Mendorra
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American
soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a
web series A web series (also known as webseries, short-form series, and web show) is a series of short scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet (i.e. World Wide Web), which first emerged in the late 1 ...
on
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
and
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
via Prospect Park from April 29 to August 19, 2013. Created by
Agnes Nixon Agnes Nixon ( Eckhardt; December 10, 1922 – September 28, 2016) was an American television writer and producer, and the creator of the ABC soap operas ''One Life to Live'', ''All My Children'', as well as '' Loving'' and its spin-off '' The ...
, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature ethnically and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social issues. ''One Life to Live'' was expanded from 30 minutes to 45 minutes on July 26, 1976, and then to an hour on January 16, 1978. ''One Life to Live'' heavily focuses on the members and relationships of the
Lord family The Lord family are fictional characters from the American soap opera ''One Life to Live''. They were introduced in the show's July 15, 1968 debut episode on ABC, and featured for the entirety of its run until the series ended on August 19, 2013 ...
. Actress Erika Slezak began portraying the series' protagonist Victoria Lord in March 1971 and played the character continuously for the rest of the show's run on
ABC Daytime ABC Daytime (sometimes shortened to ABC-D or ABCD) is a division responsible for the daytime television programming block on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC Network and syndicated programming. The block has historically encompassed soap o ...
, winning a record six
Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...
s for the role. In 2002, the series won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. On September 17, 2010, ''One Life to Live'' became the last American daytime soap opera taped in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
; it earned this distinction after ''
As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...
'', which had been taped in New York since its 1956 premiere, aired its final episode. No daytime serial has emanated from New York since; ABC's lone soap, ''General Hospital'', CBS' ''The Young and the Restless'' and ''The Bold and the Beautiful'', and Peacock's ''Days of Our Lives'' are all recorded in California and CBS' other serial, ''Beyond the Gates'', is produced outside of Atlanta. On April 14, 2011, ABC announced that it was canceling ''One Life to Live'' after nearly 43 years on the air due to low ratings. On July 7, 2011, production company Prospect Park announced that it would continue the show as a
web series A web series (also known as webseries, short-form series, and web show) is a series of short scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet (i.e. World Wide Web), which first emerged in the late 1 ...
after its run on ABC,ABC.com - - One Life to Live Announcement
but later suspended the project. The show taped its final scenes for ABC on November 18, 2011, and its final episode on the network aired on January 13, 2012, with a
cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...
. On January 16, 2012, the following Monday, ABC replaced ''One Life to Live'' with a new and short-lived talk show called '' The Revolution'' that aired until July 6 of the same year. On January 7, 2013, Prospect Park resumed its plan to continue ''One Life to Live'' as a daily 30-minute web series on Hulu and iTunes via The Online Network. The relaunched series premiered on April 29, 2013. The new series was plagued with several behind-the-scenes problems, most notably a litigation between Prospect Park and ABC regarding the misuse of ''One Life to Live'' characters on ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
''. On September 3, 2013, Prospect Park suspended production of the series until the lawsuit with ABC was resolved.


Creation

Impressed with the ratings success of
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's '' Another World'', ABC sought out ''Another World'' writer Nixon to create a serial for them. Though Nixon's concept for the new series was "built along the classic soap formula of a rich family and a poor family," she was "tired of the restraints imposed by the WASPy, noncontroversial nature of daytime drama." ''One Life to Live'' would emphasize "the ethnic and
socioeconomic Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
diversity" of the characters in its fictional setting. Nixon would go on to create ''
All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2 ...
'' in 1970 and '' Loving'' in 1983. The initial main titles of the series featured the image of a roaring fireplace, a visual representation of the originally proposed title—''Between Heaven and Hell''—ultimately changed to ''One Life to Live'' to avoid controversy. ''One Life to Live'' first sponsor was the
Colgate-Palmolive The Colgate-Palmolive Company, commonly known as Colgate-Palmolive, is an American multinational corporation, multinational consumer products company headquartered on Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company specializes in ...
company, who also sponsored '' The Doctors''. ABC bought the show from Nixon in December 1974 when they purchased all stock to her Creative Horizons, Inc. The show was originally a half-hour serial until it was expanded to 45 minutes on July 23, 1976, and to one hour on January 16, 1978.


