Editing Search for Tomorrow

{{Short description|American soap opera (1951–86)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Search for Tomorrow titles (1981).jpg
| genre                = [[Soap opera]]
| creator              = [[Roy Winsor]]
| starring             = [[Mary Stuart (actress)|Mary Stuart]]<br />[[Larry Haines]]
| narrated             = [[Dwight Weist]]
| theme_music_composer =
| opentheme            = 
| composer             = [[Dick Hyman]]
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| num_seasons          = 35
| num_episodes         = 9,130
| list_episodes        = 
| camera               = [[Multi-camera setup|Multi-camera]]
| runtime              = 15 minutes (1951–68)<br />30 minutes (1968–86)
| company              = [[Procter & Gamble Productions]]
| channel              = [[CBS]] (1951–82)<br />[[NBC]] (1982–86)
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1951|9|3}}
| last_aired           = {{End date|1986|12|26}} 
}}

'''''Search for Tomorrow''''' is an American television [[soap opera]]. It began its run on [[CBS]] on September 3, 1951, and concluded on [[NBC]], 35 years later, on December 26, 1986.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schemering |first1=Christopher |title=[[The Soap Opera Encyclopedia (Schemering book)|The Soap Opera Encyclopedia]] |date=1987 |publisher=Ballantine Books |isbn=0-345-35344-7 |edition=2nd |pages=200–212}}</ref>

Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show focused primarily on the character of [[Joanne Gardner|Joanne "Jo" Gardner]], portrayed by [[Mary Stuart (actress)|Mary Stuart]] for the entire run of the series.<ref>{{cite web |last=Klemesrud |first=Judy |date=September 4, 1976 |title=‘Search for Tomorrow’ (Sob!) Holds 25th Anniversary Party |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/09/04/archives/search-for-tomorrow-sob-holds-25th-anniversary-party.html |website=The New York Times}}</ref>

==Broadcast history and production notes==
Created by [[Roy Winsor]], ''Search for Tomorrow'' was originally written by [[Agnes Nixon]] (then known professionally as Agnes Eckhardt) for the series' first 13 weeks, before [[Irving Vendig]] assumed head writing duties.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Copeland |first1=Mary Ann |title=Soap Opera History |url=https://archive.org/details/soapoperahistory00cope |url-access=registration |date=1991 |publisher=Publications International |isbn=0-88176-933-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/soapoperahistory00cope/page/214 214]–223}}</ref> The program was one of several [[daytime television|daytime]] soap operas produced from the 1950s through the 1980s by [[Procter & Gamble#Radio and television production|Procter & Gamble Productions]], the broadcasting arm of the famed household products corporation. Procter & Gamble used the program, as well as the company's other serials, to advertise its products (such as its [[Joy (dishwashing liquid)|Joy]] dishwashing liquid and [[Spic and Span]] household cleaner). As ''Search''{{'}}s ratings increased, other sponsors began buying commercial time during the program.

''Search for Tomorrow'' initially aired as a 15-minute serial from its debut in 1951 until 1968, at 12:30&nbsp;p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]]/11:30&nbsp;a.m. [[Central Time Zone|Central Time]]. The serial discontinued live broadcasts in favor of recorded telecasts in March 1967, began broadcasting in color on September 11, 1967, and expanded to a half-hour on September 9, 1968, keeping the 12:30/11:30 slot, while its old 15-minute partner ''[[Guiding Light|The Guiding Light]]'' also expanded to 30 minutes and moved to the CBS afternoon lineup at 2:30/1:30.<ref name=Daytime>{{cite book |last1=Hyatt |first1=Wesley |title=The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television |date=1997 |publisher=Watson-Guptill Publications |isbn=978-0823083152 |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofda00hyat|url-access=registration |access-date=22 March 2020|pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofda00hyat/page/381 381]–387}}</ref> At the time, ''Search for Tomorrow'' and ''The Guiding Light'', which had shared the same half-hour for sixteen years, were the last two 15-minute daytime programs airing on television. ''Search for Tomorrow'' would remain the top-rated show at 12:30/11:30 well into the late 1970s, despite strong competition from shows like NBC's ''[[The Who, What, or Where Game]]'' and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[Split Second (game show)|Split Second]]'' and ''[[Ryan's Hope]]''.

