Generations (1989–1991) User Reviews

A nice attempt at social relevance that only a few gave a chance to.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 27 February 2017]

While this well written daytime soap did not make it to two years on the air, it was certainly a much better soap than the two NBC shows which followed it, "Sunset Beach" and "Passions". "Generations" made the attempt to move daytime into the modern age by having a core black family, ultimately writing out most of the white characters who had shared the initial spotlight with. The Marshall family had struggled to build up a successful ice cream business, and in the opening weeks, sought to purchase the house of the deceased Hugh Gardner, a miserly old man who was estranged from his soap opera actress daughter. The Marshalls were associated with Hugh, his daughter Jessica and the upper middle class Whitmore family, although there was an unexplained rivalry between Ruth Marshall (Joan Pringle) and Laura McCallum (Gail Rae Carlson), the daughter of attorney Rebecca Whitmore (originally Patricia Crowley, oddly recast with Dorothy Lyman during the show's last weeks), who employed Ruth's mother, Vivian (the marvelous Lynn Hamilton) as her housekeeper.

The show dealt with racial issues, had odd comedy surrounding Hugh Gardner's crazy sister Mary (Minna Kolb), and ended on a cliff hanger with Ruth's husband, Henry Marshall ("Days of Our Lives'" James Reynolds) having a heart attack after discovering Ruth kissing Rebecca Whitmore's ex-husband, Peter Whitmore (soap vet Ron Harper). While several popular "All My Children" stars (Lyman, Linda Gibboney, Debbie Morgan and Robert Gentry) had major parts on the show, it wasn't enough to bring over "AMC" fans, although the show was praised for the storyline of the Marshalls moving into the Gardner mansion and facing objections from the racist Charles Mullins who had a black mistress. Soap vet Marla Adams gave a marvelous performance as his glamorous wife Helen, afraid to stand up to him over his prejudices and when she did, brutally beaten for daring to defy him. "Generations" did end up re- run on BET, but other than the critical praise for some of its controversial and unique story lines, did not get the attention and confidence from NBC that it deserved, making it one of daytime's biggest "missed opportunities".

A soap ahead of its time, despite its short life

[Jasonlrdg4 · 7/10 · 6 August 2022]

People have talked about 'Generations' and its problems over the years. I just wanted to point out the positives. One of them being that it was a major network's first honest attempt to make a soap opera with black characters in the forefront of the story. They were not maids or chauffeurs or domestic servants, but they were in business. The Marshalls had a successful ice cream business that was made with the sweat and blood of a black man, Henry Marshall, despite having a limited education.

Ruth Marshall, Henry's wife, grew up as the daughter of the maid of Rebecca Whitmore. She had a very difficult experience, but she turned that resentment and became an ambitious person. Ruth brought the Whitmore estate, and the problems she faced in doing it, which I thought was a very good storyline, which represented to her that she finally made it big. Vivian, Ruth's mother, was Rebecca's housekeeper who worked for her for years and remained friends ever since. Rebecca's oldest daughter, Laura, wasn't close to Ruth growing up and the feeling seemed mutual.

For me, I liked the way the writers introduced the viewers with voice-overs. Also I like how the characters' backgrounds were shown through the writing. I guess the problem was that people weren't' that excited about a family who owned an ice cream business That would have been more of a plot for a sitcom on primetime than a daytime soap opera. Plus some it its characters could have been more developed in its short run.

All in all, "Generations" is an example of black success on television, even though its overall aim didn't make an impact.

The First and Foremost

[raysond · 13 September 2002]

First of all,"Generations" ran on NBC-TV from 1989-1991. Second,this soap opera was the first daytime serial to feature an all multiracial cast which centered mainly on the African-American characters and the first to do so on any major network. It was also to featured not only the first interracial relationships,but the first to show an interracial marriage. The whole storyline of Generations chronicles the sequences of the proud African-American family The Marshalls who owned one of the Chicago's exclusive Ice Cream empire and had the luxury house on Chicago's lakeshore resort. It was like any other soap,and it had the same twist and turns within the complexity of the characters. However,the show had several actors who went big after this show went off the air like Vivica Fox,Kristoff St. John,Kelly Rutherford,Joanelle Allen,and Christopher Duncan(basically all of the actors mention were making a name from themselves before they went big time)and not to mention a very young looking Halle Berry who only came on in the first season of the series.