Series history

''One Life to Live'' is set in the fictional city of Llanview, a suburb of
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. The show continually centers on the wealthy, White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
Lord family The Lord family are fictional characters from the American soap opera ''One Life to Live''. They were introduced in the show's July 15, 1968 debut episode on ABC, and featured for the entirety of its run until the series ended on August 19, 2013 ...
, with the working-class
Polish American Polish Americans () are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 8.81 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.67% of the U.S. population, ...
Wolek family, the less wealthy
Irish Catholic Irish Catholics () are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland, defined by their adherence to Catholic Christianity and their shared Irish ethnic, linguistic, and cultural heritage.The term distinguishes Catholics of Irish descent, particul ...
Riley family, and the first regular African-American characters in U.S. soap operas, working-class mother and daughter Sadie Gray and Carla Gray, are present at the series' inception. ''One Life to Live'' has been called "the most peculiarly American of soap operas: the first serial to present a vast array of ethnic types, broad comic situations, a constant emphasis on social issues, and strong male characters." From the debut episode, ''One Life to Live'' centered on fictional character Victoria "Viki" Lord (originated by Gillian Spencer), portrayed by six-time
Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...
winner Erika Slezak for longer than any other ''One Life to Live'' series actor, from March 1971 through the series finale January 13, 2012, as well as the 2013 web revival. Long-suffering heroine Viki weathered love and loss, widowhood, rape, divorce, stroke, and breast cancer, and was plagued by dissociative identity disorder (or DID, once known as multiple personality disorder) on and off for decades. Viki also had heart problems and received a transplant from her dying husband Ben Davidson ( Mark Derwin). Featured male protagonist Dr. Larry Wolek also appeared at the debut episode and for 36 years, played from 1969 until the character's last appearance in 2004 by Emmy-nominated actor Michael Storm. The apparent murder of Marco Dane ( Gerald Anthony) by Victoria Lord in 1979 and the ensuing prostitution storyline of Larry Wolek's wife, Karen Wolek ( Judith Light), garnered widespread critical acclaim and several
Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...
s. The 1980s brought great ratings success with the introduction of the Buchanan family and the rise to prominence of Viki's scheming sister, Tina Lord (notably played by Andrea Evans). In the 1990s, the show introduced one of the first married interracial couples in soap operas with attorneys Hank and Nora Gannon ( Nathan Purdee and Hillary B. Smith respectively), and the story of the involvement of Viki's estranged brother, Todd ( Roger Howarth), with the rape of Marty Saybrooke ( Susan Haskell), was called "one of the show's most remembered and impactful." ''One Life to Live'' celebrated its 40th anniversary in July 2008 with the return of several former cast members and by revisiting notable plot lines from its past. "Deceased" characters and even creator Agnes Nixon appeared in a storyline in which Slezak's Viki dies and visits Heaven, an homage to Viki's 1987 heavenly trip.
Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...
nominee Andrea Evans and others returned for a tribute to Tina Lord's famous 1987 plunge over the
Iguazu Falls Iguazú Falls or Iguaçu Falls ( , ; ; Tupi: Y Ûasu "big water") are waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the border of the Argentine province of Misiones and the Brazilian state of Paraná. Together, they make up the largest waterfall sys ...
and the 1990 royal wedding in fictional Mendorra.''One Life to Live'' recaps (1990, Part 3) - ABC.com
And like the 1988 Old West storyline in which the character Clint Buchanan steps back 100 years in the past, on July 21, 2008,
Robert S. Woods Robert Sosebee Woods (born March 13, 1948) is an American actor best known for playing Bo Buchanan on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC soap ''One Life to Live'', a role for which he won the 1983 Daytime Emmy Award for Daytime Emmy Award fo ...
began an extended storyline in which his character Bo Buchanan finds himself transplanted back into his own past—specifically 1968, the year of the series' inception—witnessing the Buchanan family's
backstory A backstory, background story, background, or legend is a set of events invented for a plot, preceding and leading up to that plot. In acting, it is the history of the character before the drama begins, and is created during the actor's prepara ...
unfold. ''
Soap Opera Digest ''Soap Opera Digest'' was a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It featured onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional ...
'' subsequently named ''One Life to Live'' their "Best Show" of 2008, calling it "the year's most compelling" series and citing a myriad of story lines the magazine found "heartbreaking," "stunning," and "gripping," as well as complimenting its risk-taking and "diverse and talented" cast. On August 4, 2009, it was announced that ''One Life to Live'', which was taped in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, would move from ABC Studio 17 at 56 West 66th Street to Studio 23 at 320 West 66th Street,
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
in early 2010. This studio was made available by the move of sister serial ''All My Children'' to a production facility in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, where that series began taping on January 4, 2010. The new studio was 30% larger than ''One Life to Live'' previous one, and both ''One Life to Live'' and ''All My Children'' were to be taped and broadcast in
high-definition television High-definition television (HDTV) describes a television or video system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since at least 1933; in more recent times, it ref ...
(HD) after their moves. On October 8, 2009, ABC announced that it had postponed the transition to HD for ''One Live to Live'', citing the economic climate at the time, though an ABC spokesperson stated that they "...will re-examine it next year." On December 6, 2010, ''One Life to Live'' became the fifth daytime serial to broadcast in the 16:9 aspect ratio
widescreen Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratio (image), aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ...
picture format but still not in true HD, after ''
Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that aired on the network NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022; the soap has streamed n ...
'', ''
The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...
'', and fellow ABC soap operas ''All My Children'' and ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
'', though those series are produced in high definition. ABC's picture disclaimers at the start of the program list it as being aired in "digital widescreen" rather than HD. The September 17, 2010, series ending of ''
As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...
'' left ''One Life to Live'' as the last remaining American daytime serial being produced in the
New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also called the Tri-State area and sometimes referred to as Greater New York, is the List of cities by GDP, largest metropolitan economy in the world, with a List of U.S. metropolitan areas by GDP, gross metropo ...
as well as the only one produced outside the
Los Angeles metropolitan area Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the east, ...
.