On June 8, 1981, CBS moved ''Search for Tomorrow'' from its longtime 12:30&nbsp;p.m./11:30&nbsp;a.m. Central time slot, which it had held for 30 years, to the 2:30/1:30&nbsp;p.m. time slot between its two P&G sister shows, ''[[As the World Turns]]'' and ''Guiding Light'', in order to accommodate the hit serial ''[[The Young and the Restless]]''. Procter & Gamble urged CBS to return ''Search for Tomorrow'' to its former slot. The program's relocation confused or angered many longtime viewers habituated to seeing it earlier in the day. Another P&G-produced soap opera, ''[[The Edge of Night]]'', had suffered the same problem six years earlier when the company insisted that the show be moved to the 2:30/1:30&nbsp;p.m. time slot; it had previously dominated the other two networks in the ratings when the show was airing at 3:30/2:30&nbsp;p.m. for almost a decade. This move was made on CBS part to give ''The Young and the Restless'' a half-hour head start on ABC's ''[[All My Children]]'', which was part of the trio of ABC soaps, along with ''[[One Life to Live]]'' and ''[[General Hospital]]'', that led the network to dominate the top three spots in the daytime ratings (an achievement ABC first reached during the 1980–81 season) at the time. CBS refused to move ''Search for Tomorrow'' back to its original 12:30/11:30 time slot and, as the show's contract with CBS was about to expire, Procter & Gamble sold the broadcast rights to ''Search for Tomorrow'' to NBC rather than negotiate a renewal with CBS. NBC already had two soaps produced by P&G, ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]'' and its ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]''-inspired spin-off ''[[Texas (TV series)|Texas]]'', as part of its daytime lineup. ''Search for Tomorrow'' aired its last episode on CBS on March 26, 1982, and had its NBC premiere the following Monday, March 29; CBS filled the program's former time slot with a new political soap opera, ''[[Capitol (TV series)|Capitol]]''.

The shift from CBS to NBC would prove to be the beginning of the serial's terminal decline. At its new network, ''Search for Tomorrow'' now found itself going head-to-head with its former CBS stablemate ''The Young and the Restless'' and would later face additional soap competition when ''[[Loving (TV series)|Loving]]'' premiered on ABC in June 1983. Additionally, several NBC-affiliated stations opted to run syndicated programming or local newscasts in the 12:00/11:00 slot, a practice dating back to NBC's daytime ratings struggles in the 1970s that also affected already struggling soap opera ''[[The Doctors (1963 TV series)|The Doctors]]'', which was airing at 12:30/11:30, until NBC bumped it to 12:00/11:00 (the fourth and final time slot that the show occupied during its 19-year run) to accommodate ''Search for Tomorrow''. (''The Doctors'', along with ''Texas'', were both canceled at the end of 1982.) As a result, ''Search for Tomorrow''{{'}}s ratings plummeted through its four-year run on NBC and never recovered; it was among the lowest-rated soaps on television at the time, kept alive mainly by its hardcore and largely elderly fans. As such, the show was increasingly unappealing to advertisers other than P&G. (''The Edge of Night'' faced similar issues following its move to ABC in the 4:00/3:00 timeslot, where it did only slightly better in the ratings, before being cancelled in 1984 due to the erosion of its overall ratings caused in part by affiliate preemptions for syndicated programming.)

