News
OLTL Takes Its Final Bow – The Curtain Comes Down on Llanview!
Courtesy/ABC
This afternoon across television screens in America, fans will be saying goodbye to One Life to Live after its 43-year-run.
To honor the show with a look at what made the show so special and with comments from members of the cast including Erika Slezak, Robert S. Woods and Hillary B. Smith, Ilene Kristen, John-Paul Lavoisier and Farah Fath and Kristen Alderson and Kassie DePaiva, On-Air On-Soaps Michael Fairman filed this special feature, OLTL Takes Its Final Bow – The Curtain Comes Down on Llanview and Daytime Will Never Be The Same for FrontiersLa.com!
Here are some excerpts below from the story introduction and a few quotes from the cast.
“As this sad kick-in-the-teeth twice story goes, ABC canned OLTL from their lineup, then Prospect Park (the entertainment media company) acquired the licensing rights to the show to move it to its new Online Network, only to pull out just five days after the series wrapped its final episode. The news rocked the soap world, and its devoted and loyal fans, that One Life, for all intent and purposes, will go to soap opera heaven with its epitaph reading: “You canceled the wrong show!”
From romance, intrigue and courtroom drama unmatched anywhere in soaps; look no further than Judith Light’s Daytime Emmy-winning, unforgettable performance in 1979 as Karen Wolek (when she took the witness stand and admitted she was a prostitute in front of her husband and family) to exonerate her best friend, Viki. Stories on mental illness, social issues of the day, action/adventure soap style and some highly creative fantasy episodes and more, OLTL packed all of it into its 43 years. They accomplished this with a quirky and loveable appeal that made the audience at home on occasion have a good laugh—and ultimately what a good soap does best—made us reach for a box of tissues and have a good cry.”
Erika Slezak (Viki) on dealing with the loss of the series for herself, the cast, and the fans: “When we were canceled, I was walking to work one day and I got so sad, because I won’t be seeing my buddies or my friends anymore,” Erika poignantly said. “There is a life that lives in this building, obviously. Many of us have been here together for many years, and even people that have been here for two weeks become part of the family so quickly. I was sitting next to Agnes Nixon when we did our final cast photo and I started to cry. I told her, ‘You changed my life, and I have not been able to properly thank you.’ What she did for me and what she has done for the audience is quite remarkable. Thank God we did not do the photo shoot the last day of the show. I think we all would have been in tears. I don’t think any one of us could have gotten through it. It’s kind of amazing that we were all together one last time for the photo. I am trying very hard not to think about Friday.”
Robert S. Woods (Bo) on the power of the fans, who patiently waiting for ten years for he, and on-screen partner, Hillary B. Smith (Nora) to be reunited on-screen: “I was so struck by that, because I kept thinking and telling them, ‘No. It’s over. Don’t you get that? Their lives have taken completely different directions. Doesn’t anybody get it but me?’ But as it turns out, I was the only guy who didn’t get it until we were reteamed, and then I went, ‘Wow, this is like stealing money and so easy!’ This last couple of years has been really fun. We came back together and it blew me away and I could not believe it. The fans are what kept us going. I know they are not happy about losing this soap. It is going to be a very devastating loss for them. ”
What do you think will be One Life to Live’s legacy, and what it will be most remembered for? Let us know!
Breaking News
(WATCH) 2024 Daytime Emmy Nominations Special Live!
After exciting morning for your favorite daytime stars when they were revealed to be nominees for the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards comes tonight 10th annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Special.
Beginning at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT, several of the nominees will talk with Michael Fairman on their reactions to the news they have been nominated for a Daytime Emmy, share what scenes they submitted that landed in the top five or six in their respective performer acting categories and much more.
Scheduled to appear are: Days of our Lives nominees, Tamara Braun (Ava), Eric Martsolf (Brady) and Linsey Godfrey (Sarah), The Young and the Restless nominees: Allison Lanier (Summer), Michelle Stafford (Phyllis), Courtney Hope (Sally), Bryton James (Devon), The Bold and the Beautiful’s John McCook (Eric), General Hospital nominees, Finola Hughes (Anna) and Alley Mills (Heather), and The Bay’s Mike Manning (Caleb).
Photo: JPI
The 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+ on Friday night, June 7th and emanating, once again this year from the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
Photo: JPI
For a full list of this year’s nominations click here.
Now, watch below as the stars chat it up as we celebrate their Daytime Emmy Nominations. If you have a potential question you might want posed to any of our guests, drop it in the comment section below and we just might ask it on air.
