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In order to "like" Dark Shadows, you have to get over the fact that you're actually watching a soap opera. For me, that was the biggest hurdle way back when. Once I put the concept out of my mind, I was able to enjoy Dark Shadows for what it was--a unique experiment in daytime television. The horrors were "G rated," for sure, but whatever DS had, it was potent enough to bring viewers back day in and day out.

You've got to remember that we, the original viewers, had absolutely no point of reference when it came to Dark Shadows. There was no decades long history; nobody had ever heard of Dan Curtis or Jonathan Frid. The cast members were all unknowns, too, except for Joan Benett and later, Anthony George. But Joan Bennett's career was in another time, another era, and most watchers (at least the kids) just knew she was regal, beautiful, and had been an "old" movie star. It was all completely new. In the realm of soaps, when plot high points revolved around backstabbing and adultry, to have an oddity like Dark Shadows suddenly command center stage--well, it was like your crazy uncle had moved in, lock, stock, and barrel. You try to ignore him, but he pinwheels around you like a dervish, and soon, all your attention is on him.

That's exactly how it was with DS.

What amazes me is that no one since has picked up the gauntlet and created another supernatural soap. Passions isn't what I'd call "serious;" in the few episodes I watched, their attempts at spook stuff were a little too precious for my tastes. Why not bring back DS as a daytime soap? That's where it truly belongs--not as a prime time show or on the WB. Maybe someday, somehow, an astute producer will see the potential there!

Rod