One Life to Live
Encyclopedia
One Life to Live is an American soap opera
which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC
television network. Created by Agnes Nixon
, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially 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 a full hour on January 16, 1978.
Focused on the members and relationships of the Lord family
since the show's inception, actress Erika Slezak
has portrayed original and central heroine Victoria "Viki" Lord
on One Life to Live since March 1971 and has won a record six Daytime Emmy Award
s for the role. In 2002 the series won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series
. Daily repeat broadcasts of the series appear weeknights on SOAPnet
with a day-behind repeat airing the following weekday morning and a rebroadcast of all the previous week's episodes on Saturday nights. Taped in New York City
, One Life to Live is the last American soap opera based outside the Los Angeles area.
On April 14, 2011, ABC announced that it canceled One Life to Live; citing low ratings, high production costs and change of tastes from viewers. On July 7, 2011, production company Prospect Park
announced that it would continue the show as a web series
after its run on ABC, but later abandoned the project due to numerous complications. The final scenes of One Live to Live were taped on November 18, 2011. One Live to Live will air its final episode on January 13, 2012 and will be succeeded by health show The Revolution
.
'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 WASP
y, noncontroversial nature of daytime drama." One Life to Live would emphasize "the ethnic and socioeconomic
diversity" of the characters in its fictional setting. Nixon would go on to create All My Children
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. OLTLs first sponsors were the Colgate-Palmolive
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.
, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. The show originally concentrated on the wealthy Lord family
, the less wealthy Siegels (the first attempt to showcase a Jewish family on daytime television), the middle-class Rileys and Woleks
, and the African-American Grays. 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."
Since its inception, One Life to Live has centered on the character of Victoria "Viki" Lord
(originated by Gillian Spencer
), who has been portrayed by six-time Emmy
winner Erika Slezak
since March 1971. Long-suffering heroine Viki has weathered love and loss, widowhood, rape, divorce, stroke, and breast cancer, and has been memorably plagued by dissociative identity disorder
(or DID, once known as multiple personality disorder) on and off for decades. Viki has also had heart problems, leading up to having the heart of her dying husband transplanted into her, to save her life.
The apparent murder of Marco Dane by Viki Lord and ensuing Karen Wolek
prostitution storyline in 1979 garnered widespread critical acclaim and several Daytime Emmy Award
s. The 1980s brought great ratings success and rose to prominence Viki's sister, Tina
, and the Buchanan family
. Into the 1990s, the show introduced the first interracial couple in soap operas, attorneys Hank
and Nora Gannon
, and the story of the involvement of Viki's estranged brother, Todd
, with the rape
of Marty Saybrooke
, 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
-nominee Andrea Evans
and others returned for a tribute to Tina Lord
's famous 1987 plunge over the Iguazu Falls
and the 1990 royal wedding in fictional Mendorra
. 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
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 his family
's back-story
unfold. Soap Opera Digest
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 tapes in New York City
, would move from ABC Studio 17 at 56 West 66th Street to Studio 23 at 320 West 66th Street Manhattan
in early 2010. This studio was made available by the move of sister soap opera All My Children to a production facility in Los Angeles
, where that series began taping on January 4, 2010. The new studio is 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
(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 did state that they "...will re-examine it next year." On December 6, 2010, One Life to Live became the fifth daytime soap opera to broadcast in the 16:9
widescreen
picture format but still not in true HD, after Days of our Lives
, The Young and the Restless
, and fellow ABC soaps All My Children and General Hospital
, 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
left One Life to Live as the last remaining American daytime soap opera being produced in the New York City area.
Rumors about a potential cancellation of One Life to Live first appeared in late 2009, after ABC announced that it was moving All My Children
from New York City
to Los Angeles
. One Life to Lives lonely presence in New York along with its struggling ratings and its non-transition to HD was making it a program at risk of cancellation. In May 2010, rumors of possible cancellation of not only One Life To Live, but this time of also All My Children
and General Hospital
, resurfaced when ABC officially announced that it was shutting down SOAPnet
, effective in 2012. In January of 2011, ABC began to secretly auditioning a few talk show
s to maybe be placed in their daytime lineup. At this point, All My Children had the lowest ratings so rumors began heating up about the show's demise. Rumors also were that One Life To Live was safe for a while longer. Early in April, though, rumors began to heat up once again that not only All My Children, but also One Life To Live was in danger of cancellation.
After years of steady declining ratings, ABC first announced on April 14, 2011 that All My Children would end its network run on September 2011. A minute later, it was announced was that One Life To Live would also be ending a few months after in January 2012 citing "extensive research into what today’s daytime viewers want and the changing viewing patterns of the audience." The network states it is replacing the show with a new production entitled The Revolution
which will focus on health and lifestyles. In response to the cancellation of this and All My Children, vacuum cleaner manufacturer Hoover
withdrew its advertising from all ABC programs out of protest, going as far as running a campaign to get ABC to reverse its decision. But while both soaps had their cancellations announced the same day, One Life To Live was to remain on the air 4 months longer because its replacement would not be ready until later.
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 its television run on ABC, with the series moving to a new Hulu
-style online channel currently in development by Prospect Park; as a result of the company's acquisition of the two soaps, One Life to Live and All My Children would become the first soap operas to transition its first-run broadcasts from traditional television to internet television
.
and Robert S. Woods
. Actors who were with the show and became more widely known from their prime-time television or feature film
work include Judith Light
, Roma Downey
, Laurence Fishburne
, Tommy Lee Jones
, Mario Van Peebles
, Ryan Phillippe
, and Jessica Tuck
.
Core characters and families include Asa Buchanan
and members of the Buchanan family
, Viki Lord
and siblings Tina
and Todd
of the Lord family
, and supporting families like Dr. Larry Wolek
and the Wolek family
and Dr. Dorian Cramer
(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
later quoted then-ABC President Angela Shapiro admitting, "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
for its coverage of LGBT
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 is secretly gay. GLAAD itself criticized the storyline "for reinforcing the idea that being gay is something to be ashamed of," while TV Guide
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.
was retained by Prospect Park for the serial as well as All My Children
when both shows move on The Online Network. On September 28, 2011, Prospect Park confirmed that One Life to Live will start on its The Online Network internet channel in January 2012, but without specifying the exact date.
