There’s news that soap opera All My Children may get canceled by ABC after 41 years. Deadline is reporting that ABC may be the last network to start cutting soaps (NBC has canceled Passions while CBS has canceled Guiding Light and As the World Turns) and that All My Children will be the first to go. This is scary news of course for fans of the long-running series featuring reigning soap queen Susan Lucci. ABC sort-of denies it, though, and just says that “The Deadline.com piece is just the latest story in a long line of stories about this same topic.” That’s a non-denial denial, and makes it sound like they’re annoyed that someone got that scoop and reported it before they’d made a decision. Here’s more, from People Magazine:
Rumors of cancellation are circling around the popular show that finally delivered Susan Lucci her Daytime Emmy. Various reports claim that ABC is considering reducing its afternoon drama lineup from three to two hours to make room for a new talk show, which could send AMC to the chopping block.
But a rep for ABC Daytime shoots down the claims, telling PEOPLE in a statement, “The Deadline.com piece is just the latest story in a long line of stories about this same topic.”
As of now, the rep adds, “There is no change for the current ABC daytime schedule.”
[From People]
If they can squeeze more ratings out of yet another talk show it make sense to cut the soap I guess. It’s a shame because a lot of people love to watch them. I used to watch All My Children in the late 80s back when I was in high school. Now there are so many more options for daytime viewing in that we have all these cable networks with unique programming to choose from, and of course there are DVRs and shows on demand. I haven’t seen it AMC in years, but they’ve been rather groundbreaking in that they were the first soap to feature any sort of gay plotline, and have had lesbian and gay characters.
Speaking of same sex relationships on soaps, Days of Our Lives is finally going to feature some sort of gay plotline, according to Entertainment Weekly. It’s been on for 45 years and it’s about damn time. There are plenty of hot men on that show who I would love to see get together, but we can expect them to go for the easy lesbian story to start.
Oh and coincidentally, Susan Lucci has a new memoir called All My Life which comes out on March 29. Check out these pictures – she’s 64 years old! (Of course she’s had work done, but she hasn’t gone overboard.)
That’s sad I have never watched AMC regularly but of course I know it’s hard for fans. I think in 5 to 10 years all soaps will be gone.
I am happy about the gay storyline on Days although I hope they don’t chicken out.
I think all the soaps will be gone within about 3 years. And rightfully so. Someone I know has them on during the day, and they are ridiculous and poorly acted.
After the disaster that was “Passions” I think any soap is good/worth saving
My mom and her sister have watched every. single. episode. of the entire series… and I’ve probably watched hundreds throughout my childhood. We even went to Disney’s Soap Weekend twice and met Kelly Ripa before Regis fame, Josh Duhamel before film fame, Susan (who’s always a legend), etc.
It will certainly be a poignant, sad moment for my family if this does happen… just because they’ve known and followed these characters for SO long. Bianca’s coming-out storyline (the very first of its kind on soaps) also happened to coincide with my teenage realization that I liked other women.
Most people dismiss soaps as fluffy time-fillers with cheesy acting and outlandish plots… and they can be… but this particular soap has launched so many big names, and it’s kept so many of its characters and story lines for *decades.* I really hope this rumor isn’t true.
Good God, I cannot take another damn talk show.
I’ve watched AMC since the beginning and can recall Tara and Phil and Phil going to Vietnam. My question is: why would ABC move shooting to the west coast if the series is down the tubes? I hope personally it goes another 40 years. Viva la Lucci!
I miss Passions so much. It was different and wasn’t like these 20-odd versions of snoresville carbon copies of each other. These days, seen one – seen em ALL. If Passions wasn’t worth saving, none of them are.
wow – she looks kind of flippin amazing for being 64. this lady can show madonna and the rest of ’em how it’s really done (only suggestion: 5 extra pounds would go a long way toward keeping her looking this good for MANY more years).
I was a days of our lives fan, never caught All My Children. Will always remember that when my mom gave me the “birds and the bees” talk when I was tiny she used the Days of Our Lives characters in her explanation…”You know how John Black and Marlena ‘make love?'” etc….clever mom, clever.
La Lucci!! She looks fab!
I think it’s reprehensible how they moved AMC to the west coast – from what I’ve read, they let some people go, and gave others the choice to make the move (thus staying on/with the show) or leave the show.
And now they’re talking cancellation? I’m sure ABC is FURIOUS about the leak. Shady business, that.
NOOOOOOO!!!!! My actual-factual TRUE Guilty Pleasure is and as been AMC for over thirty years. I am watching it as I write.
It is fun, sometime unintentionally funny, often poignant, sometimes mirroring personal struggles- ever entertaining.
Susan Lucci is great, a diva, a legend, and seems to be a genuinely nice woman.
Again, NOOOOOO!
Soap operas are out of style. They’re the most stupid and immature shows. Everyone has sex with everyone. No one uses contraceptives. And the plots are the most stupid and unrealistic. Time to cancel ALL of the soaps, not just AMC. Get rid of the inaneness that is daytime television!
I think that she looks great for 64 but 5# would probably do her good! She looks scary skinny.
“everyone has sex with everyone”
That’s a lot of night soaps as well, and they both have the same quality actors in some cases.
AMC used to be good, but it hasn’t been good in a long, long time in my opinion. The only soap worth watching on ABC is GH in my opinion – it’s definitely the only one that I watch.
Cancelled today, Thursday April 14, 2011. I’m just coincidentally reading Susan Lucci’s memoir – it’s terrific. Poor Erica must be pretty darn sad tonight, along with the rest of the cast…