this is the story of two sisters

[sab]

Anyone who calls herself an Arrested Development fan and hasn't seen Soap is lying to herself! I know. I was one of you!

Soap is the 70s sitcom that AD borrows absolutely everything from. It's a proto-mock soap opera half hour sitcom, starring Katherine Helmond, Richard Mulligan, Billy Crystal (in his first big gay role -- he's dating the quarterback!) and Robert Guilliaume as Benson. It's a Paul Junger-Witt/Tony Thomas production and was created by Susan Harris, so the aesthetics (from the lighting and mise en scene to the rhythm of punchlines and the repeated musical sting) look just like The Golden Girls or other Witt/Thomas/Harris shows. And it's the story of the wealthy family who get sent to prison, the weird son with the offensive hand puppet, murder, insider trading, inappropriate sexual relationships, and a hilarious narrator opening monologue.

I'm on season 2. Next up on the blog: And then there's Maude!


P.S. If you already knew about Soap, disregard the above. *g*

Comments

[scrubschick.livejournal.com]

Soap was marvelous! Sadly, it turned not-so-good, but the first few seasons were excellent. I still get tears in my eyes when I remember Danny and the mobster's daughter. My brother had a 'Free Jessica' button. And my favorite line (possibly paraphrased. It's been 30 years!) "I love it. A killer looks down on a rapist." The killer, btw, was played by Donnelly Rhodes. Small world. When you look at the cast list on IMDb, it's amazing. Loved Soap. And yes. Very like Arrested Development.