Since the agreement made between ABC and Prospect Park is not limited to internet television
and does allow 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 channel. On October 5, 2011, the project to bring One Life to Live to cable was reiterated in a New York Times article, where it was revealed that Prospect Park plans to first air episodes on The Online Network, then make them available on television on demand
and, then weeks later, on cable television.
On November 23, 2011, Prospect Park officially canceled 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. WGA
and AFTRA, which respectively represent the writer and the actors, have both expressed disappointment over Prospect Park's decision. Though not one of the reasons given by Prospect Park, Deadline.com
suggested that Prospect Park'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
was among the 13 actors that had signed up with Prospect Park. The 12 other actors were Melissa Archer
, Kassie DePaiva
, Michael Easton
, Shenell Edmonds, Josh Kelly, Ted King
, Florencia Lozano
, Kelley Missal
, Sean Ringgold
, Andrew Trischitta, Jerry verDorn and Tuc Watkins
.
as other ABC-owned daytime series, in particular Agnes Nixon
's All My Children
, 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 crossed over
from one series to another in both short appearances and extended runs. As early as 1968, General Hospital
Dr. Steve Hardy
appeared in Llanview to consult on Meredith Lord Wolek'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. In 1999, Daytime Emmy Award
-winner Linda Dano
returned to One Life to Live as Gretel "Rae" Cummings
, a character she had previously played on the series from 1978 to 1980. In a 2000 move of network synergy
designed to "entice viewers to tune into soap operas that they might not have usually watched," then-President of ABC Daytime
Angela Shapiro orchestrated Dano's concurrent appearance as Rae on the three other ABC soap operas at the time — All My Children, General Hospital, and Port Charles
— in an extended crossover
storyline which was the first time a daytime character had ever appeared on four series. Rae'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, Rae finally finds her daughter back in Llanview on One Life to Live: Skye Chandler, 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 Rae 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 Rae 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
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
during a rainstorm and subsequent flood in nearby Pine Valley on March 24, 2004. Paul stages a crash with his MEDEVAC
helicopter; he takes Babe's son for Kelly, gives Bianca's daughter
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.
has received six Daytime Emmy Award
s for her acting, a feat tied only by Anthony Geary
and Justin Deas
.
In 2005 the series was awarded a GLAAD Media Award
for its coverage of LGBT
issues in the 2004 coming out
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
.
Wins in other categories
ABC cemented its reputation as a youth-oriented network in daytime with the addition of OLTL to its schedule, with much of the rest of its lineup consisting of fashionable soaps like Dark Shadows
, sitcom
reruns, and game shows packaged by Chuck Barris
. The network placed the new serial at 3:30 PM EST/2:30 CST, against CBS
' established hit Edge of Night and the popular NBC
game You Don't Say. OLTL replaced the short-lived Baby Game, in a three-way shuffle with Dark Shadows and Dating Game.
Despite the tough competition, the intense tone of the plot and strong characters allowed the show to get a leg up on YDS, 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
(1969–1972), Return to Peyton Place (1972–1974), and How to Survive a Marriage
(1974–1975).
Things greatly improved for OLTL in 1972, when CBS relocated Edge in response to packager Procter and Gamble's demands. The four-year-old show managed to top the ratings for the first time over CBS' declining Secret Storm, and later, the game Hollywood's Talking
, which ran only 13 weeks. However, trouble loomed on the horizon as OLTL anticipated its fifth birthday, with the coming of CBS' revival of Goodson
-Todman's
Match Game
. Some months after its debut in July 1973, that show became the daytime phenomenon of the mid-1970s, becoming the top-rated of all daytime shows by Thanksgiving
. ABC stood by OLTL, however, keeping it put at 3:30/2:30.
By 1975, though, NBC became a serious player in that time slot for the first time in over five years when it expanded its strong soap Another World
to a full hour, its second half occupying the 3:30/2:30 period. This would cause OLTL to lose a substantial audience share, but its lead-in, General Hospital
, experienced even worse losses. ABC decided to take an unusual approach in addressing the competition: it expanded both OLTL and GH to 45 minutes, with each composing a half of a 90-minute block between 2:30/1:30 and 4/3. Beginning on July 26, 1976, OLTL assumed the first position, at 2:30/1:30. ABC bet its hopes on viewers staying tuned past the half hour, making them unlikely to switch channels to AW or All in the Family
reruns on CBS (for GH fans, turning to Match Game).
As OLTL struggled, its neighbor, GH, was in danger of cancellation after a 15-year run. This approach showed some promise, until November 7, 1977, when ABC and CBS expanded both General Hospital
and Guiding Light
to a full hour. So, in a "make it or break it" ultimatum to OLTL, ABC finally gave an hour to one show, on January 16, 1978, with OLTL occupying the 2-3/1-2 slot; The $20,000 Pyramid
, which enjoyed three solid years of success at 2/1, got dispatched to Noon/11 AM for the rest of its ABC run, to make room for OLTL.
This proved to be decisive for the long-term survival of both shows, as GH rose rapidly to the top spot in the Nielsens through its brash, youthful storylines (culminating in the hugely popular "Luke and Laura" storyline by 1979-1980). As for OLTL, from its tenth birthday onward, it took advantage of the decline in quality and popularity of its competitors, all Procter and Gamble productions. Search for Tomorrow
, for instance, spent its last several months on CBS against the last half of OLTL. Its replacement, Capitol
, which ran from 1982 to 1987, did little better, and after its cancellation, CBS aligned As the World Turns
against OLTL and AW, a configuration that stayed in place until AW's cancellation in 1999. During the 2000s, OLTL run about even with ATWT, with NBC's AW replacement Passions
trailing significantly.
