What Happens to Daytime TV Now?

Video killed the radio star and it would seem reality TV killed the soap star. The announcement last week that ABC would cancel long-running daytime dramas, "All My Children" and "One Life to Live," in favor of reality-based programming, sent shockwaves not just through the world of soaps but the entertainment industry in general. After all, it's hard to imagine a world without Erica Kane.

No one could conceive that ABC would eliminate two-thirds of its daytime lineup (for now, "General Hospital" is ABC's sole surviving soap), least of all "Soap Opera Digest" columnist, Carolyn Hinsey. In a frank, hard-hitting column from the April 12, 2011 edition of the magazine, Hinsey listed a myriad of reasons ABC Daytime head honcho, Brian Frons, wouldn't dare touch the beloved AMC and OLTL. Hinsey opined, "there is nothing good in the 'hopper' to replace any of the ABC shows. Brian Frons is too smart to think he can replace AMC or OLTL with a doctor show or a cooking show."

And yet, that's exactly what he did.

In a statement released to the media following the news, Frons revealed two lifestyle shows would take up residence on ABC Daytime: "The Chew," a live, one hour show hosted by superstar Chef Mario Batali that will focus on food and "The Revolution," which will feature health and lifestyle transformations. Frons claimed the research showed viewers wanted information to improve their lives and unfortunately, neither soap fit that bill.

It's no secret that soaps are no longer the cash cow they once were and that audiences have dwindled to nearly imperceptible Nielsen levels (the holy grail of any TV show.) Where people once used to schedule their classes around soaps, over the last decade, the oft-repeated refrain has been "oh yea, I used to love 'All My Children,' but I just got too busy to watch," or " 'One Life to Live' was always my favorite soap, but I just lost interest." Soaps no longer inspired the rabid devotion and fanaticism they once did. Still, they always seemed like they'd be there, a reliable old friend you could drop in on from time to time, who'd be ready with a funny story or a poignant tale to entertain you with.

The elimination of AMC and OLTL leaves not just a void on ABC, but within the soap genre as well. Particularly as those entities dependent upon soaps will begin their own slow descent into that gentle night. Soap magazines dedicated to covering the industry will see a further freefall in circulation, consolidation, revamp of content and unfortunately, a likely eventual demise. When the Daytime Emmy's air in June, count on this being the last televised broadcast. Let's face it - soaps have always been the biggest draw for that program, and with the wealth to only be divided among the four remaining soaps on the air (ratings powerhouse, "The Young and The Restless," sister soap, "The Bold and the Beautiful," "General Hospital" and "Days of Our Lives," itself hanging on by its fingernails) there's not a whole lot of reason to tune in. Guess it's a good thing Susan Lucci nabbed that Emmy while she had the chance.

What makes this news all the more heartbreaking is there seemed to be glimmers of hope: OLTL had managed to woo popular Emmy winner, Roger Howarth, who created the role of anti-hero, Todd Manning, back to the fold. Speculation began immediately that though the role is being played by Trevor St. John, Howarth is probably Todd. The show had recently received praise for its teen bullying storyline and the always delightful visits by Tuc Watkins (David) made viewers giddy. It was named "Best Show," by "Soap Opera Digest" in 2008.

Over on AMC, fans and the soap media got its most fervent wish when industry vet, Lorraine Broderick was recently appointed as the show's head writer. Over the past several years, AMC has been plagued with a string of failures in the head writer's chair, which subsequently put the show into a freefall: the death of the beloved Stuart Chandler (as played by the brilliant, multiple Emmy-winning, David Canary), the infamous "Poisoned Pancakes" storyline, Erica's un-abortion, the lack of a storyline for the flawless Michael E. Knight's Tad (another multiple Emmy winner), the decimation and eventual death of fan fave Aidan Devane in favor of the lackluster "Rylee" (Ryan and Greenlee, played by Cameron Mathison and Rebecca Budig, a "supercouple" viewers were supposed to love because AMC told us we should) and countless other transgressions against the citizens of Pine Valley that sent viewers away in droves.

It's hard to say what the future of daytime television will be. Web soaps such as "Venice," "The Bay," "Gotham" and "Steamboat" have generated plenty of ink and industry buzz, but lack of dollars and small viewership don't bode well for their continuation. It doesn't seem likely any of the major networks will pick them up, though cable could be a possibility. Reality shows like Bravo's successful "Real Housewives" franchise follow a soapy formula, something NBC decided to capitalize on by running past seasons of the show on its NBC stations around the country, filling a much needed hole in its own daytime lineup.

While Brian Frons might think he's giving viewers what they want in the forms of "The Chew" and "The Revolution," it's doubtful either show will survive a year. They don't sound any different than anything else you can see on TLC, WE, Oxygen, The Food Network or Lifetime TV. Agnes Nixon, the creator of both AMC and OLTL has vowed to do what she can to keep the shows alive, though the options seem slim. SoapNET goes off the air in early 2012 and fans have clamored for Oprah Winfrey's struggling OWN network (likely not to happen) to pick up the pieces. Sadly, daytime soaps seemed destined to go the way of the radio serials our grandparents listened to faithfully - something we tell our grandkids we used to watch a long time ago.