Santa Barbara (TV Series) - Controversy

Controversy

In 1988, the Dobsons were locked out of NBC studios after repeated attempts to fire the head writer. They sued, and were eventually allowed to return to the program, but the magic was gone. Ratings never recovered, even as the show won three Daytime Emmys in a row for Outstanding Drama Series.

Under new executive producer Jill Farren Phelps' tenure, most of the show revolved around Cruz and Eden. One controversial storyline involved Eden being brutally raped, and later discovering that her assailant was her gynecologist Zack Kelton, who had examined her after her rape. Leigh McCloskey, the actor that portrayed the role, stated that he was uncomfortable with the storyline as he felt that women had enough concerns about visiting gynecologists. After Zack's death, McCloskey returned as a new character, District Attorney, Ethan Asher.

Phelps left the series in the early 1990s shortly after being demoted and replaced by John Conboy as executive producer. Finally, Paul Rauch became the last executive producer (all three would later be producers on the long-running daytime series Guiding Light). Many important actors had left the series for one reason or another. Robin Wright was the first to leave in 1988 to focus on her skyrocketing film career. Later, Justin Deas left in 1988 to pursue a career in prime time television and independent films before joining Guiding Light in 1993. Lane Davies left at the end of his contract in 1989, popping up on The Bold and the Beautiful as a temporary recast for Ronn Moss when he took ill. He'd later show back up in the contract role of Cameron Lewis on General Hospital. Marcy Walker left in 1991 to pursue other interests before returning to daytime on Guiding Light in 1993, as Tangie. By coincidence, all 3 were brought back to daytime and onto their new soaps by their former 'SB' executive producer Jill Farren Phelps. However, only Deas lasted in his role, playing Buzz on 'GL' until the show left the airwaves in 2009. Popular actress Louise Sorel was fired in 1991 because she did not want to have a romance with Dash Nichols, the man who had raped Augusta's sister Julia. Eden, Cruz, and most of the Lockridges had been written out while new characters played by stars from other shows such as Kim Zimmer, Jack Wagner, and Sydney Penny took up most of the airtime.

Ratings continued to collapse as more and more affiliates dropped the program. The final episode aired in January 1993. In the finale, Sophia and C.C. Capwell moved towards a reconciliation, Kelly found love with Connor McCabe, and at Warren and BJ's wedding, unbalanced Andie Klein aimed a gun at the crowd; however, she was quickly disarmed and carried away by Connor McCabe. This was then followed by a roll-call list of the cast and crew. The final shot consisted of executive producer Paul Rauch standing in front of the camera, smashing a cigar under his shoe, and walking away. Some soap critics, such as Michael Logan, were deeply angered by what they saw as the crassness of the final shot.