Bare Essence is an American television soap opera transmitted by the NBC network during the 1982-1983 season.
The series was an attempt by NBC to cash in on the popularity of the prime-time supersoaps of the 1980s such as Dallas and Dynasty that were airing on the CBS and ABC networks respectively. Bare Essence starred popular daytime soap actress Genie Francis and dealt with the intrigues of the perfume industry.
Initially, the show started its life as a TV movie shown in October 1982 with strong supporting performances from veteran prime-time soap actresses Linda Evans and Donna Mills as well as Lee Grant and Bruce Boxleitner. By the time the series went to air in February 1983, their roles had been taken over by Jennifer O'Neill, Jaime Lyn Bauer, Jessica Walter and Al Corley.
Other notable cast members included: Jonathan Frakes, Wendy Fulton, Ian McShane, John Dehner, Susan French, Michael Nader and guest-starring for two episodes, Joan Fontaine.
Bare Essence was not a popular success and was cancelled at the end of the season. A total of 11 episodes were produced, plus the TV movie pilot.
