In light of the news that All My Children is potentially being rebooted as a holiday movie on Lifetime, SoapHub reached out to a few of your favorite Passions alums to see their thoughts about the potential to bring their show back.
History
Passions debuted on NBC on July 5, 1999, and was the brainchild of James E. Reilly, who had previously written for Days of our Lives. Known for its unique mix of supernatural elements and traditional soap opera drama, Passions centered around the residents of Harmony, a fictional New England town. Storylines featured family rivalries, forbidden romances, and other soap staples, but it was the supernatural twists that set Passions apart. Characters like the witch Tabitha Lennox and her doll-turned-son Timmy added an eccentric flair, captivating audiences with spells, curses, and strange occurrences.
Despite its unique approach, Passions struggled with ratings, but its devoted fanbase kept it going for almost a decade. The final episode aired on NBC on September 7, 2007, but the show continued on DirecTV’s 101 Network until its final episode in August 2008. DirecTV decided not to renew its contract for Passions in December 2007, and the show was unable to be sold elsewhere. Passions left a memorable mark as a soap that embraced the unexpected.
James Hyde (Sam)
How would you feel about Passions being rebooted as a movie? Well, this would be amazing I mean after all these years. There’s a world of opportunity with how the show was shot way ahead of its time. I think most of the cast is still alive so let’s do this quickly. It would be great to be in the present then have flashbacks to the original story of the 4 core family’s and could be a sort of supernatural element mixed with a horror element, good versus evil. Sam and Ivy would be together Grace would come back as her twin my kids would have kids so so many story lines there. So many ways to go about this but try to get as many original cast members as possible. But I love the idea.
Where do you see Sam at this stage of his life? Sam is still in great shape not retired now is the Harmony Mayor or Governor maybe had another child with Ivy. Grace’s twin tries to come between us with her powers.
Passions was known for some crazy storylines! What stands out most for you from being on the show? Passions was known for some crazy storylines! What stands out most for you from being on the show? Well, there were so many, but it has to be the Bennett’s house being sucked into the bowls of hell and having a portal in my upstairs closet to hell. All of the disaster scenes were so much fun – late nights but we had so much fun I loved all my cast members and sad when I think about (the late) Ben Masters, who was amazing. Of course, Lisa (De Cazotte, Executive Producer) and Richard (Schilling, Supervising Producer) gone to early. Also, the revealing of Ethan being my son and working with Kim Ulrich (Ivy) made it so much fun!!! Galen (Gering, Luis),Eva (Tamargo, Pilar) ,Kim, Dana (Sparks, Grace), Ben, Rodney (Van Johnson, T.C.) Lindsay (Hartley, Theresa), Brook (Kerr, Whitney), Jesse (Metcalfe, Miguel), Eric (Martsolf, Ethan), Travis (Schuldt, Ethan), Juliet (Mills, Tabatha), (the) hair, makeup and the crew was so special, as were all of the producers. It was a dream job.
Eric Marstolf (Ethan)
How would you feel about a reboot of Passions as a movie? As much as I would welcome the idea of a Passions movie, I think a series reboot would be better suited with multiple episodic installments. There are simply too many stories to fit into one movie, and too much territory to be explored. In the age of reboots, I feel passions would be a strong contender in that department.
What do you think Ethan would be up to? I feel Ethan would be finally content being a father to little Ethan and content with marital bliss with Theresa. Perhaps the return of Gwen into the fold would inevitably add drama to the canvas, and that infamous triangle could be revved up once again.
You’ve remained friends with several of your former co-stars, including Justin Hartley (Fox). What kind of trouble do you think you guys would get into? Justin and I have a lot of history and life experience together at this point in our lives since becoming on camera siblings back in the day. I think Fox and Ethan could be quite the dynamic duo at this point, perhaps even going into business together and picking up where Julian Crane left off.
Passions was known for some really outrageous plots. What kind of things could they do in this day and age that they were afraid to try during the original run? “Outrageous plots” is probably an understatement, ha. The darkness and potential passionate aspects of the show could be definitely heightened, dependent upon whether it was on a streaming service or network. I can’t help but imagine a Stranger Things element mixed into a soap opera.
