Retro TV Resuscitates Reagan Era Episodes Of NBC’s The Doctors

The doctor(s) will see you now. For those devotees of the classic NBC serial The Doctors who’ve been ailing since Retro TV ceased airing the early 1980s editions, the network is armed with a remedy — but don’t call it a cure-all.

The Doctors: Even More Episodes Available

According to an official press release, “episodes from 1980 are now available on It’s Real Good TV for audiences to watch on-demand, and in addition, they will air a special broadcast of these new episodes on Saturdays from 2 pm – 4 pm ET/PT for those that tune in over-the-air.”

Additionally, 13 episodes that were previously missing from the streaming services archive have been located and uploaded, and a further seven episodes have been replaced with new masters.

What can fans expect from the Decade of Greed episodes? Amongst an abundance of thrills, chills, and spills (including a devious dowager’s terrifying tumble down a grand staircase), you’ll be able to behold the lowdown dirty antics of Alec Baldwin’s Billy Aldrich, the trials and tribulations of long-suffering marrieds Matt and Maggie Powers and Steve and Carolee Aldrich, and such spectacles as an armed siege at the soap’s medical institute.

Unfortunately, despite previous assurances that nearly every episode of The Doctors was present and accounted for, the dedicated team at Retro TV has since discovered that every tape after September 30, 1980, is missing and presumed wiped by NBC, which took over the series from the original stewards, Colgate-Palmolive.

“At that time, the tapes were considered more valuable than the content on them, and it truly is a shame,” explained Joel Wertman, President of Retro TV.

Wertman was also quick to thank the Retro TV team who had endeavored to digitize and preserve what remained and term The Doctors a “quintessential series to the history of soap operas.”

For an insider’s look at the laborious — and rewarding — digitization process, click here. (Our thanks to Retro TV for supplying the link to the featurette.)

About The Doctors

Set in the fictional New England city of Madison and Hope Memorial Hospital, The Doctors ran from 1963 to 1982, earning 187 Emmy Award nominations during that time. The series was not afraid of storylines that were well ahead of the times, such as drug addiction and cancer. The cast included notable talents such as Daytime Emmy Award-winner Elizabeth Hubbard (As the World Turns), Kim Zimmer (Guiding Light), Anna Stuart (Another World), Academy and Emmy Award-winner Ellen Burstyn (The Exorcist, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore), Kathleen Turner (Romancing the Stone, Peggy Sue Got Married), among others.

The Doctors airs on Retro TV Monday through Friday at 12 pm and 6:30 pm ET/PT, in addition to 12 pm and 6:30 pm ET on the network’s live stream via the It’s Real Good TV app. To find Retro TV in your area, head to watchretrotv.com. Fans can also keep up with Hope Memorial on Facebook and Instagram at @watchthedoctors and on Twitter at @watch_doctors.