You remember MyNetworkTV, right? Probably not. It was that weird experiment back in 2006 where a network decided to air English-language telenovelas every single night. It was a bold move. It was also, frankly, a bit of a disaster. But tucked away in that chaotic launch was a show called Wicked Wicked Games, and honestly, we need to talk about it because it is much weirder than you remember.
The show starred Tatum O’Neal. Yes, that Tatum O'Neal—the youngest person to ever win an Academy Award. Seeing an Oscar winner headlining a low-budget, daily strip soap opera was jarring. It felt like a glitch in the Matrix. She played Blythe Hunter, a woman consumed by a twenty-year-old grudge against an ex-lover who ditched her. Her plan? To destroy his life, his sons' lives, and basically anything he ever touched. It wasn't subtle. It was campy, vengeful, and incredibly fast-paced.
The MyNetworkTV Telenovela Experiment
Most American TV viewers are used to the slow burn. You get one episode of a drama per week. Maybe you get a soap opera daily, but those stories stretch out for decades. MyNetworkTV tried to import the Latin American model. They produced Wicked Wicked Games as a limited-run series meant to air 65 episodes over 13 weeks.
It was a grueling schedule for the actors. They were churning out content at a pace that would make a modern YouTuber sweat. Because they were filming so much so fast, the production value had this specific, hazy quality. It looked expensive and cheap at the exact same time. It’s hard to describe if you weren't there. Think high-fashion wardrobes paired with sets that occasionally looked like they might wobble if a door slammed too hard.
The network didn't just bet on this show; they bet the whole house. They launched with this and Desire. No sitcoms. No police procedurals. Just pure, unadulterated melodrama. It was a massive gamble that ultimately failed to capture the ratings they needed, leading the network to pivot away from the format entirely within a year. But for those 65 episodes, it was a wild ride.
What Really Happens in Wicked Wicked Games
The plot is basically a masterclass in "hell hath no fury." Blythe Hunter (O’Neal) is wealthy, powerful, and completely unhinged in the best way possible for TV. Her target is Theodore Crawford, played by David Selby. You might know Selby from Dark Shadows or Falcon Crest, so he was no stranger to the world of heightened stakes.
Blythe’s revenge isn't just about a breakup. It’s about a legacy. She wants to take his racetrack. She wants to corrupt his sons. It’s "King Lear" if it were set at a horse track and written by people who had a very tight deadline. The show leans heavily into the tropes of the genre: secret identities, blackmail, and plot twists that happen every twelve minutes.
It’s actually fascinating to watch O’Neal in this role. She’s an actress of immense talent, and she brings a level of gravitas to Blythe that the script doesn't always deserve. She plays it straight. That’s the secret. If you wink at the camera in a show like this, it falls apart. She never winks. She’s all-in on the vendetta.
The Supporting Cast and the Chaos
The sons—Josh, Taylor, and Walker—were played by Grayson McCouch, Clive Robertson, and Jack Krizmanich. They were the "eye candy" typical of the genre, but they were also the primary chess pieces in Blythe’s game.
Robertson, in particular, was interesting because he had come off Sunset Beach, another cult classic soap. He knew the assignment. The chemistry between the cast was... varied. Sometimes it clicked; sometimes you could tell they were on page 40 of that day's script and just trying to remember where to stand.
- The pacing was breakneck. Unlike General Hospital, where a conversation in a hallway can last three days, things happened here.
- The dialogue was sharp but often ridiculous. People don't talk like this in real life. They talk in proclamations.
- The ending was definitive. One of the best things about the telenovela format is that it actually ends. You get a payoff.
Why Nobody Talks About It Now
After the MyNetworkTV experiment flopped, these shows sort of vanished into the ether. They weren't prestigious enough for the early days of streaming, and they were too "weird" for traditional syndication. For years, Wicked Wicked Games existed mostly in the memories of people who happened to be home at 8:00 PM on a Tuesday in late 2006.
It’s a shame, honestly. We talk so much about "Prestige TV" and the "Golden Age," but we forget the experimental failures that paved the way. This show was an attempt to change how Americans consume television. It tried to bridge the gap between the daytime soap and the primetime drama. It didn't work, but it was an ambitious failure.
The Legacy of the "Daily Strip" Drama
While Wicked Wicked Games didn't spark a revolution, you can see its DNA in how we binge-watch now. The idea of consuming a massive amount of a single story in a short period is exactly what Netflix built its empire on. MyNetworkTV just tried to do it via broadcast airwaves before the technology was ready to support that kind of obsession.
If you go back and watch clips now, the fashion is quintessential mid-2000s. The drama is dialed up to eleven. It’s a time capsule. It’s a reminder of a moment when the television landscape was so uncertain that a major media company thought the best way to compete was with a revenge-fueled horse racing soap opera starring an Oscar winner.
The show eventually found a second life on secondary digital channels and some international markets, but it remains a niche curiosity. It’s a "if you know, you know" piece of trivia for TV buffs.
How to Experience the Melodrama Today
If you're looking to dive into the world of Blythe Hunter, you won't find it on the front page of Netflix. However, there are ways to track it down.
- Check Secondary Streamers: Shows from this era often pop up on free, ad-supported services like Tubi or Freevee. They rotate catalogs often, so keep an eye out.
- Physical Media: There were DVD releases of these series, though they can be hard to find. They are worth snagging if you see them at a thrift store just for the sheer kitsch value.
- YouTube Archives: Fan-uploaded clips and episodes are often the only way to see the specific, high-intensity performances that made the show what it was.
Your next move? Start by looking for the pilot episode. Pay close attention to Tatum O'Neal's entrance. It sets the tone for the entire series. If you can appreciate the camp and the blistering pace, it's a fascinating look at a TV format that almost was. Study the way the scenes are blocked; because they filmed so much, the movement is very specific to "industrial" television production. It’s a masterclass in efficiency, if nothing else. Once you've seen the first few episodes, compare it to modern "limited series" on streaming—you'll be surprised how much the DNA has stuck around, even if the gloss has improved.