Breaking News
51st Annual Daytime Emmy Award Nominations: CBS Soaps Score Most, Eric Braeden, Dick Van Dyke, Guy Pearce Receive Nods
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) have officially announced on Friday, the full list of nominees for the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.
While Thursday brought with it four reveals of the nominees in the Outstanding Daytime Drama, Talk Show Host, Lead Actor and Actress categories (as presented by various entertainment news programs), today’s nominations include all the other categories not previously announced.
The Daytime Emmy Awards telecast is set to be presented live on Friday night, June 7, at 8 PM EDT /delayed PT, on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+. This will mark the 18th time that CBS has broadcast the Daytime Emmys.
Photo: JPI
In addition, The Daytime Creative Arts & Lifestyle Emmy Awards will be presented on Saturday, June 8 at t9 PM ET/6 PM PT and streamed on The Emmys apps and at watch.TheEmmys.tv. The ceremonies will take place at the Westin Bonaventure Los Angeles.
Television icon, Dick Van Dyke has received his first-ever Daytime Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Guest Performer category for his touching portrayal of Timothy Robicheaux on Peacock’s Days of our Lives. The nomination makes Van Dyke the oldest Daytime Emmy nominee in history at 98-years-old. In addition, motion picture and TV star, Guy Pearce, is also nominated as Guest Performer for his longtime role as Mike Young in the reboot of Neighbours.
Speaking of Neighbours, the Australian soap opera also received its first ever Daytime Emmy nomination for Daytime Drama Series now that its a revival can be streamed on Amazon Freevee. In addition, The Young and the Restless iconic, Eric Braeden (Victor Newman) received his first Daytime Emmy nomination in more than 20 years in the Lead Actor in a Drama Series category.
Photo: AmazonFreevee
In the Daytime Drama series categories, CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless each scored 12 nominations more than any other show. Leading the acting nominations was B&B, who landed 7 performers in the various categories, a first in its 37-year history.
In a statement, Adam Sharp, President & CEO, NATAS expressed, “We are happy to once again honor the creative talent both in front of and behind the camera of America’s favorite Daytime programs. We look forward to celebrating the icons who enliven the days of audiences across the country.”
Photo: JPI
Brent Stanton, Head of Daytime, NATAS added, “Producing the Daytime Emmys is a labor of love for all of us at NATAS. The huge popularity of these shows continues to be must-see viewing for their fans.” NATAS also revealed that Lifetime Achievement Honorees, Hosts, Presenters, and Silver and Gold Circle honorees will be revealed at a later date.
The Daytime Emmy Awards recognize outstanding achievement in television programming honoring work in a variety of categories, including daytime dramas, talk shows, instructional programming, hosting, culinary, and legal/courtroom programs. In 2021, NATAS and the Television Academy jointly announced plans to realign the Daytime and Primetime Emmy Awards to be organized by content genre, as opposed to program airtime.
The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be produced once again by NATAS and Associated Television International (ATI). Adam Sharp and Lisa Armstrong are executive producers from NATAS, while David McKenzie executive produces from ATI.
Congratulations to all the men and women in front of the camera and behind the scenes for their recognition as we take a look at who will be going for gold come June. Here are the nominees below starting with the Daytime Drama Categories.
