Another World

[Contessa Donatella]

Near the end P&G was courted by Angela Shapiro/ABC, Fox network, what became Paramount, what became Sony! Seems like there was a 5th, yes, what became Viacom. ABC & Fox wanted to air some version of the show. The other companies wanted different partnerships with P&G & to keep the show on the air. Amazingly P&G turned them all down. 

[Mona Kane Croft]

And so begins the brief but important return of the Matthews family.  Liz, Russ, Josie, and Olivia, plus appearances by Pat (Beverly Penberthy) and Alice (Jacquie Courtney) during the 25th anniversary week. Sadly Donna Swajeski demonstrated little interest in writing the Matthews as important characters.  So their resurgence lasted only about two years.   

[DRW50]

Thanks for all the nice Thanksgiving messages. On most Thanksgivings in recent years, I have found myself thinking of Mac's toasts. I hope you all had a good day.

[vetsoapfan]

While AW was beyond its prime and years of solid ratings, at least it had a once-loyal audience who may have been lured back if the quality had picked up and the structure of the show had been stabilized. As a newbie soap, Port Charles did not have the same assets (aside from some beloved crossover characters from GH), and really destroyed any possibility for success by introducing the ludicrous supernatural, idiotic storylines.

[Contessa Donatella]

I always think of his toasts at anything remotely appropriate!!

[DRW50]

By that time P&G was determined to wind down their soaps. I doubt AW would have much run longer than PC did by that point, but given how irrelevant PC ended up seeming, I wouldn't mind seeing what the alternative would have been.

[Contessa Donatella]

I'm very curious as to why you'd say this. 

At the time it seemed to us to be all about P&G with regard specifically to NBC. And, not at all about P&G and soaps. And, also that their relationship with CBS had not soured yet. Although we now know that was in their fairly near future. 

[allmc2008]

I know about ABC. But where did you get your information on Fox and what became Paramount and what became Sony?

 

I just can't imagine Fox wanting AW.

[Contessa Donatella]

Another thing about P&G and AW's ending in 1999 is that it wasn't until 2000, after that, that P&G began getting out of the household domestic products business wholesale. In the next dozen or so years they pretty drastically changed their product offerings. Many people point to that as the time when both ATWT and GL became less appealing to them.

But, I know that CBS and P&G had some difficulty about both ATWT & GL as early as 1995. 

Although I suppose you could make the argument that if they started divesting, selling off those product lines, in 2000 they could have talked about it in conference & memos, etc. before that. 

[Contessa Donatella]

So, just this week, I've learned something new (to me at least) about AW. In a discussion of FOR RICHER, FOR POORER I learned that 2 characters were on AW. Alan Cushing and Amy Gifford. Said to be friends of Rachel's from this nearby city that I think was an elite suburb of Chicago. So, it was a bonafide crossover but not a spin-off because the show had debuted many months before, named at that time, LOVERS & FRIENDS. Rod Arrants who later would become fairly famous as Travis of Liza & Travis, the Sentells, of SFT. Also can't forget TJ. Amy was played by the actress who later played Janice Frame. If you all knew this already, sorry to bore you. 

[Maxim]

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The topic is open.

[Contessa Donatella]

Yes, it is open & thanks for that! @Toups

[Paul Raven]

From AWHP

AW head writer Lemay and producer Rauch created Lovers and Friends, which was cancelled in May 1977 after four months. Main characters Austin and Amy Cushing appeared on Another World, November 18 - December 5, played by Rod Arrants and Christine Jones (who later joined AW as Janice Frame). Amy was a former model and friend of Rachel's during Rachel's modelling days. They journeyed back to their revamped show, now called For Richer, For Poorer, for its relaunch in December. Mac and Rachel accompanied them, appearing briefly on their show in order to entice viewers into watching the revamp.

[Contessa Donatella]

Yes, exactly that. I just posted that today in the forum where this discussion took place. A fan has said that in the Julie Poll coffee table book on AW she called L&F/FRFP "unofficial spinoffs" while calling SOMERSET and TEXAS as official spinoffs. I think Eddie's classification is more accurate. 

[Maxim]

I can't wait to resume my daily commentaries here as the topic is finally open. I just have to find which was the last episode I commented and go back a bit... Since we are up to December 12 1988.