What do you miss most about the show? Besides, the cast members themselves, I truly miss the time that we were allowed to create the supernatural aspects of the program. We move at such a fast pace now in the soap genre that creativity at times can ultimately suffer. Passions was ultimate escapism, at its purest form. The campiness was part of its charm.
Juliet Mills (Tabitha)
How would you feel about Passions being rebooted as a movie? I would love it if Passions was rebooted as a movie! I had the best time playing Tabitha Lenox…she was a great character!
Where do you see Tabitha at this stage of her life? No idea what Tabitha would be up to now! Probably up to no good!
Passions was known for some crazy storylines! What stands out most for you from being on the show? I think one of the craziest storylines was the Titanic episode! I seem to remember Tabby was responsible for that debacle! I remember sitting in a deck chair on deck, smoking a cigar, and causing mayhem! One whole soundstage was turned into a water tank, and we filmed into the wee small hours! NBC was spending mega bucks in those first 3 years!
Dana Sparks (Grace)
How would you feel about Passions being rebooted as a movie? Passions The Movie should be super high concept like Barbie. As a daily soap it had such fantastical storylines that were complex and produced so well in such a quick format. Given the luxury of a feature budget, it would be insanely fun to watch.
Where do you see Grace at this stage of her life? Grace become a household name after faking her own death in Europe, escaping to Norway, and developing a highly successful nontoxic, recyclable food containers. We now find her living comfortably in Harmony as Mayor of her small town. She and Sam are deemed legally married.
Passions was known for some crazy storylines! What stands out most for you from being on the show? I always think of the prom boat sinking. It had elements of Titanic and Carrie. It was fantastic. The crew worked extra hard to put that together. They even built a huge pool on one of the soundstages and I can still see Sam swimming frantically looking for his family. Many of the scenes had all the cast and extras. Passions became known for big moments but also for being liberal and inclusive. It was such a gift to be cast in something so ahead of its time.
Mary-Kelly Weir (Producer)
How would you feel about Sunset Beach or Passions being rebooted as a movie? I feel completely opposite to my opinion about Sunset Beach! Not only was Passions completely ahead of its time, I feel the plug was pulled too soon. It was one of the most exciting and innovative soaps I’ve ever worked on. Besides the magic and often dark circumstances (i.e. the Bennett house getting sucked into Hell!!), the show had a great deal of humor. And because our lead character (Tabitha Lennox) was a witch, almost anything was possible! I think a reboot movie would not only be a great idea, I would love to participate and I think the cast would be eager as well. During COVID, I hosted a Zoom Passions reunion and it was a great success. However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say there were 3 people who were the heart and soul of that show that could not come along for a reboot ride – Creator/Head Writer, Jim Reilly, Executive Producer, Lisa deCazotte, and Supervising Producer, Richard Schilling. Sadly, all have passed away. Nothing would have thrilled them more than a reboot…
Why do you think fans of these shows would like to see them back? I think the answer to this question is pretty simple. Daytime fans view these characters as old friends and family. They’ve devoted years watching their favorite soaps and think they would love a “family reunion” in the form of a reboot.
Passions and SB were known for some really outrageous plots. What kind of things could they do in this day and age that they were afraid to try during the original run? For SB, I think the boundaries could be pushed as far as sexual orientation of certain characters. My guess is Aaron Spelling wouldn’t have wanted gay or trans characters on the show (don’t forget this was 25 years ago!) and I think a storyline involving that would be interesting and accepted today. For Passions, I think we did outrageous storylines. I don’t think Jim Reilly found anything too crazy (i.e. an orangutan nursemaid who was in love with Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald!!!). The thing that would be great if we revisited Passions is the special FX are so sophisticated now. We really struggled with green screen and trying to make difficult things work (like Jim writing demons from Hell grabbing Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald when he opened Charity’s closet door!!), but what we could do with today’s technology is limitless!
What do you miss about the shows? It’s a cliche answer, but an accurate one – the people. Everyone from cast, crew, staff. Because we worked such long hours (especially on Passions – we were often there till midnight!), we all formed such a tight bond. We certainly spent more time at the studio than we did with family, so it became our second home. Soaps are a collaborative medium – no one works in a vacuum – we all needed each other to get this show on the air. And we all respected each other. Juliet Mills (our lead on Passions) treated the boom operator with the same respect she did her co-stars. It was really a loving, supportive environment and I couldn’t have asked for a better job!
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