Stage legend and Oscar nominee Dame Judith Anderson received a great deal of publicity for headlining the cast as Lockridge matriarch, Minx.

Joe Perkins has been jailed for the murder, paroled and returns to Santa Barbara determined to prove his innocence and renew his relationship with Kelly Capwell, sister of the victim.

[11] Zack's portrayer, former Dallas cast member Leigh McCloskey, stated that he was uncomfortable with the storyline as he felt that women had enough concerns about visiting gynecologists.

In 1988, Libby Slate for the LA Times wrote “Clearly, this is a show that is not afraid to take chances: Roles for deaf performers are a television rarity day or night” [12] Over the course of the soap, almost every major character would be accused of the murder of Channing Capwell, Jr. or find his or her life involved in the incident in one way or another: from his illegitimate son to his mysterious, presumed-dead mother.

The series was launched on NBC with high promotion on July 30, 1984, while the 1984 Summer Olympics was airing on rival network ABC.

When the Lockridges staged a comeback in the early 1990s, the much younger Broadway and movie veteran Janis Paige assumed the part.

Another example from 1989 involved Greg Hughes (Paul Johansson) having a dream while unconscious about Mason and Julia being aliens and being taken to "The Capwell Zone".

[19][20][21][22] In October 1987, the Dobsons were locked out of NBC studios after repeated attempts to fire the head writer, Charles Pratt, Jr.

They sued, and were eventually allowed to return to the program in 1991, but ratings never recovered, even as the show won three Daytime Emmys in a row for Outstanding Drama Series.

[12][23] Following common daytime drama practice, over the years the producers of Santa Barbara recast original characters multiple times.

Eden, Cruz, and most of the Lockridges had been written out while new characters played by stars from other shows such as Kim Zimmer,[30] Jack Wagner, and Sydney Penny took up most of the airtime.

The final shot consisted of executive producer Paul Rauch standing in front of the camera, smashing a cigar under his shoe, and walking away.

During the first three years of the show, the main crew of SB stayed the same, with the Dobsons taking on a double duty as both head writer and executive producer.

In 1990, Pratt was replaced by another associate writer, Maralyn Thoma, but her tenure was cut short when the Dobsons finally settled in court and returned to the series.

It Will Excite You" campaign, which promoted their three-hour block of serials starting with Days of Our Lives, followed by Another World, and ending with Santa Barbara in most markets across the U.S.

The network announced that Santa Barbara would be cancelled at the midway point of the 1992–93 season, with the final episode airing January 15, 1993.

Shortly before the program ended, New World Television tried to shop Santa Barbara to other broadcast and cable networks, but failed to find one that would air the show.

[38] New York Times television critic and cultural news reporter John Corry[39] enthusiastically describes “Santa Barbara” as “good trashy fun” recapping characters, plot twists and social themes, while surmising “the dramatic possibilities here are endless.” He calls it “pretty good stuff” speculating “one wonders how Dame Judith, flicking her riding crop, is going to involve herself in what comes next” writing “It is probable that any number of viewers will tune in tomorrow to find out.”[40] Tom Shales of The Washington Post wrote "As for whether Santa Barbara really is worse than the soaps that are doing well in the ratings, that's a tough call.

[42] Mark Dawidziak claimed in August 1984 that Santa Barbara was "a serial full of hammy acting, predictable story lines and atrocious dialogue".

[12][52][53] Starting from the first episode, the show featured “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again" by Peabo Bryson as a love theme for Joe Perkins and Kelly Capwell.