One Life to Live enjoyed fair-to-middling ratings throughout most of its first decade, but rose rapidly as it entered its second year, along with the rest of ABC's daytime lineup. The 1980s saw the show reach the height of its popularity, occupying a top-four place for almost all of the decade. Since 1991, it returned to the middle of the pack, but its numbers declined, in common with all other soaps. By decade's end, the show rested near the bottom of the ratings pack, and continues to hover around the lower reaches of the weekly ratings today, at least in terms of total number of viewers; however, the show does tend to rank in the mid-range for the target demographic of women aged 18–49, often higher than sister show All My Children.
From the mid-1990s until early 2011, General Hospital was the highest rated soap opera on ABC. After the cancellation announcement in April 2011, One Life to Live began to surpass General Hospital in total number of viewers. But General Hospital continued to lead One Life to Live in several categories, most notably the demographic of women between 18 and 49 years old, usually prioritized by daytime networks. By September 2011, One Life to Live had dethroned General Hospital in every categories. Overall, OLTL is now the third highest rated program among the five remaining soap operas; traling behind The Young and the Restless
and The Bold and the Beautiful
, but beating General Hospital
and Days of Our Lives
. The shows currently averages 2.5 millions viewers on a daily basis.
from 1992 to 1998. OLTL currently airs on Bell Media's A system at 1PM local time. The series was previously broadcast on Joytv
and the Citytv
stations in Calgary
(CKAL-TV
), Edmonton
(CKEM-TV
), and Winnipeg
(CHMI-TV
); and in Ontario
on Sun TV
. One Life to Live also has been available on Canadian households directly through ABC since its debut in 1968 and continues to be the case.
In Italy One Life to Live, under the title Una vita da vivere, aired in the afternoon from November 1982 to September 1985 on Canale 5
(1978-1981 US episodes). The series returned with new episodes in July 1988, this time on Rete 4
in the afternoon. In September 1989 it was moved to 8.30 am, and stopped airing in June 1991 (1984 UU episodes). Reruns aired from 1987 to 1990 on Italia 7 and briefly in 1994 on Tivù Italia.
130 episodes of One Life to Live from 1980-1981 were broadcast under the title Solo se vive una vez on Spain's TVE1 at 11.30 am starting on August 11, 1986.
In Israel One Life to Live debuted in 1994 on Channel 3 weekdays at 18:00 with the Marty Saybrooke gang rape storyline (US: 1993). It went off the air in 1998. In Summer 1999 the series was relaunched in prime time on the telenovela
channel Viva (21:00), starting where the previous run of episodes had left off (US 1997 episodes). In 2001 One Life to Live was relocated again, this time to Yes Channel 3 satellite. It went off the air in May 2002 (2001 US episodes). In Israel, the show was named "לחיות את החיים" (Likhiot Et Hakhayim) - meaning "Living The Life".
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television network. Created by Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon is an American writer and producer. She attended Northwestern University where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and is best known as the creator of soap operas such as One Life to Live and All My Children...
, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially 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 a full hour on January 16, 1978.
Focused on the members and relationships of the Lord family
Lord family
The Lord family is the core legacy family on the American soap opera One Life to Live, having appeared since the series debut in summer 1968. Initially introduced as the affluent WASP foil to the working class Wolek family, early storylines explored the ways these families interacted and...
since the show's inception, actress Erika Slezak
Erika Slezak
Erika Alma Hermina Slezak is an American actress, best known for her role as Victoria Lord on the American daytime soap opera One Life to Live...
has portrayed original and central heroine Victoria "Viki" Lord
Victoria Lord
Victoria "Viki" Lord is the principal fictional character and matriarch of the Lord family on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live...
on One Life to Live since March 1971 and has won a record six Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
s for the role. In 2002 the series won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series is an award which has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys ceremony since 1974. As there are separate awards for acting, writing and directing, the award is generally given to the soap opera that excelled in all three of those categories...
. Daily repeat broadcasts of the series appear weeknights on SOAPnet
SOAPnet
SOAPnet is an American cable television channel that broadcasts current and past soap operas and primetime dramas, along with some original programming. The channel launched on January 20, 2000, and is owned by Disney-ABC Television Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
with a day-behind repeat airing the following weekday morning and a rebroadcast of all the previous week's episodes on Saturday nights. Taped in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, One Life to Live is the last American soap opera based outside the Los Angeles area.
On April 14, 2011, ABC announced that it canceled One Life to Live; citing low ratings, high production costs and change of tastes from viewers. On July 7, 2011, production company Prospect Park
Prospect Park (production company)
Prospect Park is a Los Angeles entertainment production company, founded in 2008 by Richard H. Frank, a former Disney Studios executive, and Jeff Kwatinetz, former CEO of the talent agency The Firm, Inc...
announced that it would continue the show as a web series
Web series
A web series is a series of episodes released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone, and part of the newly emerging medium called web television. A single instance of a web series program is called an episode .While the popularity of web series is continuing to rise, the concept...
after its run on ABC, but later abandoned the project due to numerous complications. The final scenes of One Live to Live were taped on November 18, 2011. One Live to Live will air its final episode on January 13, 2012 and will be succeeded by health show The Revolution
The Revolution (TV series)
The Revolution is an upcoming ABC health and lifestyle talk show with some reality television components, as J. D. Roth, co-creator of NBC's The Biggest Loser is involved in the program....
.
Creation
Impressed with the ratings success of NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
, ABC sought out Another World writer Nixon to create a serial
Serial (radio and television)
Serials are series of television programs and radio programs that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode by episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the full run of the series, which distinguishes them from...
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 WASP
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant or WASP is an informal term, often derogatory or disparaging, for a closed group of high-status Americans mostly of British Protestant ancestry. The group supposedly wields disproportionate financial and social power. When it appears in writing, it is usually used to...
y, noncontroversial nature of daytime drama." One Life to Live would emphasize "the ethnic and socioeconomic
Socioeconomics
Socioeconomics or socio-economics or social economics is an umbrella term with different usages. 'Social economics' may refer broadly to the "use of economics in the study of society." More narrowly, contemporary practice considers behavioral interactions of individuals and groups through social...
diversity" of the characters in its fictional setting. Nixon would go on to create All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
in 1970 and Loving
Loving (TV series)
Caden Grant Carlton loves Mika Ayako Ryan more.Loving is an American television soap opera which aired on ABC's daytime lineup from June 26, 1983 to November 10, 1995 for 3,169 episodes...
