It's been 43 years, but tomorrow, One Life to Live comes to an end.
It truly is the end of an era as another, well-loved soap, goes off the air. The show was created by the grand dame of soaps, Agnes Nixon. It was about the lives and loves of the people of Llanview, and it kept audiences riveted for many more years than your average primetime show.
According to an article in the Houston Chronicle, One Life to Live gave us the first interracial relationship on daytime TV. Though they often dealt with serious, social issues, the soap also took a turn toward fantasy. There were time travel episodes, ghosts and the lost city of Eterna.
Erika Slezak ruled the show as Vicki Lord since the early seventies. Philip Carey pulled them in as Asa Buchanan for more than twenty years. The show also had its share of "before they were famous" stars such as Hayden Panettiere, Ryan Phillippe, Laurence Fishburne, and Nathan Fillion.
One Life to Live's time slot is going to Revolution, a health and fitness show, but nothing could ever replace this history-making soap. Love 'em or hate 'em, soaps were a huge part of American culture for more than fifty years, and it really is sad to see them go.
Do you have fond memories of One Life to Live? Share them in the comment section below.
The "One Life to Live" series finale airs Friday, January 13 (2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
Photo: (ABC/Lou Rocco) ERIKA SLEZAK, JERRY VERDORN
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Comments: 4
Funny thing, neither of us watched the show again after that summer.
With all the famous people who got their start in soaps, it seems like there'd be a market for old episodes, but now even Soapnet is going away, so I guess it's not going to happen.