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American Soaps: A Disappearing Genre

American Soaps: A Disappearing Genre

The cancellation of All My Children and One Life to Live by ABC is a devastating blow to a genre in America which is fighting for its continual existence.

At one time the daytime soaps had audiences of millions but in light of cheaper programming the ratings have dwindled and the soaps have fallen left, right and centre. By January 2011 they’ll be just four daytime soaps left on American television – a real indication of much the soap bubble has burst.

It’s been a shocker of a week for soap fans in America – not one but two soaps cancelled by the same broadcaster! At least CBS spaced out its cancellation of Guiding Light and As The World Turns by a year – it didn’t swing the axe on both in one fell swoop. The shock of the double cancellation of All My Children and One Life to Live has had perhaps more of an impact because just weeks ago ABC was denying it had plans to axe either soap – now it’s revealed the truth.

One Life to Live has, to be honest, been rumoured to be on the verge of cancellation for several years now. All My Children though is slightly different because its only more recently that the axe has loomed over its future. The soap celebrated its 40th anniversary last year and production moved from New York to Los Angeles to allow for upgrading to HD filming and larger studios – a costly move which was thought to secure the shows future for several years. Instead though around two years later and the soap is being cancelled to make way for cheaper programming – chat-shows.

The two soaps were created by Agnes Nixon just a couple of years apart and the two have featured several crossover storylines/characters over the years – and indeed with ABC’s soon to be only remaining soap General Hospital. Nixon is something of soap royalty having worked on numerous soaps during her career – before launching her two own soaps she had worked on As The World Turns, Guiding Light and Another World.

Her other soap creations include The City and Loving; both long off-air now. Just as Nixon has been a feature of both soaps off-screen so too has actress Susan Lucci been a feature on-screen portraying diva Erica Kane on All My Children since day one. All My Children has – up to the 16th April 2011 – produced 10,601 episodes while older sibling One Life to Live has 10,901 episodes under its belt.

The soap genre in America has been in decline for some time now; we’ve already mentioned the axings of Guiding Light and As The World Turns. They are two recent examples but slightly further back you’ll find the corpses of Passions, Port Charles, Another World and Sunset Beach. NBC’s last remaining soap Days of our Lives has long been rumoured to be near cancellation and at one point wasn’t likely to air beyond 2009. It however, has successfully turned itself around and has been renewed for several years.

After January only General Hospital, Days of our Lives, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless will remain on air. They are unlikely to be joined by any new soaps as few broadcasters would dare launch a new series when ratings are so low across the genre – instead reality television programmes and talk-shows are now the dish of the day. The big question though is which soap will be axed next? Will the remaining soaps remain on air past 2015 or will they too disappear?

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