Another World: The Drama Behind Daytime TV’s Only 90-Minute Soap

Another World: The Drama Behind Daytime TV’s Only 90-Minute Soap

Tom Lisanti

380 pages

6x9 size

ISBN 9798905350870 paperback

ISBN 9798905350887 hardback

Another World was one of daytime television’s longest-running and most innovative soap operas, airing on NBC for thirty-five years (1964–1999). But its boldest experiment—a shift from sixty to ninety minutes—sparked one of the most turbulent periods in its history.

Another World: The Drama Behind Daytime TV’s Only 90-Minute Soap explores the pivotal years 1978–1982, revealing what led to the expansion—and its eventual reversal. At the center of the story are the failed companion soaps Lovers and Friends and For Richer, For Poorer, whose struggles helped shape this unprecedented decision.

Through candid interviews from cast and crew from all three soaps, this book offers a revealing, behind-the-scenes look at the creative clashes, challenges, and triumphs of daytime television—along with an unfiltered portrait of influential producer Paul Rauch. Interviewees include director Barnet Kellman; actors Richard Backus, Richard Bekins, Vicky Dawson, Maeve Kinkead, Dorothy Lyman, Janice Lynde, Laura Malone, Christopher Marcantel, Petronia Paley, Juli Philips, Tracy Brooks Swope, Paul Tinder and others,

Featuring rare photos and insider accounts, this is a compelling look at a unique and dramatic time in TV history.

Tom Lisanti is an award-winning author of Texas: An Oral History of Daytime TV’s Answer to Dallas and eleven other books on film and television.