After it was cancelled after 22 months,but it clearly excelled over its competition,but the sad thing was it was on the lowest-rated network(in daytime ratings anyway)since the network put it on a sorry time slot. However,after it was cancelled in 1991 it reappear on cable's BET network in all new episodes but it was yank off the airwaves again in 1993. Since it was seen only in prime time. After all,the show was making in the history by bringing African-Americans into the light.

The first and foremost show that made soap opera history.

Generation -On DVD?

[jnacoste · 9/10 · 20 June 2007]

I remember when Generation was showing on t.v. My family & friends was very excited about the series. We were very disappointed when the series was cut short. I regret that I could only watch a few episodes because I was working and I did not own a VCR recorder at the time. I wish that all the episodes would run again on "BET" or another channel. I wonder if maybe it could be put out on DVD? Most of the people from the show I still watch on t.v. and at the theater. I was not interested in the past until I watched Generation. This series showed the past and the present. It showed where the families started and how they ended up. Because of Generation I am now a genealogy researcher.

Bring Generation to Soapnet

[borock35 · 10/10 · 1 September 2006]

I remember Generations and love the show. Since Soapnet is bringing back all of the soap opera from the past why don't they bring back Generation. I know I am tried of looking at 90210 on the weekend. They also need to bring back Santa Barbara, if my memory is correct Santa Barbara came on first then Generation. I love Generation when Richard Roundtree(Shaft) was Vivica Fox father. Even if Soapnet doesn't want to bring this soap back,maybe TVOne would think about bring it back. TVOne has all the old black comedy shows like Good Times, 227, For your Love and Amen why not a black soap opera from the past. I also love the opening of the soap it was wonderful doing the flash back from the past.

Kelly Rutherford is still famous in Turkey

[newman_nikki · 9/10 · 29 July 2015]

Especially the generations born in 80's learn their born hours according to the Dallas hour.(For example there was one hour to Dallas or Dallas was almost finished..)For that time period that crosses with my childhood the most important soap opera was certainly "Generations" and probably you remember the hot blond in that program was Sam..Men and women everybody was loving Sam at that time period in Turkey.And yes women also love her cause all women were fake blonde and all of them desire to look like Sam..:)I'm sure if you're from 1980 and upper generation and watching Gossip Girl, probably you are giving the same reaction that i gave.. THAT'S Sam! And she's still gorgeous!!!:)Kelly Rutherford who was born in 1968 and has a child, like in "Generations" still beautiful and a woman with style.She's wearing suitable clothes to her age and at the same time she's also natural and elegant.She is showing women how to wear clothes at this program without loosing their femininity especially for the ones at their 40's, wearing 20's clothes. (by Moda Vitrini)

Great lead into Days

[tylersierrakayla · 10/10 · 21 November 2019]

I loved this soap as a kid. Was on 12:30p, just before Days. Taped then watched both when home from school. So different than the average soap, great stuff!

Generations Series 1989

[ocr2019 · 10/10 · 30 October 2007]

I am desperately seeking to purchase the entire series of this TV soap opera. I have contacted BET in California and BET in New York where I was told it originated from. I have contacted channel 13 because I was told they purchased it from BET in New York. My search ended there. If anyone know how I can purchase Generations, I will be totally happy. This has been a life long dream of mind. The acting was excellent and it was wonderful to see such a successful black soap opera. I only wished I was smart enough to tape it when I had the chance but I did not foresee that it would be discontinued. I can be reach by e-mail at [e-mail].

Thank you.

P.S. I would LOVE it very much if TV1 picked this soap opera up I know many viewers will be totally happy.

The demise of "Generations"

[budikavlan · 31 August 2002]

First of all, "Generations" was an NBC soap, not ABC. Second of all, as a prime time series, the tenure of "The Drew Carey Show" has no bearing on the decisions which determine the life or death of a daytime program. No matter how much a viewer loves a show, the show will die if the ratings aren't high enough, and "Generations" ranked far behind every other daytime drama for its entire run.

The concentration on African-American characters was both what made the show unique and a large part of the problem with it. The creator of the show evidently went out of her way to portray the characters as normal, down-to-earth, middle-class Americans. Unfortunately, it is "abnormal" characters which spice up the drama. The main family on "Generations" were the owners of an ice cream parlor. Much of the day-to-day action was mundane, even banal compared to that on other soaps of the period.