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. OLTLs first sponsors were the Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American diversified multinational corporation focused on the production, distribution and provision of household, health care and personal products, such as soaps, detergents, and oral hygiene products . Under its "Hill's" brand, it is also a manufacturer of...
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 LlanviewLlanview, Pennsylvania
Llanview, Pennsylvania is the fictional setting for the long-running American soap opera One Life to Live. The city exists in the same fictional universe as cities from other existing or defunct ABC daytime dramas, including Pine Valley from All My Children, Port Charles from General Hospital, and...
, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. The show originally concentrated on the wealthy Lord family
Lord family
The Lord family is the core legacy family on the American soap opera One Life to Live, having appeared since the series debut in summer 1968. Initially introduced as the affluent WASP foil to the working class Wolek family, early storylines explored the ways these families interacted and...
, the less wealthy Siegels (the first attempt to showcase a Jewish family on daytime television), the middle-class Rileys and Woleks
Wolek family
The Wolek family were one of the fictional core families on the American soap opera One Life to Live when it debuted in 1968. They were the working class reflection of the affluent Lords, with early storylines exploring the ways these families interacted and contrasted. The family was created...
, and the African-American Grays. 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."
Since its inception, One Life to Live has centered on the character of Victoria "Viki" Lord
Victoria Lord
Victoria "Viki" Lord is the principal fictional character and matriarch of the Lord family on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live...
(originated by Gillian Spencer
Gillian Spencer
Gillian Spencer is an American soap opera actress and writer.She has had roles on soaps such as The Edge of Night, The Secret Storm, Guiding Light, As the World Turns and on One Life to Live as the original Victoria Lord/Niki Smith 1968-1970.Spencer appeared in the 1968 feature comedy What's So...
), who has been portrayed by six-time Emmy
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
winner Erika Slezak
Erika Slezak
Erika Alma Hermina Slezak is an American actress, best known for her role as Victoria Lord on the American daytime soap opera One Life to Live...
since March 1971. Long-suffering heroine Viki has weathered love and loss, widowhood, rape, divorce, stroke, and breast cancer, and has been memorably plagued by dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis and describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities , each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment....
(or DID, once known as multiple personality disorder) on and off for decades. Viki has also had heart problems, leading up to having the heart of her dying husband transplanted into her, to save her life.
The apparent murder of Marco Dane by Viki Lord and ensuing Karen Wolek
Karen Wolek
Karen Wolek is a fictional character on the American soap opera One Life to Live. The character first appeared May 1976, originated by relative newcomer Kathryn Breech, and most notably portrayed by actress Judith Light. Light stepped into the role in 1977, subsequently winning two consecutive...
prostitution storyline in 1979 garnered widespread critical acclaim and several Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
s. The 1980s brought great ratings success and rose to prominence Viki's sister, Tina
Tina Lord
Tina Lord Roberts is a fictional character on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, originated and most notably portrayed by Andrea Evans...
, and the Buchanan family
Buchanan family
The Buchanan family are a fictional family on the American soap opera One Life to Live, first introduced in the fall of 1979.-History:Clint Buchanan arrives in Llanview, Pennsylvania in 1979, soon followed by his brother Bo and later their father Asa in 1980...
. Into the 1990s, the show introduced the first interracial couple in soap operas, attorneys Hank
Hank Gannon
Henry "Hank" Gannon is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. The role was originated the role in February 1992 by Nathan Purdee...
and Nora Gannon
Nora Hanen
Nora Hanen Buchanan is a fictional character on the long-running American soap opera One Life to Live. The role was originated by Hillary B. Smith in September 1992.-Casting:...
, and the story of the involvement of Viki's estranged brother, Todd
Todd Manning
Thomas Todd Manning is a fictional character from the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. Created by writer Michael Malone, the role was originated in 1992 by actor Roger Howarth. In 2003, Howarth departed from the series and the role was recast with actor Trevor St. John as Todd, initially written...
, with the rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
of Marty Saybrooke
Marty Saybrooke
Dr. Margaret "Marty" Saybrooke is a fictional character on the American daytime drama One Life to Live. The role was originated by Susan Haskell, who portrayed Marty from January 24, 1992 through September 16, 1997 and made brief appearances on February 16, 2004 and February 2005...
, 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
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
-nominee Andrea Evans
Andrea Evans
Andrea Lynn Evans is an American Emmy-nominated actress. Evans is most recognized for her portrayal of Tina Lord on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, a role she played from 1978 to 1981 and 1985 to 1990, returning from June 11, 2008 to November 25, 2008., and finally on September 27, 2011 to...
and others returned for a tribute to Tina Lord
Tina Lord
Tina Lord Roberts is a fictional character on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, originated and most notably portrayed by Andrea Evans...
's famous 1987 plunge over the Iguazu Falls
Iguazu Falls
Iguazu Falls, Iguassu Falls, or Iguaçu Falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River located on the border of the Brazilian State of Paraná and the Argentine Province of Misiones. The falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu. The Iguazu River originates near the city of Curitiba. It flows...
and the 1990 royal wedding in fictional Mendorra
Mendorra
Mendorra is a fictional European monarchy on the long-running U.S. soap opera One Life to Live. The principality is supposedly located near Germany.-Locations:...
. And like the 1988 Old West storyline in which the character Clint Buchanan
Clint Buchanan
Clinton "Clint" Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live.-Casting:The role was originated in September 10, 1979 by actor Clint Ritchie, portraying the role nearly continuously through December 30, 1999. Ritchie reappeared in the 2003 and 2004. Actor Jerry...
steps back 100 years in the past, on July 21, 2008, Robert S. Woods
Robert S. Woods
Robert Sosebee Woods is an American actor best known for playing Bo Buchanan on the ABC soap One Life to Live, a role for which he won a 1983 Daytime Emmy Award for Lead Actor.-Early life:...
began an extended storyline in which his character Bo Buchanan
Bo Buchanan
Beaufort Oglethorpe "Bo" Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live.-Casting and awards:The role was originated in 1979 by Robert S. Woods, who briefly left the series in 1986 but returned in 1988, and currently portrays the role...
finds himself transplanted back into his own past—specifically 1968, the year of the series' inception—witnessing his family
Buchanan family
The Buchanan family are a fictional family on the American soap opera One Life to Live, first introduced in the fall of 1979.-History:Clint Buchanan arrives in Llanview, Pennsylvania in 1979, soon followed by his brother Bo and later their father Asa in 1980...
