News
One Life to Live Aired Its Last ABC Episode Five Years Ago Today!
Courtesy/ABC
It is hard to fathom that five years ago on this date in 2012, the beloved One Life to Live aired its final episode on ABC after being cancelled by the network along with All My Children in 2011. One Life debuted on ABC in 1968, a creation of the late and iconic Agnes Nixon who passed away late in 2016.
After over 43 years, when the series was canned along with AMC, that sweeping move still today has shaken the soap genre to its core. Then after stalled attempts at an online rebirth, One Life was given a new life to live online on April 29, 2013 via one season on Hulu via Prospect Park. Now after a long litigation, the rights to the series are back with ABC.
The final episode of ABC’s One Life to Live ended with a rousing cliffhanger between Alison Perkins (Barbara Garrick) revealing she had tied up and kidnapped Victor Lord Jr. (Trevor St. John) who is very much alive, just as his brother Todd (Roger Howarth) is arrested for his “murder”. The amazing final run and final episodes were brilliantly executed and written by then OLTL head writer Ron Carlivati and his stellar writing team.
After the jump, watch the final ABC episode of One Life to Live that originally aired five years ago today. Then share your thoughts and memories of the soap in the comment section below.
The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.
According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.
Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.
Photo: CBS
MORE BY THE NUMBERS
In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .
BEYOND THE GATES
Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:
Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).
Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.
Photo: ABC
GENERAL HOSPITAL
Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:
Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.
Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.
Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.
Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.
However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.
So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Antonio Sabáto Jr., the former Jagger Cates of General Hospital and GH: Night Shift, and the former Dante Damiano of The Bold and the Beautiful has issued his first public statement since the incident involving his son, Jack’s arrest in Alaska for a fatal hit-and-run.
Jack is the son of Sabáto Jr. and Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, and according to court documents obtained by KTUU Jack, was allegedly driving a white Chevy Tahoe when he hit and killed Carl Simmonds, 42, near an intersection in Anchorage around 5:35 a.m. on Monday, November 9.
The reports indicated that Jack fled the scene — but later decided to called the cops to say he hit “something” that “suddenly appeared in the road” while he was “doing late-night DoorDashing.”
Photo: NBC
Now, Antonio has taken to his Instagram breaking his silence on the situation, sharing, “At this time, my family and I are navigating an extremely sensitive and deeply personal matter.”
He added, “As a father, my love for my children remains unconditional, and my priority is the well-being of my family. We ask that the public and members of the media honor our privacy during this difficult time and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.”
The soap alum concluded, “I also wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who tragically lost his life. My thoughts and prayers are with them as well. We sincerely appreciate your compassion, understanding, and respect for the privacy of everyone affected.”
Jack Sabáto was arraigned in court on Tuesday, November 10 with bail set at $5,000, and a no-driving order and the potential of $5,000 penalty fees if he fails to attend future court appearances.
Antonio is the father to Jack, 34, daughter, Mina Sabato, 24 and son, Antonio Sabáto III, 15.
This is a developing story. You can check out Antonio’s official statement below.
So, let us know your thoughts on this tragic hit-and-run, which claimed the life of another man, and Antonio’s statement, via the comment section below.
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Days of our Lives long-running cast member James Reynolds revealed on the November 10 edition of Entertainment Tonight that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and his character of Abe Carver will now be going through an on-screen Parkinson’s battle as well.
Speaking with ET’s Nischelle Turner, the 80-year-old actor and Daytime Emmy winner shared how he attempted to hide the warning signs dating back to 15-20 years ago when he would have, “What they call the hallucinations. My wife (Lissa) would say, ‘You were hitting me last night in bed,’ and I would say, ‘What?!’ I was having these really horrible dreams.” Reynolds also added that he realized falling out of bed was an early symptom of Parkinson’s too.
Discussing the on-going tremors that have become more noticeable over time especially in hands, James shared that when he finally told the Days of our Lives cast they were nothing but “extraordinarily helpful and supportive.”
