As reported in TV Guide's June 18 issue, One Life to Live has decided to kill off Phil Carey's beloved character, Asa Buchanan. The much-married, conniving cowboy will bite the dust off camera in August.

Sigh.

Carey made his debut on OLTL in 1979. His Asa was established as the ornery patriarch of the billionaire Buchanan clan, who relocated from Texas to romance the ladies of Llanview, Pennsylvania.

Back in the late '70s and early '80s, the daytime soaps loved to copycat the hit primetime sudsers, so viewers saw lots of characters inspired by the success of Dallas. Hence, the Buchanans of OLTL. Another World even launched a short-lived spinoff soap, Texas, which aired from 1980-82. But I digress...

As I reported right here, Carey's contract expired in April '07 and he refused to go on recurring status. For the record, his last airdate was Thursday, April 26.

It's just a pity Carey will have no on-screen farewell — especially since the soap veteran wowed us all by returning to OLTL last fall, after he had survived lung cancer.

I do understand that there are egos and economics at odds here, but it seems like Carey and his fans deserve a better resolution for Asa's Life than an off-screen demise. It's hard for me imagine our blustery Asa just going quietly into that good night.

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Such a shame and so disgusted. Why am I not surprised. This sucks really bad because Asa is history and a major part of the show.

Sure...."Valentini loves vets" my ass.....

THIS IS SO WRONG!!!

I am so freakin pissed off right now

Sure...."Valentini loves vets" my ass.....

You can't expect Valentini to like every single vet. The reality is he does care very much for those like Robin Strasser, Cat Hickland, and Erika Slezak to name a few. Phil Carey was being offered the same money, just no contract. He chose to leave with his pride, good for him. That's the business. I've said that before. Phil knows the game. He chose to leave, and now the show must go on. Actors leave all the time. We can dwell on the fact that the show didnt show him enough respect all day, but in the end, Phil chose to leave, and now the show is doing what they have to do. I mean really, could you see him returning to work in his condition? I couldn't, not on a contract level. Why give him a contract, just to give him one? Because he's Phil Carey? Respectfully it sounds good but from a business standpoint, no one is safe. I think this is the best thing. Asa passes on, and leaves the Business to his family. I don't tend to like deaths on soaps, but you have to admit, this particular death will bring about great acting, if there are any positives to it at all.

It's kind of harsh to me considering the actor is still alive.

If Phil had just accepted recurring, he would not have been killed off. I am sure of that. If you quit your job, your boss replaces you, and you have no say in who they hire, or what they further do. Phil quit, so what the show does, isn't his concern.

If Phil had just accepted recurring, he would not have been killed off. I am sure of that. If you quit your job, your boss replaces you, and you have no say in who they hire, or what they further do. Phil quit, so what the show does, isn't his concern.

Phil did not quit. He was forced out. They stalled giving him a new contract and when it came time for this one to be renewed, they wanted to demote him to recurring. Phil worked at OLTL for 28 years....he deserved to be kept on contract. Everyone knows when the shows bump longtime players to recurring it's to force them out. IMO it's a big SLAP in the face when you've given your all to a show for 28 years and they pretty much say "We like you...but don't want you on contract."

Secondly, Phil would NOT have been making the same money. He was going to be forced to take a paycut to be on recurring. It's a matter of principal.

Thirdly, if Valentini liked Hickland as much as you claim, she wouldn't have been bumped to recurring. It's only because of a massive write in campaign by the C.H.E.R.I. Initiative that she is even seen as much as she is. ABC does NOT respect it's veterans. This is just another example.

Phil did not quit. He was forced out. They stalled giving him a new contract and when it came time for this one to be renewed, they wanted to demote him to recurring. Phil worked at OLTL for 28 years....he deserved to be kept on contract. Everyone knows when the shows bump longtime players to recurring it's to force them out. IMO it's a big SLAP in the face when you've given your all to a show for 28 years and they pretty much say "We like you...but don't want you on contract."

Secondly, Phil would NOT have been making the same money. He was going to be forced to take a paycut to be on recurring. It's a matter of principal.

