This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Actor Susan Lucci is going to have to get a new job. Both Lucci's "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" are about to bite the dust — the former in September 2011 and the latter in January 2012.
ABC promises both soaps will be allowed to wrap up their storylines.
These cancellations have been rumored for years. Still, it's sort of a shock to see the end of two shows that, between them, have been on the air for 84 years. But the announcement is just the latest development in a titanic shift in American viewing patterns.
The cancellations leave ABC with just one soap, "General Hospital." NBC has just "Days of Our Lives"; CBS has "Young and the Restless" and "Bold and the Beautiful."
In 1970, there were 19 soaps. In 1980, 13. In 1990, 12. In 2000, 10.
Of course, 40 years ago there were more stay-at-home mothers who watched soaps while their kids were in school. As that changed, so did the daytime viewing audience.
Both canceled soaps were averaging slightly more than 2 million viewers, but both hit record lows in their target demographic — women 18-49 — in recent weeks.
ABC issued a release saying the decision was "guided by extensive research into what today's daytime viewers want and the changing viewing patterns of the audience," and this move "evolves the face of daytime television."
ABC will replace "AMC" and "OLTL" with "lifestyle" shows: one about food, titled "The Chew" and one about health tentatively titled "The Revolution." And both are cheaper to produce than a soap opera.