Bay State (TV series)

Bay State is an ongoing television series broadcast on butv10 on the Boston University campus. Originated in 1991, Bay State is the longest-running continuously produced student soap opera in the United States. The series is set at the fictional Beacon Hill College and focuses on the sordid lives of the students there. The 150th episode of Bay State aired in January 2016.

Bay State
Genre	Soap opera
Created by	Delaina Dixon Tom Rotolo
Written by	Various
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	29
No. of episodes	166
Production
Executive producer	Various
Running time	60 minutes/30 minutes (recent)
Distributor	Boston University College of Communication
Release
Original network	Various (1991–2006) butv10 (2006–present)
Original release	1991
External links
Website

History

Bay State was created in 1991 by Delaina Dixon and Tom Rotolo, making it the longest-running continuously produced student soap opera in the United States.[1][2][3] Dixon was inspired by a 1989 episode of 48 Hours profiling a student soap opera at UCLA called University, which was produced from 1986 to 1990.[4][5] Entirely student-produced, Bay State originally aired on the Boston University campus via closed-circuit television and screenings, was broadcast by the public-access television service Boston Neighborhood Network, and was eventually streamed on the internet.[1][2][4] The Boston University College of Communication premiered its own channel, butv10, on February 22, 2006, which includes Bay State in its ongoing programming.[1][2][6]

In 1995, Bay State was featured on MTV News and Extra.[1]

The 150th episode of Bay State aired in January 2016.[7][8]

Plot

Using the tagline "Sex, drugs and murder", the series is set at the fictional Beacon Hill College and focuses on the sordid lives of the students there. It explores social issues related to college students, as well as the dramatic storylines indicative of soap operas.[1][3][4][5][7]

Series overview

Season		Episodes		Originally aired
				First aired	Last aired
	1	4		January 1991	April 1991
	2	9		September 1991	May 1992
	3	10		September 1992	May 1993
	4	6		October 15, 1993	April 22, 1994
	5	2		October 21, 1994	November 11, 1994
	6	TBA
	7	TBA
	8	TBA
	9	TBA
	10	TBA
	11	TBA
	12	TBA
	13	TBA
	14	TBA
	15	TBA
	16	TBA
	17	5		November 29, 2006	October 16, 2007
	18	5		January 18, 2008	May 12, 2008
	19	5		November 10, 2008	May 15, 2009
	20	6		October 2009	May 5, 2010
	21	6		September 2010	May 2011
	22	6		September 2011	May 2012
	23	5		December 2012	May 2013
	24	6		2013	2014
	25	6		2014	December 11, 2015
	26	4		January 28, 2016	April 4, 2017
	27	3		October 31, 2017	March 26, 2018
	28	3		April 30, 2018	May 1, 2018
	29	7		October 5, 2018	May 8, 2019

Notable cast and crew

Bay State has featured guest appearances by Days of Our Lives actors Kristian Alfonso, Alison Sweeney and Austin Peck, as well as The Daily Show host Jon Stewart.[1] Miss Hawaii USA 1992 Heather Hays, later a news anchor at KDFW, appeared on the show in 1993. More recently, the series featured Sarah Hartshorne (as "Samantha Carver") before her appearance on The CW's America's Next Top Model in 2007.[9][10] Bay State has also featured Kate Hackett appeared as a series regular before creating the web series Classic Alice.ref>TERRIERS INBIZ: “Classic Alice” creator shares timeless novels through social platforms – The Daily Free Press</ref>

Notable crew members include Dixon, an entertainment journalist and host of VH1's The Gossip Table;[1][3][11][12] Catherine Burns of The Moth;[13] Rotolo, a TV production manager and producer;[1][2][3] and Nicole Savini, senior producer of The Colbert Report.[14]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Result	Notes
2008	Aegis Award	Student Programming	Won	[15]
2009	Telly Award	TV Programming/Student	Won	[16][17]
2013	Telly Award	TV Programming/Student	Won	Episode 133[18]
2014	Telly Award	TV Programming/Student	Won	Episode 137 [19]
2014	Telly Award	TV Programming/Student	Won	Episode 138 [19]
2014	NATAS College/University Student Honoree	Long Form - Fiction	Nominated	Episode 138: "A Cinderella Story"; Lee Ann Carluccio (Producer), Evan Tuohey (Producer)[20]

References

1. Waltz, Vicky (Spring 2006). "Sex, Lies, and Videotape: The Young and the Restless Populate BU Soap". Bostonia. BU.edu (Internet Archive). Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2009.
2. Waltz, Vicky (February 21, 2007). "It's Showtime: The Premiere of BUTV10". ComTalk. BU.edu (Internet Archive). Archived from the original on August 24, 2007. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
3. Levy, Max (September 10, 2008). "It's not your father's Bay State". The Daily Free Press. Archived from the original on November 25, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
4. Cox, Christopher (January 9, 1992). "As the campus turns: BU students' soap opera a wash in drama". Boston Herald. pp. 53, 55.
5. "A For Effort: A Catalog of College Soap Operas". Soap Opera Weekly. 2 (40). October 1991.
6. "BUTV10 to showcase student, faculty, and alumni work". BU Today. November 8, 2005. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
7. Laskowski, Amy (January 25, 2016). "Bay State Celebrates 150 Episodes". BU Today. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
8. Laskowski, Amy (Summer 2016). "Bay State Celebrates 150 Episodes". Bostonia. Archived from the original on July 13, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
9. Kilgallen, Dorothy (September 20, 2007). "Someone From BU Who Might Actually Become Famous". CollegeOTR.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
10. "Bay State cast: 2007". BUtv10.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2007. Retrieved August 20, 2007.
11. Puccio, Crystal (May 21, 2013). "VH1 Delivers Celeb Scoop Every Morning In Brand New Show The Gossip Table". VH1.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
12. Black, Elizabeth (September 4, 2013). "Get Ready For The Return Of Big Morning Buzz Live With Carrie Keagan And The Gossip Table On September 30". VH1.com. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
13. "Interview: Catherine Burns – Artistic Director of The Moth". ArtofStorytellingShow.com. March 13, 2009. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
14. "Class Notes". Boston University COMtalk. October 10, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
15. "2008 Aegis Awards Winners & Finalists". AegisAwards.com. 2008. Archived from the original on May 29, 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
16. Cavalieri, Christophor (April 9, 2012). "butv10 wins 5th consecutive Telly Award". Boston University College of Communication. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
17. Webster, Anne (May 22, 2009). "Celebrating Good Stuff on the Telly: BUTV's Bay State grabs national kudos". Boston University College of Communication. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
18. "Telly Award for TV Programs, Segments, or Promotional Pieces Film/Video - Student". AwardsandWinners.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
19. "35th Annual Telly Awards: 2014 Film/Video Bronze Winners". Telly Awards. 2014. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
20. "2014 College/University Student Honorees" (PDF). NewEnglandEmmy.org. NATAS. 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.

External links

• Official website
• Official butv10 website
• Bay State at IMDb
• "Student Soap Operas: Harvard's Ivory Tower vs. BU's Bay State". StormingtheTower.com. September 25, 2007. Archived from the original on October 29, 2007. Retrieved July 27, 2016.