"Gunsmoke" (1955) - Review & Commentary

[Mister Obvious]

I don't consider Law & Order an actual show. The same people aren't really on it year after year (except for that one chick).

Since 1999, Mariska Hargitay has been in 517 episodes at the time of writing... 533 if you count cross-over appearances on other L&O spinoffs.

533 episodes in 23 years... Gunsmoke was 635 episodes in 20 years.

Still pretty significant though.

Then we get into soap opera territory...

As of 2022, William Roache holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-serving actor in a television soap opera, having played Ken Barlow on Coronation Street since 1960.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lo...era_actors

Patricia Greene holds a similar record as the longest-serving actor in a radio soap opera, having joined the cast of The Archers as character Jill Archer in 1957.

That's um... a lot.

But that's soap operas, which I just don't even consider to be the same as a regular TV series.

It's just different... not the same.

That said, as far as the study I referenced much earlier in this thread...

https://www.sectual.com/thread-18541-pos...#pid153774

I think a study on this needs to be done. The best and only real way to do it would be to get a comprehensive profile of the actor BEFORE they began working in said role... and then follow the changes in their personalities and their personal lives over the duration of the role they play. It has to be someone playing the same role every year for at least 10+ years, exactly like James Arness or Amanda Blake.

I just really hope there hasn't been a wasted opportunity here with these longstanding soap opera actors...

They qualify for this study and if it hasn't been done yet, it needs to start.

I think the best subject would be an actor/actress who is in their early to mid-20s when their character role begins.

There needs to be a HARDCORE comprehensive psychological profile made, BEFORE they start playing in the role.

There should be one male and one female subject (at least).

They need to be studied on a continual basis, and checked in with for an update to their psychological record about every 2 years.

The study should go on for the entire duration of their role, and their original psychological profile should be studied alongside another comprehensive psychological profile that is made AFTER their role ends.

All of the information gathered throughout the entire role should be analyzed, and the before and after reports should be compared.

Ideally, the actor would be studied for up to 5 years before the role begins, and for up to 10 years after it ends, at which time another psychological report should be taken and compared with the earlier information to come to a conclusion about how playing the long-term role affected them psychologically, changed their behavior, identity, etc.

Do it.