Rumors have been circulating for weeks that ABC was considering shaking up their daytime schedule by possibly cancelling one of their soap operas. All My Children, the lowest-rated soap on the network, appeared to be the most obvious target but many involved with the series claimed that the series was safe.
ABC shocked longtime soap opera fans today by cancelling both All My Children and One Life to Live. This move will leave General Hospital, the eldest of the three, as the only remaining soap opera on ABC.
All My Children began in January of 1970 as a half-hour serial and became an hour-long daily in 1977. Created by the legendary Agnes Nixon, All My Children was taped in New York until 2009 when it moved to Los Angeles. Many, including show veteran Susan Lucci, associated with the soap had to decide if it was worthwhile to uproot their lives and move west. There have been more than 10,600 episodes produced so far and now All My Children is set to say farewell in September.
One Life to Live debuted on ABC in July of 1968. It began as a half-hour show, moved to 45 minute episodes in 1976, and then hour installments in 1978. Also created by Nixon, One Life to Live continues to be produced in New York. There have been more than 11,000 episodes of the venerable program and will go off the air in January 2012.
ABC insists that both programs will wrap up their storylines in a manner that will respect their legacies.
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In a statement, Brian Frons, President of Daytime for Disney ABC/Television Group, said, “All My Children and One Life to Live are iconic pieces of television that have made an indelible mark on our culture’s history. Each of the shows has touched millions and millions of viewers and informed the social consciousness. It has been a privilege to work with the extraordinary teams who brought the residents of Pine Valley and Llanview to life each day, and we thank the cast, crew, producers and most especially the fans for their commitment to the shows through their history.”
He also noted, “More than 40 years ago, Agnes Nixon created both the worlds of All My Children and One Life to Live, worlds that the rest of us have been privileged to live in… Her shows led the way forward, breaking a lot of rules along the way to defy expectations about what soaps can do and the issues they can cover. I am honored to have worked with her.”
The beloved soap operas will be replaced by cheaper lifestyle programs. The Chew will focus on the world of food and The Revolution is a show that will revolve around health and lifestyle transformations. General Hospital, which has been on the air since 1963, will continue as the last remaining soap opera on ABC.
What do you think? Will you be sad to see these soap operas go? How long have you been watching? Which will you miss most?
Image courtesy ABC.
Do not take One Life to Live off the air. I have been having a downtime with One Live to LIve from the days work. I am not going to like it if it is canceled. DO NOT CANCEL ONE LIFE TO LIVE, PLEASE.
I will not be watching the new show enough alreay with the cooking show go to foodnetwork. I love one life whoever is doing this is making a Big misttake
Also, maybe if writers put soaps on the same standard as primetime dramas people would watch them more. No logical person is going to watch a soap where it takes months to a year to finish a storyline, nor do we want to watch a bunch of gimmicks. If a primetime show did even half of what a soap did people would not watch and it would get canceled far quicker than a soap. Also, the show needs to match the actual name. For instance, General Hospital is more about the mob than it is about doctors (like it used… Read more »
The only problem with canceling these shows is what they are replacing them with. I have no problem with soap cancellations and actually encourage it. But I think they should replace soaps with either new soaps or reruns of an old show. I don’t watch local tv during the daytime because I hate soaps, talk shows, cooking shows and the like as do most people my age (20s).
Its not over yet we are not going down without a fight,if our soaps goes so does ABC.
Have a Heart , don’t do this.
I’m gonna miss AMC and OLTL I would have hoped that ABC would have moved both OLTL and AMC over to Soapnet so that they can air brand new episodes on that channel that would have been great
There is enough other stuff on tv watch that if u want but i live to wath one life to live everyday dont cancel soaps women luv daytime tv we all have our favs
As long as they dont cancel General hospital im happy. I need my Lante fix!!!! You should have Dante and Lulu get engaged and hopefully have a big wedding like the Luke and Laura wedding
My wife has been watching All My Children since it first started in 1970. I have been an avid watcher since I retired 11 years ago. We both look fordward to 1:00PM when the show starts, and if we are not going to be there we tape it. I probably know more about the shows characters than I do about my own family and friends. We are both going to be at a loss when the show ends. I can guarentee ABC that they have lost two viewers, no way does the replacment shows have any interest to us at… Read more »
This is a sad day indeed–I have been a loyal viewer of All My Children since it started on January of 1970. The quality of the writing & casting & acting easily surpasses most anything on nighttime tv. These characters feel like family to me & have been very theuraputic in dealing with real life issues over the years instead of the garbage of reality shows & brainless situation comedies that pander to the lowest common denominator. I have seen the trend for quite sometime–the almighty buck rules, and every quality program that comes along with some freshness & sharp… Read more »
Why would they take off these soaps. If people want to watch a cooking show they can turn to food network and do we really need another talk show or judge show. I will not being watching any of the new shows but will continue to watch GH and Y&R. I have been watch OLTL and All My Children forever and it will be missed. ABC you are making a big mistake and will probably lose a lot of viewers and will deserve to.
I have watched “All My Children” since the age of 4 when I watched it between children’s programs with my beloved great-grand mother, who had to watch All My Children, One Life to Live and General Hospital. I remember Erica before she married her first husband and Tad Martin being left in the park by his crazy father and later adopted by the Martins. Angela and Jessie Hubbard’s love story, Palmer chasing Daisy with his dogs, and many memories will be treasured and remembered. I just hope they (ABC and the writers) end the show with a big bang and… Read more »
I am in mourning and OLTL isn’t even gone yet. =( This is so sad. I started watching this show with my mom decades ago. It’s so nostalgic to me. I’ve come to love the characters over the years. Yes, the show is cheesy, but that’s what soaps are. They are in their own league….like reality TV. I’m going to miss LLanview so much. At least the show will have an ending and not just drop off in the middle of a story line. Wahhhhh….wahhhhh….wahhhh! =(
I do not want them to take them off for people that stay home a have nothing else to do or can not get out and it is their entertainment. However, the networks choice, but a bad one. I for one will not be watching day time TV and I am sure I will not be alone. There is already too much depressing news and talk shows on that can not be real by any stretch of the imagination but once again the networks choice. Personally I think it was a really bad one and to cancel two at one… Read more »