Photo: JPI
OUTSTANDING DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES
The Bay
The Bold and the Beautiful
Days of our Lives
General Hospital
Neighbours
The Young and the Restless
OUTSTANDING LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: ACTRESS
Tamara Braun, Days of our Lives
Finola Hughes, General Hospital
Katherine Kelly Lang, The Bold and the Beautiful
Annika Noelle, The Bold and the Beautiful
Michelle Stafford, The Young and the Restless
Cynthia Watros, General Hospital
Photo: JPI
OUTSTANDING LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: ACTOR
Eric Braeden, The Young and the Restless
Scott Clifton, The Bold and the Beautiful
Thorsten Kaye, The Bold and the Beautiful
Eric Martsolf, Days of our Lives
John McCook, The Bold and the Beautiful
Photo: JPI
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: ACTRESS
Jennifer Gareis, The Bold and the Beautiful
Linsey Godfrey, Days of our Lives
Courtney Hope, The Young and the Restless
Allison Lanier, The Young and the Restless
Emily O’Brien, Days of our Lives
Photo: JPI
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: ACTOR
Robert Gossett, General Hospital
Bryton James, The Young and the Restless
Wally Kurth, Days of our Lives
A Martinez, The Bay
Mike Manning, The Bay
Photo: JPI
OUTSTANDING GUEST PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES
Linden Ashby, The Young and the Restless
Ashley Jones, The Bold and the Beautiful
Alley Mills, General Hospital
Guy Pearce, Neighbours
Dick Van Dyke, Days of our Lives
OUTSTANDING WRITING TEAM FOR A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES
The Bay
The Bold and the Beautiful
Days of our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless
Photo: JPI
OUTSTANDING DIRECTING TEAM FOR A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES
The Bay
The Bold and the Beautiful
Days of our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DIRECTION
General Hospital
The Jennifer Hudson Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show
The View
Photo: ABC
OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL DIRECTION, CAMERAWORK, VIDEO
The Bold and the Beautiful
Days of our Lives
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade
The Kelly Clarkson Show
OUTSTANDING CASTING
African Queens: Njinga
Days of our Lives
General Hospital
Start Up
The Young and the Restless
OUTSTANDING ART DIRECTION/SET DECORATION/SCENIC DESIGN
African Queens: Njinga
The Drew Barrymore Show
General Hospital
The Kelly Clarkson Show
The View
The Young and the Restless
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN/STYLING
African Queens: Njinga
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Sherri
Photo: WarnerBros
OUTSTANDING HAIRSTYLING AND MAKEUP
African Queens: Njinga
The Drew Barrymore Show
Sherri
The View
The Young and the Restless
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SONG
“Shine” General Hospital
“Unexpected Truth”Unexpected
“We’re Home” Reconnecting Roots
OUTSTANDING DAYTIME TALK SERIES
The Jennifer Hudson Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Tamron Hall
Turning The Tables with Robin Roberts
The View
Photo: ABC
OUTSTANDING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS SERIES
Access Hollywood
Entertainment Tonight
Extra
OUTSTANDING CULINARY SERIES
Be My Guest with Ina Garten
Family Dinner
Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays
Valerie’s Home Cooking
What Am I Eating? with Zooey Deschanel
OUTSTANDING LEGAL/COURTROOM PROGRAM
Hot Bench
Judy Justice
Justice For The People with Judge Milian
The People’s Court
We The People with Judge Lauren Lake
Photo: Disney/ABC
DAYTIME TALK SERIES HOST
Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, Ana Navarro, The View
Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show
Mark Consuelos, Kelly Ripa, Live with Kelly and Mark
Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell, Sheryl Underwood, The Talk
Tamron Hall, Tamron Hall
OUTSTANDING CULINARY HOST
Lidia Bastianich, 25 Years with Lidia: A Culinary Jubilee
Valerie Bertinelli, Valerie’s Home Cooking
Eduardo Garcia, Big Sky Kitchen with Eduardo Garcia
Emeril Lagasse, Emeril Cooks
Sophia Roe, Counter Space
Buddy Valastro, Legends of the Fork
OUTSTANDING DAYTIME PERSONALITY – DAILY
Frank Caprio, Caught in Providence
Kevin Frazier, Nischelle Turner , Matt Cohen, Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Will Marfuggi, Rachel Smith, Entertainment Tonight
Deborah Norville, Steven Fabian, Lisa Guerrero, Ann Mercogliano, Jim Moret, Les Trent. Inside Edition
Robert Hernandez, Star Jones, Divorce Court
Judge Judy Sheindlin, Whitney Kumar, Kevin Rasco, Sarah Rose, Judy Justice
What do you think about the nominations for the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards? Who do you think deserved to get in that did? Who do you think got snubbed? Who are you happiest to see receive a nomination? Let us know via the comment section below.
Make sure to be with us live starting tonight Friday, April 19th at 8pm ET/5pm PT for the Michael Fairman Channel’s 10th anniversary edition of its Daytime Emmy Nomination Special 2024, featuring some of the just announced daytime drama nominees.
All My Children
51st Daytime Emmys: Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa Receive Talk Show Host Nominations
On Thursday, nominations were announced in the Outstanding Talk Show category for the upcoming 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards.
Mark Consuelos (ex-Mateo, All My Children) coming off his first-year as co-host of ‘Live” with real-life wife, Kelly Ripa scored his first Talk Show Host nomination along with Ripa who has been nominated previous times.
Joining Mark and Kelly in the race are: Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, Ana Navarro, The View
Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell, Sheryl Underwood, The Talk and
Tamron Hall, Tamron Hall.
Photo: CBS
As previously reported, The Talk is coming to its end when its upcoming 15th and final season ends in December of 2024.
The 51st annual Daytime Emmys are slated to be broadcast and stream live on CBS and Paramount+ on Friday night, June 7th
Look for the full list of nominations to drop on Friday morning at 12 noon ET/9 am PT.
