The long-running US daytime soap operas All My Children and One Life to Live have been canceled by ABC-TV, the network announced on April 14, after an extended period of declining viewership.
An American television staple since 1970, All My Children stars Susan Lucci and helped launch the careers of actors including Sarah Michelle Geller ( Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Josh Duhamel ( Transformers), and Oscar winner Melissa Leo ( The Fighter). It ends in September.
One Live to Live, which first aired in July 1968, ends in January.
The network's General Hospital remains on air.
With last year's daytime soap cancellations, CBS Television's Guiding Light and As the World Turns, the melodramatic genre appears to be dying. In annother indication of the downswing, Disney will replace its SoapNet cable channel with Disney Junior in 2012.
The replacements, The Chew and The Revolution, are lifestyle shows that offer a departure for daytime television, with the hope of attracting a young audience.
"I can't help but recognize how bittersweet the change is," Brian Frons, president of Daytime at Disney ABC/Television Group, told The Hollywood Reporter. "We are taking this bold step to expand our business because viewers are looking for different types of programming these days."
The Chew, an hour-long food series, will be hosted by chef Mario Batali ( Iron Chef America), Clinton Kelly ( What Not to Wear), Carla Hall ( Top Chef) and Michael Symon ( Iron Chef America).
The Revolution, a health-oriented series, will be hosted by experts and guest contributors that will bow in January and document one woman's five-month weight-loss journey.
RC
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