Cancellation

Rumors about a potential cancellation of ''One Life to Live'' arose from '' TV Guide Canada'' in late 2009, after ABC announced that it was moving ''
All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2 ...
'' from
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. ''One Life to Live''s lone presence in New York among the ABC soap operas, along its non-transition to HD and its struggling ratings, made it a program at risk of cancellation. The article from ''TV Guide Canada'' also pointed that once ''One Life to Live'' is cancelled, some of the actors could be offered to join the cast of ''All My Children'' in Los Angeles. In May 2010, rumors of possible cancellation of not only ''One Life to Live'', but this time of also ''
All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2 ...
'' and ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
'', resurfaced when
Walt Disney Television The first and original incarnation of Walt Disney Television was an American production company and the original/former television production division of the Walt Disney Company, which was active from April 18, 1983 to 2003. Productions from ...
officially announced that it was shutting down
Soapnet Soapnet was an American basic cable network owned by the Disney–ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network's programming was oriented towards the soap opera genre; on launch, Soapnet carried primetime encores of ABC' ...
, effective in 2012. After a failed attempt to give Aisha Tyler a talk show in 2009, ABC restarted auditioning a few pilot shows as candidates for its daytime lineup. At this point, ''All My Children'' had the lowest ratings so rumors began heating up in March 2011 about the show's demise, with hints that ''One Life to Live'' was safe for a while longer. However, early in April 2011, rumors suggested that both ''All My Children'' and ''One Life to Live'' were in danger of cancellation. After months of cancellation rumors, ABC announced on April 14, 2011 that ''All My Children'' and ''One Life to Live'' would end their runs. ABC cited "extensive research into what today's daytime viewers want and the changing viewing patterns of the audience." The network stated it was replacing ''One Life to Live'' with a new production entitled '' The Revolution'', which would focus on health and lifestyles. While the cancellations of both soap operas were announced on the same day, ''One Life to Live'' was to remain on the air four months longer because its replacement would not be ready until later. In response to the cancellations, vacuum cleaner manufacturer
The Hoover Company The Hoover Company is a home appliance company founded in Ohio, United States, in 1908. It also established a major base in the United Kingdom, where it dominated the electric vacuum cleaner industry during most of the 20th century, to the point ...
withdrew its advertising from all ABC programs out of protest. The final episode aired on January 13, 2012, with villainess
Allison Perkins Allison Perkins is a fictional character on the United States of America, American soap opera ''One Life to Live''. Barbara Garrick originated the role from 1986 to 1987, returning from August 15, 2001 to August 27, 2002 and then making brief ap ...
(
Barbara Garrick Barbara Garrick is an American actress. Garrick has appeared on stage, television and in film. Life and career Garrick appeared in several New York-based television soap operas, including the roles of villainous nurse Charlotte Wheaton on ''Gu ...
) narrating her views about the people of Llanview. During the last minutes of the episode, Todd Manning (Howarth) is put under arrest for the murder of twin brother Victor Lord, Jr. ( Trevor St. John). The show ends with the discovery that Victor Lord, Jr. is still alive and has been kidnapped by Perkins. Perkins closes the 43-year-old soap opera by breaking the
fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...
by throwing a ''One Life to Live'' script at Victor saying to him: "But why spoil what happens next. You of all people should know things are rarely what they appear". The decision to conclude ''One Life to Live'' with an open-ended story is because the serial was supposed to continue on another network at the time the last scenes were taped (see
section Section, Sectioning, or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sig ...
below). On the day of the final episode, '' The View'' hosted a tribute to ''One Life to Live'' where several actors were invited including Erika Slezak,
Robert S. Woods Robert Sosebee Woods (born March 13, 1948) is an American actor best known for playing Bo Buchanan on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC soap ''One Life to Live'', a role for which he won the 1983 Daytime Emmy Award for Daytime Emmy Award fo ...
, Robin Strasser, Hillary B. Smith, Kassie DePaiva, James DePaiva, Andrea Evans, Judith Light and the show's creator
Agnes Nixon Agnes Nixon ( Eckhardt; December 10, 1922 – September 28, 2016) was an American television writer and producer, and the creator of the ABC soap operas ''One Life to Live'', ''All My Children'', as well as '' Loving'' and its spin-off '' The ...
. The departure of ''One Life to Live'' ended a 62-year history of daytime television soap operas taped in New York which started in 1950 with the
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
daytime drama '' The First Hundred Years''.


Cast and characters

The show originally concentrated on the wealthy,
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant In the United States, White Anglo-Saxon Protestants or Wealthy Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASP) is a Sociology, sociological term which is often used to describe White Americans, white Protestantism in the United States, Protestant Americans of E ...
Lord family The Lord family are fictional characters from the American soap opera ''One Life to Live''. They were introduced in the show's July 15, 1968 debut episode on ABC, and featured for the entirety of its run until the series ended on August 19, 2013 ...
, the less wealthy Siegels (among the first attempts to showcase either an
interfaith marriage Interfaith marriage, sometimes called interreligious marriage or mixed marriage, is marriage between spouses professing and being legally part of different religions. Although interfaith marriages are often established as civil marriages, in so ...
or Jewish character on daytime television), the middle-class Riley family and Wolek family, and the working-class African-American mother and daughter Sadie Gray and Carla Gray. Heiress Victoria Lord and her extended family remained a prime focus until the series ended. Over the years many other families were introduced, most notably the Buchanan family and the
Cramer family The Cramer family is a family of fictional characters on the American soap opera '' One Life to Live''. The family centers on the relationships of long-running character Dr. Dorian Cramer, who debuts on the series in April 1973. The long-runn ...
, who intermarried with the Lords and also remained a fixture on ''One Life to Live'' until its end. Several actors performed on ''One Life to Live'' for 20 years or more, including Erika Slezak, Michael Storm,
Robert S. Woods Robert Sosebee Woods (born March 13, 1948) is an American actor best known for playing Bo Buchanan on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC soap ''One Life to Live'', a role for which he won the 1983 Daytime Emmy Award for Daytime Emmy Award fo ...
, Philip Carey, and Robin Strasser. Actors who became famous for their work on the show and who went on to greater fame with their prime time, feature film or theatre work include Lillian Hayman, Ellen Holly,
Tommy Lee Jones Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Tommy Lee Jones, various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and two Scre ...
, Al Freeman Jr.,
Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has gained recognition for his roles on stage and screen as militant and authoritative characters. List of awards and nominations received by Laur ...
, Judith Light, Phylicia Rashad, Blair Underwood,
Marcia Cross Marcia Anne Cross (born March 25, 1962) is an American actress. She acted in daytime soap operas such as ''The Edge of Night'', ''Another World (TV series), Another World'', and ''One Life to Live'' before moving to primetime television with a ...
, Roma Downey,
Mario Van Peebles Mario Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is a Mexican-born American director and actor. He is best known for appearing in ''Heartbreak Ridge'' in 1986, and known for directing and starring in ''New Jack City'' in 1991, and ''USS Indianapolis: ...
,
Jessica Tuck Jessica Tuck (born February 19, 1963) is an American actress, best known for her performances on television as Megan Gordon Harrison on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live'', Gillian Gray in the CBS drama series ...
,
Ryan Phillippe Matthew Ryan Phillippe ( ; born September 10, 1974) is an American actor. After appearing as Billy Douglas (One Life to Live), Billy Douglas on the soap opera ''One Life to Live'' (1992–1993) and making his feature film debut in ''Crimson Tide ...
,
Hayden Panettiere Hayden Lesley Panettiere ( ; born August 21, 1989) is an American actress and singer. She has starred as Claire Bennet on the NBC superhero series ''Heroes (American TV series), Heroes'' (2006–2010), Kirby Reed in the slasher film, slasher Ho ...
,
Nathan Fillion Nathan Christopher Fillion (born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian and American actor. He played the leading roles of Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds on ''Firefly'' and its film continuation '' Serenity'', and Richard Castle on ''Castle''. , he sta ...
, Renée Elise Goldsberry, and Tika Sumpter.


