Welcome (back) to the Planet Forward blog and excuse us as we stray a bit from our usual blog fare. Today marks the end of an era in television as the long-running ABC daytime drama All My Children ends its forty-one year run. All My Children, or AMC as we fans refer to it as, has long been on the cutting edge of daytime television. AMC tackled timely and taboo social issues before anyone else. The show educated and informed while telling compelling storylines, creating a true sense of family and community, all with its trademark wit. This show has been a training ground for stars like Josh Duhamel, Colin Egglesfield, Eva LaRue, and Sarah Michelle Gellar. It even brought about the real-life union of Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos and spawned iconic characters like Erica Kane, Tad “the cad” Martin, and Adam Chandler. Not to mention the first African-American super couple Angie and Jesse Hubbard. However, anyone who mentions All My Children would be remiss if they neglected to acknowledge the granddame of daytime Emmy winner Susan Lucci who has been with the show since its inception.

All My Children image courtesy of abc.com

This show and its viewers have a unique relationship. Personally, I’m in my twenties and have arguably watched the show my entire life. As a second generation viewer and someone who was raised with this show as part of their daily life it is sad to see it leaving the air. I remember coming home from elementary school, high school, and even university and watching my daily taped or now DVR’ed episode of AMC with my mom. I’ve made friends all over the United States and Canada through the Pinevalley Podcast community and other social media channels. What amazed me was the cross section of people who were involved from every age group, area, race, and gender. No matter how different we were, we all shared in our love of these characters and became emotionally invested in them over the years. We’ve bought soap magazines and scoured blogs for teasers, behind the scenes gossip, and storyline information.

I was even involved in the fan outcry to try and save the show. The announcement came that ABC was cancelling the long-running daytime drama along with its sister show One Life to Live. After months of campaigning, an announcement was made that was a true sign of triumph to the loyal viewers who never gave up. Production Company Prospect Park was buying the rights to both All My Children and One Life to Live! Prospect Park intended to give these shows a new home on the internet. While rumors surrounding the transition abound and many are skeptical about the survival of this medium, let us remember that it underwent such a transition before. The medium started out on radio and then transitioned to television in a time when not everyone had a television set. It was a risky and bold move back then and was without guarantees. Today far more people own a computer and have wifi than owned a TV set back in 1952. Perhaps this move online is All My Children’s chance to be daring and groundbreaking once again. While I will miss my beloved show airing at 1pm everyday, I will follow and support any form it takes.

Soap fans are a loyal bunch and nothing can or will replace our beloved show. Even though this isn’t goodbye, that doesn’t mean that fans won’t mourn the loss of the show that has been an integral part of our lives for so many years.
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