Will fans ever see All My Children and One Life To Live again?

All My Children (AMC) and One Life To Live (OLTL) fans have suffered losing their beloved shows not once but twice after decades of dedicated viewing.  First, the network canceled the shows.  Then, the production company that acquired their rights re-canceled them when they halted production.

Now, the production company that leased the rights to the shows is in bankruptcy.  In addition, their is a multi-million dollar lawsuit in the courts between the show owners (Disney/ABC) and the license holders (Prospect Park) regarding one of the shows.  The result has been a long, drawn out legal battle that may continue for years while rights to the two shows remains in limbo.

In the meantime, AMC and OLTL fans continue to miss their shows and remain vigilant in letting everyone know they want and would support their return.  When the shows restarted online, they turned out to be very different flavors of Pine Valley and Llanview than fans were used to, even with some familiar settings and characters.  If someday the shows are released from the current legal quagmire they are in the actors from the original shows will have aged and many have moved on leaving little likelihood the shows would ever again look and feel like the beloved originals.

Right now chances of seeing these shows again seems very slim.  But die-hard fans of AMC and OLTL will never give up hope.

Do you think we will ever see AMC and OLTL again?

Where did you spend weekday afternoons?

Back in the days before VCRs, DVRs, and on-demand viewing TV Guide was the weekly television bible and daytime afternoons were booked with soap operas.  Viewers were forced to make choices like Days of Our Lives or All My Children, Another World or One Life to Live.  Most soap fans watched one channel lineup throughout the afternoon and were loyal to all the soaps in that lineup.

With the onset of VCRs and DVRs, it opened up a whole new world for soapers to be able to watch whatever stories they wanted even when they aired against each other.

Before recording devices were available I started out with Days of Our Lives and Another World.  In the late 1970s I switched over to All My Children.  When I was home I would be in Pine Valley, Llanview, and Port Charles between the hours of twelve and three.  All My Children was my favorite show and when it was over I would often leave the television on and catch One Life to Live and General Hospital.  As much as I disliked missing episodes when I was at work or away from home, the beauty of soap operas is how easy it was to pick storylines back up after being away from them.

Where did you spend weekday afternoons?

What Do You Think of Oprah Airing AMC and OLTL Episodes on OWN?

Oprah has certainly changed her tune from the two-minute YouTube video she made two years ago titled, "Why Oprah Can't Save the Soap Operas," (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc23W861mKI).  The video began a backlash Oprah and OWN were ill-prepared.  In a major turnaround, Oprah released a thirty-second video this week titled, "Oprah's Summer Fling with All My Children and One Life to Live on OWN," (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY9e8OYifMs&feature=youtu.be).  In the newest video, Oprah tells the world that she heard soap fans and is going to be airing a limited (40-episode) "fling" this Summer of the newly produced, back-from-the-dead, All My Children and One Life to Live.  

In the video she announces the return with all the gusto of a true soap fan.  But her announcement and gusto leave some soap fans elated and some bitter.  It also leaves open-ended questions about the future of the shows after the "fling" is over.

The forty episodes will be the first forty relaunched episodes produced by The Online Network (TOLN) (http://theonlinenetwork.com) and aired on Hulu (http://www.hulu.com/all-my-children) (http://www.hulu.com/one-life-to-live) and iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/all-my-children/id621724634) (https://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/one-life-to-live/id621724081).  The big question on everyone's mind is, what happens after the "fling," is over?  Do viewers just get left hanging without OWN or network access to the continuing content?  ... or do the two shows become part of OWN or another network's regular programming lineup at that point?  Only time and TOLN will tell.

Response in the soap fan community, although generally positive, has been somewhat mixed.  Some have accused Oprah of jumping on the bandwagon after everyone else's hard work to bring the shows back.  Well of course she is - she is a businesswoman.  

For many soap fans it was very disappointing to watch the condescending manner with which Oprah handled the pleas of fans two years ago.  It lead to my writing a CNN iReport, "Oprah Has Her Own," (http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-594848).

However, time has passed and apparently Oprah has seen the light and the financial benefit of testing the soap opera waters of airing All My Children and One Life to Live on a limited basis.  It is a great deal less costly for OWN to license the forty episodes from The Online Network (TOLN) than to produce them.  It is also less costly and risky to air a limited amount of episodes and test the waters versus entering into a long-term commitment with the shows to air in a regularly schedule time slot at this time.

