Trivia / Loving (1983)

• Adored by the Network: For a show that consistently rated in the bottom of the daytime ratings, the show lasted 12 (14 if you count The City) years. ABC showed a lot of love for this show during that time:
  • The show premiered as a two-hour primetime film ahead of the daytime premiere; notably, the pilot included Lloyd Bridges in the original cast.
  • About a year into the show's run, ABC moved the show from a late morning slot to the 12:30pm Eastern slot, displacing Ryan's Hope. The move led to a (slight) uptick in the ratings for Loving, but had the opposite effect on Ryan's Hope. Nevertheless, Loving never came close to Ryan's Hope's own, depressed ratings right before the move in 1984. (Ryan's Hope was moved to the noon slot, where it was often preempted by local stations for newscasts, and ended in 1989- the same fate befell the next occupant of the timeslot, the 1990-91 revival of Match Game, and after that, the 12:00 PM timeslot was abandoned by ABC.)
  • In desperation to keep the show afloat, ABC assigned its own executives to the show to improve ratings and storylines.
  • The late 1992 crossover storyline with All My Children concluded with several beloved AMC characters—including Jeremy Hunter and Angie Hubbard—being permanently added to the cast, likely another attempt to boost ratings.
  • Even with its low ratings, ABC commissioned a spin-off of the show called The City, which moved most of the remaining cast to New York City.
• Friday Night Death Slot: Despite being sandwiched between the local news and ratings powerhouse All My Children, the show's poor ratings are believed to be due to the fact that it was up against The Young and the Restless, another ratings powerhouse. And even that was only in certain markets—others aired it at a time when it was highly unlikely that anyone would be watching, if they even aired it at all. ^note  The same problem would plague Port Charles, its replacement.
• Prop Recycling: After The City went off the air, its' loft set was used by The View for a few years afterwards.
• Romance on the Set: Although it didn't last, Amelia Heinle (Steffy) and Michael Weatherly (Cooper) got together shortly after their characters did and had a son.
• Written-In Infirmity: Amelia Heinle's pregnancy resulted in her character Steffy's pregnancy.

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