Secrets of Midland Heights
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8 (+ 3 unaired)
Production
Running time60 minutes
Production companyLorimar Productions
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseDecember 6, 1980 (1980-12-06) –
January 24, 1981 (1981-01-24)
Martha Scott, Jordan Christopher (foreground); Lorenzo Lamas, Linda Hamilton, Jim Youngs, Doran Clark, Daniel Zippi (second row)

Secrets of Midland Heights is an American nighttime soap opera produced by Lorimar Productions after the success of Dallas. It ran on CBS from December 6, 1980 to January 24, 1981 for eight episodes, with three episodes left unaired.

Series overview

Secrets of Midland Heights was aimed at the teen audience, and featured romantic triangles and secrets among the teens and their parents who populated a fictional midwestern college town called Midland Heights. Aired on Saturday night at 10 pm EST/9 pm Central, the series never found an audience and was canceled after eight episodes.

The show resembled a dark, 1980s-style Peyton Place, both dealing with hidden secrets and scandalous affairs in a small town. Lisa Rogers (Linda Hamilton) juggled relationships with both college jock Burt Carroll (Lorenzo Lamas) and fratboy Mark Hudson (Bill Thornbury, in a recurring role), good girl heiress Ann Dulles (Doran Clark)[1] secretly dated high school dropout John Grey (Jim Youngs),[2] Holly Wheeler (played by Linda Grovenor in the pilot, and subsequently by Marilyn Jones) wanted to lose her virginity to her boyfriend Teddy Welsh (Daniel Zippi), but the teens were shocked to discover her mother Dorothy (Bibi Besch) was having an affair with Teddy's father Nathan (Robert Hogan), a widowed professor at the college.[3]

There were also power struggles between the wealthy Millington family, one of Midland Heights' founding families, consisting of the widowed Margaret and her son Guy, and the equally wealthy and powerful Wheelers.

The show was produced by David Jacobs, Lee Rich and Michael Filerman, all of whom worked on other serial dramas like Flamingo Road and Knots Landing. When Secrets of Midland Heights was pulled from the schedule, the producers stated that the show would be retooled and make a return in some form. Many of the same performers and production staff returned to ABC the following season in the different serial King's Crossing, which similarly had a short run.[4] After the demise of the series, actor Lorenzo Lamas would join the cast of the soap Falcon Crest.

Cast and characters

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date Viewers
(millions)
1"Founder's Day"Robert LewisDavid JacobsDecember 6, 1980 (1980-12-06)11.8[5]
2"Decisions"Gabrielle BeaumontStory by : Caroline Elias
Teleplay by : Caroline Elias & Frederic Hunter		December 13, 1980 (1980-12-13)15.1
3"The Searchers"Fernando LamasDavid JacobsDecember 20, 1980 (1980-12-20)9.8
4"Hooverville"Alexander SingerElizabeth QuicksilverDecember 27, 1980 (1980-12-27)22.2
5"Letting Go"Rick RosenthalMargaret SchibiJanuary 3, 1981 (1981-01-03)11.2
6"The Race"Fernando LamasStory by : Will Manus
Teleplay by : Will Manus & Linda Elstad		January 10, 1981 (1981-01-10)10.4
7"The Birthday Party"Jeff BlecknerElizabeth ClarkJanuary 17, 1981 (1981-01-17)9.7
8"Facing Facts"Nick SgarroJack TurleyJanuary 24, 1981 (1981-01-24)10.7
9"Reunion of Strangers"Carl KiegelStory by : Naomi Foner
Teleplay by : Naomi Foner & Nancy Ann Miller		unairedunaired
10"Heritage of Sorrows"Gabrielle BeaumontMitzi Marvinunairedunaired
11"Friends and Lovers"unknownElizabeth Quicksilverunairedunaired

References

  1. ^ Boyer, Peter J. (September 6, 1998). "New Soap Dreadful, But Could Become Hit". Indiana Gazette. Pennsylvania, Indiana. The Indiana Gazette. p. 24. Retrieved March 25, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ TV Guide (September 13–19, 1980). TV Guide Fall Preview Special Issue. ASIN B008J1IQ0S.
  3. ^ Copeland, Mary Ann (1991). Soap Opera History. Publications International. p. 217. ISBN 0-88176-933-9.
  4. ^ Mary Ann Copeland (1991). Soap Opera History. Mallard Press. ISBN 0792454510.
  5. ^ Bruce B. Morris, Prime Time Network Serials: Episode Guides, Casts and Credits for 37 Continuing Television Dramas, 1964-1993, McFarland and Company, 1997.
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