For All My Children, One Life to Live, and soap fans, this can be nothing but good news.  It is an opportunity for the shows to gain widespread viewership on a cable network channel, provide the opportunity for viewers who are not online to get to see and sample the shows (if they get OWN  through their cable service provide and tier of service), provide added revenue for both shows that can be reinvested for future production, and be a measurement of the feasibility of the shows being profitable on a cable network.

The bottom line is if a fan of the shows gets OWN and watches the shows this summer on the OWN channel it can only help strengthen chances that the shows will continue production and fans will be able to continue visiting Pine Valley and Llanview online and hopefully on a network for a long time to come.  The greatest strength of every soap fan is their viewership.

What do you think?

What Did You Think of the First Week of the AMC and OLTL Relaunches?

We Did It!

I am over the moon with joy to see our beloved shows, families, and towns back with us four days a week! I also really enjoyed the recap where it is a chance to see other All My Children (AMC) and One Life to Live (OLTL) related content. Would I like to see the shows for an hour versus half an hour? Of course – if you are a fan you can never get enough of the shows, but I am very happily enjoying the half hour a day we have of them! Are they the same shows that left ABC? No, but they could have just as easily not returned at all or returned completely unrecognizable so I am thrilled for my combined hour a day I get to visit Pine Valley and Llanview.  How about you?

All My Children

Hulu – All My Children - http://www.hulu.com/all-my-children

iTunes – Search TV Shows for All My Children

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/AllMyChildren

Twitter - http://twitter.com/allmychildren

Instagram -http://instagram.com/allmychildren

You can write to AMC actors at:

c/o All My Children

P.O. Box 110236

Stamford, CT 06911

One Life to Live

Hulu – One Life to Live - http://www.hulu.com/one-life-to-live

iTunes – Search TV Shows for One Life to Live

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/OneLifeToLive

Twitter - http://twitter.com/onelifetolive

Instagram - http://instagram.com/onelifetolive

You can write to OLTL actors at:

One Life To Live

P.O. Box 110237

Stamford, CT 06911

Hulu

Hulu - http://www.hulu.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hulu?fref=ts

Twitter - @soapsonhulu

The Online Network

http://www.theonlinenetwork.com/

Twitter - @TOLN

YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/tolnsoaps

What Will It Mean When You Have All My Children and One Life to Live Back In Your Life?

For me, seeing AMC and OLTL again means shear joy. It means a victory where at times it seemed impossible there would be one. It means a miracle.

When I think of actually being able to sit down again day after day and visit Pine Valley, Llanview, and my soap families, it means a time in my day when I can temporarily find peace and completely escape from any worries, concerns, stress or anxiety life has. I can escape to familiar places, familiar faces, and watch stories of Pine Valley and Llanview life unfold, thread, weave, and zig-zag through my favorite families and characters. For me it means going home again no matter where I am.

How about you?

How Does AMC and OLTL Going Back Into Production Today Make You Feel?

There are so many feelings today – joy, happiness, amazement, victory, and a feeling of returning home. Knowing our beloved Pine Valley and Llanview are bustling with activity, stories, and characters once again is heartwarming for millions of fans.

How does the return to production of these two iconic shows make you feel?

If You Could Speak Privately to a Soap Opera Actor, Who Would It Be and What Would You Say?

Susan Lucci (Erica Kane - AMC), Roger Howarth (Todd Manning - OLTL), Finola Hughes (Anna Devane - GH)

All My Children

Susan Lucci (Erica Kane) – I would choose Susan Lucci who for me IS soap opera as AMC's Erica Kane. I would first say thank you for all of the years of incredible entertainment she has given me, my family, and her fans. Then I would ask her what, aside from family and her career, her greatest passion is and what is something she does for herself alone that brings her joy.

One Life to Live/General Hospital

Roger Howarth (Todd Manning) – I would choose Roger Howarth because he has such a wonderful presence and bright spirit.  I would say thank you to Roger for sharing his wonderful talent as an actor with his audience. Then I would ask him three things: 1) What moment stands out for him that brings him the most joy; 2) Where in the world can/does he go where he feels most at peace; and 3) paper or plastic? - just to hear his laughter.

General Hospital

Finola Hughes (Anna Devane) – I choose Finola Hughes because she is so full of grace and lights up a scene every time she is on camera. I would thank her for her impeccable work throughout the years and for being a role model and example of grace and integrity for women. Then I would ask her aside from her career and family, what brings her the most pleasure and why.

Who would you like to speak with and what would you say?