I am totally in shock. ABC has canceled All My Children and One Life to Live. I grew up with these soaps. They were two of my mom’s favorites way, way back when. Although I know longer follow any soaps, for some reason I just thought these two soap operas would never ride off into the sunset. AMC started in 1970 and OLTL in 1968 when I was 13.
ABC announced that AMC will end in September and OLTL in January of 2012. The good news is that there will not be any crazy endings like The Sopranos where viewers were left wondering what actually had happened.
“To honor the core, passionate audience and their rich history with our soaps,” both shows will conclude “in a manner that respects their legacies and the longstanding hopes of many of their viewers,” reads a press release from ABC.
They will be replaced by two new shows, “The Chew” and “The Revolution,” which will center around food and lifestyle. ABC has pointed out that they were “guided by extensive research into what today’s daytime viewers want,” and apparently they want shows centered around health, family ritual, friendship, breaking news, dating, fitness and weight loss.
General Hospital will apparently escape being cut at this time.
Hard to believe that Susan Lucci will take her final bow as Erica Kane this fall after more than 40 years. One thing is for sure, that woman sure has aged well.
I also have not had a chance to talk to my Mom yet since this was revealed today. I kind of dread that phone call. I know it was something she looked forward to on those cold winter days especially since it was something that has been part of her life for over 40 years. I think that maybe even my 87 year old Dad might miss them also.
Why do they always insist on fixing things that “ain’t broke”? For years I watched all three. I eventually just cut it down to OLTL.
They are being replaced with (per People.com) “The Chew which will “focus on food from EVERY angle – as a source of joy, health, family ritual, friendship, breaking news, dating, fitness, weight loss,” according to the press release. Mario Batali will be one of the hosts.”
“The other show, tentatively titled The Revolution, will focus on health and lifestyle transformations.”
Good grief! Aren’t there enough food, weight loss, makeover shows? I doubt that I will bother setting the DVR to record any of these. However, my hubs will probably be ecstatic lol!
That is quite a shocker, but at the same time not because the shows have been horrible for the past 3 years. I’ll still miss them though…
this was the shocker of the day. I hadn’t paid attention to the rumors. I have watched all three in the past but now only GH that I have watched since I was 5. Having a DVR allows me to watch more regularly now than ever before. I do agree with CMO3 that writing has been terrible as of late which is really sad, where characters have been butchered, history distorted, and otherwise the quality isn’t what it used to be as far as writing is concerned even though acting is stellar. Some of us even have said that it’s like the writers/head honchos were trying to cancel shows. My heart goes out to all of the actors and crew that have given up to 40 years on the shows. It almost feels like they were using Susan Lucci and having her say it was only a blogger rumor when it was true. This doesn’t bode well for GH. My other concern is about the Emmy’s, an Emmy doesn’t mean as much when you are only competing with four shows. Sad sad sad and I appreciate you putting a post up about this.
chardonnay4me2,
I think we have enough type of those shows also. I don’t even listen to those type of shows anymore or watch. I probably would still be watching OLTL and AMC but I took a Monday through Friday day job in the late 80s and it was too hard to keep up for me with small kids at the time.
I often wonder if the soaps were in the evening, when people could watch them, what teh ratings would be
I’m still not over Another World being cancelled!!
Reality TV killed the Soap Star?
I think it did. Even though I don’t watch anymore, I think it is a sad day in the soap opera world.
I grew up with soap operas, and watched almost all of the long running ones at one time or another. It is a sad day. I like reality tv (in general), but I don’t think the caliber of daytime reality tv is nearly as good as most soaps (just a lot cheaper to produce). It’s really the end of an era.
This is sad. I’ve never watched but I feel for the fans. I’m a huge Young and the Restless fan. Both The Guiding Light and As the World Turns were axed last year. I’m nervous!
OMG!!!! I grew up on both of those shows. That is really, really sad 🙁
I was probably 11 or 12 when I discovered daytime soap operas. I started with the ABC soaps and watched AMC and OLTL for many years on school vacations and um, “sick” days! I switched over to CBS in my late teen years. When I went to work, the invention of the VCR kept me up to date. Even though I had quit watching As the World Turns and Guiding Light many years ago, I still felt so bad for the cast and viewers last year when those shows went off the air. I feel the same way about these latest cancellations. And I agree with you all, the replacements shows sound lame. I have zero interest.
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Samantha, I think Y&R and Bold and Beautiful might be the only shows thriving. I haven’t heard rumors about them being in trouble. I’ll keep my fingers crossed though as well as for DOOL and GH.
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I HATE endings. 🙁
Well, I was totally surprised to see this just a few minutes ago! I used to follow all 3 (and when they had 4 at times) soaps on ABC faithfully, but in the past 5 years or so dropped off a lot, but kept up online…GH has always been my #1, OLTL #2, and AMC #3…got frustrated with AMC several years and dropped it, been keeping up with OLTL and GH but then totally got behind when we were gone for 5 weeks to India last summer (trying to catch up online but only to September)…sorry to see them go, but they should have listened to the fans and not the bonehead idiots in charge! >:-(
Anya-
The funny thing is B&B is about the least interesting soap ever. Its been the same woman sleeping with the same family of men since its debut. Bleh.
I was never interested in any of them. I tried watching All My Children a few times, but I never held on long. I know of some of the big story lines that thrilled the viewers (Luke & Laura’s wedding). I feel sorry for the dedicated fans that are losing their shows. That’s a real bummer.
It’s a shame that the soap opera is becoming extinct. And, it’s all because of what costs less to produce. I feel bad for that cast of the soap that moved their families from one coast to the other, only to be axed.
I used to watch Guiding Light and Another World. When AW left, I thought at least there’s GL. Then, that went away. It was only time for more to follow. Sad.
I can’t believe All My Children and One Life to Live are being cancelled. I will stop watching ABC entirely for cancelling these shows…..ABC YOU SUCK!
Susan Lucci just said that she was told that a Reality TV show costs 40 percent less to produce than a soap