All My Children
Why was OLTL sacrificed in the daytime line-up when its ratings were up & at creative high?
Photo Credit: JPI Studios
Associated Television International’s, Jim Romanovich took to posting his latest thought-provoking blog at Baseline Intelligence. In it, Romanovich brings to light and for discussion, why One Life to Live was also canceled along with All My Children when clearly the show was higher in the ratings, creatively successful, and under budget. Was it perhaps that ABC was set to cancel it all along and not AMC, and then OLTL out performed AMC at every level thus causing the network a conundrum? Did ABC make OLTL a sacrificial lamb? Here are just a few excerpts from Jim, but we encourage you to read his entire post.
Romanovich: “So what’s with the urgency that both of these shows have to go… like yesterday? ABC spent millions of dollars on bringing All My Children to Los Angeles in what appeared to be the biggest show of support for the soaps since we took over the Daytime Emmys. At the time, I truly believed ABC felt that way too. I believed that this was the only way to save both this show and One Life To Live. Maybe on the surface that’s what they had hoped. But it seems apparent to me that deep down they knew then that One Life was down to its last life. This was just borrowed time until they could find the show to replace it. Essentially ABC was telling Frank Valentini to make bricks without straw. He made the Taj Mahal instead much to ABC’s shock. By being the lone soap in NY without any real support system the network felt that if they left it alone, it would die on its own. But it didn’t. It rose in the ratings! Creatively, it was by far the best storytelling soap around that utilized its whole canvas of talent equally. The whole cast and crew brought their A game every single time and the viewers…noticed! When I grow up, I want to be Frank Valentini because the man is simply amazing to me.”
“The following is my opinion of what I think must have occurred with the cancellation of both soaps as I can think of nothing else that makes sense. What the network was not prepared for was the diminishing ratings of All My Children. When ABC chose this show to be relocated to Los Angeles, they seemed to put great faith into its longevity while knowing that one of their soaps, the New York one, was going to be sacrificed eventually. When One Life started pulling ahead of All My Children, ABC had a little bit of a conundrum. How could they now seriously cancel One Life, which they were planning to do all along at some point, and spare All My Children? They felt the backlash would have been so monumental that it would have been a PR disaster. So they did something that they felt that would get some serious backlash, but one that was easier to explain. Cancel them both and place two other shows quickly in those slots and say that this new direction adheres to the current daytime audience that prefers shows with some take away value. This way, it doesn’t sound personal. If they tanked One Life which is doing well and kept AMC which is not doing quite so well, then that comes across as personal to the fans in the network’s thinking.”
“With regards to the cancellations of One Life To Live and All My Children, the network acted too hastily and was nowhere near prepared for the onslaught of criticism that was to follow. I had always believed that soaps on daytime television were living on borrowed time, but that didn’t mean the end of their time. It meant that these shows were ready to be placed elsewhere. I still think SoapNet could have been a success if Disney had planned on making it a success. I’d say forget Disney Jr., which is redundant anyway, and keep SoapNet or at least re-brand it and make it the place to find your daytime soaps twice a day and other shows that have that same flavor and style that appeal to that demo. Everybody loves soaps. Hell, the NBA finals are nothing more than soap opera! Build upon what Night Shift started and create other soaps. The new re-branded SoapNet could continue on in new ways. I like what they did for the web with the What If… series and could see that kind of forward thinking evolve into television or maybe even break the fourth wall more often like One Life did with their Glee episodes or The Bold and Beautiful did with their homeless story. But this is all just wishful thinking as the audience is there and those with the power don’t see it.”
Starting on May 1, All My Children fans in Canada will be able to see classic episodes of the beloved former ABC soap opera when they stream on Pluto TV Canada.
Pluto TV picked-up the All My Children Channel that the Nixon family has created in partnership with BEONDTV +. The show which aired for 41 years on ABC and ended on the network in 2011, had so many memorable storylines and characters; the least of which is the enduring run of Erica Kane played by soap icon, Susan Lucci.
As previously reported, starting with episodes from the year 1995, which was the 25th anniversary of the soap. Pluto TV Canada viewers will be able to catch 8 episodes on repeat per day. With the success of the venture, the Nixons are hopeful that they will bring viewers many more years of the show to come.
Photo: ABC
Sarah Nixon, producer, shared with Michael Fairman TV exclusively, “We are thrilled that Pluto TV has launched All My Children in Canada! Let’s hope the engagement from our incredibly loyal fans across the border will encourage ABC to bring it to the U.S.! We share what Aggie (Agnes Nixon) always felt, that it is the enthusiasm and love from the fans that has kept this legacy beloved and relevant – to this day!”
In addition, 0ne week ago, during Susan Lucci’s visit to Los Angeles promoting her book La Lucci, she was joined by her former Pine Valley castmates, Rebecca Budig (ex-Greenlee, AMC, now Taylor, B&B) and Eva LaRue (ex-Maria, AMC) and the trio posed for a pic. At that time, LaRue shared via Instagram, “NEW All My Children channel streaming classic episodes 24/7 now on Pluto TV Canada! Fingers crossed to watch soon on Pluto US.”