On August 4, 1983, both the master copy and the backup of an episode of ''Search for Tomorrow'' scheduled for that day were reported missing, and the cast was forced to do a live show for the first time since the transition to recorded broadcasts 16 years earlier.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eyesofageneration.com/very-interesting-search-for-tomorrow-the-live-episode-on-august-4-1983/ |title = 'Search For Tomorrow'...The LIVE Episode! – Eyes Of A Generation...Television's Living History}}</ref> It was the first live daytime serial since two other CBS soaps, ''As The World Turns'' and ''The Edge of Night'', had discontinued the practice in 1975; to date, the only other soap operas to have done live episodes in any capacity since – albeit as programming stunts – were ABC's ''[[One Life to Live]]'' (for a one-week "[[Nielsen Media Research#Sweeps|sweeps]]" stint from May 13–17, 2002) and ''[[General Hospital]]'' (for two episodes on May 15 and 18, 2015).{{Citation needed |date=March 2024}}

In the fall of 1986, NBC announced that ''Search for Tomorrow'' would be canceled, citing its declining ratings. The show aired its 9,130th and final episode on December 26, 1986, after 35 years on the air. At the time of its cancellation, it was the longest-running daytime program in American television history, but has since been surpassed by other shows. The following Monday, the game show ''[[Wordplay (game show)|Wordplay]]'' took over the 12:30&nbsp;p.m. Eastern time slot.

===Syndication===
From 1987 until the summer of 1989, reruns of ''Search for Tomorrow'' aired late nights on the [[USA Network]]. The cable network aired episodes from the first three years on NBC (1982–1985), along with its sister P&G soap ''The Edge of Night''.

