Socially conscious daytime dramas dumped by ABC
Thu. April 14, 2011 6:57 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
ryan phillippe starred as gay teen billy douglas on oltl
ABC cancels All My Children and One Life to Live
Los Angeles, CA -
ABC announced Thursday that it was canceling daytime mainstays All My Children and One Life to Live, that featured some of television's first gay, lesbian and transgender characters and storylines, by the end of the year.
"All My Children and One Life to Live are iconic pieces of television that have made an indelible mark on our culture's history," said Brian Frons, President, Daytime, Disney ABC/Television Group. "Each of the shows has touched millions and millions of viewers and informed the social consciousness."
All My Children, which was created by Agnes Nixon, premiered on January 5, 1970, as a half-hour show; seven years later it expanded to an hour.
Also created by Nixon, Emmy Award-winning One Live to Live debuted on The ABC Television Network July 15, 1968 as a half-hour show. Ten years later, it grew to a full hour in 1978.
One Life to Live has been lauded for its groundbreaking exploration of social issues.
The show received mass critical acclaim for its 1992 homophobia storyline, which captured national headlines when it introduced the character of a gay teen (played by then unknown Ryan Phillippe) and culminated with the emotional display of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt.
"I felt lucky to play the first gay teenager on television—not just daytime but television, period," Phillippe told The Advocate last year. "What was so amazing about that for me was the response I got through fan letters that my mother and I would read together. Kids who'd never seen themselves represented on TV or in movies would write to say what a huge support they found it to be."
One Life to Live was honored by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) with the Outstanding Daytime Drama Award in 1993, and again in 2005 and 2010.
All My Children, which has received more than 30 Emmy Awards, made history by airing daytime TV's first same-sex kiss between two women as well as its first lesbian wedding. It was the first to chronicle the coming-out story of a transgender woman.
ABC says it will conclude each series in a manner that respects their legacies and the longstanding hopes of many of their viewers.
All My Children is scheduled to be replaced with The Chew, a talk show centered on food in September 2011 and One Life to Live will bow out to The Revolution, a reality based show focused on weight loss in January 2012.
"All My Children and One Life to Live are iconic pieces of television that have made an indelible mark on our culture's history," said Brian Frons, President, Daytime, Disney ABC/Television Group. "Each of the shows has touched millions and millions of viewers and informed the social consciousness."
All My Children, which was created by Agnes Nixon, premiered on January 5, 1970, as a half-hour show; seven years later it expanded to an hour.
Also created by Nixon, Emmy Award-winning One Live to Live debuted on The ABC Television Network July 15, 1968 as a half-hour show. Ten years later, it grew to a full hour in 1978.
One Life to Live has been lauded for its groundbreaking exploration of social issues.
The show received mass critical acclaim for its 1992 homophobia storyline, which captured national headlines when it introduced the character of a gay teen (played by then unknown Ryan Phillippe) and culminated with the emotional display of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt.
"I felt lucky to play the first gay teenager on television—not just daytime but television, period," Phillippe told The Advocate last year. "What was so amazing about that for me was the response I got through fan letters that my mother and I would read together. Kids who'd never seen themselves represented on TV or in movies would write to say what a huge support they found it to be."
One Life to Live was honored by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) with the Outstanding Daytime Drama Award in 1993, and again in 2005 and 2010.
All My Children, which has received more than 30 Emmy Awards, made history by airing daytime TV's first same-sex kiss between two women as well as its first lesbian wedding. It was the first to chronicle the coming-out story of a transgender woman.
ABC says it will conclude each series in a manner that respects their legacies and the longstanding hopes of many of their viewers.
All My Children is scheduled to be replaced with The Chew, a talk show centered on food in September 2011 and One Life to Live will bow out to The Revolution, a reality based show focused on weight loss in January 2012.