That was also confirmed this week by TV Watercooler’s Jeevan Brar who took to X and expressed, “The All My Children channel begins streaming this Friday, May 1 on Pluto TV Canada.
So, Canadian viewers, excited about Pluto TV’s All My Children channel? United States fans, hopeful from Sarah’s message that perhaps soon, we can see the beloved soap once again as well? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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Saul Consuelos, the father of All My Children alum and Live with Kelly and Mark co-host, Mark Consuelos (ex0-Mateo, AMC), has died. During an emotional moment on this mornings, April 6 edition of the syndicated talk show, Mark shared, that his dad, “passed away peacefully” back on March 23 following a long illness.
His wife and co-host, Kelly Ripa (ex-Hayley, AMC) paid tribute to her her father-in-law expressing, he was, “the greatest person I’ve ever known. I can honestly say I will miss him every day for the rest of my life, as I know you will, as our children will. He really is so symbolic of everything you are.”
Kelly and Mark’s children, Joaquin, Michael and Lola Consuelos are said to be taking this extremely hard. Ripa added, “This is the first loss they’ve ever experienced in their lives. And I said, ‘By the time I was 8, I had no grandparents. You got to grow up (with grandparents). You got to have deep, meaningful conversations (with them).”
Photo: KRipaIG
In another moment, Mark reflected on his dad. “It’s funny, I used to make a joke about my dad … if you asked him what time it was, he would tell you how to build a watch. There were a lot of lectures, a lot of lectures and I learned so much. If he was fixing something in the house, he’d make me watch and do it. And I didn’t know at the time why he was doing that. But now at the house, I’m able to do at least half of the stuff that he did. I learned the most by just watching him.”
Mark added that Saul Consuelos came to the U.S. from Mexico in his early teens and served our county for decades, detailing, he “Ended up at Special Operations Command in Tampa. This young kid from Mexico just got his education from the navy. Was always going to school. Was brilliant. Got his Masters while I was a kid. He loved his country so much, If you’re going to put a face to an immigrant, he would be the prime example of what this country promises people.”
In a very heart-tugging moment, Consuelos shared that now its important they be there for his mother, Camilla. “We gotta take care of mom. We’re trying to convince my mom to move to New York. She’s such a character, she’s stubborn. What do you think, a cooking segment here on Fridays with Camilla?”
Now below, watch the very touching and emotional moments as Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa mourn the loss of Saul Consuelos.
Let us know, what you thought of the remarks made by Kelly and Mark on the death of Mark’s father via he comment section.
All My Children
Sarah Michelle Gellar Visits ‘The View’ Where Hosts Sidestep Controversial ‘Buffy’ Reboot Axing, But Talk ‘All My Children’
On yesterday’s March 17 episode of The View, All My Children alum, Sarah Michelle Gellar (ex-Kendall Hart), was the special guest. Since Monday, Gellar has been the subject of a hot-button issue since about the surprising turn of events that the highly-anticipated Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot, in which she stars, and which was directed in the pilot by Oscar-winning director, Chloé Zhao, was no longer moving forward.
Gellar‘s appearance on the ABC morning talk show was devoid of any mention of Hulu cancelling its planned Buffy: New Sunnydale, in which Sarah was set to appear along with Ryan Kiera Armstrong. However, Gellar did discuss her new movie Ready or Not 2: Here I Come from Searchlight Pictures.
It should be noted that both Hulu and Searchlight Pictures are owned by The Walt Disney Company, while The View is produced by ABC News, which is also owned by The Walt Disney Company.
Courtesy/ABC
During the awkward interview, when it became clear the ‘Buffy’ reboot topic was off the table, The View co-host Sunny Hostin, talked about the “intense fight scenes” that have become a staple of her TV and film career starting with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scream 2, and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
The ladies of The View also brought up Sarah’s beginnings on All My Children as Kendall Hart (1993-1995), showing a scene with her and her on-screen mother, the iconic Erica Kane, played by Susan Lucci. The discussion sprung out of another All My Children alum, Michael B. Jordan (ex-Reggie Montgomery) winning the Oscar this past Sunday for Best Actor for his role in Sinners. The View’s Joy Behar was quick to point out with Gellar, the All My Children alums that have gone on to great fame.
Photo: ABC
Previously on Monday, Gellar opened up to PEOPLE about being blindsided before while at the SXSW Film & TV Festival premiere for Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. “I got the call as we were stepping onto stage for the premiere of their own movie. And it’s also the weekend of Chloé going to the Oscars as a best director nominee for Hamnet. For them to call us on the Friday of what should have been Chloé’s victory lap for an incredible film, and my world premiere of something that I worked very hard for is… that says something.”
She went to say, “We had an executive on our show who was not only not a fan of the original, but was proud to constantly remind us that he had never seen the entirety of the series and how it wasn’t for him.” Deadline reports that “multiple sources” identified the executive as Disney Television Group President Craig Erwich.
