Soap Talk

Soap Talk
Starring	Ty Treadway Lisa Rinna
Country of origin	United States
Production
Running time	60 mins.
Original release
Network	SOAPnet
Release	2002 – 2006

Soap Talk was a television talk show on SOAPnet hosted by Lisa Rinna and Ty Treadway. It debuted in 2002 and ended in 2006. The reason for the show's cancellation was due to a combination of factors, ranging from low ratings to rumors of Lisa Rinna wanting out.

History

Lisa Rinna was chosen to host the show after executives at ABC (who owned SOAPnet) were impressed by her on screen auditions to take over the spot left open by Kathie Lee Gifford on Live with Regis and Kathy Lee. She was actually Regis Philbin's first choice, but the network went with then ABC Daytime soap star Kelly Ripa. Lisa also had a background in soaps. She was Billie Reed on NBC Daytime's Days of Our Lives in the 1990's, as well as a stint on Melrose Place. Ty Treadway was starring at One Life To Live at the time.

The show taped at ABC Prospect Studios in Hollywood, California. Ty lived on the east coast and had to fly in every weekend. The show taped three episodes on Saturday and then three more on Sundays before changing it to taping on Friday and Saturday.

The show's format was almost always the same. Much like Live with Regis & Kelly, Lisa and Ty would come out, take a seat, drink coffee and discuss what was going in the world. Topics ranged from the world of soap operas, TV in general, movies, celebrities, and the lives of the two hosts. After that a soap star would come out and give an interview. They would also do cooking segments from time to time as well as fashion shows, instructions from experts on skin and heath care, and would often have editors from Soap Opera Digest come out to discuss the state of daytime.

On the occasion that either Ty or Lisa would be gone a star would fill in for one. Alison Sweeney and Catherine Hickland often filled in for Lisa among others including Melody Thomas Scott and Susan Lucci. Extra's Jerry Pinacolli or AMC's Cameron Mathison would oftenfill in for Ty.

The show often went on location as well. Soap Talk filmed a weeks worth episodes in Hawaii and would also film live from Super Soap Weekend at Disney World in Florida. Lisa & Ty also hosted an annual show for ABC Daytime that would air in place of The View called ABC Soaps Present: Soap Secrets.

In addition to that occasionally it would dedicate an entire episode to one soap opera. In celebration of SoapNet getting Another World reruns Linda Dano hosted an episode full of former stars of the soap. In celebration of having reruns of the tv show Dallas, they had the entire cast reunite. As shows would celebrate anniversaries they would do these type of shows and sometimes bring in ex-members from the shows as was the case with Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, One Life To Live, and The Young and The Restless among others. SoapTalk was also used by soap stars to make the first public announcement of things. Actress Jennifer Finnagen announced on the soap that she would be leaving her three time Daytime Emmy Award Winning role of Bridgett Forrester on The Bold And The Beautiful. The Young and the Restless's Tracy E. Bregman premiered her fashion line on the show as well. Alison Sweeney reveled she was having a baby boy.