Photo: ET
SCREEN LIFE TO MIRROR REAL LIFE
Now with DAYS about to launch into Abe’s Parkinson’s storyline, Reynolds hopes that he can turn his experience into something positive by encouraging others facing the disease to keep fighting. During the sit-down, Reynolds co-star Jackée Harry (Paulina Price) recalls her reaction to learning of Reynolds’ real-life diagnosis and how she has continued to search for new treatments to inform James about.
Although Parkinson’s disease currently has no cure, there are medications and treatments can help those manage symptoms and improve quality of life. The condition progresses at a different pace from individual to individual.
As discussed in his conversation with ET, Reynolds cited Michael J. Fox and Alan Alda as two high-profile celebrities who have brought awareness to the disease.
Photo: JPI
In story on DAYS, Abe in recent weeks had been experiencing tremors which led to seek help and a diagnosis Dr. Kayla Johnson (Mary Beth Evans). Soon Abe and others will find out of his battle with Parkinson’s. Although on the promo for this week’s DAYS, Abe is seen telling Kayla, that he will do something, “when the time is right.”
James Reynolds is one of the most prolific performers, being the longest-running Black Actor in a role on a television series, not to mention his aforementioned Lead Actor Daytime Emmy win in 2018, and being inducted in 2025 into the Daytime Emmy Gold and Silver Society of honorees.
You can check out James’ in-depth conversation on his Parkinson’s diagnosis below.
Share your thoughts for James after learning of his health battle, and what do you think of Days of our Lives incorporating the disease into Abe Carver’s Salem storyline? Let us know in the comment section.
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run
DANCING WITH THE STARS: A Shocking Elimination on Grammy Night Leaves Ballroom Silenced
Y&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
‘Days of our Lives’ Kyle Pryor Debuts as Dominic Marino and Says of Alleged TV Mom, “Deidre Hall is the Absolute OG, Amazing” (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
‘Days of our Lives’ Veteran James Reynolds Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis
Y&R’s Matt Cohen Talks Role as Compassionate Zookeeper in Rom-Com ‘Christmas at the Zoo’
Alice Halsey Returns to ‘Days of our Lives’ as Rachel Black – Find Out How Long!
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Among the most boneheaded decisions by ABC, cancelling OLTL and AMC. The Alphabet net once owned daytime and had a brand envied by all in the game. These were quality programs that deserved better than what they received in their final years.
OLTL was in an upswing in its final year…it got so good-better than what is currently going on in our 4 remaing soaps!
it was better than the material we are seeing now. OLTL’s demos were higher than what the current soaps are doing
The ratings were not good and although The Chews ratings may not be as good its close enough and much cheaper to produce. Im sad OLTL is gone but from a business standpoint I get why ABC did what it did.
Yeah, Iakovos.That’s what I call a SOAP….. Drama. Suspense. Gorgeous characters. Supreme acting. Oh, yeah….watching these clips was an incredibly out-of-body experience for me. Be still mine heart…it’s all a’twitter! So bittersweet.
I wanted to dive right in there, head first. I love these people….every single one of them.
Victor ( fake Todd) is alive? I do not remember that scene.
I encourage you to watch The Sopranos, The West Wing, and Breaking Bad. Those are quality programs. For you to put One Life To Live in the “quality” category is simply absurd.
Hey, Mollie,
I am trying to understand your post. How is it relevant? We are speaking of soaps not defunct primetime shows.
We, as viewers are a diverse lot. Different strokes for different folks.
What may seem “quality” to you, may be trash to another. My intellect must be impaired because I never found any interest in those shows. I am sorry, but that is such a blatant remark.
I do not appreciate violence, no matter the “high” quality. ‘Tis a choice. How can one compare soaps to primetime programming? Apples and Oranges.
OLTL, as far as I am concerned, was one of THE best soaps ever created. Still watching, after twenty-seven years. My first memory, at the age of three, was Rachel talking to Ava (ANOTHER WORLD, in her kitchen, with a dish cloth swung over her shoulder. Constance Ford, I believe died just a few years later.
So, you see, Mollie, what counts is what makes an impression. To me, that’s “quality”.
Furthermore, Iakovos is right. The soaps of yore brought something to the table. They had heart….something to which we all related; even to those of us who started watching as toddlers.
