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ABC and PEOPLE Announce ‘The Story of Soaps’ Two-Hour Prime-Time Television Event

Photo: ABC

Looks like soaps are getting some love in the nighttime!  ABC has announced that it will air on Tuesday, May 19th (8 p. m. EST), a special two-hour event The Story of Soaps.  The network partnered with PEOPLE to present this show highlighting the iconic impact of the genre.

According to the announcement today: The Story of Soaps explores how no genre of television has laid deeper roots into our cultural consciousness and serialized storytelling than the soap opera. In today’s shifting television landscape, The Story of Soaps traces how female creators migrated from radio to television to become the dominant force in daytime for more than three decades. Today, that legacy is alive and well all over prime time and reality, and much of what propels modern television traces its roots back to those first sprawling, steamy storylines. The Story of Soaps takes an extensive look at this iconic, impactful genre and the cultural phenomenon its massive impact has had on the world at large.

Courtesy/ABC

The Story of Soaps brings together an impressive company of experts and familiar voices to help illustrate this remarkable story.  Some of the names participating in the special will be: Alec Baldwin, Andy Cohen, Bryan Cranston, Carol Burnett, Chandra Wilson, Deidre Hall, Denise Richards, Donna Mills, Drake Hogestyn, Eileen Davidson, Erika Jayne, Erika Slezak, Finola Hughes, Greg Vaughan, John Aniston, John McCook, John Stamos, Jon Hamm, Laura Wright, Lorraine Broderick. Marc Anthony Samuel, Mary Crosby, Maurice Benard, Melody Thomas Scott, Susan Lucci, Susan Sullivan, Vivica A. Fox, and others.

From the writer and producer side: Chris Van Etten, , David Jacobs, James H. Brown, Jill Farren Phelps, Jonathan Murray, Ken Olin, Marc Cherry, Shelly Atlman, Brad Bell, and more.

Courtesy/ABC

The special is produced for ABC by the television production division of Meredith Corporation with executive producers Bruce Gersh, Bruce Robertson and Dan Wakeford; and by Maggievision Productions with executive producers Maura Mandt and Rebecca Gitlitz.

Check out this first preview below.  Then let us know, if you are excited to see this prime-time event on the soaps via the comment section.

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This is going to be the story of my life! I remember Alec Baldwin when he was Billy Aldrich on The Doctors. Yes! I am that old!

Who would have ever thought he would turn out to be one of the biggest assholes in Hollywood!

Wow. How ironic. You cancel your daytime line up and years later do this. What cheek. Idiots.

I was going to say something like this…dump your soaps and now try to honor them…must still be April 1st!!!!!!!!

lets hope this is their way to see the error of their ways!!

My thoughts exactly davlestev1.

Why are THEY idiots? If they couldn’t afford to keep them on due to viewer drops, what were they supposed to do? What a bonehead statement. Also, if you’re so critical, why are you even here???

Easy now, Sally!

My apologies!!! No need for that at this time!

Hmm. No Don Hastings, Elizabeth Hubbard, Kim Zimmer, Eric Braeden, Susan Flannery, etc. The announcement leads me to think “The Story of Soaps” really is “The Story of ABC Soaps.” I’m gonna skip it.

Eric is on CBS. Maybe you shouldnt tune in based on the fact that you dont know soaps!

I dunno know about this-
”legacy is alive and well all over prime time and reality”
that ^^ is so wrong..
the daytime soaps are nothing like primetime series
that have once a week, 10 episodes per season.
And, The gawdawful cheap nuggy reality shows
are no comparison.
Just because a series has a continuation story
in no means makes it as a soap.
The soaps, real soaps, should never be put in the same
”legacy” ..

Anyways– It will be interesting ..
remind me mid-may to watch, please.

I’m going to enjoy every minute! And cross my fingers it brings more viewers to today’s shows.

I keep telling friends that many of the big budget shows they are hooked on (and I enjoy too) are soaps at heart.
They smile and kinda agree …

Let’s cheer on creative efforts and the daytime serial industry!

