ABC Cancels ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE
April 14, 2011 by Marisa Roffman
ABC announced today that it will be ending two of its long-running soaps within the next nine months. ALL MY CHILDREN’s last episode will air in September and ONE LIFE TO LIVE will remain on the air until January 2012. Their cancellations had been rumored for a bit — most notably in a TV Guide Magazine report in early April — but the news was still unexpected when ABC made the official announcement.
To say this is a crushing blow to the already floundering soap opera industry is an understatement. In February 2012, we’ll be down to just four soaps — in the early 2000s, there were 10. There hasn’t been a new traditional daytime soap created since 1999. And with the cancellations today, I can’t imagine the people who work on the remaining shows are feeling very confident about their job security.
On a personal level, I’m devastated. I’ve been watching ONE LIFE TO LIVE my entire life. I’ve been a semi-regular viewer of AMC and GENERAL HOSPITAL since 2000. There is no other genre that has shows last this long nor do many shows provide new episodes every single day of the week. And nearly everyone I know has some sort of history with a soap, whether they watched it with their parent, grandparent, friends, in college, whatever.
These cancellations hurt. Chances are even if you’ve never watched a single episode of ALL MY CHILDREN, you’ve heard the name Erica Kane. Susan Lucci has been playing that role for more than 40 years. Erika Slezak just celebrated her 40th anniversary as Viki Lord on ONE LIFE TO LIVE. No other genre gets to celebrate milestones like that.
I understand the realities of business, etc. but the timing of these cancellations doesn’t make sense. AMC just hired a new headwriter. OLTL just hired back Roger Howarth (who originated the role of Todd Manning), which made big soap headlines since Todd’s current portrayer is still — and intended to remain — on the canvas. Both moves had fans hoping the cancellation rumors were just that. Instead, it seems, ABC made a great effort to get said headlines and then canceled the shows before the changes even played out on screen. Would they have prompted big enough ratings jumps to justify saving the shows? Who knows. But it feels like something could have been done — trimming the casts, cutting episode orders, etc. — before it came to this final step.
I know fans are angry with the powers that be at ABC Daytime right now. I am, too. But I don’t think threatening to boycott everything they do is the correct answer, either, because then we’ll be in the same situation with GENERAL HOSPITAL. If the report is true that the people behind AMC and OLTL found out about this news after the press…that’s despicable. These shows have been around for decades. This wasn’t a reporter breaking the news as an exclusive, this was an official press release from ABC.
But, then again, since this is also the network that recently reassured the cast and crew of AMC that they were safe when rumors first started circulating that the show could be canceled, maybe nothing should be surprising.
Anyone else devastated about the loss of OLTL and AMC?
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Filed under ABC Daytime, TV News
I grew up watch All My Children and One Life To Live alongside my mom, who loved them. Sure, maybe cherished family memories shouldn’t come from TV soap operas, but that’s just what happens when you invite the same characters into your home 5 days a week year after year. I’ve known Erica Kane and Viki Buchanan since the mid 80s! Since I was a little girl. Sad stuff… mom’s not going to like this.
I’m so upset about the news! I have also watched One Life to Live since I was a young girl. I remember in the summers watching every day with my aunt and during the school year I would program the vcr, and watch with my mom in the evenings. I’m no stranger to AMC either. I also watched off and on over the years. I’m just at a loss of words. I don’t think a lot of people get what these shows can mean to many fans. We grew up with these shows and these characters. It’s a sad day. I know I won’t be watching the replacement shows, but I won’t turn my back on GH (or Y&R, B&B, & Days). Soap Fans, you don’t have to watch talk shows, or cooking shows, or whatever- but don’t boycott our soaps!
despite never actually watching soap operas, i’m super bummed .. i interned at one life to live and now have a lot of friends who have worked there for years (some even decades) that will be out of work. so sad.
I am 54 yrs old, I started watching All My Children in 9th grade when Tara and Phil secretly got married. I started watching One Life to Live when I was pregnant with my first child in 1977 (when there was the ‘cult’ under Lantano Mountain). These are the only 2 shows I watch. I don’t watch any other TV. I am VERY sad. My husband won’t be, he hates them. I can’t believe they are canceling my 2 only favorite shows. 🙁
Wow! This is shocking and sad. I know that the pain ABC soap viewers are going through because I went through it when CBS first cancelled Guiding Light and then As The World Turns. Soaps have always been underapperciated and now it seems that they are destined to fade away from our televisions forever. A sad day indeed!
My mother has watched OLTL every day since 1971, she is taking it pretty well but still upset. Of course, ABC execs don’t care about a 67 yr old woman viewer who’s been there every day for them for 40 years.
I am a 70 year old ex-nurse on disability for some time. I have been watching AMC and OLTL since their first show many, many, years ago. I feel as though Erica, Vicki, and Dorian are my close family friends. The very idea of taking these two shows off the air and leaving GH on is unbelievable. GH is full of the mob and making heros out of mob bosses. I am quite frankly sick of this. I feel as though I am losing close friends. I don’t understand why these wonderful actors and actresses are being shoved of TV. I personallly will no longer watch ABC daytime shows. So what, if I boycott soaps. ABC certainly do not care how I feel or anyone else for that matter. So long—
I cannot believe this, it’s not like they don’t have a large following, I have been a soap fan since I was a little girl and it started with Love of Life and Search for Tomorrow. One life to live has been on the forefront on real issues for years now and don’t deserve to be cut. All my children I must admit has gotten a little boring and I hope they end it with some happy endings instead of the same o same o.. God knows I will miss them, I rush home from work to watch my DVR every day and have been an ABC Soap fan forever…I think it’s a huge mistake, but can’t buck the people with the bucks pun intended.
I am quite frankly sick of this. I feel as though I am losing close friends. I don’t understand why these wonderful actors and actresses are being shoved of TV. I personallly will no longer watch ABC daytime shows. So what, if I boycott soaps. ABC certainly do not care how I feel or anyone else for that matter. So long—
I’m really disgusted with ABC and Brian Frons. We have the Food Network and Cooking Channel for your food replacement show and there are so many channels with reality shows already.
I have been watching this show since day 1 I watched the first episode and will watch the last. The ABC will be off my remote. How dare you take off this great show and put on a cooking show. Hell if i wanted that i would go to the food
channel. Good Bye ABC.
I can’t believe your canceling OLTL & AMC. I’ve been watching both for forty years. Your losing a large, loyal audience. I suggest fans should boycott chanel 7 and their sponsors. Also I think Disney should be boycotted especially their theme parks and cruises. They do understand money.
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