's back-story
Back-story
A back-story, background story, or backstory is the literary device of a narrative chronologically earlier than, and related to, a narrative of primary interest. Generally, it is the history of characters or other elements that underlie the situation existing at the main narrative's start...
unfold. Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...
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 tapes in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, would move from ABC Studio 17 at 56 West 66th Street to Studio 23 at 320 West 66th Street Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
in early 2010. This studio was made available by the move of sister soap opera All My Children to a production facility in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where that series began taping on January 4, 2010. The new studio is 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
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
(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 did state that they "...will re-examine it next year." On December 6, 2010, One Life to Live became the fifth daytime soap opera to broadcast in the 16:9
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
picture format but still not in true HD, after Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
, The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
, and fellow ABC soaps All My Children and General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
, 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
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
left One Life to Live as the last remaining American daytime soap opera being produced in the New York City area.
Rumors about a potential cancellation of One Life to Live first appeared in late 2009, after ABC announced that it was moving All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. One Life to Lives lonely presence in New York along with its struggling ratings and its non-transition to HD was making it a program at risk of cancellation. 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
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
and General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
, resurfaced when ABC officially announced that it was shutting down SOAPnet
SOAPnet
SOAPnet is an American cable television channel that broadcasts current and past soap operas and primetime dramas, along with some original programming. The channel launched on January 20, 2000, and is owned by Disney-ABC Television Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, effective in 2012. In January of 2011, ABC began to secretly auditioning a few talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
s to maybe be placed in their daytime lineup. At this point, All My Children had the lowest ratings so rumors began heating up about the show's demise. Rumors also were that One Life To Live was safe for a while longer. Early in April, though, rumors began to heat up once again that not only All My Children, but also One Life To Live was in danger of cancellation.
After years of steady declining ratings, ABC first announced on April 14, 2011 that All My Children would end its network run on September 2011. A minute later, it was announced was that One Life To Live would also be ending a few months after in January 2012 citing "extensive research into what today’s daytime viewers want and the changing viewing patterns of the audience." The network states it is replacing the show with a new production entitled The Revolution
The Revolution (TV series)
The Revolution is an upcoming ABC health and lifestyle talk show with some reality television components, as J. D. Roth, co-creator of NBC's The Biggest Loser is involved in the program....
which will focus on health and lifestyles. In response to the cancellation of this and All My Children, vacuum cleaner manufacturer Hoover
The Hoover Company
The Hoover Company started out as an American floor care manufacturer based in North Canton, Ohio. It also established a major base in the United Kingdom and for most of the early-and-mid-20th century, it dominated the electric vacuum cleaner industry, to the point where the "hoover" brand name...
withdrew its advertising from all ABC programs out of protest, going as far as running a campaign to get ABC to reverse its decision. But while both soaps had their cancellations announced the same day, One Life To Live was to remain on the air 4 months longer because its replacement would not be ready until later.
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 its television run on ABC, with the series moving to a new Hulu
Hulu
Hulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...
-style online channel currently in development by Prospect Park; as a result of the company's acquisition of the two soaps, One Life to Live and All My Children would become the first soap operas to transition its first-run broadcasts from traditional television to internet television
Internet television
Internet television is the digital distribution of television content via the Internet...
.
Cast and characters
Actors working for more than 30 years on the show include Erika SlezakErika Slezak
Erika Alma Hermina Slezak is an American actress, best known for her role as Victoria Lord on the American daytime soap opera One Life to Live...
and Robert S. Woods
Robert S. Woods
Robert Sosebee Woods is an American actor best known for playing Bo Buchanan on the ABC soap One Life to Live, a role for which he won a 1983 Daytime Emmy Award for Lead Actor.-Early life:...
. Actors who were with the show and became more widely known from their prime-time television or feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
work include Judith Light
Judith Light
Judith Ellen Light is an American actress. Her television roles include Karen Wolek on the soap opera One Life to Live, Angela Bower on the sitcom Who's the Boss?, Claire Meade on ABC's TV series Ugly Betty and Judge Elizabeth "Liz" Donnelly on Law & Order Special Victims Unit.-Early life:Light...
, Roma Downey
Roma Downey
Roma Downey is an actress, singer, and producer, from Derry, Northern Ireland. She is best known as Tess's angel/employee, Monica, the main character of the TV series Touched by an Angel. She is also the wife of television producer, Mark Burnett.-Early life:Downey was born and raised in Derry...
, Laurence Fishburne
Laurence Fishburne
Laurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...
, Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....
, Mario Van Peebles
Mario Van Peebles
Mario "Chip" Cain Van Peebles is an American director and actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films. He is son of filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles.-Life and career:...
, Ryan Phillippe
Ryan Phillippe
Matthew Ryan Phillippe , better known as Ryan Phillippe, is an American actor. After appearing on the soap opera One Life to Live, he came to fame in the late 1990s starring in a string of films, including I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions, and 54...
, and Jessica Tuck
Jessica Tuck
Jessica Ines Tuck is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Megan Gordon Harrison on One Life to Live, Gillian Gray on Judging Amy, and Nan Flanagan on True Blood. She also appeared as Madeline Peterson Woods on Days of our Lives.-Personal life:Tuck was born in New York City and is a...
.
Core characters and families include Asa Buchanan
Asa Buchanan
Asa Buchanan is a fictional character and patriarch of the Buchanan family on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. The Texan industrialist father of newly-arrived characters Clint and Bo Buchanan, Asa was originated in 1980 by Philip Carey. Carey portrays the nearly continuously for nearly three...
and members of the Buchanan family
Buchanan family
The Buchanan family are a fictional family on the American soap opera One Life to Live, first introduced in the fall of 1979.-History:Clint Buchanan arrives in Llanview, Pennsylvania in 1979, soon followed by his brother Bo and later their father Asa in 1980...