Well the only problem with bringing “more viewers to today’s shows” is that they have scheduled this show to air right about the same time that GH is going to run out of original episodes (which has obviously already been artificially extended by padding each episode with 50% flashbacks & the so-called Flashback Fridays, weak as they have been thus far). Presumably the two CBS soaps are reaching the end of their stash as well. Days of Our Lives has had this ridiculous taping schedule in recent years, which was most recently at 8 months in advance, so they’re actually good through the summer, and will no doubt pick up some viewers from the folks missing their other soaps. Particularly in the markets where the idiot TV affiliates run Days against GH in the same time slot.

Let’s do this production with respect and dignity…no cheesy production vales or T&A montages,please. From radio to Tv to internet. There a love and connections these shows made and continue to hold in many hearts.

I am super duper excited for this! Truly about time they helped the soap community and showed the hard work these actors do daily. No other actors work this much and this hard, so I’m glad they are coming to primetime TV and hopefully will snag a TON of new viewers! I’m a long time ABC soap fan, miss AMC and OLTL, but continue to support GH, DOOL, and the other soaps, which I have watched for a few weeks due to their story lines, but my heart belongs to GH, and well ok, DOOL since John came back on that foggy dock to Doc many years ago! My brother just passed and he too was hooked on GH, which isn’t very common for a man, I would say, or at least my brother who was truly a man’s man, so I’m very sad he’s going to miss this, but maybe they get ABC up there!

This should be interesting to see. Only problem for me is that I can only hope that it will be available on the apps that I have via my Amazon Fire Stick as I don’t have cable TV.

ABC must be low on content? All these years they crapped on Daytime and now they want to air a tribute to soaps. Huh! I’m surprised its not only available on POP or streamed only! But anyway, its something.

Where is the iconic Genie Francis? A crime to leave her out. And Tristan Rogers and Finola Hughes? Not going to be “fair and balanced”?

I get the feeling this is going to be your usual surface look at soaps…
Ooh, look how many big stars started out in soaps!
Etc, etc. etc. Ho hum.

Breaking News

George Cheeks, CBS President & CEO, on Timeline to Launch New Daytime Drama, ‘The Gates’: “We’re So Focused on Getting it Right”

March 2024 will be remembered in the TV and soap world when the news broke that CBS is prepping a brand new daytime drama. Many had thought a major network would never bring a new daytime soap into the world, given that the last time it was attempted was 25 years ago when the now defunct Passions bowed on NBC.

However, The Gates is definitely in development and moving forward with some major players associated with it including: Michele Val Jean as The Gates writer, showrunner and one of its executive producers, and Sheila Ducksworth from NAACP Venture

Now, for the first time since its announcement, George Cheeks, the president and CEO of CBS and chief content officer for news and sports at Paramount+, spoke on the project that will feature a Black family as its central focus who live in a wealthy gated community.

Photo: NAACP

Speaking with Vulture, and when asked if The Gates is really something that truly has a chance of getting on the air, Cheeks clarified, “It’s super real. And just to give you a little bit of the backstory,  when we hired Sheila Ducksworth to run the NAACP Venture, she and I had multiple meetings talking about what different genres she was going to lean into, and we talked a lot about daytime.”

Cheeks added, “One of the things that the data made very clear to both of us is that daytime soap operas over index with Black women, and yet when you look at soap operas, it’s usually sort of a white-led family with supporting characters that reflect more of our society. So we just thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to flip that and make the core anchor family a Black family, and then make the other characters reflect more the broader scope of society?”

Photo: JPI

The CEO gave props to Michele Val Jean,  and how Ducksworth came to the table with the former B&B and GH writer. “She found this great writer, Michele Val Jean, who’s been in the soap opera space for 30 years. She came up with a pitch, and we loved it,” shares Cheeks. “We brought Procter & Gamble into it as well, because if there were going to be (product) integrations, we could do it more holistically and organically. All of that is to say, we did a lot of work on the front end to put this together. So while yes, it’s development, it’s accelerated development.”

