The End Of Daytime Soaps

The soap opera industry is dying a slow and very painful death. Guiding Light being the first casualty, and when viewers had finally digested the fact that they would no longer be able to see the characters they had watched their entire life, CBS then went and canceled GL's sister soap, As The World Turns. Suddenly, no soap opera was safe. Everyone began doing whatever they could to try and cut costs.  Days Of Our Lives cut Deidre Hall And Drake Hogestyn without batting a eyelash, only to promote Alison Sweeny while her fire was hot.

ABC had the not so brilliant idea to move All My Children from it's home in New York City to California. I'm not a rocket scientist, but that plan is Swiss cheese. Since AMC was gone, New Yorkers clung to their One Life To Live. The city that once was home to more than half of the soap opera on the air, now had just one.

And then like a tornado, ABC yanked breezed in and canceled both AMC and OLTL in the same breath. Fans began to plot and contrive ways to convince ABC that this is the final nail in the coffin.

Soap Opera fans, soap opera actors, and New Yorkers who are just plain pissed off are trying to plan a rally/protest to save AMC and OLTL from cancellation. From the people that I have spoken with, more seemed set to save OLTL then AMC. Even the fans say they feel that the move to L.A in their eyes was a money consuming waste of time.

Rumor has it that the shows replacing the soaps are somehow attached financially to the head of daytime. One fact that I know for sure is that soap opera fans do not mess around. Then mix that anger with the personality of a pissed off stay at home mom from the Bronx who can't watch her stories anymore and you would think that even Dorian Lord would have a run for her money.

However, as many protests have been planned among fans to surround ABC Studios in NY few seem to ever follow through.  The most that have seemed to gather at the studio is 15 fans who while very vocal, aren't enough to make a difference.  It's sad to see something dying that everyone loves, but no one wants to stand up to save it.  So many actors came from soaps, it has become a traditional breeding ground for talent. Hello Buffy and Kelly Ripa! Yet all we hear are people's sorrow to see the industry die.

The Queen Lucci herself has already moved on to Desperate Housewives, and has told people she is actually glad for the change of employment.  She also reportedly told fans not to protest in NY, to let the actors mourn.  Sounds to me like someone thinks that the end of All My Children will be her biggest saving grace.  Might I add that in my own personal opinion I believe Lucci to be a second rate actress who in her best dramatic scene seems to be channeling a soft core porn actress.

That being said, I am a sucker for a good soap.  I mean, did ABC ever think of maybe making AMC and OLTL a weekly night-time soap and trimming the cast.  I think that the essence can be saved, it's just that no one has the want to do so.

Written By:
Holden McGroin & GB