Which did you like better?

Benson is a great show, but, I prefer Soap. I love the intereaction between the two families and The Major always made me laugh.

Soap for me.

Soap

i love both shows, but I give the edge to SOAP just for the sheer number of WACKY CHARACTERS and SITUATIONS - lol

Benson

Definitely Soap! :D

i love both shows, but I give the edge to SOAP just for the sheer number of WACKY CHARACTERS and SITUATIONS - lol

Agreed. Benson was a good show that lasted for seven years or so.

Soap was a great show that burned brightly for four seasons and was cancelled too early and too abruptly. I think they had another good season in them. At least they could have come back and resolved the fourth season cliffhangers.

Soap.

Benson is a great show, but, I prefer Soap. I love the intereaction between the two families and The Major always made me laugh.
Same reason for me too, plus the rest of the cast were great. I loved that Caroline McWilliams and Inga Swenson were both part of a storyline.

I prefer Soap over Benson anytime. I was just waiting for more crossover appearances but alas, it did not happen during the later years with the exception of Jessica appearing as a ghost.

Benson

I can't decide - both!!

I can't decide - both!!
Without a doubt..SOAP!!!! Did not like the show Benson, altough I loved the character ON SOAP. They had the actresses who played Inga and Sally on Benson...they should have just kept Benson and the other characters on Soap. Inga could have continued being a menace to the Tate's and Campbell's, I don't know what Sally could have done (not messed with my Burt/Mary), but I liked her, and Benson could have stayed where he belonged...being Jessica's butler and best friend:)

Without a doubt..SOAP!!!! Did not like the show Benson, altough I loved the character ON SOAP. They had the actresses who played Inga and Sally on Benson...they should have just kept Benson and the other characters on Soap. Inga could have continued being a menace to the Tate's and Campbell's, I don't know what Sally could have done (not messed with my Burt/Mary), but I liked her, and Benson could have stayed where he belonged...being Jessica's butler and best friend:)

Agreed - I didn't like "Benson" at all. Mostly because of the other characters, I think. I hated Clayton and Gretchen in particular, and the Governor was just too much of a yutz.

Benson! I liked the first two seasons of Soap but Benson was and is my all time favorite sitcom.

Definitely Benson. And Kraus is a hoot. I HEAR YOU! lol

Definitely Benson. And Kraus is a hoot. I HEAR YOU! lol


I loved the way they bickered.

Their love/hate relationship was a hoot.

Benson for me but I did enjoy the first two seasons of Soap. After that my interest declined sharply.

Benson for me but I did enjoy the first two seasons of Soap. After that my interest declined sharply.

I totally agree, I think Susan Harris wrote the first two seasons.

A Forgotten Spin-Off Setup: From SOAP to BENSON (https://jacksonupperco.com/2021/08/11/a-forgotten-spin-off-set-up-from-soap-to-benson/)

Now, this shouldn’t be a rare treat, but as we noted several years ago, Soap’s serialized nature made it necessary to catch viewers up after each summer hiatus with a 90-minute clip show. None of these three retrospectives — which were broadcast ahead of the second, third, and fourth seasons — are on DVD or in syndication, but two were released on VHS, leaving only the third year’s entry, which aired 42 years ago this month on August 30, 1979, completely unavailable. This is a shame, for, while they all have new wraparound footage (as does the hour-long still missing clip show that ran in the middle of Season One), this installment is narratively important, revealing that a lead character will be departing. Oh, yes, Benson appears in the first three segments of Season Three, too… but it’s taken for granted that he’s left/leaving and it’s not quite clear why or where. That’s because this excursion was designed to tell us, while also giving early closure to the relationship between Benson and Jessica (Katherine Helmond), which doesn’t get its full due if you’re watching only the regular half-hour episodes.

https://i0.wp.com/jacksonupperco.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Hartford_Courant_Thu__Aug_30__1979_.jpg?resize=269%2C300&ssl=1

That said, this is still a clip show, and unlike the 1980 retrospective with Bea Arthur as an angel who attends to Jessica in heaven, there’s not as much effort put into the writing — not by the standards to which we hold the rest of Soap. That is, it’s not particularly funny. But the final moments here are emotionally worthwhile for fans of this series and these characters, for although it certainly wasn’t the last time Jessica and Benson would be together, this is Susan Harris’ first attempt to acknowledge the strength of their bond and what it’ll mean for both when they’re separated. So, I know there’s been a lot of interest in it over the years, and as a result, I’m happy to share an excerpt with you — included below is the first minute, setting up Benson’s move, the pair’s farewell at the end, and then the cliffhanger questions (and credits) with which Soap left the audience two weeks ahead of its third season premiere. Enjoy!

A Forgotten Spin-Off Setup: From SOAP to BENSON (https://jacksonupperco.com/2021/08/11/a-forgotten-spin-off-set-up-from-soap-to-benson/)

Thank you so much for posting this. I always wanted to find this 90 minute retrospective. I only get to see five minutes of it but it was a good five minutes. I watched it twice so far this morning and have been misty eyed both times. The two actors are amazing in their scenes together. I’m trying to decide which one of the four goodbye scenes between these two I like the most.

A Forgotten Spin-Off Setup: From SOAP to BENSON (https://jacksonupperco.com/2021/08/11/a-forgotten-spin-off-set-up-from-soap-to-benson/)

They should have included the clip show retrospectives on the DVD box sets.

They were aired in prime time and while technically, not episodes of the show, they could have been included as "bonus features" on the DVD sets.

Thank you so much for posting this. I always wanted to find this 90 minute retrospective. I only get to see five minutes of it but it was a good five minutes. I watched it twice so far this morning and have been misty eyed both times. The two actors are amazing in their scenes together. I’m trying to decide which one of the four goodbye scenes between these two I like the most.


I remember watching those season retrospectives during the summers. They were fun, because an entire season was encapsulated in 90 minutes and you knew the new season was coming soon.

Echoing the "thank you" for posting that video. For that particular week, the retrospective finished fourth in the Nielsen Ratings:

https://www.nytimes.com/1979/09/06/archives/tv-ratings.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/1979/09/06/archives/tv-ratings.html

Following are the top 15 national television shows of the past week (Monday, August 27, to Sunday, September 2), listed according to their rank in the ratings compiled by the A.C. Nielsen Company. A rating is a percentage of the total number of United States households with television sets.

1. M*A*S*H [ R] (CBS; Mon, 25.3
2. WKRP In Cincinnati [R] (CBS), 24.2
3. Lou Grant [R] (CBS), 22.9
4. Soap Retrospective [S] (ABC), 22.5
5. 240‐Robert [S] (ABC), 22.3
6. Barney Miller [R] (ABC), 21.7
7. Charlie's Angola [R] (ABC), 21.4
8. Three's Company [R] (ABC), 20.8
9. Happy Days [R] (ABC), 20.5
10. Angle [R] (ABC), 19.7
11. Vega$ [R] (ABC), 19.7
12. Taxi [R] (ABC), 19.1
13. Laverne & Shirley [R] (ABC), 18.9
14. M*A*S*H [R] (CBS; Sun.), 18.7
15. Dukes of Hazzard [R] (CBS), 17.9

[R]= Repeat
[S]= Special

I like Benson more than Soap

Benson