Controversies

In 2002, the popularity of
antihero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero or two words anti hero) or anti-heroine is a character in a narrative (in literature, film, TV, etc.) who may lack some conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism and morality. Al ...
Todd Manning ( Roger Howarth) prompted ABC to market a rag doll of the character, complete with his signature scar. First offered for sale on April 29, 2002, the doll was pulled on May 7, 2002, after a backlash begun when ''The Jack Myers Report'' "harshly criticized the network's judgment" on creating and releasing a doll based on Manning, a character who had notably been convicted of rape in 1993. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' later quoted then-ABC President Angela Shapiro stating, "I was insensitive and take total responsibility for it. I should have been sensitive to the history of the character and I wasn't." Shortly after receiving a March 2005
GLAAD Media Award The GLAAD Media Award is a US accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding portrayals of LGBTQ people and the issues that affect their lives. In addition to film and television, the Awards ...
for its coverage of
LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
issues, ''One Life to Live'' was met with criticism when married district attorney Daniel Colson (Mark Dobies) was revealed to have murdered two people to cover up the fact that he was secretly gay.
GLAAD GLAAD () is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization. Originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals in the media and entertainment industries, it has since ...
itself criticized the storyline "for reinforcing the idea that being gay is something to be ashamed of," while ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
'' noted "It's hard to disagree with those who say that's a lousy representation of gay folks." Executive Producer Frank Valentini defended the story, saying, "This is a story about the harsher side of intolerance and about one man not being true to himself. There are going to be meaningful, frank discussions that come out of this." Then-head writer Dena Higley explained, "The number one rule of soap opera is never cut drama. Daniel being gay and keeping that a secret is a dramatic story." In June 2009, actress Patricia Mauceri (a performer on the series since 1995) was replaced in her role as Latin matriarch Carlotta Vega, reportedly after voicing personal religious objections to a planned storyline in which Carlotta would be supportive of a gay relationship.


Historical storylines

* Storylines: 1968–1979 * Storylines: 1980–1989 * Storylines: 1990–1999 * Storylines: 2000–2012


Prospect Park


Unsuccessful revival attempt

On July 7, 2011, ABC announced that it had licensed the rights to ''One Life to Live'' and ''All My Children'' to television, film and music production company Prospect Park, allowing both series to continue producing new first-run episodes beyond the conclusion of their television runs on ABC, with the series moving to a new
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
-style online channel currently in development by Prospect Park; as a result of the company's acquisition of the two soap operas, ''One Life to Live'' and ''All My Children'', would become the first soap operas to transition their first-run broadcasts from traditional television to
internet television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as films and television show, television series, Streaming media, streamed over the Internet. Standing in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by Broadc ...
. On September 16, 2011, executive producer Frank Valentini was retained by Prospect Park for that serial as well as ''
All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2 ...
'' when both shows would move to The Online Network. On September 28, 2011, Prospect Park confirmed that ''One Life to Live'' would start on its The Online Network internet channel in January 2012, but without specifying the exact date. On September 30, 2011, it was announced that head writer Ron Carlivati would be also heading to the internet version of the show. Since the agreement made between ABC and Prospect Park was not limited to
internet television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as films and television show, television series, Streaming media, streamed over the Internet. Standing in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by Broadc ...
and did allow for ''One Life to Live'' to be broadcast on traditional television, there was an announcement on August 3, 2011, about a possibility of ''One Life to Live'' airing on a
cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...
. On October 5, 2011, the project to bring ''One Life to Live'' to cable was reiterated in a ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' article, where it was revealed that Prospect Park planned to first air episodes on The Online Network, then make them available on
video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...
and, then weeks later, on cable television. On November 23, 2011, Prospect Park officially suspended its plans to continue the show after its run on ABC. Reasons given by Prospect Park included funding problems and poor negotiations with the unions representing the cast of ''One Life to Live''.
Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the name of two American labor unions representing writers in film, television, radio, and online media: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is headquartered in New York City and is affiliated wit ...
and
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) was a performers' union that represented a wide variety of talent, including actors in radio and television, radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording ...
, which respectively represent the writer and the actors, have expressed disappointment over Prospect Park's decision. Though not one of the reasons given by Prospect Park, ''
Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...
'' suggested that the company's lack of success in finding a cable network to carry the show may have been instrumental in the company's decision to not pursue the project. Despite its fruitless attempt to save the series, Prospect Park had succeeded in retaining 13 actors to sign for the online venture, compared to only two actors for ''All My Children''. Matriarch actress Erika Slezak (Victoria Lord) was among the 13. The 12 other actors were Melissa Archer (Nathalie Buchanan), Kassie DePaiva (Blair Cramer), Michael Easton (John McBain), Shenell Edmonds (Destiny Evans), Josh Kelly (Cutter Wentworth), Ted King (Tomás Delgado), Florencia Lozano (Tea Delgado), Kelley Missal (Danielle Manning), Sean Ringgold (Shaun Evans), Andrew Trischitta (Jack Manning), Jerry verDorn (Clint Buchanan) and
Tuc Watkins Charles Curtis "Tuc" Watkins III (born September 2, 1966) is an American actor, known for his roles as David Vickers on ''One Life to Live'', Mr. Burns in ''The Mummy (1999 film), The Mummy'', Bob Hunter (Desperate Housewives), Bob Hunter on ''Des ...
(David Vickers).


