Did CBS Cancel "GL" and "ATWT" or Was It Procter & Gamble?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

P&G had forced Irna out after her last stint at ATWT anyway, so I don't know how much of advocate she could've been for her shows.

[DramatistDreamer]

I realize that, I was trying to say that in some ways Phillips was held hostage to the times she lived in. A woman in control could only go so far without a man to back her up.

If you look at Lucille Ball for instance, she went into Desilu Productions with her husband and she really only got control of the studio when she offered to buy out Desi Arnaz after their divorce. As great a talent and as astute a business woman as Lucille Ball was, I doubt she would've been able to control an entire studio outright without her husband. Through the success of Desilu Prod., Ball and Arnaz were able to chart their on course, which included Ball taking over the studio after the divorce.

Phillips didn't control a studio or production company (like Bell) nor she didn't come of age in an era where the opportunities for women were being scaled up toward more control over their creations (like Nixon). In a sense, she was on her way out (forced out) when this era began.

[dragonflies]

an interesting tweet from Colleen Zenk she says CBS Daytime wasn't behind ATWT

Colleen Zenk ‏@ColleenZenk 50m

@wheelssoaps68 No fight! I just wish #CBSDaytime had been behind #ATWT. Many of my friends are working at #AMC & #OLTL! I'm thrilled 4 them!

[KMan101]

I think CBS just ultimately saw them as old. However, NO ONE on either side seemed to make any effort, when the show could have been just as current with the same cast. I mean, I look at how Dallas, AMC and OLTL (while Dallas to me isn't perfect, and to be fair, AMC/OLTL obviously haven't even aired yet) sort of took the same show and remodeled it to be what ... veterans and well-tied younger characters. Again, Dallas needs work on that a bit, but the effort was there and in essence, it works. I can easily envision 'current' remodels of ATWT and GL that would still maintain familiarity. I really don't buy CBS even tried with GL and Peapack. It wasn't anything innovative. It was hand-cams in the woods of a really dreary town. That could have been so much better with even somewhat of a budget.

Soaps just lost their focus over the years. Then you ended up with a ton of veterans who did nothing and the same tired 4-8 people dominating the airtime for years on end. It was unbalanced. The golden days of soaps had structure, overall. You had families, strong supporting characters, etc. I think the soaps should have all just gone back to a half hour, cut some dead weight, refocused on the core families, build them up a bit with a fresh generation and have the anchors, but have the anchors be just as important and not just fulfilling an episode guarantee. And how did soaps get so damn baby crazy? I couldn't even remember who was related to who or who had which kid with which father. Seriously.

Soaps, to me, need balance. Not appealing to just one kind of audience but the overall audience. The 18-49 demo will come if the show has compelling actors and well written storylines. IMHO. Look at procedurals that do well in the demo. Mostly all 'older' characters (meaning a majority of actors in their 40s/50s/60s) But the writing is compelling and storylines are interesting. People will watch.

Sorry if none of that makes sense. Just felt like ranting a bit and I'm super tired.

[allmc2008]

+100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

[Ira]

As some writers have shared, with the constant changes that a soap can sometimes endure behind the scenes, one way that they can ensure at least some of their stories come to fruition are pregnancy stories. It gives a ticking time bomb of story -- which is why Who's the Daddy stories and baby swaps, etc. are some of the most popular soap stories of recent years.

[Errol]

Angelica McDaniel Interview Goes Live on Thursday, April 4 at 3:00 PM.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I didn't realize we're still in March, Errol.

[Errol]

[Errol]

Will have the interview up later than anticipated.

[edgeofnik]

Objectively speaking ATWT (I gave up on GL years earlier), it just felt old and boring. The last younger skewing storyline was the serial killer during Summer 2006. The next summer/fall was highlighted by stunning drops some weeks DROPPED 500K to 800K over the previous year! The other young-centric story that was work was earlier in the decade when Carly had the fashion line and Jennifer was the model - they had a deal with Seventeen Magazine, etc.

And, yes, based on all the history - like ABC/TEON - P&G just wanted out. I'm just perplexed why they don't release their library - it was on Hulu for some time. The demand is there.

[KMan101]

I still say most soaps just lost their focus. You had families that didn't even feel connected anymore, actors on probably very limited episode guarantees, poor scriptwriters ... I hate when I watch a soap and see the set and just know it's a set. Etc. I could go on and on.

I can't say if PP's AMC/OLTL will be a success but I got really thrilled reading iTunes descriptions of the series. They have an idea of what the shows will be (so they say), families are refocused, you have a good core and hopefully fresh new young actors who can bring what the vets did back when they were young.

But to answer the question, P&G clearly wanted out. CBS probably just didn't care. I don't know. I never bought Telenext trying to say they were looking for other homes. They've clearly had so many offers over the years and the soaps are just collecting dust.

[All My Shadows]

It was truly depressing, especially in regards to GL, which was never even really one of "my" soaps. It was just so lifeless...plodding along. As crappy as ATWT, AMC, OLTL, and the others got in the darker years, they still had a sense of potential there. The pieces were there -- they just needed someone to put the puzzle together. GL just felt like it was missing half the pieces, and no one really knew how to find them. It was just sad.

[KMan101]

I agree.

[NothinButAttitude]

I think both shows (and all the other P&G shows) still have potential to be redone; however, I think the main issue (writing wise) with these shows the last decade and a half for ALL soaps was that they lost their identity. GL & ATWT always had that "small town" feel--everyone knew everyone, and knew everything about everyone (eventually). They also had that "familial" feeling to them too. Gradually, these shows lost that as characters became isolated or ruined. Another downfall IMO, is the lack of usage for the primary families. The Hughes and the Bauers should've never been sidelined for the Snyders or Coopers/Shayne clans, but instead should've drove story. There were a plethora of Bauers and Hughes that should've been in the forefront, and the ones that were (in the forefront), hardly interacted with their veteran familial counterparts. How Lisa, Bob, and Kim did not have a real meaty story in the final years drove me bananas. Same with Rick (the last Bauer standing) not getting any story within the final years either. I've always felt that they should've brought back his and Mel's daughter, Leah, in the final years and made her be a pain in a** to Rick & Phillip b/c Phillip's antics cost her her parent's marriage. I always felt that P&G shows use to be good at integrating the younger & older characters together to make us care for the newer characters. That didn't happen towards the end of neither of these shows.