, Viki Lord
Victoria Lord
Victoria "Viki" Lord is the principal fictional character and matriarch of the Lord family on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live...
and siblings Tina
Tina Lord
Tina Lord Roberts is a fictional character on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, originated and most notably portrayed by Andrea Evans...
and Todd
Todd Manning
Thomas Todd Manning is a fictional character from the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. Created by writer Michael Malone, the role was originated in 1992 by actor Roger Howarth. In 2003, Howarth departed from the series and the role was recast with actor Trevor St. John as Todd, initially written...
of the Lord family
Lord family
The Lord family is the core legacy family on the American soap opera One Life to Live, having appeared since the series debut in summer 1968. Initially introduced as the affluent WASP foil to the working class Wolek family, early storylines explored the ways these families interacted and...
, and supporting families like Dr. Larry Wolek
Larry Wolek
Dr. Lawrence "Larry" Wolek is a fictional character on the American soap opera, One Life to Live. The role was originated on the debut episode July 15, 1968, and most notably portrayed by actor Michael Storm who played the role nearly continuously from January 4, 1969 through 2004.-Enter Larry:The...
and the Wolek family
Wolek family
The Wolek family were one of the fictional core families on the American soap opera One Life to Live when it debuted in 1968. They were the working class reflection of the affluent Lords, with early storylines exploring the ways these families interacted and contrasted. The family was created...
and Dr. Dorian Cramer
Controversy
In 2002, the popularity of antihero Todd ManningTodd Manning
Thomas Todd Manning is a fictional character from the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. Created by writer Michael Malone, the role was originated in 1992 by actor Roger Howarth. In 2003, Howarth departed from the series and the role was recast with actor Trevor St. John as Todd, initially written...
(Roger Howarth
Roger Howarth
Roger Howarth is an American actor. He portrays Todd Manning on the daytime drama One Life to Live, a character which became an iconic fixture in the genre's medium, and earned Howarth a Daytime Emmy Award...
) 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
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
later quoted then-ABC President Angela Shapiro admitting, "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
GLAAD Media Awards
The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives...
for its coverage of LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
issues, One Life to Live was met with criticism when married district attorney Daniel Colson (Mark Dobies
Mark Dobies
Mark Dobies is an American actor.Dobies formerly portrayed district attorney and murderer Daniel Colson on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live from July 1, 2003 until June 15, 2005. Previously, he briefly played Dr. Noah Chase on CBS soap Guiding Light from 2000 to 2001...
) was revealed to have murdered two people to cover up the fact that he is secretly gay. GLAAD itself criticized the storyline "for reinforcing the idea that being gay is something to be ashamed of," while TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
noted "It's hard to disagree with those who say that's a lousy representation of gay folks." Executive Producer Frank Valentini
Frank Valentini
Frank Valentini is an American television producer, director and composer for the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. From 1985-1994 he worked as stage manager. In 1994 he was promoted to Associate Producer assuming full producer duties in 1996 and in 2003 he became executive producer, replacing Gary...
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
Dena Higley
Dena Higley is an American television soap opera writer who lives in Los Angeles, California. She was head writer of Days of our Lives...
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
Patricia Mauceri
Patricia Mauceri is an American actress.-Career:Mauceri played Angie Perrini Frame on Another World in 1977...
(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: 1968–1979One Life to Live storylines (1968–1979)One Life to Live is an American soap opera that has been broadcast on the ABC network since 1968. The series starts with One Life to Live storylines . The plot continues in One Life to Live storylines...
- Storylines: 1980–1989One Life to Live storylines (1980–1989)One Life to Live is an American soap opera that has been broadcast on the ABC network since 1968. The series starts with One Life to Live storylines . The plot continues in One Life to Live storylines ...
- Storylines: 1990–1999One Life to Live storylines (1990–1999)One Life to Live is an American soap opera that has been broadcast on the ABC network since 1968. The series starts with One Life to Live storylines . The plot continues in 'One Life to Live storylines...
- Storylines: 2000–presentOne Life to Live storylines (2000–Present)One Life to Live is an American soap opera that has been broadcast on the ABC network since 1968. The series starts with One Life to Live storylines . The plot continues in One Life to Live storylines...
Transition with Prospect Park
On September 16, 2011 current OLTL executive producer Frank ValentiniFrank Valentini
Frank Valentini is an American television producer, director and composer for the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. From 1985-1994 he worked as stage manager. In 1994 he was promoted to Associate Producer assuming full producer duties in 1996 and in 2003 he became executive producer, replacing Gary...
was retained by Prospect Park for the serial as well as All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
when both shows move on The Online Network. On September 28, 2011, Prospect Park confirmed that One Life to Live will start on its The Online Network internet channel in January 2012, but without specifying the exact date.
Since the agreement made between ABC and Prospect Park is not limited to internet television
Internet television
Internet television is the digital distribution of television content via the Internet...
and does allow 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 channel. On October 5, 2011, the project to bring One Life to Live to cable was reiterated in a New York Times article, where it was revealed that Prospect Park plans to first air episodes on The Online Network, then make them available on television on demand
Television on Demand
Television On Demand is an emerging new digital cable service offering. This service concept is based on perceived consumer desire to receive live and pre-recorded programming. TOD provides the end-user with programming, without having to wait for its syndicated air schedule times by major...
and, then weeks later, on cable television.
On November 23, 2011, Prospect Park officially canceled 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. WGA
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
and AFTRA, which respectively represent the writer and the actors, have both expressed disappointment over Prospect Park's decision. Though not one of the reasons given by Prospect Park, Deadline.com
Deadline.com
Deadline.com, part of Jay Penske's PMC, is an online magazine, founded and edited by Nikki Finke.-Publication:The site is updated several times a day, with the infotainment industry as its focus.-History:...
suggested that Prospect Park'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
Erika Slezak
Erika Alma Hermina Slezak is an American actress, best known for her role as Victoria Lord on the American daytime soap opera One Life to Live...
was among the 13 actors that had signed up with Prospect Park. The 12 other actors were Melissa Archer
Melissa Archer
Melissa Jean Archer is an American actress.-Career:Archer first appeared as "bad girl" Natalie Balsom on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live on July 16, 2001...