Iakovos was not comparing, you are. He is strictly talking about soaps, THEIR merits and how their ‘richness’ is getting poorer and poorer. To those of us who are avid soap watchers, Mollie, this “regression” hurts. I take it, you don’t really like soaps? Later.
i have to agree so strongly with Celia.. and somehow i feel that you may not understand what soaps gave to people. Imagine being a gay teenage in my world of 1981 and 1982 and my 2 final years of high bulling being now played 10 years later by Ryan Phillipe. the dialogue, the visualization of what Billy Douglas suffered bridges so much understand of what i went thru for my mother to see on this soap. I mean no offense to you in any way, but i felt strongly to give voice to my experience. there were days in those years when it would be easier for to have gone to bed and hoped not to awake..but it was wanting to watch OLTL the next day that calmed those thoughts. And with regard to Breaking Bad , which at the time it aired, i too enjoyed watching..please do some viewing of the documentary movie “Chemsex” and see what crystal meth has done to the gay community 10 years later on.
While I loathe the cancellation of soaps – I still miss my beloved Santa Barbara – I can’t agree that it was “among the most boneheaded decisions by ABC.” Soaps are quite expensive to produce and just don’t have the ratings they once did, especially the ABC ones. The Chew averages almost 3M viewers and costs much less than OLTL to produce. It’s simple business. Yes, the Revolution failed, but now that hour is back at the affiliates and that makes them happier than having any network programming!
OLTL was at the top of its game during its last few years. It’s sad that a show that was never afraid to take creative chances with its storytelling was cancelled in favor of GH and its singular worship of all things Corinthos.
It’s pretty simple, GH was the higher rated show at the time, and brought in higher ad revenue. It also had the history and the track record. Not to mention, OLTL was cost ineffective being taped in New York where production costs are much higher. There’s a reason none of the New York based soaps ever lasted. It came down to dollars and cents, which is all ABC cared about. I don’t like that it happened, but from working in the TV business, I can understand why it did.
I enjoyed the finale better this time around. I think no commercials helped. I least favorite character in this episode was Tomas. Now that ABC owns the rights of characters again I wonder if some characters will once again appear on GH. Even if they resurrect OLTL on a smaller scale to stream online. We know there is an audience.
Wow time flies, ABC made a huge mistake in cancelling OLTL. ABC will never admit there mistake, I hope they choke on it. OLTL will never come back to ABC, way too late now.
I agree with you Claudio. Even if they tried to re-boot it’s hard to catch the magic again…like David Vickers, Dorian, Blair. And then there seems to be problems finding good writers for the soaps we have left.
It’s said it costs more to do a soap than the other shows they’ve tried as replacements for our soaps. But I also have to think it has cost a lot in loyalty and the revolving door of shows that have come and gone.
I miss Guiding Light of all the cancelled shows… wish they would find a way to bring it back on the air, but sadly we will never see another daytime soap premiere!
I thought about OLTL several times today and still recall 5 years ago. I was at work and looked at the clock at the time it was airing its final moments. A heartbreaking moment. Went home, watched the episode and cried like a baby. I’ll never forget the series–it was a part of 40 years of my life–and in fact got a OLTL tattoo (the abbreviations) last year!
I felt the exact same way, it was so heart wrenching I was devastated
I cried from the opening credits on. I was hoping that OLTL would be my afternoon companion as it was for my mom and aunts. GH is too hit and miss.
It COULD come back though it is highly unlikely – the viewers would have to accept new cast members intermingled with existing Cast members such as Erika Slezak as Victoria ~ add in some new players – there’s no reason why it can’t be done – the only problem is, ABC probably won’t do it.
OLTL was must watch daytime drama, funny, poignant, sexy, with the best cast and couples . The acting was superb and the writing was at the top of its game. I miss my beloved soap I miss my favorite couple Jolie, as well as other favorites Cicki and Clint, David and Dorian, Todd and Blair, Victor and Tea, Jess and Nash, Bo and Nora and oh the tears when it ended.
Miss oltl to much, bring it back and other character from and
And other soaps it will do great, daytime right now sucks
Except for a few shows.
