A deep dive into the most successful form of entertainment in America:
The serial drama
"Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end."
Tune In Tomorrow is about the storytellers who decided that was optional.
Tune In Tomorrow is a surprising, entertaining look at the enduring appeal and overlooked history of serialized storytelling.
"Serialization is like a drug in this very interesting way."– Wesley Morris, Culture Critic, The New York Times
From the early radio dramas that captivated millions of listeners, to modern TV and blockbuster movie franchises, Tune In Tomorrow reveals how the most misunderstood genre -- serial melodramas and soap operas -- became the blueprint for contemporary entertainment.
The series weaves together a vast array of archival media to trace the evolution of the 'tune in tomorrow' format, revealing surprising links: from early Victorian novels, comic strips and B-movie serials -- to contemporary prestige dramas like Game of Thrones, reality TV juggernaut The Real World, 'news opinion' shows, and even the melodrama of professional wrestling.
Propelled by a lively and compelling collection of 60 interviews with prominent actors, writers, directors, critics and historians, Tune In Tomorrow shows how the stories once dismissed as 'washboard weepers' became the most influential force in American media.
19th century serialized novels by Charles Dickens spawn the creation of radio serial dramas, Saturday matinée movie serials, long-form comic strips, and the golden age of daytime TV soap operas. In the 1980s, primetime TV starts to adopt the longer character-driven stories familiar to soap opera audiences, culminating in today's Peak TV, "the Second Golden Age of Television."
The cliffhanger changes serialized entertainment forever. Soap operas dive into complex social issues, creating a space for national conversations on topics too taboo for primetime. The 1950s backlash against comic books leads to the creation of the Comics Code Authority that rules for more than 50 years.
1960s counterculture flips the bird at the Comics Code, and embraces underground 'comix' that get VERY trippy. The often-mocked soap operas written by women re-shape traditionally male entertainment, from cop shows to Star Wars. And television networks discover the value of hooking younger viewers.
Comic books morph into epic literary "graphic novels." Daytime soap operas end up on life support when MTV proves that "reality" can be as compelling as drama...and cheaper to produce. As cable TV expands, pro wrestling injects itself with performance-enhancing continuing stories, growing from a local time-filler to a national pop culture phenomenon. Reality TV and melodramatic wrestling converge as Donald Trump transforms politics into a ratings-driven, winner-take-all smackdown.
DANIEL ABRAHAM WRITER/SHOW CREATORTHE EXPANSE
PARIS BARCLAY DIRECTOR/PRODUCERSONS OF ANARCHY, CHICAGO FIRE, NYPD BLUE, THE WEST WING
SARAH D. BUNTING CRITICCO-FOUNDER, TELEVISION WITHOUT PITY
RON CARLIVATI WRITERDAYS OF OUR LIVES, ONE LIFE TO LIVE, BEYOND THE GATES
TOM CASIELLO WRITERAPEX LEGENDS, WWE WRESTLING
MARC CHERRY WRITER/SHOW CREATORTHE GOLDEN GIRLS, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, WHY WOMEN KILL
KEN CORDAY PRODUCERDAYS OF OUR LIVES
JUDI EVANS ACTORDAYS OF OUR LIVES
RENÉE ELISE GOLDSBERRY ACTORHAMILTON, THE GOOD WIFE, GIRLS 5EVA, MARVEL'S SHE-HULK
MIKE HENRY HISTORIAN/ARCHIVISTLIBRARY OF AMERICAN BROADCASTING
SCOTT HIGGINS FILM HISTORIANWESLEYAN UNIVERSITY
ED HULSE POP CULTURE HISTORIANEDITOR IN CHIEF, MURANIA PRESS
SUE JOHNSON CO-FOUNDER, RADISH FICTIONFORMER VP, ABC DAYTIME
JERRY LACY ACTORDARK SHADOWS, LOVE OF LIFE
RYAN LINTELMAN CURATOR OF ENTERTAINMENTSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
SUSAN LUCCI ACTORALL MY CHILDREN, DEVIOUS MAIDS
MARY MCNAMARA TELEVISION CRITICLOS ANGELES TIMES
DAVE MELTZER JOURNALISTEDITOR, WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER
WESLEY MORRIS CULTURE CRITICTHE NEW YORK TIMES
JON MURRAY PRODUCER/SHOW CREATORTHE REAL WORLD, PROJECT RUNWAY, THE KARDASHIANS
JASON SACKS AUTHOR/HISTORIANAMERICAN COMIC BOOK CHRONICLES
ERIKA SLEZAK ACTORONE LIFE TO LIVE
STEPHANIE SLOANE JOURNALISTTV GUIDE, SOAP OPERA DIGEST
MICHAEL SLOVIS, ASC DIRECTOR/CINEMATOGRAPHERGAME OF THRONES, BREAKING BAD, THE WALKING DEAD
MAGGIE THOMPSON WRITER/EDITORCOMICS BUYER'S GUIDE
FRANK VALENTINI PRODUCER/DIRECTORONE LIFE TO LIVE, GENERAL HOSPITAL
FRED VAN LENTE WRITER/HISTORIANAMAZING SPIDER-MAN, CONAN THE AVENGER, COWBOYS & ALIENS
JESSICA WALTER ACTORLOVE OF LIFE, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, ARCHER
MING-NA WEN ACTORTHE MANDALORIAN, ER, STARGATE UNIVERSE, AGENTS OF SHIELD
RAY WISE ACTORTWIN PEAKS, LOVE OF LIFE, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESSIt seems really hard to believe that, for so many years in the 20th century, it was just 'These cops will show up on a different doorstep every week, and have no mention of anyone's personal life.' But that's how television was done.Sarah D. Bunting / Co-founder, Television Without Pity
We said, 'Why is someone going to pay double price for a story because you didn't end it in this issue; it was in a second issue. That will never work. Nobody's going to buy comic books if they can't get the complete story in it.'Maggie Thompson / Past Editor, Comics Buyer's Guide
If you want a theatrical melodramatic experience today, go to the opening weekend of a Marvel movie. 'Mission Impossible' and 'Days of Our Lives' are not that different. Like, what is 'The Avengers' but daytime TV plus action film?Scott Higgins / Film Historian
Since his entry into documentary filmmaking as co‑producer for Mending Hearts (PBS, 1990), he has shot, edited and produced hundreds of programs on a wide range of topics.
A 40-year veteran broadcast journalist and producer, he has been a feature reporter in eleven television markets, where he accumulated six Emmy Awards and numerous other recognitions.
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