''Bare Essence'' is an American prime time

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...

television series which aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

from February 15 to June 13, 1983, during the 1982–83 season. It starred

Genie Francis Eugenie Ann Francis (born May 26, 1962) is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Laura Spencer on the television soap opera ''General Hospital'' from 1977 to present, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2007. Fran ...

as Tyger Hayes, and explored the intrigues of the perfume industry.

Miniseries (1982)

''Bare Essence'' first appeared in the form of a two-part, 4-hour TV

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

shown over two nights on October 4 and 5, 1982 on CBS. Based on the 1980 novel of the same name by Meredith Rich, it was directed by

Walter Grauman Walter E. Grauman (March 17, 1922 – March 20, 2015) was an American director of stage shows, films and television shows. Early life Grauman was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Jacob and Irene Grauman, both children of German immigrants who ...

and written by Robert Hamilton. The miniseries starred

Bruce Boxleitner Bruce William Boxleitner (born May 12, 1950) is an American actor and science fiction and suspense writer. He is known for his leading roles in the television series '' How the West Was Won'', '' Bring 'Em Back Alive'', ''Scarecrow and Mrs. King ...

as Chase Marshall, Linda Evans as Lady Bobbi Rowan,

as Bobbi's daughter Patricia "Tyger" Hayes,

Lee Grant Lee Grant (born Lyova Haskell Rosenthal; October 31, during the mid-1920s) is an American actress, documentarian, and director. She made her film debut in 1951 as a young shoplifter in William Wyler's '' Detective Story'', co-starring Kirk Doug ...

as Ava Marshall,

Joel Higgins Joel Franklin Higgins (born September 28, 1943) is an American actor and singer with a stage career spanning over 40 years. Life and career A graduate of Michigan State University where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternit ...

as Matt Phillips and Donna Mills as Barbara Fisher. Francis Benard,

John Dehner John Dehner (DAY-ner) (born John Dehner Forkum, also credited Dehner Forkum; November 23, 1915February 4, 1992) was an American stage, radio, film, and television actor. From the late 1930s to the late 1980s, he amassed a long list of performan ...

Jonathan Frakes Jonathan Scott Frakes (born August 19, 1952) is an American actor and director. He is best known for his portrayal of Commander William Riker in the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and subsequent films and series. Frakes als ...

, Susan French,

Belinda Montgomery Belinda Montgomery is a Canadian-American actress. She initially attracted notice for her starring role in the 1970s science-fiction series '' Man from Atlantis'' as Dr. Elizabeth Merrill and for her recurring role as Caroline Crockett/Ballard ...

and Tim Thomerson appeared in supporting roles. It garnered excellent ratings, but CBS passed on a proposed series, which NBC picked up instead. By the time the series went to air in February 1983, the roles which had been played in the miniseries by Evans, Mills, Grant, and Boxleitner were taken over respectively by

Jennifer O'Neill Jennifer O'Neill (born February 20, 1948) is a Brazilian-born American actress, model, author, and activist. She is known for her modeling and spokesperson work for CoverGirl cosmetics starting in 1963, and her starring role in the Oscar-winn ...

, Jaime Lyn Bauer,

Jessica Walter Jessica Walter (January 31, 1941 – March 24, 2021) was an American actress who appeared in over 170 film, stage and television productions. In film, she was best known for her role as a psychotic and obsessed fan of a local disc jockey in t ...

and

Al Corley Alford Corley (born May 22, 1956) is an American actor, singer and producer. Corley is best known as the first actor to play Steven Carrington in the 1980s soap opera '' Dynasty'' and for his 1984 hit single " Square Rooms". Career In the late 1 ...

. Francis reprised the lead role of Tyger in the new series.