2013 revival

On January 7, 2013, Prospect Park made an official statement about its plans to restart production of ''One Life to Live'' and ''All My Children'' as
web series A web series (also known as webseries, short-form series, and web show) is a series of short scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet (i.e. World Wide Web), which first emerged in the late 1 ...
. The two soap operas will serve as anchor shows for The Online Network (Prospect Park's new
streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as films and television series, streamed over the Internet. Standing in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aerial systems, cable t ...
that was supposed to be launched during the original attempt in 2011). Prospect Park inked deals with
SAG-AFTRA The Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
and DGA. Prospect Park confirmed that former coordinating producer, Jennifer Pepperman had signed on as the new executive producer for the web reboot of ''One Life to Live''. Creator Agnes Nixon would work as consultant for the new web series. On January 13, 2013, it was confirmed that
soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
writers Thom Racina and Susan Bedsow Horgan were named as the new Head Writers of ''One Life to Live''. On April 9, 2013, it was reported that Horgan citing "personal reasons" had stepped down as co-HW, leaving Racina as ''OLTL''s sole HW. On January 22, 2013, Prospect Park released a full cast of the reboot of ''One Life to Live'' who signed on, which include Melissa Archer (Natalie Buchanan), Kassie DePaiva (Blair Cramer), Josh Kelly (Cutter Wentworth), Florencia Lozano (Tea Delgado), Kelley Missal (Danielle Manning), Erika Slezak (Victoria Lord), Hillary B. Smith (Nora Buchanan), Robin Strasser (Dorian Lord), Andrew Trischitta (Jack Manning), Jerry verDorn (Clint Buchanan),
Tuc Watkins Charles Curtis "Tuc" Watkins III (born September 2, 1966) is an American actor, known for his roles as David Vickers on ''One Life to Live'', Mr. Burns in ''The Mummy (1999 film), The Mummy'', Bob Hunter (Desperate Housewives), Bob Hunter on ''Des ...
(David Vickers) and
Robert S. Woods Robert Sosebee Woods (born March 13, 1948) is an American actor best known for playing Bo Buchanan on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC soap ''One Life to Live'', a role for which he won the 1983 Daytime Emmy Award for Daytime Emmy Award fo ...
(Bo Buchanan). Recurring actors who have signed on are Sean Ringgold (Shaun Evans), Shenaz Treasury (Rama Patel), and Nick Choksi (Vimal Patel). Production of ''One Life to Live'' began on February 25, 2013 with taping of new episodes beginning on March 18, 2013. The series premiered on April 29, 2013, at 12PM Eastern The revived ''One Life to Live'' is a 30-minute program taped in
Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...
. It is available on
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
and Hulu Plus as well as various
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
applications including
iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...
,
iPad The iPad is a brand of tablet computers developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple that run the company's mobile operating systems iOS and later iPadOS. The IPad (1st generation), first-generation iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010. ...
and
iPod Touch The iPod Touch (stylized as iPod touch) is a discontinued line of iOS-based mobile devices designed and formerly marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-controlled user interface. As with other iPod models, the iPod Touch can be used as a po ...
. On May 17, 2013, The Online Network announced that ''All My Children'' and ''One Life To Live'' woould no longer air five days a week together, due to viewer ratings that have been seen as certain patterns that resemble more closely the typical patterns of online viewing rather than how one would watch traditional television. Starting May 20, 2013 ''All My Children'' and ''One Life to Life'' would be presented in a new schedule, with ''All My Children'' airing on Mondays and Wednesdays and ''One Life to Live'' airing Tuesdays and Thursdays. The recap shows ''MORE All My Children'' and ''MORE One Life To Life'' would also combine together as one show airing on Fridays. The following day on May 18, 2013, both shows were noticeably missing from the FX Canada website and schedule, and subsequently were available on iTunes Canada; it was later revealed that FX Canada dropped ''All My Children'' and ''One Life to Live'' due to the reduction of episodes, the carriage agreement called for four episodes a week of both shows. With the reduction, FX Canada has said "the agreement is no longer valid." On May 20, 2013, the first episodes of the new ''All My Children'' and ''One Life To Live'' were available worldwide on The Online Network's
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
page, ''TOLNSoaps''. On May 24, 2013, in a press release Prospect Park announced through Agnes Nixon that Racina would be replaced as head writer of ''One Life to Live'' by the then-current
screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
s Jessica Klein and Marin Gazzaniga. On June 5, 2013, due to a labor dispute with the I.A.T.S.E. ''All My Children'' and ''One Life to Live'' were forced into an early hiatus with the writers, directors and editors still working; there were talks of production being moved out of state, but those plans were later shelved. On June 20, 2013, a deal was reached between Prospect Park and the Union and taping resumed on August 12, 2013. On June 25, 2013, TOLN announced that there would be a scheduling switch for ''One Life to Live'' and ''All My Children''. Starting on July 1 (Monday) all episodes of the week, for both shows, would be released on Mondays. Beginning July 15, 2013, ''All My Children'' and ''One Life to Live'' aired for a ten-week limited engagement on the
Oprah Winfrey Network The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN, also known as the OWN Network) is an American multinational basic cable television network which launched on January 1, 2011, effectively replacing the Discovery Health Channel, which one month later merged with ...
Monday through Thursday at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. ''One Life to Live'' first-season finale aired on August 19, 2013. On September 3, 2013, a report from the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' stated that ''One Life to Live''s second season was to be put on hold while Prospect Park dealt with its lawsuit against ABC over ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
''s treatment of ''One Life to Live'' characters loaned to the series when they crossed over in 2012. In December 2016 the lawsuit was dismissed, with the rights to the series reverting to ABC.


Transition to ''General Hospital''

On December 1, 2011, two weeks after ''One Life to Live'' finished taping its final scenes, ABC confirmed that former executive producer Frank Valentini and head writer Ron Carlivati would assume the same roles on ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
'' effective January 9, 2012. Several former ''One Life to Live'' actors - Kassie DePaiva, Roger Howarth, Michael Easton, and
Kristen Alderson Kristen DeAnn Alderson (born May 29, 1991) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for playing the role of Starr Manning on the ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live'' (1998 to 2012) and the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'' (2012 t ...
- moved with Valentini and Carlivati and reprised their characters on ''General Hospital''. With the exception of DePaiva, all of these actors were eventually put on contract and stayed permanently with the show. On May 9, 2012, Florencia Lozano joined the cast, reprising her ''One Life to Live'' role of Téa Delgado in a recurring capacity. On April 18, 2013, after Prospect Park had announced they would be reviving the series, Prospect Park filed a lawsuit against ABC, alleging ABC failed to honor its part of their licensing agreement. Among the issues named in the lawsuits included ABC's alleged attempts to sabotage Prospect Park's revival of the soap by killing off ''One Life to Live'' characters loaned to ''General Hospital'' (Cole and Hope Thornhart), failure on ABC's part to consult Prospect Park on storylines involving ''One Life to Live'' characters (breaking up popular ''One Life to Live'' couple John and Natalie to pair Michael Easton's John McBain with former ''Port Charles'' love interest, Kelly Monaco's Sam Morgan, the death of Tea Delgado's baby and the subsequent switching of her baby with Sam Morgan's live baby, orchestrated by Howarth's Todd Manning), as well as claiming one ''One Life to Live'' character Tomas Delgado was actually ''General Hospital'' character, Lorenzo Alcazar. Effective immediately, the three ''One Life to Live'' characters bound to contracts with ABC were to exit the show, and the three actors who played them, Kristen Alderson, Michael Easton and Roger Howarth were rewritten back onto the ''General Hospital'' canvas playing new characters, while Howarth also crossed his character of Todd back over to ''One Life to Live'' for its inaugural season. On September 3, 2013, Prospect Park announced that production of ''One Life to Live'' would be on hold until their litigation with ABC was settled.


