All My Children: the end may be near.
#1
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All My Children: the end may be near.
Looks like another soap opera may bite the dust.
NEW YORK - The end may be near for “All My Children,” the ABC soap opera that has been on the air for 41 years.
The cancellation announcement could be imminent, according to a report on TV Squad. When the show debuted, Richard Nixon was in the White House, the war in Vietnam raged and the Beatles had just broken up.
But television executives are paid to ignore sentimentality. The show is past its prime and something may have to be done. According to Deadline, the show finished last in the important demographic of women 18-49. It was watched by 463,000 people in that group, a drop of 34% against a year ago. The soap also finished last in total viewers, accounting for 2.32 million.
Nothing is sacred. TV executives may have to re-think the concept of the soap opera altogether. The Internet, computer games, gadgets, cable news and talk radio have encroached on TV in general, and soaps, which offer mindless fantasy, look ripe to be victims.
And “All My Children,” which launched the career of many TV stars, wouldn’t be the first long-running soap to get the axe. CBS (CBS) cancelled “As the World Turns” and Guiding Light” in recent years. Networks are realizing that viewers don’t need to follow the antics of Erica Kane and her ilk anymore to get their kicks.
If ABC, a unit of Walt Disney (DIS), killed the show, the move would surely mark the end of an era. But it looks like fewer and fewer viewers would notice.
NEW YORK - The end may be near for “All My Children,” the ABC soap opera that has been on the air for 41 years.
The cancellation announcement could be imminent, according to a report on TV Squad. When the show debuted, Richard Nixon was in the White House, the war in Vietnam raged and the Beatles had just broken up.
But television executives are paid to ignore sentimentality. The show is past its prime and something may have to be done. According to Deadline, the show finished last in the important demographic of women 18-49. It was watched by 463,000 people in that group, a drop of 34% against a year ago. The soap also finished last in total viewers, accounting for 2.32 million.
Nothing is sacred. TV executives may have to re-think the concept of the soap opera altogether. The Internet, computer games, gadgets, cable news and talk radio have encroached on TV in general, and soaps, which offer mindless fantasy, look ripe to be victims.
And “All My Children,” which launched the career of many TV stars, wouldn’t be the first long-running soap to get the axe. CBS (CBS) cancelled “As the World Turns” and Guiding Light” in recent years. Networks are realizing that viewers don’t need to follow the antics of Erica Kane and her ilk anymore to get their kicks.
If ABC, a unit of Walt Disney (DIS), killed the show, the move would surely mark the end of an era. But it looks like fewer and fewer viewers would notice.
#2
Re: All My Children: the end may be near.
I watched this for years and still would if I had the time. I remember all those great characters. The original Opal Gardner & Jenny. Palmer, Benny, Haley & Dottie. David Canary as Adam/Stewart and of course Ruth Warrick as Phoebe Tyler.
#4
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Re: All My Children: the end may be near.
I think one of the big reasons for their downfall is the rise of reality TV shows that have soap-like storylines.
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Re: All My Children: the end may be near.
I think the pattern that has been followed has been a cancellation announcement followed by a several month long final story arc where the writers can go nuts and execs hope they can squeeze some nostalgia eyeballs out of soap retirement. If they follow the Guiding Light timeline, a cancellation soon would mean new episodes through the summer and a September finale. As the World Turns appears to have had a longer run post-cancellation, but that may have been due to an early announcement -- it was also ended in September.
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Re: All My Children: the end may be near.
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Re: All My Children: the end may be near.
Yeah, so did I. I grew up with this show and watched it regularly up until college. I could never follow any other soap. Loved the craziness when no one in Pine Valley knew Adam had a twin he kept locked away. There was the story of Jenny & Greg and her time in New York. There were the bitter battles between Palmer and Adam. And who could forget when Tad did it with the daughter (Liza) and her mother at the same time. Erica had her own troubles with her demon seed of a daughter played by the girl who starred in "Buffy". Those were the golden years for the show. It is nice to see a lot of familiar faces have returned in recent years like Jessie, Angie, Dixie, etc. Though I only caught it recently during their last anniversary (40th?), it would be sad to see this show end. What the hell would Erica do with her life? lol
Last edited by big whoppa; 03-22-11 at 08:24 PM.
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Re: All My Children: the end may be near.
Another problem is that daytime soaps cost quite a bit to produce,especially when you consider they tape 250 episodes every year. And many soaps have long-time actors on the payroll. Those actors aren't working for scale. But advertisers aren't looking to sale their products on shows with dwindling viewership.
If daytime soaps are to continue, they'll have to look at modeling themselves after reality TV or primetime teen dramas, who maximize their output for the cheapest rate possible.
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ABC was looking to offset costs for both AMC and General Hospital. Both are repeatedly over budget.
Once AMC moved, the writing was on the wall. Guiding Light did the same thing--moving from NY to Jersey--and shooting outside most of the time. It was just a bandage on a cut artery, as it were.
It's funny. One Life to Live is the ABC soap most figured to be canceled first, being the only NY based daytime drama left. But they stay under budget and tend to tell better stories.
Once AMC moved, the writing was on the wall. Guiding Light did the same thing--moving from NY to Jersey--and shooting outside most of the time. It was just a bandage on a cut artery, as it were.
It's funny. One Life to Live is the ABC soap most figured to be canceled first, being the only NY based daytime drama left. But they stay under budget and tend to tell better stories.
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It seems like the remaining CBS pair and GH would be the last ones to go, I'd think. I don't know about the order of the other two ABC soaps and Days. My sense of things is that NBC is very impatient.
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Re: All My Children: the end may be near.
#19
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Re: All My Children: the end may be near.
ABC was looking to offset costs for both AMC and General Hospital. Both are repeatedly over budget.
Once AMC moved, the writing was on the wall. Guiding Light did the same thing--moving from NY to Jersey--and shooting outside most of the time. It was just a bandage on a cut artery, as it were.
Once AMC moved, the writing was on the wall. Guiding Light did the same thing--moving from NY to Jersey--and shooting outside most of the time. It was just a bandage on a cut artery, as it were.
#22
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Re: All My Children: the end may be near.
A few of my aunts who have been retired for years eventually grew tired of watching soap operas and they ended up becoming fans of cooking shows and some of the shows TLC, A&E, and Discovery air during the day.
#25
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Re: All My Children: the end may be near.
That's when I watched it. Remember when Jenny worked at Foxy's? Liza was such a bitch!