Family Passions was the first hour long soap opera produced in Canada. It was produced and distributed by Baton Broadcasting Corporation between 1993 and 1994.

It was sold overseas to German televison. To assist with bringing in a German audience the show went on location in that country when a jewel thief and his lover ( who had been in a coma for seven years and wanted revenge on the women her husband had married in the meantime) stole the Dimarco diamond from a museum in that country.

Another milestone of this show was the exploration of a lesbian couple attempting to adopt a daughter whose biological mother was deemed unfit because of her addiction to cocain. There attempts were thwarted when the child's biological father (who had been working as their butler) intervened. This couple also frequently shared on screen kisses. When the American soap opera All My Children did this ten years later it made international news.

This show featured popular soap actors like Kin Shriner and Roscoe Born as well as many Canadian actors including future Star Wars actor Hayden Christensen