In 2006, P&G began making several of its soap operas available, a few episodes at a time, through [[America Online]]'s AOL Video service, downloadable free of charge.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 31, 2006 |title=AOL to Launch New Video Portal |url=https://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=17674 |access-date=2022-11-21 |website= |publisher=AOL |via=WebWire}}</ref>  Reruns of ''Search for Tomorrow'' began with the October 5, 1984, episode and ceased with the January 13, 1986, episode after AOL discontinued the P&G Soaps Channel on December 31, 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Snyder |first=Jen |date=2009-01-02 |title=PGP Classic Soap Channel On AOL No More |url=https://tvsourcemagazine.com/2009/01/1534-pgpsoapschannelendsonaol/ |access-date=2022-11-21 |website=TV Source Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Cast and characters==
{{Incomplete list|date=October 2022}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Actor 
! Character 
! Duration
|-
|[[Jay Acovone]]
|Brian Emerson
|1982–84
|-
| [[John Aniston]]
| Martin Tourneur
| 1979–84
|-
| [[Rod Arrants]]
| [[Travis Sentell]]
| 1978–84
|-
| [[Lewis Arlt]]
| David Sutton
| 1976–81
|-
| [[Matthew Ashford]]
| Cagney McLeary
| 1984–86
|-
| [[Kevin Bacon]]
| Todd Adamson
| 1979
|-
|[[Angela Bassett]]
|Selina McCulla
|1985
|-
| [[Kathleen Beller]]
| Liza Walton
| 1972–74
|-
| [[Meg Bennett]]
| Liza Walton
| 1974–76
|-
|Neil Billingsley
|Danny Walton
|1975–77
|-
| [[Domini Blythe]]
| Estelle Kendall
| 1985–86
|-
| [[Marion Brash]]
| [[Eunice Gardner Wyatt]]
| 1957–61
|-
|[[Philip Brown (actor)|Philip Brown]]
|Steve Kendall
|1982–83
|-
|[[J. Kenneth Campbell]]
|Roy Arnold
|1985
|-
|[[Robert Curtis Brown]]
|Alec Kendall
|1984–85
|-
|Hope Busby
|Liza Walton
| 1977–78
|-
| [[David Canary]]
| Arthur Benson
| 1978
|-
| [[Melanie Chartoff]]
| Nancy Craig
| 1976
|-
| [[Maree Cheatham]]
| Stephanie Wyatt
| 1974–84
|-
| [[Jill Clayburgh]]
| Grace Bolton
| 1969
|-
| [[Kevin Conroy]]
| Chase Kendall
| 1984–85
|-
| [[Michael Corbett (actor)|Michael Corbett]]
| Warren Carter
| 1982–85
|-
| [[Colleen Dion-Scotti]]
| Evie Stone
| 1985–86
|-
| [[Val Dufour]]
| John Wyatt
| 1972–79
|-
| [[Olympia Dukakis]]
| Barbara Moreno
| 1983
|-
|George Ebeling
|Peter Rand
|1963
|-
|Terri Eoff
|Susan Wyatt
|1984–86
|-
| [[Morgan Fairchild]]
| [[Jennifer Pace]]
| 1973–77
|-
| Larry Flieschman
| Ringo Altman
| 1982–83
|-
| [[David Forsyth (actor)|David Forsyth]]
| Hogan McCleary
| 1983–86
|-
| [[David Gale (actor)|David Gale]]
| Rusty Sentell Sr.
| 1982–83
|-
| Jennifer Gatti
| Angela Moreno
| 1983
|-
| [[Anthony George]]
| Tony Vicente
| 1970–75
|-
| [[Cynthia Gibb]]
| Susan Wyatt Carter
| 1981–83
|-
| [[Louan Gideon]]
| Liza Walton
| 1985–86
|-
|[[Stacey Glick]]
|Andy McNeil
|1982–83
|-
| [[Nicolette Goulet]]
| Kathy Phillips Taper
| 1979–82
|-
| Marian Hailey
| Janet Collins
| 1971
|-
| [[Larry Haines]]
| Stu Bergman
| 1951–86
|-
| [[Ron Hale]]
| Walt Driscoll
| 1969
|-
| [[Brett Halsey]]
| Clay Collins  
| 1975
|-
|Bethany Hanes
|Victoria Carson
|1977
|-
| [[Page Hannah]]
| Adair McCleary
| 1984–85
|-
| [[Peter Haskell]]
| Lloyd Kendall
| 1983–85
|-
| [[Michael Hawkins (American actor)|Michael Hawkins]]
| Steve Haskins
| 1951
|-
|Joel Higgins
|Bruce Carson
|1977
|-
| [[John James (actor)|John James]]
| Tom Bergman
| 1977
|-
| [[Jane Krakowski]]
| T.R. Kendall
| 1984–86
|-
| [[Mark Lenard]]
| Nathan Walsh
| 1959–60
|-
| [[Audra Lindley]]
| Sue Knowles
| 1962
|-
|Mitch Litrofsky
|Thomas "Trip" Bergman
|1981–83
|-
|Richard Lohman
|Gary Walton
|1975–77
|-
| Carl Low
| Bob Rogers
| 1965–83
|-
| Christopher Lowe
| Eric Leshinski
| 1969–78
|-
| [[Robert Mandan]]
| Sam Reynolds
| 1965–70
|-
| Sherry Mathis
| Liza Walton
| 1978–85
|-
| [[Andrea McArdle]]
| Wendy Wilkins
| 1977
|-
|Jane McArthur
|Marian Rand
|1963
|-
| [[Marcia McCabe]]
| Sunny Adamson
| 1978–86
|-
|Marilyn McIntire
|Carolyn Hanley
|1977–80
|-
|[[Jeffrey Meek]]
|Quinn McCleary
|1984–86
|-
|Stacey Moran
|Susan Wyatt
|1977–80
|-
| [[Denise Nickerson]]
| Liza Walton
| 1971–72
|-
| [[Michael Nouri]]
| Steve Kaslow
| 1975–78
|-
| [[Terry O'Sullivan]]
| Arthur Tate
| 1952–56
|-
|Tina Orr
|Meredith Hartford
|1977–78
|-
| [[Will Patton]]
| Kentucky Bluebird
| 1984–85
|-
|Anne Pearson
|Allison Metcalf
|1959–65
|-
| [[Patsy Pease]]
| Cissie Mitchell Sentell
| 1978–84
|-
| [[Lisa Peluso]]
| Wendy Wilkins Carter
| 1977–85
|-
|[[Michelle Phillips]]
|Ruby Ashford
|1983
|-
|Gene Pietragallo
|Brian Emerson
|1981–82
|-
| [[Melba Rae]]
| Marge Bergman
| 1951–71
|-
|Leslie Ann Ray
|Donna Davis
|1977–78
|-
| Sandy Robinson
| Janet Collins
| 1956–61
|-
|Robert Rockwell
|Greg Hartford
|1977–78
|-
|Frank Schofield
|John Austin
|1963
|-
| [[Louise Shaffer]]
| Stephanie Wyatt
| 1984–86
|-
| Fran Sharon
| Janet Collins
| 1961–65
|-
|[[Courtney Simon]]
|Kathy Phillips
|1971–79; 1984
|-
|[[Peter Simon (actor)|Peter Simon]]
|Scott Phillips
|1969–79
|-
|Marcus Smythe
|Dane Taylor
|1982–83
|-
| Ellen Spencer
| Janet Collins
| 1951–56
|-
|Ralph Stantley
|Lloyd Gibson
|1963
|-
|Leslie Stevens
|Justine Calvert
|1984–85
|-
|Douglas Stevenson
|Lee Sentell
|1980–82
|-
|[[Adam Storke]]
|Andrew Ryder
|1985
|-
| [[Mary Stuart (actress)|Mary Stuart]]
| [[Joanne Gardner]]
| 1951–86
|-
| [[Tom Sullivan (singer)|Tom Sullivan]]
| Michael Kendall
| 1983
|-
| [[Millee Taggart]]
| Janet Collins
| 1971–82
|-
|Wayne Tippitt 
|Ted Adamson
|1980–82
|-
| [[Gary Tomlin]]
| Bruce Carson
| 1973–74
|-
| [[Patrick Tovatt]]
| Matt McCleary
| 1986
|-
| [[Martin Vidnovic]]
| Cord Tourneur
| 1984
|-
| [[Douglass Watson]]
| Walter Haskins
| 1960s{{efn|There are conflicting sources on when Watson appeared on the soap opera; some say that he debuted in 1966, whilst others say 1967, and it is conflicted whether he last appeared in 1966, 1967 or 1968.}}
|-
| [[Billie Lou Watt]]
| Ellie Harper Bergman
| 1968–81
|-
| [[Ann Williams (actress)|Ann Williams]]
| [[Eunice Gardner Wyatt]]
| 1966–76
|-
| Marian Woods
| Victoria Windsor
| 1984
|-
| [[Anne Wyndham]]
| Amy Carson
| 1975–77
|}

