The Doctors: Even More Episodes Available
According to an official press release, “episodes from 1980 are now available on It’s Real Good TV for audiences to watch on-demand, and in addition, they will air a special broadcast of these new episodes on Saturdays from 2 pm – 4 pm ET/PT for those that tune in over-the-air.”
Additionally, 13 episodes that were previously missing from the streaming services archive have been located and uploaded, and a further seven episodes have been replaced with new masters.
What can fans expect from the Decade of Greed episodes? Amongst an abundance of thrills, chills, and spills (including a devious dowager’s terrifying tumble down a grand staircase), you’ll be able to behold the lowdown dirty antics of Alec Baldwin’s Billy Aldrich, the trials and tribulations of long-suffering marrieds Matt and Maggie Powers and Steve and Carolee Aldrich, and such spectacles as an armed siege at the soap’s medical institute.
Unfortunately, despite previous assurances that nearly every episode of The Doctors was present and accounted for, the dedicated team at Retro TV has since discovered that every tape after September 30, 1980, is missing and presumed wiped by NBC, which took over the series from the original stewards, Colgate-Palmolive.
“At that time, the tapes were considered more valuable than the content on them, and it truly is a shame,” explained Joel Wertman, President of Retro TV.
Wertman was also quick to thank the Retro TV team who had endeavored to digitize and preserve what remained and term The Doctors a “quintessential series to the history of soap operas.”
For an insider’s look at the laborious — and rewarding — digitization process, click here. (Our thanks to Retro TV for supplying the link to the featurette.)
