Dusk to Dawn
Dusk to Dawn; often abbreviated in English to DUDA or Dawn) is a Diadochian daytime soap opera broadcast on the EERE television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in Diadochia, as well as the world, currently it airs every weekday Monday through Friday (except on certain holidays). The show debuted on October 12, 1960. The show has long since been syndicated and is available around the world. The daytime drama series was created by husband-and-wife team Theo Chronis and Betty Chronis. Eugenia Papadakis was instrumental the creation of many storylines and many of the show's earliest storylines were written by Lefteris E. Bilias, who went on to create Forever and Always Youthful and The Elegant and the Charismatic, created in 1969 and 1983 respectively.
The series was huge success, it was expanded from 30 minutes to 60 minutes on March 25, 1970. Ever since 1970, after the first thirty minutes of the show a commercial featuring the phrase "We will return for the second half of Dusk to Dawn in just a moment", was aired with every episode. The series originally focused on its core families, the Haritos and the Bourikas. However several other families have been added, including Dimakis, Kokkinos, Mamalis, and Paraskos families.
History and Development
While in the act of creating, Dusk to Dawn, Theo and Betty Chronis along with Eugenia Papadakis borrowed the idea of centering a soap opera on a hospital from Eternity, while also centering it on a family of professionals who worked near and for the medical institution. The show later branched off from that to a more widened horizon. The soap opera is set in the fictional town of Sidon. By the 1970s, Dusk to Dawn was nominally regarded by fans and critics alike as the most daring of all the Diadochian soap operas, being the only soap that would feature interracial romance, artificial insemination, and so forth in that time period. In the 1990s to attract younger viewers, the show branched off into supernatural storylines. The new storylines had the desired effect, propelling the soap to the top spot on the list of the most watched daytime soap among woman.
Just like many soap operas in Diadochia, Dusk to Dawn experienced a steady decline in ratings. In just when the network had predicted in 2007 that the show would not last the next two years, the soap in its bleakest hour made a comeback and experienced a steady increase in ratings, pulling itself back from certain of cancellation. Beginning on October 12, 2010, which marked Dusk to Dawn' 50th anniversary, the show began airing in high definition. In the following year, 2011 former fan favorites were reintroduced and younger characters were introduced in an effort to increase viewership, stabilize ratings, appeal to a younger audience. On December 21, 2014, EERE launched a new logo for Dusk to Dawn at the 2014 Psychiko Christmas Parade, in celebration of the series' fifty-fifth anniversary.
Storylines
Originally when Dusk to Dawn premiered in 1960, the show revolved around the family interactions of the Haritos family. However overtime the writers created additional families to interact with the Haritos family and to serve as links to new storylines. Overtime the new families became just as important as the original core family, the Haritos family. The Haritos family was led for years by patriarch Dr. Sergios Haritos and his wife, Anne. In modern times the Haritos remain a prominent fixture in many storylines.
An early storyline featured Panos Haritos wife Lisa being raped by Panos' brother Nasos (Athanasius) Haritos in 1963. Nasos can't remember raping Lisa the day after. Soon after that night Lisa learns that she is pregnant, and when her father in law Sergios Haritos discovers a paternity test, things become more complicated, when Sergios later learns that Panos is sterile, and that the baby is Nasos's Lisa eventually confides in her father-in-law Dr. Sergios, and the two agreed to keep it a secret from Panos. The truth surrounding the parentage of Panagiotis Haritos (a product of the rape) soon came out and it revelation drove Panos to have health problems. The storylines surrounding this spanned episodes from 1963 to 1970.
In 1976, Lisa and Panos's marriage begins to deteriorate, but eventually they worked out their problems by the end of the year. However, by 1966 Panos and Lisa were once again having troubles after Panos' affair with Eliza Pagonis was revealed. Lisa and Panos however agree to remain married and try to make things work for Pangiotis' sake. With her marriage to Panos rapidly deteriorating Lisa realized that she was in love with Nasos and plans to divorce him, but family situations keep this from happening for a number of years. In 1968 Panos sufferers a heart attack after his son Panagiotis lashes out at him for having an affair with secretary. Panos is rushed to the hospital where he undergoes surgery and survives the operation performed by his brother Nasos. Though he survives the operation Panos suffers a stroke which erases his memory, causing him to forget everything. A confused Panos sneaks out of the hospital and leaves Sidon. With Panos out of the way Lisa is free to be with Nasos, however her marriage to Panos is still an obstacle, a legally binding obstacle. Panos is soon discovered to be alive, and he grants Lisa a divorce so he can remain with Marie Solomos. In 1970 Lisa and Nasos are married.
In 1971, Panos finally learned that he was not the biological father of Panagiotis. This occurred when after Pangiotis suffered an accident at Marie's home, Panos and Lisa both donated blood, but neither were matches. After this Panosvrealized he could not be Panagiotis' father. Panos searched through hospital medical records, and found out evidence that his brother Nasos was a match, and suddenly all of his memory came back to him. Panos then went to Eliza Pagonis and asked if her child could possibly be his child, and she told him no because he was unable to have children, according to Lisa Haritos. Angry at being lied to for years by the woman and people who had claimed to love him Panos bought a gun and attempted to kill Nasos. The two fought and Nasos was shot in the shoulder when the gun went off, he survived. After the fight, Panos suffered a mental breakdown and was admitted to Hollywood Sanitarium for a year. Early storylines also featured a love triangle involving David Giangos, Amelia Haritos, and Amelia's own daughter Julia Haritos. David Giangos. This love triangle storyline reached its peak when Amelia died in 1969. After this David and Julia married in 1971.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, members of the Bourikas and Dimakis families were introduced. A common soap opera theme, a long standing rivalry between the two respective families quickly cemented their places as core families in Sidon alongside the Haritos. Around the same time as more families were added, going along with the flashiness of the 1980s more action/adventure storylines and supercouples such as Leo Bourikas and Faith Giangos (called Fleo), Spiros Dounias and Angela Bourikas (called Spang), and Stelios Mamalis and Carly (called Starly) were introduced, garnering positive reception from viewers.