So, are you rooting for Kelly and Mark to win their first Talk Show host award together? Comment below.
(WATCH) 2024 Daytime Emmy Nominations Special Live!
51st Annual Daytime Emmy Award Nominations: CBS Soaps Score Most, Eric Braeden, Dick Van Dyke, Guy Pearce Receive Nods
Stephen Schnetzer Talks On His Return to Days of our Lives and Working with Susan Seaforth Hayes In Emotional Episodes
51st Daytime Emmys: Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa Receive Talk Show Host Nominations
51st Daytime Emmys: Outstanding Daytime Drama Series Nominations
General Hospital’s Steve Burton Reveals the Emotional Scene He Almost Could Not Get Through
DAYS Alum Tanner Stine to Appear in ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ Starring Nicholas Chavez
Stephen Schnetzer Talks On His Return to Days of our Lives and Working with Susan Seaforth Hayes In Emotional Episodes
51st Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Set to Be Announced
B&B’s Sean Kanan, Heather Tom and Lawrence Saint-Victor All Had Creative Hand in Sheila’s ‘Ten Toe’ Reveal
(WATCH) 2024 Daytime Emmy Nominations Special Live!
51st Annual Daytime Emmy Award Nominations: CBS Soaps Score Most, Eric Braeden, Dick Van Dyke, Guy Pearce Receive Nods
General Hospital’s Steve Burton Reveals the Emotional Scene He Almost Could Not Get Through
Y&R’s Hayley Erin Previews Her Role in Horror-Thriller ‘New Life’
‘The Golden Bachelor’s’ Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist to Divorce Three Months After TV Wedding
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General HospitalApril 15, 2024General Hospital’s Steve Burton Reveals the Emotional Scene He Almost Could Not Get Through
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Days Of Our LivesApril 14, 2024Days of our Lives wins WGA Award for Daytime Drama Series
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NewsApril 12, 2024Y&R’s Hayley Erin Previews Her Role in Horror-Thriller ‘New Life’
This show has to come back somehow, some way. It just cannot be over.
told everyone victor was alive.and it looks like trevor st john did come back for a split second, I had a feeling crazy lady allison perkins was talking to him.cool.and our fight to save one life to live and all my children have to continue.cant stop the fight ,drive abc nuts call ,email ,dont watch anything but general hospital then change that channel ,yea,victor is alive.
Barbara: Read this. Still awake wasn’t feeling well BC of the headache, but feeling alittle better now.
ABC has already tried letting go of fan favorites and bringing in cheap newbies on General Hospital, which has sunk so low in the ratings that i sincerely doubt that it will be back after September 2012 when Katie Couric gets her talk show. Also, ABC should think about keeping both AMC and OLTL in its back pocket because I don’t know of anyone that is interested in watching either The Chew or the Revolution–my grandmother, who has never watched a soap in her 80 years, is planning on boycotting the new shows in solidarity with her friends that have watched.
As for Trevor St. John leaving the show, I wish OLTL would reconsider. I understand that Howarth was the original Todd, but St. John has made that character his own, and seeing Todd switched back to the old Todd is ridiculous. There has been so much character development in the past 8 years that even if this version of Todd isn’t the real Todd, I feel like I have been lied to and had the wool pulled over my eyes.
Comment by Elizabeth – June 29, 2011 02:12 PM PST Reply To This Post
It was a good finale! Going to miss Erika. And the last scene was AWESOME! Hope fully, Trevor’s Todd/Victor gets resolved in the crossover to GH. Nevertheless, it was a sad au revoir.
I Want My Show Back! The Ending Today was incredible!! I LOVED IT! I want OLTL Back on the air, And for someone To WAKE up and Do the RIGHT thing. Put This Program Back. I don’t care how you can do this…3 times a week…2 times a week???
It can be done!! Someone do it!!!
I can’t believe it is over! OLTL has been a part of my life for over 20 years! I choked up when they showed Pa(Asa) picture on the mantel. It was like he was looking down over everyone. All the actors are great. I have loved them all. Tuc Watkins has kept me laughing from the beginning. It was great ride, I hope it comes back in some other form. Good luck to all the cast and crew! OLTL -forever.
I have watched this show for 35 yrs (started watching it with my mom when I was 8 yrs old! I seriously have been crying watching it and cannot accept it is over!
SOMEONE PLEASE FUND THIS SHOW AND BRING IT BACK!
I have a campaign going, why dont you start one beginning with constantly writing the own network.
