Santa Barbara (TV Series) - Ratings History

Ratings History

NBC usually pitted the serial against General Hospital on ABC and Guiding Light on CBS in the same time slot across all markets. When NBC canceled long-running soap Search for Tomorrow in 1986, the network launched their "NBC Daytime... It Will Excite You" campaign, which promoted their three-hour block of serials, Days of our Lives, followed by Another World, and ending with Santa Barbara in most markets across the U.S. This campaign led to NBC dominating the daytime serial ratings for the remainder of the 1980s.

Although Santa Barbara enjoyed considerable worldwide popularity, it never achieved the same heights in the United States. In its debut (1984–1985) season, it finished in 11th place and 3.4, and edged up to 10th and 4.2 the next year. By 1987, however, it was beginning to generate respectable numbers: it was still in 10th place, but achieved a 4.9 rating, the highest in the history of the show. (Incidentally, the 1987–1988 television season also proved to be the best ratings performance of the 1980s for NBC's daytime soap lineup, which had been in ratings trouble since the late 1970s). This growth in popularity was not sustained, although Santa Barbara remained above Loving until it was canceled.

Santa Barbara's ratings dropped dramatically when Lane Davies left the show permanently in the summer of 1989. Terry Lester replaced Davies as Mason Capwell in September 1989.