All My Children
BBC reports, "Do US daytime soap operas have a future?"
Courtesy/Getty/ABC
Our dwindling American daytime soap opera scene has everyone talking including Britain’s main outlet, the BBC.
In a report and perspective from Peter Bowes in the L.A. bureau, he spoke with among others, Mal Young the producer behind the British soap hits, EastEnders and Coronation Street and Robert Thompson a professor in pop culture at Syracuse University. Here are some excerpts!
Mal Young is currently in Los Angeles developing a soap opera for primetime US TV, and details that Americans are yearning for more dramas about real life. “One of the shows that I’m developing out here is to tap into that. A British-style soap opera, with real people, real issues, working class blue collar families and not the Dallas and Dynastys and the Desperate Housewives.” Young believes US viewers would buy into a Coronation Street or EastEnders set in small town America. “I think they’re ready to go on story-telling journeys in drama and see themselves. We haven’t seen the demise of the soaps. We’ve seen the demise of a certain type of them but as a machine, as a business, a cost model, they’re so effective as long as they’re done with a great heart and they’re relevant to the audience. I think they’re ready to go on story-telling journeys in drama and see themselves.”
Professor Thompson offered up his thoughts on the the fractured daytime landscape: “The future of the daytime-type soap opera is not in the daytime. That ship has sailed and I think they are going to be gone pretty soon. However, I think there is a possibility, especially in the new economics of television that the telenovela model, the five days a week, cheaper budget kind of thing could at some time be tried in this country and work.”
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One Life to Live & All My Children Reunion Event Photo Gallery
Over the weekend, actors who appeared on two beloved legacy soap operas: All My Children and One Life to Live took part in a reunion event held over GH Fan Club Weekend. And while the fans in attendance were excited to see some of their favorites, it was the former cast members themselves getting to see their former co-stars for the first time in years which made the event all the more touching.
Then, in big surprise to the attendees, none other than former One Life to Live star, Nathan Fillion showed up to give hugs to his former castmates including: Erin Torpey (Ex-Jessica), and James (Ex-Max) and Kassie DePaiva (Ex-Blair), among others. Fillion, who has gone on to primetime success with his show Castle, and his upcoming new series on ABC, The Rookie, has never forgotten his beginnings in show business as Joe Buchanan! Who can forget his on-screen affair with Robin Strasser’s Dorian, which sent Viki (Erika Slezak) into orbit!
Kassie DePaiva (now Eve on DAYS) told Michael Fairman TV on Fillion’s appearance that she had reached out to him to let him know about the event: “I knew the fans would love it. He is very proud of his roots.”
When asked about seeing the original Blair, Mia Korf, at the same event whom she had never met, Kassie said, “I went, ‘There’s the real Blair,” but it was really nice meeting her. You know with One Life to Live actors, even if you didn’t work with somebody there is such a camaraderie, which makes this show so special.”
All My Children fans were thrilled to see appearances by Rebecca Budig (Ex-Greenlee), Vincent Irizarry (Ex-David), Jordi Vilasuso, who will soon be seen in his new role on Y&R, and played Dr, Griffin Castillo in Pine Valley, and many more.
Check out our photo gallery of some of the past cast from both AMC and OLTL who showed up to say “hello again” to each other and the fans below. Then, let us know if it makes you miss Pine Valley and Llanview all the more in the comment section, and which photo you liked the most!
Photo Credits: JPI Studios
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Ok then, ABC listen up, just move “One Life To Live” to primetime and all will be forgiven.
My comment refers mostly about ITV’s Show “Coronation Street” Britian’s longest running soap program. In the UK, it airs in the evening, not daytime.
Haha Brian! I’m with you!
“‘A British-style soap opera, with real people, real issues, working class blue collar families and not the Dallas and Dynastys and the Desperate Housewives.’ Young believes US viewers would buy into a Coronation Street or EastEnders set in small town America. ”
That interesting, and right up Agnes Nixon’s alley! OLTL was developed with a similar concept in the beginning – the contrasts between social classes.
A soaps fan just pointed out the other day that elaborate sets of sprawling mansions aren’t necessary. (But really, I do love Llanfair, La Boulaie and the Buke mansion!)
I am in total agreement with Jen. Plus, this is America, NOT England!
they should just keep them there where they are. Getting rid of them are really stupid.
I don’t think Young gets it. A “soap opera” with real people is a reality show. That’s not what I want. She continues, “I think they’re ready to go on story-telling journeys in drama and see themselves.” No, I am not so narcissistic that I want to see myself. Enough with the reality show crap. I want to be entertained, and the perfect model for that is OLTL, not what Young is proposing. And Thompson teaches at the same university from which Frons graduated.
Notice the “telenove
la” stands to make the networks more money!”
yes, we have enough rality in lives these days,bad economy,high price gas,people losing jobs,war,how much people can take? they need some scape and soaps provide that for them. I am sick of talk shows and reality shows,we need our soap daily,so we can battle with realities in our lives.keep them ABC or you go to trash can.
Actually, I agree. I think people want drama, but they want it to be relevant to their lives, what is going on in society, and addressing social issues of the day. Characters need to be warm and emotional. Not overly melodramatic, but they have to drawn you in and make you feel for the characters. That would be interesting to do it at night 5 days a week. I think some people (like myself) would watch it in the evening – if it were decent. For example, I like the show Brothers and Sisters – it is done well. I could watch that in the evenings more often. Young is definitely on to something. Love to come work with you on this 🙂
Umm…RJ. Brothers and Sisters IS a soap!
you know its been on for 40 yrs somebody is watching i’m one of these somebodies..
OLTL is my day time family.
I guess i’ll be grieving after OLT goes dark in janurary hard to believe both it and AMC will be gone this makes me wonder which of the remaining soaps will be next to get canceled.. I read a few years back that fox was looking to get in on soap operas but haven’t heard anything since then wouldn’t that be great if fox picked up OLTL and AMC.
Isn’t Britain one of the countries that uses soaps as a lead in to primetime programming? I know my mom watches Y&R here at 4:00 pm (and sometimes 6pm on Soap Net) and the 6pm airing on Soapnet, comes on right before programming that I would watch such as reruns of Chicago Hope on AmericanLife, and stuff my mom likes on CBS. If instead of airing them during the day, what would happen if you aired them instead of the news at 5pm or 6pm? I mean, who cares to see the news at 5pm, 6pm and then again at 10pm (or whenever it comes on because I avoid local news like the plague if I can help it) especially when you have a variety of ways to get it?
Daytime soaps are a dead formula, but the genre isn’t dead. I’d say maneuver the times you air them and you’ll find the ratings increase, by how much I do not know, but it can’t hurt to try right?