me back in 1977. Please do yourself a favor and check out the first ten episodes of "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman." You will be hooked as I was in 1976 and again recently, when I re-watched all 325 episodes. They all hold up well. It is still on target in terms of American life (only more so today), intellectually stimulating and hilarious.