The First Hundred Years

The First Hundred Years was the first ongoing TV soap opera in the United States that began as a daytime serial, airing on CBS from December 4, 1950 until June 27, 1952.

[3] The series did not succeed due to very low viewership, as few American households had television sets, and fewer still watched during the afternoon.

[6] A TV episode, "The First Hundred Years", was broadcast on The Silver Theatre on CBS[7] on May 1, 1950, starring Barbara Whiting, William Frawley, Lydon, and Allene Roberts.

[10] CBS promoted the program prior to its debut as depicting "the ludicrous aspects of young married life", with an emphasis on "hilarious comedy", but Jack Gould wrote in The New York Times, "On the first show, however, the comedy lines were pretty strained and the element of farce largely pushed aside in favor of routine emotion.

[11] Radio Television Mirror's April 1951 issue reported that once the Thayers returned from their honeymoon, "there hasn't been a dull moment since — for the audience or for the hard-working cast.