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

[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::