The end of an era is upon us: ABC's "One Life to Live" signs off on Fri., Jan. 13. The show joins sister soap "All My Children" in canceled TV heaven, but the stars aren't saying goodbye without speaking their mind.
"What really annoyed me about our cancellation was the reason we were given," series star Erika Slezak told TV Guide Magazine. "We were told the daytime audience doesn't want entertainment anymore and that they just want information. Well, that's the biggest load of bull---t. People always want entertainment."
After more than 11,000 episodes, the show is signing off for good. A deal to bring "One Life to Live" and "All My Children" to life online following their ABC cancellation fell through in a highly publicized manner.
"All My Children" ended in September and was replaced by food and living show "The Chew." Healthy lifestyle series "The Revolution" is taking over the "One Life to Live" timeslot on Mon., Jan. 16.
"I've had so many emails from people who are really upset that soaps are being replaced with reality shows," Slezak said. "They don't want to watch food at one o'clock in the afternoon and weight loss at two o'clock. They want to sit down, put their feet up and relax and enjoy for a bit. It's really the death of the genre."
Brian Frons, the head of ABC Daytime who made the decision to cancel the shows, will leave the network after his contract expires in January.
"While my decision to try something new was not arrived at easily, nine years is a long time in television terms," Frons said in a statement. "I'm proud of the performance of ABC Daytime over that time, and of all of the accomplishments that our team achieved along the way. I'm especially pleased by the early results for 'The Chew' and excited for the launch of 'The Revolution,' which will be one more positive step in transforming ABC Daytime for our viewers. I'll miss my colleagues and the wonderful talent that makes our shows, but know they are in very capable hands with Vicki going forward."