Somerset, a 1970’s US daytime soap was a spin off from Another World, indeed it was originally known as Another World-Somerset (it even shared the theme music with that show).
The early shows initially concerned the lives of four characters from Another World – Missy Matthews, Lahome Vane Lucas, Ricky Matthews and Sam Lucas living in the town of Somerset where Sam Lucas was a lawyer working in partnership with Ben Grant.
Pretty quickly though the format of the show changed to a mystery/crime theme with murders and criminal activity going on (even though Somerset had only 25,000 people living in it it seems they were all crooked). During the first season, not only did Somerset use Another World’s music and announcer, it used the same ‘interlocking rings’ visual.
A few well known faces appeared throughout it’s run including Ted Danson, Jameson Parker and Sigourney Weaver.
cast
Jordan Charney as Sam Lucas
Gary Sandy as Randy Buchanan
Ed Kemmer as Ben Grant
JoBeth Williams as Carrie Wheeler
Ann Wedgeworth as Lahoma Vane Lucas
Richard Bright as Bernie Bailey
Nicolas Coster as Robert Delaney
Jameson Parker as Dale Robinson(1975-76)
Ted Danson as Tom Conway
Lois Smith as Zoe Cannell
Audrey Landers as Heather Lawrence
Michael M. Ryan as John Randolph
Meg Wittner as Ginger Kurtz Cooper
Gretchen Wyler as Doris Hiller
Sigourney Weaver as Avis Ryan
Lois Kibbee as Emily Moore Matson
Barry Jenner as Tony Cooper
Joel Crothers as Julian Cannell
James O’Sullivan as Dr. Jerry Kane
Paul Sparer as Rex Cooper
Doug Chapin as Tony Cooper (1970-71)
Bibi Besch as Eve Lawrence (1973-76)
production info
First Air Date: March 30th, 1970
Last Air Date: December 31st, 1976
Genre: Soap
Network: NBC
Production Company: Procter & Gamble Productions (PGP)
Creator: Robert Cenedell
Executive Producers: Lyle B. Hill, Sid Sirulnick
Producer: Sid Sirulnick
Theme Music: Charles Paul
Announcer: Bill Woolf
Costume: Julia Sze, Lee Carlton
Music: Albert Elms
Number of Seasons: 3
Number of Episodes: 283