Crossovers

Throughout the show's history, the plot lines of ''One Life to Live'' have been established as existing in the same
fictional universe A fictional universe, also known as an imagined universe or a constructed universe, is the internally consistent fictional setting used in a narrative or a work of art. This concept is most commonly associated with works of fantasy and scie ...
as other ABC-owned daytime series, in particular
Agnes Nixon Agnes Nixon ( Eckhardt; December 10, 1922 – September 28, 2016) was an American television writer and producer, and the creator of the ABC soap operas ''One Life to Live'', ''All My Children'', as well as '' Loving'' and its spin-off '' The ...
's ''
All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2 ...
'', which premiered in 1970. As noted from time to time in both series, fictional Pine Valley—the setting of ''All My Children''—is located in Pennsylvania near ''One Life to Live'' Llanview. Over the years, many characters have crossover from one series to another in both short appearances and extended runs.Waggett (2008). "Crossing the Line". ''OLTL 40th Anniversary Trivia Book''. pp. 164–167. As early as 1968, ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
'' Steve Hardy appeared in Llanview to consult on Meredith Lord's blood disease as a means to lead ''General Hospital'' viewers to the new series; similarly, ''One Life to Live'' Dr. Larry Wolek visited ''All My Children'' shortly after its premiere in 1970. In 1979, when Viki Riley was on trial for the murder of Marco Dane, she was defended by Pine Valley attorney Paul Martin. Two characters that also appeared on ''
All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2 ...
'' are Sadie Gray ( Lillian Hayman), when she sang for the wedding of Dr. Frank and Caroline Grant, and Delilah Ralston ( Shelly Burch), when she designed a special dress to be worn by Erica Kane (
Susan Lucci Susan Victoria Lucci (born December 23, 1946) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Erica Kane on the ABC daytime drama ''All My Children'' during that show's entire network run from 1970 to 2011. The character is considere ...
). In 1999,
Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...
-winner
Linda Dano Linda Dano (born Linda Rae Wildermuth; May 12, 1943, Long Beach, California) is an American actress and television host. She began her career appearing in film and prime time television before she was cast as Rae Cummings on the ABC daytime soap ...
returned to ''One Life to Live'' as Rae Cummings, a character she had previously played on the series from 1978 to 1980. In a 2000 move of network
synergy Synergy is an interaction or cooperation giving rise to a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts (i.e., a non-linear addition of force, energy, or effect). The term ''synergy'' comes from the Attic Greek word συνεργία ' f ...
designed to "entice viewers to tune into soap operas that they might not have usually watched," then-President of
ABC Daytime ABC Daytime (sometimes shortened to ABC-D or ABCD) is a division responsible for the daytime television programming block on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC Network and syndicated programming. The block has historically encompassed soap o ...
Angela Shapiro orchestrated Dano's concurrent appearance as Gretel on the three other ABC daytime dramas at the time—''All My Children'', ''General Hospital'', and ''
Port Charles ''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes p ...
''—in an extended crossover storyline which was the first time a daytime character had ever appeared on four series. Gretel's search for the child she had given up for adoption takes her to ''All My Children'', where she discovers in 2000 that her own birth mother is Pine Valley's Myrtle Fargate. Following clues to ''Port Charles'' and ''General Hospital'', Gretel finally finds her daughter back in Llanview on ''One Life to Live'':
Skye Chandler Skye Chandler is a fictional character from the ABC soap operas ''All My Children'', ''One Life to Live'', and ''General Hospital''. Initially portrayed by Antoinette Byron, the role was then portrayed by Robin Christopher for most of the next ...
, herself a former ''All My Children'' character who had relocated to ''One Life to Live'' in 1999. Skye's adopted ''All My Children'' father Adam Chandler appears on ''One Life to Live'' in 2001, and Gretel initially identifies Skye's biological father as Alan Quartermaine of ''General Hospital''. Both women subsequently appear on that series, with Skye moving to ''General Hospital'' full-time in 2001 and Gretel returning to ''One Life to Live'' until 2004, making some appearances on ''General Hospital'' later in 2002 and 2003. A December 30, 2003, visit by ''One Life to Live'' Paul Cramer to his estranged secret wife Babe Carey on ''All My Children'' ultimately leads to an extensive 2004 "baby switch" storyline which features crossovers of over 20 characters between the two series. With his sister Kelly Cramer desperate for a child to save her marriage after miscarrying her own, Paul finds himself delivering the babies of both Babe and her friend
Bianca Montgomery Bianca Montgomery is a fictional character from the American daytime drama ''All My Children''. Until Eden Riegel assumed the role, portraying the character from July 2000 to January 2010, the character was portrayed solely by child actresses: L ...
during a rainstorm and subsequent flood in nearby Pine Valley on March 24, 2004. Paul stages a crash with his
medical evacuation Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to patients requiring evacuation or transport using medically equipped air ambulances, helicopters and ...
helicopter; he takes
AJ Chandler AJ Chandler also known as Adam "AJ" Chandler III is a fictional character from the American serial drama, ''All My Children''. From April 29 to September 2, 2013, the role has been portrayed by Eric Nelsen. Casting The role of AJ Chandler was o ...
for Kelly, gives Miranda Montgomery to Babe, and tells Bianca that her baby had died in the accident. Unaware of the child's origins, Kelly brings Babe's infant back to Llanview, passing him off as her child with her husband Kevin Buchanan. Months later, Babe discovers that her daughter is really the grieving Bianca's, but remains silent and allows Paul to manipulate her. Meanwhile, a devastated Kelly discovers that Paul had stolen her son from his mother and, desperate for cash, he blackmails Kelly by threatening to reveal the secret to Kevin. Bianca's daughter is returned to her for Christmas 2004, and once Kevin learns the truth, he and Kelly return Babe's son as well in 2005. While ''One Life to Live'' was off the air from February 2012 to March 2013, the characters of Todd Manning, Starr Manning and John McBain moved to the setting of ''General Hospital'', Port Charles, New York. After the Prospect Park lawsuit was dismissed, the character of Nora Buchanan made appearances on ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
'' in 2017.


