The three powerhouse actresses that formed Knots Landing's Female Triumvirate of Karen, Valene and Abby (Michele Lee, Joan Van Ark & Donna Mills) were interviewed by the Pioneers of Television Foundation, where they all speak in-depth of their experiences filming Knots Landing, as well as working on other television shows and films.

The consensus as to why Knots out-lasted all of the other Prime Time soaps (Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest, etc.) is that Knots featured characters that were far more relatable than the super-rich oil barons and multi-millionaires featured on those other programs, which had audiences tuning in week-after-week to see what happened on the cul-de-sac. The show, originally a spin-off series of Dallas, ran from 1979-1993, with 344 episodes produced.

Michele Lee's interview:

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Joan Van Ark:

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Donna Mills:

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Hats off to the show for lasting as long as it did. The formula was to concentrate on glamour whilst purporting to represent middle-class issues. I stopped watching after they killed off Sid Fairgate, whereupon its schedule moved to afternoons, which didn't suit me at the time.

Hats off to the show for lasting as long as it did. The formula was to concentrate on glamour whilst purporting to represent middle-class issues. I stopped watching after they killed off Sid Fairgate, whereupon its schedule moved to afternoons, which didn't suit me at the time.

From what Michelle Lee has said, Don Murray (Sid), who had come from a successful film career and had been Oscar-nominated, found the day-to-day grind of television work too draining and opted to leave after Season Two. The first season or two featured all self-contained storylines within each episode and it wasn't until the addition of Donna Mill's conniving Abby character that the series switched to a serialized format, when it became a true "soap opera" with cliff-hanger stories and episodes.

From what Michelle Lee has said, Don Murray (Sid), who had come from a successful film career and had been Oscar-nominated, found the day-to-day grind of television work too draining and opted to leave after Season Two. The first season or two featured all self-contained storylines within each episode and it wasn't until the addition of Donna Mill's conniving Abby character that the series switched to a serialized format, when it became a true "soap opera" with cliff-hanger stories and episodes.
I watched all 48 minutes of the interview and didn't hear her mention that. I've read from another source that there was a salary dispute. KL is one of the few shows that I might catch up on once I retire.

Here's Michael Fairman's interview with Knots female triumvirate of Michele Lee, Joan Van Ark & Donna Mills for the show's 40th anniversary:

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The lovely trio of Donna Mills, Michele Lee & Joan Van Ark had another mini-Knots Landing reunion recently on Access Hollywood. You can watch the interview here:

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