Thirdly, if Valentini liked Hickland as much as you claim, she wouldn't have been bumped to recurring. It's only because of a massive write in campaign by the C.H.E.R.I. Initiative that she is even seen as much as she is. ABC does NOT respect it's veterans. This is just another example.

So Phil should have automatically received a contract for doing his job? Yes, he gave 28 years to OLTL, but that was his job. It wasn't an option. If he wanted to continue acting on OLTL, he would have to give his all. That is expected out of an actor. From what I am hearing, Phil was set to make the same amount. ABC did not want to give him a contract because they did not want to use him. Partly Dena Higley. Say what you want, but she prepares what she wants to write in advance, and no balls Frank cannot do a damn thing about it. Frons, just goes with the flows and says whatever to what the people underneath him want. Liking someone as a person, has nothing to do with business. Cat Hickland was bumped down because they had nothing for her. That doesnt have anything to do with liking her as a person. Her and Frank are very tight, which is why she understood the bump and you dont hear her bitching about it today.

Forced out? Is there such a thing. Phil came with his pen and OLTL said, will you demote, and he said hell no and left. He quit.

Edited June 13, 200718 yr by Jay

I know it was speculated this would happen when news of their big episode event broke, but seeing it for real is pretty saddening. It's a shame no sort of deal could be made to give both the fans and Phil closure to Asa's character.

From a dramatic standpoint, especially with the actor still around, wouldn't it have been far more juicy to have Asa get killed off in a soapy, dramatic murder mystery rather than to have him die off-screen?

I think it would have paid trubute the villian that he was. His exit, instead, will be such a whimper, especially if Phil Carey himself, isn't dead.

Whether it is DH or Valentini, not seeing that PC/Asa was on contract long enough to give the character a sendoff IS tremendously disrespectful both to the actor and to longtime fans -- and illustrates that there is little vision/forethought for the show.

Yes, it was PC's job for 28 years. That's a long time, enough to get quite attached to coworkers, fans, and the character. B & B's Ron Moss was at Darlene Conley's bedside, holding her hand as she died. A good working environment doesn't need, but doesn't spit on those type of relationships. No job is a lifetime guarentee, but still there is a human aspect to any working environment.

That Asa's funeral is worthy of the 10,000th episode shows that writing and production DO realize that the Buchanan family had an important part in the last 10,000 episodes, spanning decades. But it's not important enough to get the actor back to show the actual dying? It's not as if they haven't already done one or two Asa faux funerals as sweeps stunts.

After PC's cancer bout, his exit story SHOULD have been one of the writers and producers top priorities, especially knowing that the 10,000 episode was coming up. Instead, the priority is who is John McBain's love interest, or filling out the teen musical. I realize the show desperately needs a future -- but it shouldn't neglect its past so shamefully.

Soap writers/execs don't see the storyline potential of long-running villain dying on-screen. I thought it could have been incredibly poignant to have an "omnipotent" character like Roger Thorpe or Asa Buchanan to finally "have life catch up with them," dealing with their own mortality, the mistakes they made over life, either wanting to make amends or stubbornly holding on to grudges until the end. There are wills to be written, apologies to be made, final missions to be executed - things that could affect the whole canvas. It's a great opportunity to wrap up long-running story if planned properly and offers a payoff to viewers who have watched for years.

But one doesn't expect creativity from soap writers these days...

I'm not going to lie, I'd rather see Asa die off-screen. But, I'm not going to harp on TPTB at OLTL here. Maybe I've just lost the energy or interest. Who knows? It just doesn't seem necessary. He's ceretainly one of the greatest vets on the show and a reallg oodbye show would be poignant, but just because Phil won't there, doesn't mean it can't be done right. Sure, the show did him wrong, but what can you expect in a business?

I'm curious how they will do this without using PC's image. No flashbacks, no photographs no images in a medium that is by definition visual.

Next question is how they fill the void left where the Buchanans once stood. What they have on screen isn't working or there wouldn't be a void.

Next great concept Frank?