, Kassie DePaiva
Kassie DePaiva
Kassie DePaiva is an American soap opera actress and singer. She was credited prior to 1996 as Kassie Wesley.-Private life:...
, Michael Easton
Michael Easton
Michael Easton is an American television actor, poet, author and photographer.-Career:Easton has made appearances on television shows such as Ally McBeal and The Practice. He had a recurring role on the science fiction television series Mutant X...
, Shenell Edmonds, Josh Kelly, Ted King
Ted King
Theodore William King is an American actor, formally credited as T.W. King.-Personal life:In September 2008 King married his girlfriend Maya Rodwell, with whom he became engaged the year before...
, Florencia Lozano
Florencia Lozano
Florencia Lozano is an American actress. She has starred as character Téa Delgado on the daytime series One Life to Live, often receiving praise for the portrayal, as the character emerged as one of the genre's most prominent....
, Kelley Missal
Kelley Missal
Kelley Rose Missal is an American actress.- Career :Missal currently portrays Danielle Manning on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. She auditioned for the role in 2009 and was immediately cast after her screen test. Missal and the role were met with critical acclaim...
, Sean Ringgold
Sean Ringgold
Sean Ringgold is an American actor and former bodyguard from Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York. He is best known for his roles as Shaun Evans on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, a role he has played since 2006, and as Suge Knight in the Notorious B.I.G. biopic Notorious...
, Andrew Trischitta, Jerry verDorn and Tuc Watkins
Tuc Watkins
Tuc Watkins is an American actor. He is known for his role as David Vickers on One Life to Live and for his role as Bob Hunter on Desperate Housewives .-Personal life:Watkins is of Welsh descent and is the son of Charles Curtis Watkins II, a salesman, and a...
.
Crossovers
Since the show's inception, the plot lines of One Life to Live have been established as existing in the same fictional universeFictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
as other ABC-owned daytime series, in particular Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon is an American writer and producer. She attended Northwestern University where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and is best known as the creator of soap operas such as One Life to Live and All My Children...
's All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
, which premiered in 1970. As noted from time to time in both series, fictional Pine Valley
Pine Valley, Pennsylvania
Pine Valley, Pennsylvania is the fictional setting for the long-running American soap opera All My Children. It is a small suburb of Philadelphia...
—the setting of All My Children—is located in Pennsylvania near One Life to Live Llanview. Over the years, many characters have crossed over
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
from one series to another in both short appearances and extended runs. As early as 1968, General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
Dr. Steve Hardy
Steve Hardy
Dr. Steve Hardy is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital. John Beradino originated the role of Steve Hardy on April 1, 1963 and portrayed him until his death in 1996.- History :...
appeared in Llanview to consult on Meredith Lord Wolek's blood disease as a means to lead General Hospital viewers to the new series; similarly, One Life to Live Dr. Larry Wolek
Larry Wolek
Dr. Lawrence "Larry" Wolek is a fictional character on the American soap opera, One Life to Live. The role was originated on the debut episode July 15, 1968, and most notably portrayed by actor Michael Storm who played the role nearly continuously from January 4, 1969 through 2004.-Enter Larry:The...
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. In 1999, Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
-winner Linda Dano
Linda Dano
Linda Dano is an American soap opera actress. A longtime performer in daytime dramas and a bestselling author and businesswoman, Dano was married for over 20 years to advertising executive Frank Attardi....
returned to One Life to Live as Gretel "Rae" Cummings
Rae Cummings
Dr. Gretel Rae Cummings, PhD is a fictional character on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live.-Casting and awards:Gretel was originated by Linda Dano from 1978 to 1980...
, a character she had previously played on the series from 1978 to 1980. In a 2000 move of network synergy
Synergy
Synergy may be defined as two or more things functioning together to produce a result not independently obtainable.The term synergy comes from the Greek word from , , meaning "working together".-Definitions and usages:...
designed to "entice viewers to tune into soap operas that they might not have usually watched," then-President of ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime is a programming block on the ABC Network which has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows and talk shows.-Schedule:...
Angela Shapiro orchestrated Dano's concurrent appearance as Rae on the three other ABC soap operas at the time — All My Children, General Hospital, and Port Charles
Port Charles
Port Charles was a daytime soap opera which aired on ABC from June 2, 1997 to October 3, 2003. It is a spin-off of the serial General Hospital, which has been running since 1963 and takes place in the fictional city of Port Charles, New York...
— in an extended crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
storyline which was the first time a daytime character had ever appeared on four series. Rae'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, Rae finally finds her daughter back in Llanview on One Life to Live: Skye Chandler, 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
Adam Chandler
Adam Chandler, Sr. is a fictional character from the daytime drama All My Children, portrayed by David Canary from December 1983 through his departure on April 23, 2010. Adam Chandler was one of the most devious and powerful individuals within the town of Pine Valley, Pennsylvania...
appears on One Life to Live in 2001, and Rae 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 Rae 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
Paul Cramer
Paul Cramer is a fictional character from the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live. Paul was originated on October 3, 2003 by Brock Cuchna, who played the role until March 10, 2004. The character was then recast with David Tom on March 11, 2004...
to his estranged secret wife Babe Carey
Babe Carey
Arabella "Babe" Carey Chandler is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children. She was originally portrayed by actress Alexa Havins, from October 13, 2003 to October 8, 2007, and then by actress Amanda Baker from October 8, 2007 to October 31, 2008...
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
Kelly Cramer
Kelly Cramer is a fictional character on the long-running daytime soap opera One Life to Live, most notably portrayed by Gina Tognoni, who first appeared in the role February 17, 1995 and left on August 24, 2011.-Casting:...
