Soaps that lost their original/core families

[soapfan770]

Thinking about it, it does fascinate me that ATWT somehow how managed to keep the Hughes and the Lowell/Stewart families as part of its core for its entire run. Same with B&B with the Forresters and Logans and Days with the Hortons. 

But that’s obviously not true for every soap.

We all know AW lost the Matthews and later Frame clans by the shows end sans Josie to much negative impact, while Y&R got rid of the Brooks and Fosters sans Jill to surprisingly positive impact.
 
What are some other examples of a whole core family eventually disappearing from a soap?  I know Days wiped out the Andersons and forgettable families like the Scofields came and gone. 

B&B of course shamefully got rid of the Spectras.

 

[titan1978]

OLTL lost the Wolek’s, but the Lord family stayed important all the way to the end. They started as the two core families though.

AMC- was anybody left from Phoebe’s family at the end of the ABC run? I know Brooke was in the PP revival, but hadn’t she left the main show?

 

[DRW50]

Brooke had returned for AMC"s last year.

Edited April 6, 2024 by DRW50

[NothinButAttitude]

Guiding Light was literally depleted of the Bauers the final years. Rick only popped up every blue moon. I do hope that had the show carried on that would've changed with Leah, Jude, Robby, and Hope leading the charge. It became too Cooper and Shayne heavy. 

GH has all but ditched the Hardy/Webber clan. Liz and her kids are the last ones standing. Hopefully, the new regime will realize her importance (along with the hospital). 

[DRW50]

They did give him a bit with Mindy but I can't remember if he was on contract by the end.

If the show hadn't been canceled they were going to bring in a recast Michelle. Instead, they just had that actress play a guest role and brought Nancy St. Alban (zzzz) back a few times. I think the end of the show had Michelle and Danny moving back to Springfield.

[NothinButAttitude]

Thank God. As a Manny fan, I didn't particularly care for NSA's Michelle. I wonder who they could've cast. My dream would've been for Bethany Joie Lenz to reprise the role, but I know One Tree Hill was still on air. 

And I totally blocked out Rick/Mindy at the end. It was such a blur. I always felt Mindy grew to be too sophisticated for Rick once my fave, Kimberly Simms, stepped into the role. But I guess since it was Krista Tesreau's version, it is OK. 

[DRW50]

I had forgotten her name last night but that Michelle would have been Beth Ann Bonner. 

I agree that Michael O'Leary suited Krista much more than Kim. It was odd to imagine that she was meant to be in love with Rick. 

[NothinButAttitude]

I like Beth Ann but I feel like she would've been too rough and edgy to play Michelle. Michelle had edge but not that much. I always felt Beth Ann would've been more suitable playing a vixen even when she was on OLTL. I felt like Talia was a bore and didn't let Beth Ann shine. I would've cast Martha Madison as Michelle but wasn't she being considered as Marah one point? 

And one pet peeve of mine on soaps is giving everyone a happy ending. I like some things to be left open to imagination or some resemblance to reality that everyone doesn't get a happy ending. Yes, while I was p*ssed Lisa (on ATWT) didn't get a happy ending, I did roll my eyes at Frank/Blake being slapped together so quickly along with Rick/Mindy and Lillian/Buzz. But I should probably go rant about that in the GL thread...

[DRW50]

I think Lillian and Buzz had been together for a year or two before the show ended.

I don't disagree about happy endings that feel unearned, but I didn't really mind them on GL, maybe because I'd already seen so much misery on the show over the years. With that said, one of the few things I will praise the ATWT ending for was not reuniting Lily and Holden.

I had forgotten Martha was considered for Marah. She would have been dull as hell in whatever role she had, I'm sure. For me Rachel Miner was still Michelle, although Bethany was the best after her. 

[NothinButAttitude]

(RE: Lillian/Buzz) Were they? That could've been an aspect of the show I blocked out as I didn't care for either character. I always felt those were two characters they could've gotten rid of. Especially, Buzz. 

I am glad I am NOT alone in being happy that Lily/Holden weren't reunited in the end. Personally, I wanted the two characters to move on from each other and just be friends and co-parent had the show continued. The two broke up so much that I was over them. 

Would Rachel had even been open to returning? I always get the feel that she closed the door on GL. She is my initial Michelle, but Bethany is my fave. 

[Paul Raven]

Y&R introduced the Williams as the new core working class family when the show went to an hour in 1980. Built around Paul, there was Carl, Mary,Patty, Steve and Todd (not seen) April married Paul and Heather was their child.

Bit one by one they were dropped and a few years later it was back to Paul and Mary,

Carl, Patty and Todd reappeared in short stints as did April but basically to play off Paul who finally disappeared himself.

Heather is currently onscreen but she could pretty much be anybody.

[Janet Marlowe]

All My Children kept the Martin and Kane families for the entire run; but, yes - the Tyler family was severly reduced by the early '80s.

Edited April 8, 2024 by Janet Marlowe

[I Am A Swede]

I wonder if any other soap has disposed of it's founding family with such ruthlessness as the British soap Emmerdale did with their first family, the Sugdens..... I guess it was an omen of things to come when the show began with the funeral of patriarch Jacob Sugden

• Annie Sugden (the matriarch) - dead
• Sam Pearson (Annie's father) - dead
• Jack Sugden (Annie's son) - dead
• Joe Sugden (Annie's son) - dead
• Peggy Skilbeck (Annie's daughter) - dead
• Jackie Merrick (Jack's son) - dead
• Sam Skilbeck (Peggy's son) - dead
• Sally Skilbeck (Peggy's daughter) - dead
• Pat Merrick (Jack's first wife) - dead
• Sarah Sugden (Jack's second wife) - dead
• Kate Sugden (Joe's wife) - dead
• Leonard Kempinski - (Annie's second husband) - dead
• Amos Brearly (Annie's third husband) - dead
• Mark Hughes (Joe's stepson) - dead
• Rachel Hughes (Joe's stepdaughter) - dead

The living members of the extended Sugden family currently off-screen are :

• Robert Sugden (Jack's son) - in prison
• Andy Sugden (Jack's adopted son) - on the run from the law
• Matt Skilbeck (Peggy's widower) - moved away in 1989
• Dolly Skilbeck (Matt's second wife) - moved away in 1991
• Samuel Skilbeck (Matt's son with Dolly) - moved away in 1991
• Joseph Sugden (Rachel's son) - on the run
• Sandie Merrick (Jack's stepdaughter) - moved away in 1989
• Kathy Brookman (Jackie's widow) - moved to Australia in 2001
• Jack Sugden (Andy's son) - moved away in 2019

Only Victoria Sugden (Jack's daughter) and Sarah Sugden (Andy's daughter) remain on the show to this day.

 

[Soaplovers]

I didn't know about Martha being considered for Michelle.

From what I recall..Beth Bonner and Sabine Singh were in the running.  I think Sabine would have been a good Michelle recast.

[Paul Raven]

AW Matthews Family final appearance

Granny June 64

Janet June 66

Bill July 69

Mary March 75

Mike Dec 79

Pat Jan 82 guest appearance 89

Marianne Feb 82

Jim April 82

Alice May 85 guest appearance 89

Susan Dec 82

Julia Aug 84

Olivia May 92

Russ Nov 92

Liz May 94

Josie June 99