On Thursday, ABC announced the cancellations of two long running soaps, One Life to Live and All My Children, due to dropped ratings and serious budget cuts. Soap fans around the nation are mourning the loss of these daytime staples and the end of an era. Soap operas seem to be dropping off the radar in recent years with the cancellations of CBS’ Guiding Light and As the World Turns and NBC’s Passions. Only four soaps remain, including NBC’s Days of Our Lives, CBS’ Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful and ABC’s General Hospital. After numerous daytime Emmy awards and over 40 years on air, One Life to Live will conclude in January 2012 and All My Children will wrap up in September 2011.
“AMC” star Susan Lucci only had good things to say about the end of her role as Erica Kane. She told People Magazine, “It’s been a fantastic journey. I loved playing Erica Kane and working with [show creator] Agnes Nixon and all the incredible people involved with All My Children. I’m looking forward to all kinds of new and exciting opportunities.” Beginning her career with “AMC” in 1970, fans of the show have seen Kane involved in every predicament imaginable, from serving jail time to beating prescription drug addiction. In 1999 Lucci won a daytime Emmy for best actress after numerous unsuccessful nominations.
Not only are the cast and crew members feeling the pain from the network’s cancellations, but Soap Opera Digest and Soap Opera Weekly are expected to release half of their employees. Readership has dropped dramatically and ownership will be changing hands. American Media, Inc. will replace soap stories with articles focusing on reality television shows like The Real Housewives series and Kardashian news.
ABC will replace the soaps with two new shows, The Chew, a one hour live program which will focus on food, and The Revolution, a show advising people how to transform different aspects of their lives, aka another Oprah. It seems like reality television is overtaking both the small screen and the magazine stands. Long gone are the days of sitcoms and soaps, and it looks like reality is here to stay. Lower production costs and the lack of a need for studio space are to blame for reality blemishes like The Jersey Shore that keep popping up. Unfortunately for all you soap fans, One Life to Live and All My Children will be killed off and won’t come back to life.