Executive producers and head writers


Executive producers


Head writers


Awards

''One Life to Live'' and many of its actors and crew have been nominated for dozens of awards, winning on many occasions. Erika Slezak has received six
Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...
s for her acting, a feat tied only by Anthony Geary and Justin Deas. In 1993, the series won its first
GLAAD Media Award The GLAAD Media Award is a US accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding portrayals of LGBTQ people and the issues that affect their lives. In addition to film and television, the Awards ...
for its storyline on homosexuality and intolerance featuring newcomer
Ryan Phillippe Matthew Ryan Phillippe ( ; born September 10, 1974) is an American actor. After appearing as Billy Douglas (One Life to Live), Billy Douglas on the soap opera ''One Life to Live'' (1992–1993) and making his feature film debut in ''Crimson Tide ...
as Billy Douglas, a teenager who amidst scandal confides his homosexuality in Andrew Carpenter, played by
Robert Krimmer Robert Krimmer (born November 24, 1953) is an American lawyer and former actor. Formerly known professionally as Wortham Krimmer (his first wife's maiden name as his first name), Krimmer has reverted to his birth name of Robert Krimmer. With appe ...
. The character is the first openly gay teenager featured in a television series, and is considered groundbreaking in daytime television. The
story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of a plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing narrative, storyline in episode, episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strip ...
also included an on-air ceremony for the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. In 2005, the series was awarded another GLAAD Media Award for its coverage of
LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
issues in the 2004
coming out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...
storyline of gay character Mark Solomon ( Matt Cavenaugh). ''One Life to Live'' won the same award again in 2010 for a well-publicized storyline in which police officer Oliver Fish comes out and reunites with his former college boyfriend and medical school student Kyle Lewis.


Daytime Emmy Award wins


Wins in other categories

* 2009 Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama Series * 2009 Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Drama Series * 2009 Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team * 2009 Outstanding Original Song * 2008 Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama Series * 2008 Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction for a Drama Series * 2008 Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team * 2008 Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team * 2008 Outstanding Original Song (two awards for two ''One Life to Live'' songs, which tied) * 2007 Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design for a Drama Series * 2007 Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing for a Drama Series * 2005 Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series (tied with ''
All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2 ...
'') * 2005 Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control for a Drama Series * 2003 Outstanding Achievement in Live & Direct to Tape Sound Mixing for a Drama Series * 2001 Outstanding Achievement in Live & Direct to Tape Sound Mixing for a Drama Series * 2001 Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control for a Drama Series * 2000 Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama Series * 2000 Outstanding Achievement in Live & Direct to Tape Sound Mixing for a Drama Series * 2000 Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series * 2000 Outstanding Original Song * 1994 Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team * 1987 Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team * 1984 Outstanding Achievement in Technical Excellence for a Daytime Drama Series * 1984 Outstanding Direction for a Daytime Drama Series * 1983 Outstanding Direction for a Daytime Drama Series * 1982 Outstanding Achievement in Any Area of Creative Technical Crafts: Lighting Direction (Everett Melosh) * 1976 Outstanding Individual Director for a Daytime Drama Series (David Pressman) * 1974 Outstanding Technical Direction and Electronic Camerawork


Other awards

*
Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility Th ...
(1986, 1993) * Directors Guild of America Award (1993, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012)


