# 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.

## 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. 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. 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. The Boston University College of Communication premiered its own channel, butv10, on February 22, 2006, which includes Bay State in its ongoing programming.
In 1995, Bay State was featured on MTV News and Extra.
The 150th episode of Bay State aired in January 2016.

## 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.

## Series overview

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 4 | 4 | January 1991 (1991-1) | April 1991 (1991-4) |
| 2 | 9 | 9 | September 1991 (1991-9) | May 1992 (1992-5) |
| 3 | 10 | 10 | September 1992 (1992-9) | May 1993 (1993-5) |
| 4 | 6 | 6 | October 15, 1993 (1993-10-15) | April 22, 1994 (1994-04-22) |
| 5 | 2 | 2 | October 21, 1994 (1994-10-21) | November 11, 1994 (1994-11-11) |
| 17 | 5 | 5 | November 29, 2006 (2006-11-29) | October 16, 2007 (2007-10-16) |
| 18 | 5 | 5 | January 18, 2008 (2008-01-18) | May 12, 2008 (2008-05-12) |
| 19 | 5 | 5 | November 10, 2008 (2008-11-10) | May 15, 2009 (2009-05-15) |
| 20 | 6 | 6 | October 2009 (2009-10) | May 05, 2010 (2010-05-05) |
| 21 | 6 | 6 | September 2010 (2010-9) | May 2011 (2011-5) |
| 22 | 6 | 6 | September 2011 (2011-9) | May 2012 (2012-5) |
| 23 | 5 | 5 | December 2012 (2012-12) | May 2013 (2013-5) |
| 24 | 6 | 6 | 2013 (2013) | 2014 (2014) |
| 25 | 6 | 6 | 2014 (2014) | December 11, 2015 (2015-12-11) |
| 26 | 4 | 4 | January 28, 2016 (2016-01-28) | April 04, 2017 (2017-04-04) |
| 27 | 3 | 3 | October 31, 2017 (2017-10-31) | March 26, 2018 (2018-03-26) |
| 28 | 3 | 3 | April 30, 2018 (2018-04-30) | May 01, 2018 (2018-05-01) |
| 29 | 7 | 7 | October 05, 2018 (2018-10-05) | May 08, 2019 (2019-05-08) |
| 30 | 5 | 5 | December 27, 2019 (2019-12-27) | May 14, 2021 (2021-05-14) |
| 31 | 2 | 2 | February 16, 2022 (2022-02-16) | February 16, 2022 (2022-02-16) |
| 32 | 2 | 2 | December 12, 2022 (2022-12-12) | December 12, 2022 (2022-12-12) |
| 33 | 2 | 2 | December 19, 2022 (2022-12-19) | December 19, 2022 (2022-12-19) |
| 34 | 3 | 3 | May 11, 2023 (2023-05-11) | May 11, 2023 (2023-05-11) |

## 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. Miss Hawaii USA 1992 Heather Hays, later a news anchor at KDFW, appeared on the show in 1993. In the 2000s, the series featured Sarah Hartshorne (as "Samantha Carver") before her appearance on The CW's America's Next Top Model in 2007. Kate Hackett, creator of the web series Classic Alice, also appeared on Bay State.
Notable crew members include Dixon, an entertainment journalist and host of VH1's The Gossip Table; Catherine Burns of The Moth; Rotolo, a TV production manager and producer; and Nicole Savini, senior producer of The Colbert Report.

## Awards and nominations

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