Peyton Place

Peyton Place was the first night-time soap and ran from 1964 until its ending in 1969, is based on Grace Metalious’ novel by the same name. The show follows the gossiping residents of the small New England town and the happenings of Dr. Rossi when he moves to town from New York. What made the show so popular were the frank discussions of various moral topics, such as extra-marital affairs, in addition to the way that it was aired two nights during the week.

Through the course of the series, several well known actors made extended visits to the show and Peyton Place was also the place for others to make a name for themselves in the business. At the height of its popularity, both episodes of Peyton Place were consistently in the top 20 of the Nielsen ratings. As a result, the show’s producers decided to add a third installment. However, that move ultimately proved to be the show’s demise because the ratings began to decline at a rapid rate. The last episode aired on June 2, 1969 due to the continually poor ratings.