When prodded on the timeline of when The Gates could come to full fruition, Gates related, “The actual timeline and when we’re going to do it is still uncertain, because we want to get this right. I mean, there hasn’t been a new soap opera launch since I can’t even begin to tell you when. But we have great success with Bold and the Beautiful and Young and the Restless, and so we think we’re the right folks to be launching a new soap. I wish I could tell you more about exact timing, but we’re so focused on getting it right, and that will dictate when we’re ready to launch it.”

The CBS exec also shared that whether The Gates will wind up an hour soap or half-hour is not yet determined, but that it is being developed as an hour show.

So, after reading what George Cheeks, the CBS President & CEO had to say about ‘The Gates’, are you even more excited for what looks to the first new network soap in 25 years? Comment below.

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Breaking News

Robyn Bernard, ‘General Hospital’s’ Terry Brock, Dead at 64

Former General Hospital star, Robyn Bernard, who played aspiring singer Terry Brock has died. She was 64-years-old.

Bernard’s body was found Tuesday in San Jacinto, California. A Riverside County Coroner told TMZ they identified the actress’ body using her fingerprints after deputies responded to a death investigation call on Tuesday March 12th.

Sources told the outlet that Bernard’s body was found in the wee hours of the morning. The cause of death has yet to be determined.

Photo: ABC

Bernard joined General Hospital back in 1984 as Terry Brock, the daughter of the abusive D.L. Brock (played by David Groh). Robyn remained on the ABC soap opera for six years before making her exit in 1990. At one point, Terry’s stepmother would become Bobbie Spencer (the late Jackie Zeman) when the nurse married her father.

Terry was involved in the Laurelton Murders storyline and after first setting her sights on Frisco Jones, wound up with killer Kevin O’Connor. Later, Terry was blamed for several murders and in the end killed Kevin in self-defense. In addition, Terry had a relationship with Dusty Walker played by none other than Shaun Cassidy.  She eventually left Port Charles after landing her own recording contract.

Photo: ABC

The last time GH Fans may have seen Bernard was in 2014, when she appeared at the GH Fan Club Weekend Past Cast event. Robyn is pictured below with the late Susan Brown (ex-Gail) at the fan gathering. She has been out of the limelight for several years.

Photo: JPI

In addition to her role on GH, Bernard was featured throughout her TV career on primetime’s Simon & Simon, Tour of Duty and The Facts of Life.

Share your remembrances and condolences for GH alum Robyn Bernard and her loved ones via the comment section below.

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Breaking News

51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Announce Broadcast Date on CBS

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) revealed on Tuesday, that the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on Friday night, June 7th (8 – 10 PM, ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+*.

This year will mark the 18th time CBS has broadcast the Daytime Emmy Awards, which is more than any other network.

The 2024 Daytime Emmys will take place at the Westin Bonaventure in downtown Los Angeles. Back in December of 2023, the delayed 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were also held at that venue. The June 7th date for the upcoming ceremony will be the first time in several years that the event is scheduled a few weeks earlier than normal; excluding last year’s revised date to the actors and writers strikes.

Photo: NATAS

Lifetime Achievement honoree, nominations, host, and additional information will be announced in the coming weeks.

In a statement, Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS noted, “We eagerly anticipate our return in June as we once again partner with CBS to recognize the exceptional and talented individuals who make daytime television great. We’re thrilled to kick off our second half-century of the Daytime Emmys.”

The Daytime Emmy Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974, 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.

Photo: JPI

The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will once again be produced by NATAS and Associated Television International (ATI), which produced Daytime Emmy Award ceremonies on The CW in 2009 and on CBS in 2010, 2011, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Adam Sharp and Lisa Armstrong are executive producers from NATAS, while David McKenzie is executive producer from ATI.

So, glad to know that the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards honoring performance and shows in the 2023 calendar year, will be held in early June this year, and once again broadcast on CBS? Comment below.

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