I said earlier that "The Edge of Night" moving from CBS to ABC wouldn't be the last time that a soap changed networks. There was another one, which I will mention right now.
"Search for Tomorrow" was one of the earliest soap operas on television. It debuted on the CBS television network on September 3, 1951, airing for 15 minutes from 12:30 PM to 12:45 PM. Throughout most of its run, it was one of CBS's highest-rated soaps. On September 9, 1968, it became one of the last two soaps to expand from 15 minutes to a half-hour (the other was "The Guiding Light", which aired immediately after Search for over 15 years), taking the 12:30 timeslot by itself. It continued to dominate the 12:30 timeslot for over a deade until CBS moved the show from 12:30 to 2:30, which caused a huge drop in ratings. Procter & Gamble (producer of the soap) insisted on the show being returned to his prior timeslot, in which CBS responded by cancellng it.
However, that was not the end of the show, as it moved to NBC on March 29, 1982 (replacing the popular game show "Password Plus". I should warn people here that I will be a little bit biased towards game shows in these daytime entries), airing at its former timeslot of 12:30 PM. However, by that time, "The Young and the Restless" on CBS and "Ryan's Hope" on ABC were dominating the 12:30 slot, so Search's ratings were even lower than they were on CBS. Not even a live broadcast (which happened due to the master copy and a backup of a previously taped episode allegedly being lost) could help the declining ratings, and the show was ultimately canceled on December 26, 1986, ending an incredible 35 and 1/4 year run. At that time, it was the longest-running soap opera on television, which would be quickly eclipsed by its former sister show "Guiding Light".
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