Broadcast history

ABC cemented its reputation as a youth-oriented network in daytime with the addition of ''One Life to Live'' to its schedule, with much of the rest of its lineup consisting of soap operas like ''
Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American Gothic fiction, Gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulatio ...
,''
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
reruns, and game shows packaged by
Chuck Barris Charles Hirsch Barris (June 3, 1929 – March 21, 2017) was an American game show creator, producer, and host, author, and songwriter. A key crew member of several hugely successful game shows, he was the creator of ''The Dating Game'' (1965– ...
. ''One Life to Live'' replaced the short-lived ''The Baby Game,'' in a three-way shuffle with ''Dark Shadows'' and ''
The Dating Game ''The Dating Game'' is an American television game show that first aired on December 20, 1965, and was the first of many shows created and packaged by Chuck Barris from the 1960s through the 1980s. ABC dropped the show on July 6, 1973, but it ...
''. The network placed the new serial at 3:30 p.m. Eastern, against
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
's established hit ''
The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American mystery crime drama soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network for most of its ...
'' and the popular
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
game '' You Don't Say!''. Despite the tough competition, the intense tone of the plot and strong characters allowed the show to get a leg up on ''You Don't Say,'' wearing that game down to the point of its cancellation in September 1969; NBC replaced the Tom Kennedy-hosted game in that time slot with three unsuccessful serials: '' Bright Promise'', ''
Return to Peyton Place ''Return to Peyton Place'' is a 1959 novel by Grace Metalious, a sequel to her best-selling 1956 novel '' Peyton Place''. Plot summary After the phenomenal success of her first novel, Metalious hastily penned a sequel centering on the life an ...
'', and '' How to Survive a Marriage''. ''One Life to Live'' initially enjoyed fair-to-middling ratings, but rose rapidly as it entered the 1970s, along with the rest of ABC's daytime lineup. Matters greatly improved for ''One Life to Live'' in 1972, when CBS relocated ''The Edge of Night'' in response to packager
Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/con ...
's demands. The four-year-old show topped the ratings for the first time over CBS's declining ''
The Secret Storm ''The Secret Storm'' is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from February 1, 1954, to February 8, 1974. It was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas '' Search for Tomorrow'' and '' Love of Life''. ...
,'' and later, the game '' Hollywood's Talking,'' which ran for only 13 weeks. By 1975, NBC became a serious player in that time slot for the first time in over five years when it expanded its strong soap opera '' Another World'' to an hour, with its second half occupying the 3:30 timeslot. ''One Life to Live'' lost a substantial audience share, but its lead-in, ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
,'' experienced even worse losses. ABC then expanded both ''One Life to Live'' and ''General Hospital'' to 45 minutes, with each composing half of a 90-minute block between 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Beginning on July 26, 1976, ''One Life to Live'' assumed the first position, at 2:30. ABC bet its hopes on viewers staying tuned past the half hour, making them unlikely to switch channels to ''Another World'' and ''
All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American sitcoms in the United States, sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as ''Archie Bunker's Pla ...
'' reruns on CBS (or ''The Match Game'' in the case of ''General Hospital'' fans). This approach showed some promise, until November 7, 1977, when CBS expanded ''
Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...
'' to an hour. As ''One Life to Live'' struggled, its neighbor ''General Hospital'' was in danger of cancellation after a 15-year run. In order to save ''General Hospital'' (which was airing at 3:15 p.m.) from cancellation, ABC expanded both soaps to an hour beginning on January 16, 1978; '' The $20,000 Pyramid'' was moved to the noon Eastern timeslot, where it remained until its run ended in June 1980. ABC contemplated an expansion of ''
The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American mystery crime drama soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network for most of its ...
'' to a full hour if either of these shows were cancelled. ''General Hospital'' rose rapidly to the top spot in the Nielsen ratings by 1979. As for ''One Life to Live,'' from its tenth birthday onward, its competitors declined in popularity. ''
Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show f ...
,'' for instance, spent its last several months on CBS against the last half of ''One Life to Live''. Its replacement, '' Capitol'', did little better, and after its cancellation, CBS aligned ''
As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...
'' against ''One Life to Live'' and ''Another World'', a configuration that stayed in place until ''Another World''s cancellation in 1999. The 1980s saw ''One Life to Live'' reach the height of its popularity, with an estimate of 9 million viewers early in the decade. The show typically ranked between the second and the fourth positions in the 1980s. Since 1991, ''One Life to Live'' returned to the middle of the pack, but its numbers declined, in common with all other soap operas. By the decade's end, the show rested near the bottom of the ratings pack, and it continued to hover around the lower reaches of the weekly ratings throughout the 2000s in terms of total number of viewers; however, the show tended to rank in the mid-range for the target demographic of women aged 18–49, often higher than sister show ''
All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2 ...
'' and usually still winning its timeslot in the key demographic, well ahead of its competitors such as ''
As The World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...
'', '' Another World'', and '' Passions''. During the 2000s (decade), ''One Life to Live'' ran about even with ''As the World Turns'', with NBC's ''Another World'' replacement '' Passions'' trailing significantly. The 2009-2010 season was a particularly difficult year for ''One Life to Live''. During the week of June 28, 2010, the show ranked last among all soap operas with 2.1 million viewers, compared to 2.3 million for ''As the World Turns''. As ''One Life to Live'' entered the 2010-2011 season, ratings improved, but not enough to prevent ABC from cancelling the program on April 14, 2011. After the cancellation announcement, ''One Life to Live'' began to surpass ''General Hospital'' in total number of viewers, but ''General Hospital'' continued to dominate ''One Life to Live'' in several specific categories, most notably the key demographic of women between 18 and 49 years old, usually prioritized by daytime networks. By November 2011, ''One Life to Live'' had dethroned ''General Hospital'' in every category. Overall, ''One Life to Live'' was the third highest rated program among the five remaining soap operas in its last season, trailing ''
The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...
'' and ''
The Bold and the Beautiful ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (often referred to as ''B&B'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera ''Th ...
'', but ahead of ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
'' and ''
Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that aired on the network NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022; the soap has streamed n ...
''. The show averaged a 2.3 rating and 3.12 million daily viewers during its final week. Its final episode on January 13, 2012 drew in a 2.7 rating and 3.848 million viewers, one of the highest ratings in the history of soap opera finales. The ''One Life to Live'' continuation's ratings proved impressive. The first episode was the second most downloaded TV episode on iTunes and second most watched episode on Hulu, with the first place on both sites going to ''All My Children'' which premiered the same day.


Schedule

The show aired on
ABC Daytime ABC Daytime (sometimes shortened to ABC-D or ABCD) is a division responsible for the daytime television programming block on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC Network and syndicated programming. The block has historically encompassed soap o ...
for the entirety of its original television run. † From April 1, 1974 until July 23, 1976, ''One Life to Live'' aired at 2:30 p.m. in the Pacific Time Zone. The show aired on Hulu, Hulu Plus and iTunes during its revival. * April 29, 2013 – May 9, 2013: one new episode a day, Monday through Thursday. * May 13, 2013 – June 28, 2013: a new episode each Tuesday and Thursday. * July 1, 2013 – August 19, 2013: two new episodes every Monday. Reruns of the show aired on OWN from July 15, 2013 to September 2013. * July 15 – August 2, 2013: 2:00–4:00 p.m. (1:00–3:00 p.m., CT/PT) * August 5 – September 6, 2013: 1:30–2:00 p.m. (12:30–1:00 p.m., CT/PT)


Cable

Soapnet aired classic ''One Life to Live'' episodes at 6:00 a.m. (5:00 a.m. CT/PT), 7:00 a.m. (6:00 a.m. CT/PT), and 8:00 a.m. (7:00 a.m. CT/PT). Starting July 15, 2013, OWN began a ten-week trial run of both ''One Life to Live'' and ''All My Children'' on its daytime lineup. Episodes of ''One Life to Live'' are broadcast at 1:30 p.m., following ''All My Children'' which airs at 1:00 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays.


See also

* List of longest-serving soap opera actors * List of One Life to Live characters * List of One Life to Live cast members


References


External links

*
''One Life to Live'': Soaps.com
*
Soap Opera scripts, 1975-1989
Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library. {{Oprah Winfrey Network programs 1968 American television series debuts 2013 American television series endings 2013 web series debuts 2013 web series endings 1960s American drama television series 1970s American drama television series 1980s American drama television series 1990s American drama television series 2000s American drama television series 2010s American drama television series Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series winners American English-language television shows Serial drama television series American television series revived after cancellation Television series by Disney–ABC Domestic Television Television shows set in Pennsylvania American drama web series Internet soap operas Television series created by Agnes Nixon American Broadcasting Company soap operas Companies based in Stamford, Connecticut Television shows filmed in New York City Works about Polish-American culture