Falcon Crest would be one of the most heartless soapies I've ever seen, but that's what gave it's individuality and a certain coolness. I watched quite a bit of it when it first aired, then lost interest, but then watched it again, some. There were a mixture of really good people and some who really bad, with underlying and hurtful intentions, if insinuated through some playful dialogue. And if you were a fan of it, you'd know exactly who I'm talking about. We had gorgeous woman, some of em, real bitches, and new discovery Lorenzo Lamas, who basically went on to make Body Rock, then plummeted into doing real B action movies, where if you saw him act in Falcon Crest, you wouldn't of thought this is what he'd end up doing. I mentioned the movie, Viper to a guy, and he said he wouldn't watch it. Why? Cause he thought Lorenzo Lamas, was a s..t actor. I agree to a point. There are worse actors out there. I think his best acting was in The Bold And The Beautiful, but in this show he was fun to watch. But on the whole, Falcon Crest didn't grab me. The characters were too underwritten, especially the good ones. But I think that was the whole problem with the show. I mean, the setting of story, a vineyard, for Christ's sake. Lamas, Ann Alicia, were Jane Wyman were really the only people who grabbed my interest, but with the exclusion of the latter, the other two were the ones who gave it a spark, that this show so desperately needed.

FALCON CREST, like DALLAS and DYNASTY, was a popular prime-time soap with attitude. Premiering in 1981, the show follows the conflict between the Channing and Gioberti families over the Falcon Crest vineyard located in the Napa Valley region of San Francisco. Angela Channing (Jane Wyman) ruled Falcon Crest with an iron fist. Her nephew Chase Gioberti (Robert Foxworth) demanded a bigger piece of the profits for Falcon Crest wine that his father Jason, Angela's brother, left him. This set the stage for 9 years of fiery battles and even hotter sexcapades. Characters included Lance Cumson (Lorenzo Lamas), Angela's playboy grandson, his one-time scheming wife Melissa Agretti (Ana Alicia), Cole Gioberti (William R. Moses), Chase's son who fathered Melissa's baby, Richard Channing (David Selby), Angela's co-arch-enemy who was later revealed to be the son she thought dead 45 years earlier, and of course, Chase's beloved wife Maggie (Susan Sullivan), who would marry Richard and become Angela's daughter-in-law when Chase drowned trying to save a life. I stopped watching after Maggie was killed off. I think a lot of people did for they really loved her and rooted for her.

Here's a nighttime soap with an attitude. I remember the tagline " One good stab in the back deserves another" while promoting this wicked fun soap opera about a lady who starts up her own winery in italy! Colorful characters are many, and dull moments are few. My personal favorite character was the gorgeous Ana Alicia as Melissa Agretti. The first seven seasons were a blast. But when Season 8 took off, Ana Alicia was killed off, and that awful Kristin Alfonso was put on to replace her. Ugh! But none the less, the series kept up for two more seasons, and it ended with-in my opinion- the best series ending horangue that was ever written. The acting was very campy and hard to watch alot of the time, but the script was so good and the good actors did their best to cover it up. Alas, it worked! When one gets a chance to view ANY episode of this glitzzy soap, they must watch and laugh!

Set in the fictional Tuscany Valley of California, Falcon Crest focused on a large family of wealthy vinyardists, who were either bickering with each other, plotting against each other, and occasionally swapping mates. Legendary film star Jane Wyman played the ambitious matriarch Angela Channing, constantly at loggerheads with her nephew Chase Gioberti (Robert Foxworth), an airline pilot (and ex-Vietnam vet) who returned to Falcon Crest to claim his inheritance following his father's mysterious death. Others in the FC's large cast included Chase's long-suffering wife Maggie (Susan Sullivan), their children Cole (Billy Moses) and Vickie (Jamie Rose, Dana Sparks); Angela's children Emma (Margaret Ladd) and Julia (Abby Dalton), Abby's irresponsible son Lance (Lorenzo Lamas), who married the conniving Melissa (Ana-Alicia), when she was pregnant with Cole's child. A solid soap during its first season, FC got a major boast with the arrival of nefarious Richard Channing (David Selby), who turned out to be related to the Giobertis and would stop at nothing to get his share of Falcon Crest. The first 5-6 seasons of Falcon Crest remain among the best television has ever offered, with terrific acting, strong storylines, suspenseful and unforgettable cliffhangers, and a wonderfully dry wit. Currently, SoapNet runs episodes 3 times daily, Mon-Fri; try to see it if you can, Falcon Crest is an absolute must.