When it debuted on July 5, 1999, NBC’s “Passions” became the first modern soap opera. With its diverse cast, plots sprinkled with fantasy and horror, and references to contemporary events, “Passions” was unlike anything ever seen on daytime.

It was a soap that winked at the audience, saying, “We know this sounds ridiculous, but play along just for fun.” It single-mindedly pursued the women 18-34 who saw daytime television as something their mom watched, worked to understand and appeal to their different tastes, and it made many of them into loyal viewers.

It was a valiant effort, but it wasn't enough. Too few of those younger women got "Passions."

On Wednesday, after years of low ratings and increasing fan outcry over slow-developing story arcs, NBC canceled the soap to make room for an expanded “Today” show. "Passions" will stay on the air through at least mid-June to wrap up its hanging plotlines.

NBC is hinting the show may live on on cable or online in a much leaner form, meaning a much smaller cast and perhaps a new head writer, charged with creating storylines built around those fewer characters  and appeasing disillusioned fans.

Yet even if “Passions” lives on, its demise on broadcast speaks to a greater truth about daytime television: Fewer and fewer young women are drawn to soap operas, modern or otherwise, and there will be fewer still in the coming years. The broadcast networks will be challenged as never before to figure out just what those young people do want.

“Passions” was different from the start. In the very first episode, one of the characters delivered flowers to Princess Diana’s memorial, breaking the bubble that traditionally separated soap characters from the real world.

Then things got downright odd. In its first few years, “Passions” introduced an orangutan nurse named Precious, a living doll and a witch, as its younger, ethnically diverse cast participated in the bed-hopping and the melodramatic doings of traditional soaps.

The show got away with such bouts of fantasy by acknowledging how silly it all was. “Passions” rarely took itself seriously, doing spoofs on Bollywood, the musical "Chicago" and "Pirates of the Caribbean."

Still, the show was always the lowest-rated of the nine soaps on the Big Three networks, and among its target women 18-34, ratings sank by double-digit percentages last year, increasing long-simmering speculation that it would be canceled.

On the web, news of “Passions’” demise spread quickly and inspired long and passionate posts on Soapcentral.com, more than 300 messages in just a few hours.

Wrote one poster, in a particularly insightful tribute: “I happen to think those of us who ‘get’ Passions are a great bunch of folks who appreciate creativity. RIP.”

Meanwhile, in other dayparts for the week ended Jan. 7, NBC’s “Meet the Press” led the Sunday morning shows with 4.22 million total viewers and a 1.3 adults 25-54 rating. CBS’s “Face the Nation” was second with 3.58 million viewers and a 1.0, followed by ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” with 2.79 million and a 0.8, and Fox “News Sunday” in fourth place with 1.35 million and a 0.4 among adults 25-54.
 
In late night, NBC’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” won the week with an average 6.1 million total viewers and a 2.0 rating among adults 18-49. “Late Show with David Letterman,” on CBS, had 4.1 million viewers and a 1.3 rating in the demo, while ABC’s “Nightline” brought in 3.1 million viewers and a 1.0 rating. In late late night, NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” had 2.7 million total viewers and a 1.1 in 18-49s, CBS’s “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” had 1.8 million viewers and a 0.6, NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly” had 1.6 million viewers and 0.7, and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” had 1.6 million viewers and a 0.6 among 18-49s.
 
In morning shows, NBC’s “Today” led with 5.5 million total viewers and a 4.2 rating and 16 share in households, followed by ABC’s “Good Morning America” with 4.6 million viewers and a 3.6/13. CBS’s “Early Show” was last with 2.6 million total viewers and a 2.1/7.
 
In daytime, CBS had the largest audience for daytime dramas and full daytime, 4.02 million and 4.32 million respectively. The network finished tied for second among women 18-49 for daytime dramas with a 1.6 rating and third for full daytime with a 1.5. ABC had the second-largest audience with 3.17 million watching its dramas and 3.25 million for full daytime, and was second among women 18-49 with a 1.6 rating for dramas and full daytime. NBC had an audience of 2.79 million for both dramas and full daytime, and was first with a 1.7 rating in women 18-49 for both.
 
In evening network news for the week ended Jan. 14, NBC’s “Nightly News with Brian Williams” led with 9.8 million viewers and a 2.5 in 25-54s. ABC’s “World News with Charles Gibson” was second with 9.1 million viewers and a 2.3, while CBS’s “Evening News with Katie Couric” came in third with 7.4 million total viewers and a 2.0 in the key demo.