"The Edge of Night" was the consequential daytime drama that totally different from the norm. This was a daytime serial that ran its course for an impressive 28 years from 1956 until 1984,producing a total of 7,420 episodes and it ran on two major television networks,CBS and later on ABC. It's staying power on CBS ran for 19 years ending in 1975 and later ended its run on ABC for nine seasons when it went off the air for good in the summer of 1984. Produced for Proctor & Gamble Productions. "The Edge of Night" was totally different from the regular basically melodrama of daytime soap operas,and it had a premise that kept its audiences tuned in to see what happens next. This was a show that was a mixture of daytime drama, mystery, police detection, courtroom drama,dealings with the supernatural, murders,and beyond. And what kept the show going was that the wonderfully written scripts about mysteries and suspense that in fact were written by some of the best writers of its day. And it shows in the number of Emmys the show received for the remainder of its run. It kept you on the edge of your seat.A grand murder mystery serial. A brilliant whodunit leading to the causes of the scenes and the stark reality of the culprit who committed the unthinkable. And the innerworkings of both the police and the courtroom which fought on the side of the law. The show was so great it really boosted a strong alumni that went through its door including Dixie Carter,Larry Hagman,Richard Dreyfuss,Jon Voight,and even John Travolta played a delivery man in one episode. Not to mention Julianne Moore,Richard Thomas and even Hector Elizondo were part of the cast. It was just that brilliant. "The Edge of Night"-The CBS Years from 1956-1975. The Black and White episodes: 1956-1967. The Color Episodes: 1967-1984."The Edge of Night"-The ABC Years from 1975-1984. *When ABC cancelled this brilliant show in May of 1984,the network replaced it with the greatest travesty of the worst kind..The Gary Collins Show.

Edge of Night was awesome...I use to run home after-school and watch the last twenty minutes of General Hospital (got out at three each day) and then watch the day's episode of Edge of Night before starting on my homework...Must have been around twelve or thirteen at the time but even back then I knew that the actors were awesome. I was crushed when they announced that the show was going off the air, because it was the only show other than General Hospital that had interesting teenagers and sexy young looking older people on it...I loved RAVEN...she was my favorite and when her husband revealed that he was living a lie the whole time and she remained his wife well they had me at hello... this was one of the shows that could keep people watching with only a half an hour of programming when TRUE serials (I use to call them Cereals...because I didn't know any better at the time) were an hour long. the others were Search for Tomorrow (another fave), Ryan's hope and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (Yeah that is OLD SCHOOL) Hoping the series comes to Soap Net...I'd so watch...

I remember watching this show when I got home from school in the late 70's and early 80's. What stands out most in my mind was a storyline involving the character April Scott. If I recall correctly, she was pregnant and having hallucinations for weeks involving the sound of a train whistle and a shadowy man. When her hallucinations finally ended, there was a really spooky finale scene where Satan (sinister laughter, horns, and all!!!!!) appeared in a cloud of smoke on the balcony of the apartment she shared with Draper. I was terrified for days! You weren't sure whether it meant that Satan had caused her hallucinations, or was just following her around for Halloween, or what, but the fact that a soap opera would use horror movie imagery like this will always make The Edge Of Night something I look back on REALLY fondly! :-)

It is more than likely that most soap operas are watched by housewives, even after all these years and changes in the medium. But for most of it's existence, "The Edge of Night" was an exception to that rule. It was always near the top of the ratings for afternoon shows, from 1956 to 1970, when CBS showed it at 4:30 pm. Sadly, when CBS shuffled their daytime lineup, in the 1970 - 71 season, "The Edge of Night" was shown earlier and lost ground. The show was a murder mystery serial and was great at showing the inner workings of both crime organizations as well as showing the inner workings of both the police and the courtroom. It had some really great names going through it's door, as alumni, including Dixie Carter, Larry Hagman and even John Travolta as a delivery man. The show was edgy, just as the name applied, and had a great ability to show whodunits. Actress Talluhah Bankhead was an early fan of the show and not even a call from President Harry Truman could get her away from the show. It even had the balls to kill off a really popular character, Sara Karr very early on.