The daytime drama, 'Capitol' went on air between 1982 and 1987. John Conboy recounted, "When the order for the show came, we started seeing people right away. In the month before we went into production, I’d say we saw over a thousand people. I myself looked at about 200 actors and actresses before we were able to narrow it down further for screen tests. On March 5th (1982) we started shooting in Washington D.C. and we didn’t have our entire cast signed until the week preceding our location shoot. I think a half-hour format is the perfect amount of time for putting a new show on the air."
Of 'Capitol', John disclosed, "Washington D.C. is the backdrop for the show, which is the story of 2 political families, one having been ruined by the other during the McCarthy era. We're able to talk about things like that and weave through the personal struggles of these people, which are not that different from the struggles of anybody else except that it's the political arena they're struggling in. It gives me a broader canvas to paint on, so that if I really want to do something that parallels an event of national significance, I can have a little fun with it and do it on 'Capitol.'"
Of the characters, "We created the brothers of the McCandless family first and then the Clegg family and arrived with our ingénue. In the McCandless family, we had already created possibly the next President 10 to 15 years down the line and had them fall in love. It’s a forbidden love because of the 2 feuding families. It just happened that way – we're not trying to tell Romeo and Juliet."
'The Bold And The Beautiful' succeeded 'Capitol' in March 1987. Susan Flannery believed, "I believe there are 2 reasons why the serial became such a huge hit. First, because it is the only daytime show to be set in Los Angeles and in the glamorous world of fashion. And the other reason is because it is a love story."
Of acting, Stephen Shortridge made the observation, "I see a soap style. Writers overdo the dramatics. And if you play it too close to the script you can mess up. Susan Flannery is my guide." Teri Ann Linn concurred, "I’m learning to emphasize, draw the audience's attention, lead with phrasing." Stephen added, "(Bill) Bell works off character emotions, their reactions. Out of that you get a story. He's concerned with what happens to the people. You may have talking heads, but one is affecting another. That’s soap. Action doesn’t work in this medium. At least, I don’t think it does. Usually it looks so stagy and false."
Of production, Susan noted, "The shows are much faster-paced today. The stories move much quicker, the production values are much improved."
