film. Shooting was set to commence in either Dallas or Vancouver. Nielsen did not appear in the film. The producers hoped to inspire a TV series with this movie, and therefore it was also promoted as a television pilot. Filerman believed that they were "going to capture a big audience that fondly remembers the series and the excitement it created at the time." He also explained that there were too many actors in the original series to bring back in the film. As with Murder in Peyton Place, Mia Farrow and Ryan O'Neal were not approached to reprise their roles, because the crew thought that they would not be interested and that they "would've cost too much." Actor Christopher Connelly, who had a large role in Murder in Peyton Place, had only little to do in this film, to which Connelly publicly has exclaimed his disappointment. Most of the attention went to 'the new generation', which included Deborah Goodrich, Bruce Greenwood and Marguerite Hickey. Parkins recalled that filming with her former colleagues was "strange", and said that it was "hard work in a strange atmosphere." Reception One reviewer wrote that "it all seems confusing at first, especially if you didn't see the original Peyton Place series. But by the time it's half over, you can easily predict how most of the dilemmas will be solved. [...] Despite nostalgia and raunchiness, this program doesn't work." Other critics complained that this TV movie only held appeal for viewers who had watched the original series, and that it was tame compared to contemporary nighttime soaps such as Dallas and Dynasty. References External links 1985 television films 1985 films 1985 drama films Films based on television series Television films based on television series Films set in the 1980s Television series reunion films Television pilots not picked up as a series Films directed by Larry Elikann 20th Century Fox Television films