My Take on the ABC Soap Fiasco

Wow, who would have thought that we would be 'here' again? It seems like just yesterday we got the news that Guiding Light was going off the air, and Passions before it. We only JUST digested the ending of As the World Turns and yet once again we are here grieving the loss of not one but TWO legendary programs All My Children and One Life to Live.

Now it is important to note that the fight is not yet over, but with that said I am just going to write about my take on this whole situation as it currently stands.

Should the soaps have been canceled?

No one wants to honestly answer this question, we have history with these shows, we love them, and we know that there is every chance that the shows 'could' improve and return to the amazing status of yester-year. But with that said, both shows have been less than perfect as of late, and if we are going to be completely honest All My Children has been dang near unwatchable for a very long time, and if this was ANY type of Primetime show we would be championing the cancellation so we could potentially get new content that we would fall in love with, but because it is daytime, if we 'wish' cancellation upon any of the soaps we are treated as villains, and to an extent rightfully so. But let's look at the situation at All My Children. You have got to look at the entire situation at All My Children. The show was moved across the country, got a new writing regime, and continued to produce lack-luster programming for over a year.

It was really given a fighting chance, but TIIC did not rise to the occasion and save the show, thus it is dead.

Now on the other hand I do give a lot more credit to Frank Valentini / Ron Carlavati then my co-blogger Mel might. Mel completely feels that Ron C was the end of One Life to Live and I guess to an extent she is right. But while One Life to Live has its fair share of issues, it has been consistently the better soap produced here in the U.S.A.

But what is that saying? Soaps here in the states have consistently been slipping in regards to quality. While the rest of the world has adapted and treated viewers with respect, we in the states have been treated like imbeciles with stories of doppelgangers and back from the dead. We shake our head, write angry blog post, but continue to watch because there is no alternative.

If tomorrow I became Head of ABC, I would have looked at the daytime line up, cussed and asked why this horrific programming is on my lineup, and probably proceeded to make drastic changes from the top on down and give the show a year to turn everything around, or else face the axe.

From strictly a 'quality' standpoint I agree with the choice to axe both of these programs.

With that said, I believe that the replacements for these soaps should have been maybe The Chew and two half hour, quality written soaps. Maybe cut One Life to Live to a half hour and give the other half hour to a brand new streamlined soap with one or two Vets as the big draw, but do everything possible to keep the budget low. Home and Away reportedly has a very low budget, and a VERY high return due to international licensing and high cast turn over, so do that for a new soap. Just come up with new ideas and revitalize this genre.

I do think axing two soaps at the same time was dumb, they should have at least taken the CBS model of axing one soap this year, and then another next year, that way the blow is not as harsh.

With that said the decision has been made, and it is time for us as soap fans to mobilize and try to find these shows another home, and more importantly help keep the ones we have on the air.

That does NOT however mean we should simply stop complaining about the quality of these shows and just be thankful that the shows are on the air. I have heard countless times since the ABC announcement that we need to just watch the shows, and that quality writing doesn't save anything, but at the end of the day if a show has quality writing and I am involved in the characters, storylines, and other elements of the show, than I am going to promote it and get more people to watch it, whereas I cannot in good faith tell ANYONE to watch Days of Our Lives, All My Children or any of the other shows on the daytime lineup as they currently stand.

In closing, it is time to end on a downer, because I am hearing, from a very reliable source, that General Hospital is on the block, with a decision being made about it in January. If we want to save that soap we need to start acting now and not wait for the final moments when the axe has already swung.

I am upset and frustrated by this whole situation as well, and I wish I was not here writing this piece, but at the end of the day we are, and while I am upset with the choices that have been made up to this point, I can somehow rationalize the decision to cancel these shows, but I do not in any way agree with their replacements.

What is your take on this fiasco? Am I crazy? Have I lost my mind? Let me know in the comments below or on twitter @Soapwikijohn.