Search for Tomorrow

Long-running Soap Opera, which premiered in 1951. The first truly successful Soap Opera on television, the show ran from 1951-1982 on CBS and from 1982-1986 on NBC.

Set in the midwestern town of Henderson, Search (as it was often referred) focused on the trials and tribulations of Joanne "Jo" Gardner (Barron Tate Vincente Tourneur after many marriages), played for the entire 35 year run by Mary Stuart.

Tropes used in Search for Tomorrow include:

• Alternate Company Equivalent: In the later years, the show introduced an Irish family who owned an Irish bar... like the Ryans on Ryan's Hope. Search even went so far as to hire Malachy Mc Court, who played Kevin the bartender on Ryan's Hope, to play the bartender of the Mc Cleary's bar.
• Channel Hop: Moved from CBS to NBC after the former network cancelled the show in 1982. Search was only the second (of three) soaps to change networks; The Edge of Night, a sister show (both shows were produced by Proctor and Gamble Productions) was the first.
• The Character Died with Him: When Melba Rae (Marge Bergman) died in 1971, her character died as well rather than being recast.
• Finale Credits: The final episode used a Credits Medley, with all of the contract cast waving goodbye to the camera, closed out by Mary Stuart Thanking the Viewer for 35 "..wonderful years", all set to a Lou Rawls rendition of We'll Be Together Again
• Live Episode: Like most soap Operas in its day, Search was presented live from its premiere until 1967.
  • When the master and back-up tape were lost for an episode in 1983, the show was presented live for the first time since the transition to tape. Conspiracy Theorists suspected NBC intentionally lost the tape (or lied) to bolster the flagging ratings, especially given the similarity of this situation to the movie Tootsie.
• Long Runner: Search ran for 35 years; at the time of its cancellation in 1986, it was the longest-running dramatic show in Television history (though it ceded that title to Guiding Light, which premiered 9 months later in 1952, after its cancellation).
• Missing Episode: Almost the entirety of the show seems to be lost, except for the NBC years. Random episodes from the CBS run exist as kinescopes or home recordings, though.
• The Other Darrin: Like most soaps, many characters were recast over the years.
  • Averted, though, in the case of the two long-running characters - Jo was played for the entire run by Mary Stuart, and Stu Bergman was played by Larry Haynes until the end.
• Ratings Stunt: In a last-ditch effort to increase ratings, the show introduced a storyline in which a massive flood destroyed the town of Henderson. The show was cancelled 10 months later....
• Rich Bitch: Stephanie Wilkins, Jo's enemy from the 1970s on.
• Title Drop: In the last episode, when asked what she is searching for, Jo replies "Tomorrow, and I can't wait"
• Younger and Hipper: Arguably, what happend to the show in the final years, as two new families were introduced (the Kendalls and the Mc Clearys), with the focus of the show moving onto the three young Mc Cleary sons.