Search for Tomorrow Through the Years [PHOTOS]

Credit: Courtesy of the Everett Collection (4)

Once Upon a Time…

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Everett Collection

Throughout the entirety of its storied run, Search for Tomorrow focused on Joanne Barron (Mary Stuart), a not-terribly-desperate housewife who when she wasn’t thrilling to the latest issue of Children’s Digest with daughter Patty (Lynn Loring) tranformed herself into a savvy businesswoman.
‘Looks Like the Kid Approves’

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Everett Collection

Patty was all smiles on the day that Arthur Tate (Terry O’Sullivan) became her new stepfather. But mom Jo was destined to be widowed yet again when dang it, her second husband succumbed to a heart attack.
‘Crazy? Who… Me?’

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Everett Collection

Before she became a primetime-soap supervixen on Flamingo Road and Falcon Crest, Morgan Fairchild played Search for Tomorrow’s Jennifer Pace, a loco looker whose pretty head was full of murderous voices.
Golden Guy

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Larry Haines was one of only two Search for Tomorrow cast members to ever win an Emmy. But on the plus side, he did it over and over. The portrayer of Jo’s bestie Stu Bergman scored in 1976, ’77 and ’81. And stop gawking at Morgan Fairchild, fella; any character she plays is gonna be trouble!
Hot Stuff

Image Credit: TV Guide/Courtesy of the Everett Collection

In the late 1970s, Search for Tomorrow had on its hands its own variation of General Hospital supercouple Luke and Laura in Travis Sentell (Rod Arrants) and Liza Kaslo (Sherry Mathis). Not pictured: Liza. She’s coming up, though…
Dressed for Success

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Everett Collection

Here, costume designer Robert Anton assures that Mathis is ready for her close-up. But let’s be real — she always was. So it was a blow to the show when she left, only to be disastrously replaced by Louan Gideon.
‘I Want My MTV’

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Everett Collection

Would ya settle for NBC, though? ’Cause in 1982, that was where CBS’ Search for Tomorrow was headed. Going along for the ride were future Another World vamp Lisa Peluso as Wendy Wilkins, ’80s It girl Cynthia Gibb as Suzi Martin and eventual Dynasty pot-stirrer Susan Scannell as Kristin Carter.
Muscling His Way In

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Around the same time that wrestler Hulk Hogan was appearing in movies like Gremlins 2 and TV shows like The A-Team, he stopped by Search for Tomorrow to let Wendy try out her hands-on approach to new guest stars.
But Seriously…

Image Credit: NBC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection

There is almost too much to unpack in this amazing 1985 photo of John Loprieno (later Cord, One Life to Live) and his Search for Tomorrow castmates, Jane Krakowski (who you know better from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and Adam Storke (whose big claim to fame is Julia Roberts’ breakout movie, 1988’s Mystic Pizza). Maybe they were headed to the circus? Were they the circus?!?
Unhappy Ending

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Everett Collection

Jo’s final marriage, to scoundrel Martin Tourneur, was doomed from the start, what with him being not only a scoundrel but one played by future Days of Our Lives ubervillain John Aniston. Eventually, Jo grew so tired of his shenanigans that she dropped divorce papers on him. Then — sigh — NBC dropped the show altogether, leading to the December 26, 1986, broadcast of its 9,130th and final episode.