Great finale. I thought I would be able to let go when it was over, but it is a big loss. I will miss our show.
I have been watching this since 1980. I’m going to miss this show. Very depressing for everyone. I hope they can all move on to gh and make it a 2 hour a day series. I hope all the devoted crew of one life to live are able to move on tho bigger and better things, I’ll always have the memories of oltl and how it helped me entertain my mind and relate to different life experiences. Peace. Hope to see you again someday!
I couldn’t believe it: Victor/Todd alive! Did Trevor lie about not coming back for the end? What an actor! The end was the best I could hope for. Most people had happy endings, and in true soap opera form, we were left with a cliffhanger. I loved it.
As for OLTL’s legacy–it’s incredibly rich: exceptional ensemble cast, decades of moving performances, compelling storytelling, remarkable capacity for surprise, whimsy, humor, and fine stagecraft. It is the art of theatre for the masses.
That is the final straw! I am no longer going to watch ABC. I’ll watch my news elsewhere too!
Karen: I missed today’s show, I had court. abc has already taken down the OLTL site, I cannot BELIEVE IT. Can you or someone tell me how I watch this weeks episode someplace else. I CANNOT BELIEVE THEY TOOK THE SITE DOWN ALREADY FOR PEOPLE WHO WORK AT NIGHT AND WATCH THIS SOAP AND COULDN’T BE HOME TO WATCH THE FINALE. THIS IS REALLY BS. MAYB THAT WAS THE WAY FOR THEM TO GET BACK AT US BARKING FANS….. CAN YOU OR SOMEONE DIRECT ME TO A SITE THAT WILL SHOW IT.
soapnet.and you missed alot, it was good ,better then good.Id tell you what happened, but I dont want to be a spoiler,however I will say ,I was right.
You can catch it one last time on SoapNet tomorrow night, as part of OLTL’s late night marathon. The ending of it was a real surprise, and a real shocker! I sure hope that you can catch it, believe me, you won’t be disappointed!
FYI: You can still access the OLTL site on ABC.com but you have to go into the area where you view the videos and then choose from the list. OLTL is on the list and I just got done watching it. It’s there. Relax.
I believe that ABC knows it made a horrible mistake shelving OLTL and they didn’t expect to have the tidal wave that hit them in terms of the fan outcry.
I’m one of RC’s biggest critics, but I do think that he set things up nicely yesterday about the cliffhanger ending as well as he could have, although yesterday’s story seemed like the finale.
I would have liked some sort of shout out about KISH besides the derogatory way that Mitch referred to Oliver as “the homosexual.” For a show that prided itself in being groundbreaking, there seemed to be some narrow minded bigotry going on with OLTL the way that they depicted fundamentalist Christians, which I found actually appalling. There are many good people out there who are fundamentalists but RC chose to depict them to be ignorant and evil. It’s like the whole thing on Glee: Gays good, Straight People weird and evil.
The past 2 weeks have been great! Great stories wrapping up and I love how Friday’s show had so much going on, it really flew by because it was so interesting. Love that Victor was on there. I figured he and Dorian would be on there even though the actors denied it (I was wrong about Dorian sadly!), I figured there had to be surprises.
ABC sucks for taking OLTL off. I am going to dvr Days of Our Lives now. At least NBC seems to care about their show and want to keep it going.
Brilliant, shocking, climactic, breathtakingly wonderful! What a ride! Long Live One Life! My heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in the making of this show, you have brought us years of the very best in entertainment. Thank you for every cheer and every tear, I will miss this show more than words can say. Bravo!
Remember on Monday, don’t even turn you TV to ABC! I know some might get curious about how bad the new show will be, but the best way to really stick it to the network is not to watch at all. Let’s show ABC, just how big of a mistake they made by canceling OLTL!!!
Torrey, I’ll join you in not tuning into the Chew or the Revolution, but I’m going to be tuning into GH on Monday for the very first time. I think its a gift to the fans of OLTL to know some of our beloved characters will live on, and with Frank and Ron at the helm, and the actors that have signed on I can only say thank you! And I will be there with my support and viewership, and so much appreciation.
Yeah, I’m just protesting The Chew & The Revolution…..this has nothing to do with GH. I want soap fans to continue to support the soaps….that’s the only way that the networks can see that we are serious about our soaps.
“This afternoon across television screens in America, fans will be saying goodbye to One Life to Live after its 43-year-run.”
hmmm… OLTL has also been very popular in Canada… i watched it for the last 30 years.
Bless You OLTL. We Love You In Northwest Illinois! 😀