'All My Children' getting the ax? Help us dream up how our favorite Pine Valley characters make their exit.
Susan Lucci out of a job after 41 years?? “All My Children” getting yanked?
That’s the buzz after Deadline.com reported Monday that ABC was looking to reduce its daytime drama lineup from three to two hours, with “All My Children” as the likely victim due to flailing ratings.
But what about our favorite Pine Valley characters?! Well, they’ll be replaced with a new talk show, according to Deadline.
Should the daytime drama, which launched in 1970, be headed for doomsville, it will join three other canned soaps: CBS’ “The Guiding Light” and "As the World Turns” and NBC’s “Passions.”
Talk of “All My Children’s” end is nothing new. Reports surfaced in 2009 that the 41-year-old soap narrowly escaped cancellation — which the network denied at the time.
And the network is once again downplaying the rumors.
When Show Tracker reached out to the network about whether the recent rumors of cancellation were true, an ABC representative had this to say: “Our response is that the Deadline.com piece is just the latest in a long line of stories about this same topic.”
Um, is that a yes or a no?
Show Trackers, what do you think of the rumors? Are you surprised? If true, how should Erica Kane and the rest of the Pine Valley characters say goodbye?
-- Yvonne Villarreal
twitter.com/villarrealy
Photo: Actress Susan Lucci attends the 7th Annual ABC & SOAPnet Salute Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDs Benefit closing celebration in New York City. Credit: Jemal Countess / Getty Images
It seems to me that "Erica Kane" was ready for Prime Time a long time ago? So maybe this is an opportunity for Susan Lucci to get other roles she's shine in? Quite possibly.
Posted by: Sabrina | March 22, 2011 at 04:01 PM
I have watched All My CHILDREN since it started. it is the only soap opera that i watch. it will be a big loss for it to be off the air. i hope that they reconsider
kathy rodgers
Posted by: k rodgers | March 22, 2011 at 04:31 PM
its because of all the 'reality' shows.... its about time, though
Posted by: dee gee | March 22, 2011 at 04:47 PM
I think the best ending would be if Erica Kane shocked the audience by getting acting lessons. She could then look at the cue cards, then the camera, and say, "Oh, you mean I was supposed to memorize the stuff written on those cards?"
More unexpected than the end of The Sopranos.
Posted by: John Cruiserj | March 22, 2011 at 05:21 PM
Like the behemoth department stores before it, daytime serials are now finally dying off. The demise is a product of a cultural shift away from an aspirational centered society to a bare-bones cold hard reality. The audience alone is a relic of the past– a single income home (dad used to come home from the factory; now it’s his minimum wage cashier job at Best Buy) There is nary a ‘housewife’ anymore; and certainly not one whose fantasies rely on a rich prince charming in a time-encapsulated, thriving small town where nobody is unemployed.
The American dream is dead. Daytime never really picked that up, never really evolved. And like the aspirational, fantasy based department stores of the boomtime, the soap opera needed to find its saviour prince charming years ago. If the shows had been written in the tone of prime-time drama, there may have been a shot. But the only people clinging to the Port Charles or Lanview fantasy are shut ins and the elderly… and they rarely buy Cascade dish detergent or brand name cereals. It’s over.
It’s all over. ABC’s reloctaion to LA from NYC was nothing more than a re-arrangment of the Titanic’s deck chairs. Changing the story, not the studio, was the only thing that could have saved you. The time has come to bid adieu, as Erica and husband number whatever, ride off into the sunset.
Posted by: spike | March 22, 2011 at 05:30 PM
NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! & no more reality shows & we do not need anymore talk shows. . I do not know who you polled but do it again!! I have been watching for 30 years ,I am 46. PLEASE reconsider.If I cannot watch during the day I watch on soapNet. did you take poll on those viewers?
Posted by: laurel | March 22, 2011 at 05:53 PM
Please leave on the air at least for a few more years. there are so many story lines going on right now. I love to watch and see what is going to happen. It is not fair or wright for just another talk show to be on. Keep ALL MY CHILDREN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Glenda Chandler | March 22, 2011 at 06:01 PM
All My Children is the perfect escape from reality, and I have enjoyed every minute, on and off, for the past 30+ years. Please tell me that one day Emma and Miranda will go at it like Erica and Brooke over who is better suited for AJ - who will then be known as Junior Jr. And maybe Spike, Ian and Trevor can start a band - Martin Slaters. AMC Forever!