Weekly series (1983)

Synopsis

''Bare Essence'' starred

Ian McShane Ian David McShane (born 29 September 1942) is an English actor, producer and director. He is known for his television performances, particularly as the title role in the BBC series ''Lovejoy'' (1986–1994), Al Swearengen in '' Deadwood'' (20 ...

and Michael Woods, with Jamie Lyn Bauer,

Laura Bruneau Laura Bruneau is a Canadian actress, best known for her lead roles in the television series '' Material World''"New CBC TV comedy star comes full circle". '' Toronto Star'', December 18, 1989. and ''Wind at My Back''."CBC gets back on Sunday track ...

, Susan French and

Wendy Fulton Wendy Fulton (born March 26, 1954) is a retired American actress, who is known for her roles on television during the 1980s. Career Fulton's television credits include guest appearances on ''Knight Rider'', '' Jake and the Fatman'', '' Diff'ren ...

in supporting roles. The show revolves around the efforts of Tyger Hayes (Francis) to succeed in the business world. In the first episode, her new husband Chase Marshall (guest star

) is killed in a racing car accident. Chase's father Hadden (Dehner) opposes Tyger's efforts to join the family business, Kellico, but she is encouraged by Hadden's sister Margaret (French) to try her hand with a new line of perfumes. Ava (Walter), the widow of Hadden's other son, is concerned that any success Tyger might have will undermine the position of her son Marcus (Frakes) in the company. Ava plots with Marcus' wife Muffin (Fulton) to undermine Tyger's success. It is later revealed that Muffin had Tyger's husband killed when she had someone sabotage his car. Ava eventually seduces and marries Hadden. Tyger's mother, Lady Bobbi Rowan (O'Neill), falls in love with a Greek millionaire, Niko Theopolous (

), who wants to exact revenge on the Marshalls. Penny Fuller and

Morgan Stevens Morgan Stevens (October 16, 1951 – January 26, 2022) was an American actor, primarily seen on television. Biography Stevens played Paul Northridge in one episode of ''The Waltons'' and in three reunion movies. In ''A Wedding on Walton's Mou ...

join the cast midway through the season, while Ted LePlat,

Richard Backus Richard Backus (born March 28, 1945) is an American actor and television writer. He has been nominated for four Daytime Emmy Awards for writing and one for acting. Biography Richard Backus was born in Goffstown, New Hampshire on March 28, 1945 ...

Anulka Dziubinska Anulka Maria Dziubinska (born 14 December 1950) is an English actress and model. She was featured as ''Playboy'' magazine's Playmate of the Month in May 1973. After her Playmate appearance, Dziubinska became an actress of film and television, p ...

, Paula Holland and

Michael Nader Michael Nader (February 19, 1945 – August 23, 2021) was an American actor, known for his roles as Dex Dexter on the ABC primetime soap opera ''Dynasty'' from 1983 to 1989, and Dimitri Marick on the ABC daytime soap opera ''All My Children'' f ...

appear in recurring roles.

Reception

Despite a great deal of promotion (with commercials like "Love her. Use her. Or destroy her. Everyone wants a piece of Tyger Hayes."), ''Bare Essence'' was unsuccessful and canceled after its first season, with cliffhangers left unresolved. Christopher Schemering called the series "a routine story of murder and family mayhem" in '' The Soap Opera Encyclopedia'', describing Walter's Ava as "a stock villainess obviously modeled on

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primeti ...

's Alexis in ''

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

''."

Tom Shales Thomas William Shales (born November 3, 1944) is an American writer and retired critic of television programming and operations. He was a television critic for ''The Washington Post'' from 1977 to 2010, for which Shales received the Pulitzer Pr ...

of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' wrote that ''Bare Essence'' "comes up lacking on almost all counts. A better title would be ''Bare Minimum''." He praised the female cast members, but noted that "writer-director Walter Grauman has given this talent little to do that isn't ridiculous on the face of it."

Cast

Episodes

Miniseries (1979)

Season 1 (1980)

US TV ratings

References

External links

* (1982 TV movie) * {{IMDb title, id=0084981, title=Bare Essence (1983 TV series) 1980s American television miniseries 1982 American television series debuts 1983 American television series endings 1980s American LGBT-related drama television series American television soap operas American primetime television soap operas English-language television shows NBC original programming Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television shows set in Seattle