Is OLTL the STRONGEST soap to be cancelled? Is it going out the most on top?

[chyti]

If you are speaking in terms of anything other than ratings it is a matter of personal opinion how strong or not OLTL is. In terms of ratings/rankings we would have to judge each cancelled soap in relation to the time that it was cancelled.

[Khan]

On the one hand, you could make the argument that if NBC had stuck with ANOTHER WORLD for another year, let's say, there would have been a turnaround. Nothing as huge as GH's in the late '70's, but enough to keep the show alive. But, on the other hand, I think AW was in the same position as GUIDING LIGHT and SEARCH FOR TOMORROW: nothing was going to bring back the fans who had walked away for good, no matter how spectacular.

[Khan]

I'd go a little further -- say, 1993? -- but I get what you're saying, Carolyn. I still recall reading FMB's comments in SOW that she was out to bring AMC into the 20th century or some bullshit and thinking, "Uh-oh."

[Carolyn1980]

Yeah, I could go a little further too, I guess....but not that far, lol. Say 1991? I know by the Natalie-in-the-well story, I knew it was all over.

[DRW50]

Would you say the multi-tiered AMC of 1987-1988 was the last "real" era for AMC?

[Soapsuds]

After seeing this week's show I dont know how it is getting the ratings it is getting. The show is dreadful awful. To add a shitty big event no one cares about makes the show just shitsville.

[Max]

Why on earth did Passions not deserve to be cancelled? It had been last place in the ratings since PC left the air in October 2003. Even

GL--which aired in oddball timeslots (in much of the country) and got almost zero network promotion--was beating it (while Passions had a great timeslot and received the full backing of the network).

[Eric83]

Passions was still beating GL/ATWT in the 18-49 demo, and was in the top five most weeks in Women 18-34. It should have outlived at least the P&G soaps.

[Max]

Household ratings still matter (especially at CBS), as I seem to recall Errol pointing out.

Obviously, it was very embarassing that ATWT & GL fell below Passions among Women 18-49. However, I think things may have been different for GL if that soap didn't have its time slot tinkered with. Also, you have to keep in mind that both P&G soaps got almost no promtion from CBS at the time, which was in huge contrast to the way NBC treated Passions.

Also, thanks to everybody who brought up the examples of SFT and Capitol. It is very important that we keep OLTL's cancellation in a proper historical context.

[JNewt]

As I reading through these comments I saw a lot of personal opinions of the show which don't really matter, in the broader sense OLTL is a much improved show from where it was at back in the mid-2000s before RC came in.

There's definitely some candidates from back in the day like Capitol, Search for Tomorrow, and The Edge of Night but I hate comparing ratings to any ratings of today b/c that was a different ratings climate than today when more people were watching the same 3 networks back then and you know the rest of the story.

As far as the most recent soap cancellations starting in 1999 with Another World, Port Charles in 2003, Passions in 2007, Guiding Light in 2009, As the World Turns in 2010, and All My Children in 2011 this is no doubt the strongest of the bunch.

I think OLTL is a little bit different b/c the show had a rebirth of sorts where it became watchable and stronger as it was already sitting on its death bed.

[quartermainefan]

I think that just implies those shows deserved to be canceled too, not that Passions didn't deserve to be canceled. Perhaps Passions just was before its time and today would be a prime candidate for online distribution.

EoN was a pale shadow of itself by the time it finally ended. It wasn't a very good show at the end.

[DRW50]

ATWT and GL were always seen as the old person's soaps, whether that was fair or not. I'm not sure Passions, which was marketed as being for teens and for hip demos, beating it is a big accomplishment.