Posted by: RAB | March 22, 2011 at 06:50 PM
No no no no no no no no no no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you cant do this. Please don't take A.M.C off the air. No no no no no no!!!!!! Take a poll or something
Posted by: barb | March 22, 2011 at 07:16 PM
It should be quite a funny exit. As the other characters make their exit in different directions, let Erica be dreaming of when she made her first appearance on All My Children. Let it be a dream of her getting married time after time in a montage with the song "My Baby Loves Loving" by the White Plains. As she awakens, she reaches over to her husband and it turns out to be the first man she married on "All My Children". As her husband awakens, he says "Good Morning Darling". "I did a lot of thinking last night and I'm going to tell my business partner today that we don't want to move to Cleveland and start that second company. I want to retire and you and I take a trip around the world". "Thank you darling", Erica replys. I feel it might just be too "hot in Clevand" right now! She smiles as they throw the covers back over their heads
Posted by: Belvin Sweatt | March 22, 2011 at 07:39 PM
We have watched All My Children since it first started & sometimes its boring but usually its great. If it does end it should end with Erica leaving to go to the mountain with Kaleb where they were happy. She belongs with him instead of Jack as he became such a dork. Ryan & Madison should also leave together. He has enough children with most of them anyway. Tad & Cara should fall in love & so should her brother with Kendle & they find out that the so called preacher is the one that killed Zac & he & his accomplish get caught & get sent off to jail or his accomplish shoots him out of jealousy & she goes to prison for life. Asher sees JR for what he is & goes & joins his father.
Posted by: Claire | March 22, 2011 at 07:42 PM
I have watched All My Children from the day it started, it will be very hard to say goodbye. I will miss all of Ericas weddings, who will sleep with whom next, and who will be the next to return from being dead (I was really hoping it was going to be Zach). I will truly miss AMC, thank you so much for entertaing me for all these years.
Posted by: Charlene Cope | March 22, 2011 at 07:44 PM
OMG This is the first I'm hearing this rumor. I'll be lost without AMC. It's the
only soap opera that I watch. I record it every day without fail. I'm sure,
if they cancel it, I'll go through a terrible withdrawal.
Please don't.
Posted by: Linda D. | March 22, 2011 at 07:50 PM
I, too, have watched AMC since the beginning. And tho i many times mourn the loss of old characters, many of the new ones have earned respect also. I feel AMC has tackled many controversial story lines with integrity and intelligence. I do wish the powers that be would reconsider and realize that not everyone wants more reality shows. And, the glut of talk shows is appalling...to the point there seems no sense in watching any of them.
I just don't believe it has to be all one or the other.
Soaps are an escape. Is that such a bad thing?
Posted by: sharon johnson | March 22, 2011 at 08:16 PM
NOOOO!!!!! I love AMC,, it's the only soap I watch and I even got soapnet, so I could watch episodes I've missed. I have watched it for over 30 years. I love the storylines and cast. I will always be a fan.
Please rethink this... I too am so sick of reality shows and talk shows,,,people just wanting 15 minutes of fame.
Posted by: Stacie R | March 22, 2011 at 10:26 PM
NO you can't cancel All My Children. We DO NOT NEED ANOTHER TALK SHOW!!!!!!!!! I started watching the show with my grandmother and it still is great.
Posted by: Elaine Benavides | March 22, 2011 at 10:55 PM
Daytime tv is the reason that I am a hopless romantic! I always wanted my guy to pick me up and wisk me away to some far away place with white sands, blue water and no one around for miles!!
Seriously tho, I used to watch AMC with my grandmother and loosing it will be like loosing her all over again.
Posted by: Amy | March 23, 2011 at 05:58 AM
Pleeeeeezzzzzzzeeeee! Do not take my AMC away. I'm an artist who does not turn on the TV in my studio until 1pm EST to watch AMC. AMC and OLTL are the perfect background noise shows for my day. The show is pretty sharply written, I love the cast, and the show is dead funny some days....funnier than any sitcom. SAVE PINE VALLEY... let's start the campaign today!
Is that why Oprah had the AMC cast members on a couple of weeks ago? Had she heard the whisper of the axe and invited them on for one last hurrah? Say it isn't so. No daytime drama and no Oprah? I guess The TV will be cold in my studio for a long time.
Posted by: Susan Zoon | March 23, 2011 at 06:43 AM
No ! Don;t cancel AMC fro heavens sake. I moved from India to the USA just for this show, almost, 2i years ago ! This is GOOD!
Have heart !
Posted by: Benjumathi | March 23, 2011 at 06:46 AM
NO NO NO NO NO I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT AMC!
Posted by: Bonnie | March 23, 2011 at 08:38 AM