a sad day, a dying genre

[gwynnega]

ABC cancels One Life To Live and All My Children

There is something particularly nauseating about ABC killing two of its legacy programs, which began in 1968 (OLTL) and 1970 (AMC), in favor of a cooking show called "The Chew" and a weight-loss program called "The Revolution"(!). As soap writer Tom Casiello wrote today on his Twitter page: "You will save money. You will hold onto demos. You will be fine. But you leave NO LEGACY now, ABC. Congratu-fucking-lations. You're mediocre."

Rumors had brewed for months about these cancellations, but ABC denied them, even as fans wrote and called the network pleading for their shows to be spared. Apparently the casts of the shows found out when the fans did, today.

It's particularly unfair that OLTL should be cancelled, as it is on a creative high and, in my opinion, currently the best soap opera on the air. But I feel sick at the idea of both soaps being gone, and only four remaining. I'm sad, and I'm angry.

Comments

[kore]

Oh, wow. Seriously? Jesus.

[gwynnega]

Yep, that was my reaction!

[kore]

That's just....wow. That's a big death knell for scripted television, that is. (Also, remember when soaps were actually heralded by second-wave feminism as putting "women's issues" on the air? And all the times they showed transsexuals or people with AIDS or interracial romances or other controversial topics, often well before nighttime scripted shows? Jeez.)

[gwynnega]

OLTL is currently doing a fantastic bullying storyline. They're pretty much the last soap to successfully tackle social issues.

But surely women would rather watch a cooking show and a diet show. ::headdesk::

[callmesandyk]

It's such BULL, seriously. :(

[gwynnega]

It really is...

[marshallpayne1.livejournal.com]

Yes, sad indeed. OLTL is my fave show and the only soap I watch. I doubt if I'll watch daytime TV at all now. Boo ABC!!!

[gwynnega]

I will still watch GH (though they really need a new head writer), because I've watched it since the '80s and I don't want more soaps to die--but OLTL is the show I love watching, and I haven't felt that way about GH in a long time.

[marshallpayne1.livejournal.com]

OLTL is the reason we became LJ buds, Gwynne. I kept seeing your Roxy icon around and was curious enough to friend you. I've been watching OLTL for 15 years. Jaime's hooked on it now since we moved in together last August. I'm so glad I got to share it with her. Life goes on, but gee...

I'm gonna really miss my "friends" in Lanview. :(

[gwynnega]

OLTL is the reason we became LJ buds, Gwynne.

That's true! Well, soap operas foster community. Somehow I don't think those dire-sounding replacement shows will do that--but I guess ABC doesn't care. :(

[marshallpayne1.livejournal.com]

So when is the last episode?

[gwynnega]

January 2012.

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

I shouldn't be surprised, and yet I am. OLTL just hired Roger Howarth back, didn't they? Sigh.

[gwynnega]

Yes, Roger Howarth's coming back soon. At least there'll be great stories to watch until OLTL goes off the air. :(

[sparkledark.livejournal.com]

I am so bummed about OLTL :(

[gwynnega]

ME TOO. :(

[usedtobeljs]

It really is just... not cool.

[hugs]

[gwynnega]

I'd been bracing for this, but I still wasn't ready for it. :(

::hugs::

[usedtobeljs]

Nathan Fillion comments. (Joey Buchanan!)

[gwynnega]

Yes, I saw that! Nathan will always be my favorite Joey Buchanan.

[cheesygirl.livejournal.com]

I haven't watched either in ages, but throughout the summers in my junior high and high school years, and then in my college and grad school years, I caught them whenever I could.

Using my Private from PofM icon since he's voiced by the handsome James Patrick Stuart (who was Will Cortlandt for awhile)!

[gwynnega]

OLTL is great right now. AMC is...not, but they're bringing back a great head writer, so at least it'll probably get a good ending.

[telaryn.livejournal.com]

God - especially after the announcements about Lorraine Broderick and Roger Howarth and the "oh of *course* we're not cancelling AMC" BS a couple weeks ago...this bites so hard.

They'll go out on a high note, but the fact that they're going out at all will just make it that much more painful.

Wow. I'm depressed now. Suppose there's a chance we'll get DVDs now?

[gwynnega]

I guess I shouldn't be amazed at how boldly ABC lied about this for weeks and weeks.

I wish they would do DVDs, but they seem oblivious to the fact that people love and value this stuff enough to want DVDs of it. Why is Dark Shadows the only US soap to be available on DVD? Argh.

[telaryn.livejournal.com]

It makes no sense, unless the fan demand would just illustrate how much they've mishandled the whole situation. You'd think the promise of easy income would off-set that potential embarrassment though - we already know they have no shame.

[gwynnega]

Considering YouTube is absolutely full of vintage soap clips, you'd think they'd get a clue. Or not...

[pastels-badge.livejournal.com]

I saw a post about this on facebook and immediately tabbed over to livejournal to see if you had commented on it. I'm sad and angry, too. Especially about OLTL. I was so psyched about Roger Howarth's return. And David Vickers!

[gwynnega]

I'm sure Howarth's return will be great, and I hope we get lots of David Vickers between now and the end of the show. But ARGH!!!

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

I've never watched soaps, but I feel very strongly the loss of these iconic programs that have lasted decades and ebbed and flowed with - and helped to shape in their own way at times - popular culture.

[gwynnega]

Yes, they've been such a big part of popular culture--and I fear the remaining four soaps won't be around much longer either.

[freixenet.livejournal.com]

What a weird development in television history. Two major, huge examples of a specific kind of programming were just replaced with the bizarre contradiction of a diet show and a food show called, oh so tastefully, The Chew. Strangely indicative of our times.

[gwynnega]

It is bizarre. I can't help but think these replacement shows will quickly die the death (which would serve ABC right). It's not like the reality shows SOAPnet produced had any success.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I saw this on Marshall's page first (though he said he found out from you), and my thought was, how horrible to replace something that has a *story* with something that's just a how-to show, or a reality show... not to mention that soap operas have a real tradition.

Too bad :-(

[gwynnega]

Yes, I agree...and a show like One Life To Live is irreplaceable (featuring an actress like Erika Slezak who just celebrated her 40th anniversary with the show, not to mention other actors who have been on the show for decades). I've only been watching OLTL for the past few years, but one of my best friends grew up with these characters.

[appomattoxco.livejournal.com]

That's awful.

[gwynnega]

It truly is.

[redeem147.livejournal.com]

I gave up when we lost ATWT. I sometimes watch bits of Days, which I loved about twenty years ago, but it's a pale, pale shade of what it was.

What's next? Night time scripted dramas?

[gwynnega]

Days really needs a new headwriter.

Why haven't the movie studios decided to stop making scripted films in favor of "reality films"? Then they wouldn't have to pay their stars! Oh right...documentaries. Those are always box office blockbusters...

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

What a strange and awful decision they've made there.

[gwynnega]

Truly.

[herself_nyc]

So tone-deaf.

[gwynnega]

Exactly. I hope the replacement shows bomb and the head of ABC Daytime finally gets the axe.