“I loved the duality that we had with this new, younger slayer who was where Buffy was when the show started, and then we would pick up with where Buffy was now,” Gellar told People about the setup. However, according also to Deadline “After the pilot was completed and delivered, according to multiple sources, Hulu’s main note was that it played too young, with some indicating that the streamer also felt the show was too “small.”’
In the rewrite, sources also told the outlet that the writers did not take big enough swings, so they set out to do a rewrite it again. The last revision was more adult, featuring a lot more of Gellar’s Buffy, and was described as a more of a streaming show than a network one. When all is said and done there is hope that another Buffy IP will be up and running within the next couple of years.
You can check out Sarah Michelle Gellar’s full segment on The View below. Now let us know, bummed there is no Buffy reboot? What do you think about how this high profile Hollywood saga was side-stepped on the morning show? Did you love Sarah as the original Kendall Hart on All My Children? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
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People grow up I said it before.. Frons was purposely sabotaging the soaps so they would fail… He thought He had harmed OLTL enough that it would fail all on its own.. but the show broke out running once frons left it for dead… When he quit meddling the soap took off… He Frons moved Amc to California so he could have it close to GH and work on killing them both at the same time.. He has really Fuck General Hospital up… and he did the same to all my children.. If you look at both shows and why they failed or are failing you can see that one hand has left its hand print the soaps were not to prosper… That is not the way Frons wants or wanted it.. He has his own idea for day time… I am so done with ABC and really done with Disney for letting him get away with this… I guess Mickey is quite the little Rat bastard.. And i hope people have enough sense to boycott Disney along with ABC. Because they didn’t care about the fans they cared about the dollars they could save by doing horrible reality t.v.
kudos to my son who opened for snoop dog in ALLENTOWN PA.. they were Nik nemesis crew. any way I was going to try to get to snoop Dog and hand him a sign which said save our soaps… I couldn’t get past the bigger then NFL players (body guards) In any Event its not just the little people who love the soaps… if someone larger then life could just speak up and help-GOD how nice would that be….
Amen and Amen…..
In the final analysis – it doesn’t really matter how you slice it and dice it…….
Unless by some eleventh hour miracle – both shows will be gone within months.
Sad,sad,sad.
I personally would rather watch repeat episodes from the humble beginnings of both shows (though I do profess -I love OLTL more),than to watch the proposed shows that are going to air in AMC and OLTL’s time slot.
And frankly I won’t be watching.
Time will tell …..and I think ABC,Brian Frons,Disney et al – will rue the day they made their decision.
I think they may -nay THEY HAVE committed network suicide.
Tragic !!
Oops! Computer hiccuped !!
NO DOUBT THEY HAVE COMMITTED SUICIDE-TWO FAILED REPLACEMENTS FOR OUR SHOWS.THEY THINK WE WILL GET OVER IT NOOOOOOOOO! THE REST OF THE PEOPLE WATCH DAY TIME REPLACEMENT SHOWS FAT MARIO SWEATING OVER FOOD AND DR,OZ 20 SOMETHING DAUGHTER HOSTING BECAUSE SHE IS HIS DAUGHTER AND WROTE CAMPUS DIET.HOW HORRIBLE TV IS THAT.
Actually All My Children was doing poorly before the move and they thought it could be resurrected with more energy. One Life To Live has been placing higher for some time.
The fact is that ABC/Disney barely did any advertising at all for OLTL and still it managed to climb higher and higher because of savvy writing dealing with social and civic issues and some of the best talent on daytime.
It is further reported that it was Frons intention from the get-go to get these shows off the air which is further supported by the lack of advertising and marketing, or getting the actors on talk shows to promote the shows.
If someone wanted to not only save them, but the bring ratings up and more money in, the fix would have been very easy and would required the least little bit of creativity and desire.
As I too am saddened , A show Called INSTANT STAR wasnt allowed for be finished fulling ITS potential yet a petition as well as fans of the CTV TV Series still remain in hope for it. Just a COMPLETION of a SEASON 5 (NOT ASKING FOR THE WORLD )www.saveinstantstar.com
I am sorry to hear about the dual cancellation of AMC and OLTL. However, I was a regular watcher of As The World Turns and not of these serials. I was really bothered by the cancellation of ATWT, a show which had a far longer history than either of these shows and still was viable. Frankly, it irks me that the cancellation of ATWT received little attention while the cancellation of AMC and OLT appears to leave viewers irate (cancelled by their v. Both the producers, writers, actors, and fans should have realized that the warnings they were getting when ATWT was cancelled.
I was a fan of Atwt turns also. It wasnt owned by cbs. It wasnt doing well ratings wise when cancelled. It was terrible that it had to go off when luke and reid were really gaining steam. Its cancellation didnt resonate because it wasnt 2 at once. This is a network getting out of the soap business. Oltl is the last ny soap and really signals the end of an era. I still will never watch the talk. Im am still mad.
Folks, you are delusional. CBS cancelled two soaps, and they are still the number one network the last time I checked. And being the second highest rated show out of six low-rated shows is NOT an accomplishment. There is no huge “outcry”, either. There was a protest at ABC a few weeks ago, and a whopping 30 people showed up!
Low-rated shows get cancelled all the time.