Even if "Generations" had clearly excelled over its competition, it would likely have lived a short life; it was on the lowest-rated network (in daytime ratings anyway), it had an iffy time slot, and it was a cold half-hour launch, in a time when virtually all of the shows were an hour. So it was doomed to end up an admirable but regrettably short-lived effort.

the lost "Generations"

[saturngoddess1230 · 29 July 2005]

i remember back in 1992, surfing the channels and i saw these African-American characters in a soap opera like setting and sat and watched it thru to the end. i found out the name of the show was called "Generations" on NBC. i was immediately hooked. it was the story of a well-to-do African-American family in the ice-cream business, the Marshalls, who resided on the North Shore of Chicago, i think around Evanston. i couldn't wait for the next day to see this groundbreaking soap with predominantly all African-American characters. i loved it! the plots and story lines were good, and some of the characters from "Generations" have moved on to other things...i.e., Kristoff St. John (Adam Marshall) went to CBS' "Young and the Restless", Vivica Fox gained stardom in movies like "Set it Off", "Why Do Fools Fall In Love", "Soul Food" (the movie); Rick Fits (Martin Jackson) i've seen in commercials, and who was the nemesis of Henry Marshall in the show, and Jonelle Allen (Doreen Jackson) i think went back to Broadway. anyways i was real upset when "Generations" was suddenly snatched off NBC, because it was just getting good. i believe BET tried to pick it up but failed, so i can only hope "Generations" will be put on DVD one day. i remember a part where Maia (Vivica Fox) and Adam (Kris St. John) were in bed together and Adam was singing to her the popular song by After 7 called "Ready or Not"....it was very sexy to me. FYI: Kristoff St. John's dad played in the 1971 version of "Shaft" as one of the militant brothers.

why is it that shows like "Generations" or other positive black shows are kicked off the air and silly shows like "The Parkers", continue with their buffoonery? for the life of me i just cant understand it...and i guess i never will.

And I seem to be the only one who remembers it.

[sponj · 5 April 2002]

Generations was a soap that featured primarily african americans and sported interacial relationships. it was cancelled in 22 months. i LOVED generations!. the theme song was awesome and the intro was touching with the montage of struggles overcome by african americans such as vietnam and civil rights. whew! 22 month and abc let it get away. i think it was abc. that is a station so notorious for sticking with bad shows till they can't stand it or getting rid of potention ones way too early. we can't watch generations for two years but we can sit thru Drew Carey forever. common abc! anyway...generation was awesome and culturally diverse and smart and sexy and richard roundtree was a doctor on it. the end.

It was so big in Turkey

[huzur · 29 July 2004]

There was this big interest for soap operas in late 80's. Generations was the most important one. Newspapers and magazines went crazy when kelly rutherford came Turkey. Still it's very interesting, we Turks never really understood what was the big deal about having focus on African Americans. No one here remembers the series as a breakthrough from the race discrimination perspective. Yes there were Marshals and they were nice people and Adam and Maia were cool but that was all. It was just like any other series. We were really surprised when we learned that the show was somewhat a breakthrough...Anyway I still remember vividly all characters. All girls in Turkey were in love with Kyle Masters and there was this evil guy Reginald. I remember callin people you're so "reginald" even years after the shows ended

Generations... The Legendary Guy of the popular series...

[laxinaki · 25 April 2005]

I've grown up with 'generations'. I remember the days that my mother, my sister and especially me anxiously wait for the next episodes of 'generations'. We were usually coming together at one of us' home and watching the hottest chain of events. Even all the people from my family were curious about the new episodes, that had the only one meaning for me: Kyle Masters. My first love, whom all the friends of mine know.. The one that made me feel some kind a 'strange' once in a life time, at my 10. The one that made me feel that I fell in love, for the first time. The one that made me feel that there's something in life that people called 'love', something makes you feel like drunk or makes you feel like you're walking on air. Even though I ever know him or I will hardly ever have a chance to meet him in my life time... Although he is 20 years older than me... He was my precious platonic first love, who made me notice my feelings for the very first time.

I loved this Soap!

[cindy1576 · 27 September 2004]

I really miss this show! I used to watch this everyday along with Another World and Days of Our Lives. I would come home from school and watch it with my Grandmother. I do not remember a lot about the story lines now, it has been so long since it was taken off air, and I was in jr high when I started watching it) I do, however have 2 autographed pictures of cast members, Robert Torti (who played Det. Kyle Masters) and Kelly Rutherford (Stephanie "Sam" Whitmore). I think I might still have the last episode on VHS somewhere. Anyhow, I am glad to see that I am not the only one who remembers this show. (and a great one it was too!) Looking forward to see more of both Kelly Rutherford and Robert Torti.