==Awards==

===Daytime Emmy Award wins===

====Drama performer categories====
{| class="wikitable" align="center"
|-
! Category
! Recipient
! Role
! Year
|-
| [[Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series|Lead Actor]]
| [[Larry Haines]]<br />[[Val Dufour]]
| [[Stu Bergman]]<br />John Wyatt
| 1976{{Citation needed |date=January 2023}} 
|-
| [[Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series|Supporting Actor]]
| Larry Haines
| Stu Bergman
| 1981{{Citation needed |date=January 2023}} 
|}

====Other categories====
* 1986 "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series"
* 1978 "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Daytime Programming: Costume Designer" (Connie Wexler)

===Other awards===
* [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Television Writing in Daytime Serials|Writers Guild of America Award]] (1974, 1975, 1985)

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{Portal|Television}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0043229|title=Search for Tomorrow}}
* [http://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/e/ellis_search_for_tom.htm Search for Tomorrow Script Collection]  at Syracuse University Special Collection Research Center – breakdowns and scripts from 550+ episodes, 1971–74
*[http://archives.nypl.org/the/22743 Soap Opera scripts, 1975–89] Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.

{{Search for Tomorrow}}
{{Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Daytime Serials}}
{{US daytime soaps}}

[[Category:Search for Tomorrow| ]]
[[Category:1951 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1960s American drama television series]]
[[Category:1970s American drama television series]]
[[Category:1980s American drama television series]]
[[Category:1986 American television series endings]]
[[Category:American television soap operas]]
[[Category:Black-and-white American television shows]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Television series by Procter & Gamble Productions]]
[[Category:CBS soap operas]]
[[Category:NBC soap operas]]
[[Category:Television series created by Roy Winsor]]
[[Category:Television shows filmed in New York (state)]]