Oprah Says No Go to Saving Canceled Soaps 'All My Children' And 'One Life to Live'

Oprah Winfrey may be Superwoman to some, but even she can't save the dying breed of the soap opera. The talk show queen has gone on record as saying that she is not in a position to save ABC's canceled soap operas, "All My Children and "One Life to Live," despite an incessant campaign from fans begging her to get involved.

In a YouTube video posted this week , Winfrey thanked fans for thinking that she has the power to save the long running soaps-- both of which have been on ABC's daytime lineup for over 40 years-- from cancellation. But Winfrey said no can do to getting involved with saving the struggling shows, saying she won't be taking on that "responsibility." Last week ABC announced that both shows will end their run in September.

Watch Oprah's YouTube video here

Ever since ABC's cancellation announcement, fans have bombarded Winfrey's website message boards with pleas and petitions for her to save the canceled shows.

Winfrey herself has been a longtime fans of the soaps, even scoring a walk-on part on "All My Children" back in the mid- 1980s when she was a young reporter in Baltimore. She also hosted a sudsy soap stars reunion earlier this year, featuring some of the most popular actors and actresses from "AMC."

But in her YouTube message, Winfrey cited the soap opera genre's declining ratings as the reason for their demise, saying, "The soaps have been an institution in broadcast history and television because they had the support of the audience."

She then added that the soaps' ratings have steadily declined over the years, saying, "There is just not enough people who at home in the daytime to watch them. And because of that they are going off the air."

Winfrey empathized with viewers over what it feels like to lose a beloved show. She said, "I felt this way when 'Mary Tyler Moore' went off the air."

"Believe me, if there was a dime to be made from [the soaps] on broadcast television it would still be happening," Winfrey said. "All good things come to an end."

Like her talk show?

And while you may think Erica Kane has run her course and it is time to say goodbye, ABC has no plans to fill her shoes with anything remotely resembling a soap. The replacement shows "The Chew" and "The Revolution" are being described as lifestyle shows.

Meanwhile, will "The Real Housewives" and "Jersey Shore" be this generation's soap opera fix?