Wow. Five years already! So miss all the soaps that were cancelled last: OLTL, ATWT, and of course GL. The reasons can be many why they were cancelled from expenses to different demographics and viewing habits, etc. I just find it ironic that the execs who proclaimed that viewers don’t want to watch serial dramas anymore. And now what is the primetime landscapes littered with: Serialized dramas! Makes me crazy!!
I still mourn the loss of our beloved One Life to Live. All this week, I’ve watched episodes from 2009-2010 online and am thoroughly entertained. The quality of the acting, story weaving and production is superb. There were half a dozen different story lines going on at the same time and nothing got lost in the shuffle. I miss those rich, multi-layered characters and complex stories with all the twists and turns. I offer my sincere thanks to the entire cast and crew for entertaining me from July 15, 1968 to January 13, 2012.
Prospect Park’s OLTL was also really good. It got better and better as it went on, I wish it had continued1
Now maybe GH can have Dr Finn go off into the sunset with Hayden or his not-so dead wife and bring back John McBain. They can do the same with Franco/Todd. Or better yet have some other actors take the role of Dr. Finn and Franco and return Michael Easton to the role of McBain and Roger Howard to Todd. That would be a hoot.
I miss it a lot! And AMC too. I watched them both from the time I was a little girl staying with my Grandma. She’d stop for a break to watch her “stories” then she’d go back to cooking and cleaning. Lol
What I loved most about OLTL is that Ron Carlivati was in charge of the writing and Frank Valentini was the head honcho. Ron gave us a surprise every day which had me tuning in because I knew if I missed a day I missed alot. He also waited until a big payoff came on a story and I remember swearing at my TV so many times because I wanted the ending to come but of course making me wait was half the fun with the show. The last time i had that anticipation was when TEXAS was on the air. Soaps that have something exciting happen every day are the most fun for me to watch and I miss both those shows so very much.
hi James,
yes, Ron gave us a surprise every day and always an ending pay-off to the story.
Ron Carlivati is the best of the best.
I am awaiting Ron Carlivati’s return to GH.
Is Ron coming back to GH? I didn’t hear anything about that but I was disappointed when he was let go because I felt that Frank and Ron were the Dynamic Duo of Daytime. OLTL was my favorite soap when they were the captains there and when they went to GH, they were still the best team anywhere. I hope this is true!!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BRING BACK THESE TWO SOAPS!!
I also loved The Guiding Light and Santa Barbara among many other favorites over the years that gave been cancelled.
Still miss one life to live everyday. It was part of me growing up. I wish it was still on the air in some capacity.
Through highs & lows I watched OLTL from beginning to end and it had a talented cast, was fearless in highlighting social issues way before some other shows – even prime time – would touch them, was not afraid to be silly and incorporate humor and those musical numbers into it and created some of daytime’s most loyal fans.
While I doubt it will happen again, I would love to see the show revived, even in a 30 minute format.
Do you have to remind us? I’m still not over this. OLTL was the best soap at this time and I enjoyed watching every episode. ABC was stupid to cancel it and they never recovered for it thankfully.
Still miss it like crazy.
I miss that show every single weekday to this day.
They were family… and everyday they are thought of fondly.
OLTL – hopefully Another Life To Live….
On RC’s twitter..
he posted a link to a video of–
OLTL: Viki’s Heartbreaking Last Speech About Soaps (2012)
She tells it !
you OLTL fans might want to view it, get your hankies out !
In my opinion, the final days/episodes were dreadful-focused on Destiny, her family, and Matthew-all lackluster actors in lackluster storylines. OLTL was filler for me, airing before General Hospital; although, I always enjoyed Viki when she was altered as Niki Smith and I loved Dorian and the Cramer “girls.”
Unless it’s coming back I don’t want to say anything but this.
it was a stupid decision to end it. over it’s last year,it had really improved. the quality was much better than what we are currently getting with the four remaining soaps. all of it’s replacement flops showed they made a mistake
Wow it’s been over 5 years since ABC-TV made the biggest mistake in the history of television ~ now they have CRAP on in the afternoon, I really hope the Execs are happy ~