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
Bianca Christine Montgomery is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children. In June 2010, Christina Bennett Lind replaced Eden Riegel, who portrayed the role from July 2000 to January 2010. Until Riegel assumed the role, the character was portrayed solely by child...
during a rainstorm and subsequent flood in nearby Pine Valley on March 24, 2004. Paul stages a crash with his MEDEVAC
MEDEVAC
Medical evacuation, often termed Medevac or Medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to the wounded being evacuated from the battlefield or to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of an accident to receiving medical facilities using...
helicopter; he takes Babe's son for Kelly, gives Bianca's daughter
Miranda Montgomery
Miranda Mona Montgomery is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children. She is currently portrayed by Mackenzie Aladjem...
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
Kevin Buchanan
Kevin Lord Riley Buchanan is a fictional character on the soap opera One Life to Live. The character is the first child born to original characters Victoria Lord and Joe Riley.-Casting:...
. 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.
Awards
One Life to Live and many of its actors and crew have been nominated for dozens of awards, winning on many occasions. Erika SlezakErika Slezak
Erika Alma Hermina Slezak is an American actress, best known for her role as Victoria Lord on the American daytime soap opera One Life to Live...
has received six Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
s for her acting, a feat tied only by Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary is an American actor. He has starred on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital as Luke Spencer from 1978 to 1984 and from 1993 to present.-Life and career:...
and Justin Deas
Justin Deas
Justin Deas is an American actor. He is known for his role as Tom Hughes #10 on As the World Turns and for his role as Buzz Cooper Sr. on Guiding Light...
.
In 2005 the series was awarded a GLAAD Media Award
GLAAD Media Awards
The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives...
for its coverage of LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
issues in the 2004 coming out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
storyline of gay character Mark Solomon (Matt Cavenaugh
Matt Cavenaugh
Matt Cavenaugh is an American stage, film, and television actor. He graduated from Ithaca College with a BFA in 2001. Cavenaugh's film debut was in Little Monsters as a child actor, and has more recently played starring roles on Broadway and Off Broadway...
). One Life to Live won the same award again in 2010 for a well-publicized storyline in which police officer Oliver Fish
Oliver Fish
Oliver Fish is a fictional character on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, portrayed by Scott Evans since January 15, 2008. The June 2009 announcement that the character would be romantically linked to another man in an ongoing storyline came to wider attention when Patricia Mauceri, an...
comes out and reunites with his former college boyfriend and medical school student Kyle Lewis
Kyle Lewis
Kyle Lewis is a fictional character on the popular long running daytime soap opera One Life to Live. He is portrayed by Brett Claywell who made his first appearance on February 14, 2009 and remained on the show until April 16, 2010...
.
Daytime Emmy Award wins
| Category | Recipient | Role | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outstanding Drama Series Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series is an award which has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys ceremony since 1974. As there are separate awards for acting, writing and directing, the award is generally given to the soap opera that excelled in all three of those categories... |
2002 | ||
| Lead Actor Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series is an award which has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys ceremony since 1974.In the lists below, the winner of the award for each year is shown first, followed by the other nominees.... |
Al Freeman, Jr. Al Freeman, Jr. Al Freeman, Jr., M.Ed. is an African-American actor and director.... Robert S. Woods Robert S. Woods Robert Sosebee Woods is an American actor best known for playing Bo Buchanan on the ABC soap One Life to Live, a role for which he won a 1983 Daytime Emmy Award for Lead Actor.-Early life:... |
Ed Hall Bo Buchanan Bo Buchanan Beaufort Oglethorpe "Bo" Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live.-Casting and awards:The role was originated in 1979 by Robert S. Woods, who briefly left the series in 1986 but returned in 1988, and currently portrays the role... |
1979 1983 |
| Lead Actress Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series is an award which has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys ceremony since 1974... |
Judith Light Judith Light Judith Ellen Light is an American actress. Her television roles include Karen Wolek on the soap opera One Life to Live, Angela Bower on the sitcom Who's the Boss?, Claire Meade on ABC's TV series Ugly Betty and Judge Elizabeth "Liz" Donnelly on Law & Order Special Victims Unit.-Early life:Light... Robin Strasser Robin Strasser Robin Strasser is an American actress.Strasser is best known for her Daytime Emmy Award-winning portrayal of Dr. Dorian Lord on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live. Strasser stepped into the role in March 1979, first appearing Friday, April 13, 1979 and left in 1987, returning from... Erika Slezak Erika Slezak Erika Alma Hermina Slezak is an American actress, best known for her role as Victoria Lord on the American daytime soap opera One Life to Live... Hillary B. Smith Hillary B. Smith Hillary Bailey Smith is an American actress.Born as Hillary Bailey, Smith attended Dana Hall School, Pine Manor College and Sarah Lawrence College.... Susan Haskell Susan Haskell Susan Haskell is a Canadian actress. She portrays the role of Dr. Margaret "Marty" Saybrooke, bad-girl-turned-good-turned-bad-again, on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live.-Private life:... |
Karen Wolek Karen Wolek Karen Wolek is a fictional character on the American soap opera One Life to Live. The character first appeared May 1976, originated by relative newcomer Kathryn Breech, and most notably portrayed by actress Judith Light. Light stepped into the role in 1977, subsequently winning two consecutive... Dorian Lord Victoria Lord Victoria Lord Victoria "Viki" Lord is the principal fictional character and matriarch of the Lord family on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live... Nora Gannon Nora Hanen Nora Hanen Buchanan is a fictional character on the long-running American soap opera One Life to Live. The role was originated by Hillary B. Smith in September 1992.-Casting:... Marty Saybrooke Marty Saybrooke Dr. Margaret "Marty" Saybrooke is a fictional character on the American daytime drama One Life to Live. The role was originated by Susan Haskell, who portrayed Marty from January 24, 1992 through September 16, 1997 and made brief appearances on February 16, 2004 and February 2005... |
1980, 1981 1982 1984, 1986, 1992, 1995, 1996, 2005 1994 2009 |
| Supporting Actor Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys since the 6th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony in 1979.... |
Thom Christopher Thom Christopher Thom Christopher is an American actor.He is best known for his portrayal of mob boss Carlo Hesser and Mortimer Bern on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live.Christopher has also had roles on soap operas such as Loving and Guiding Light... |
Carlo Hesser Carlo Hesser Carlo Hesser is a fictional character on ABC's daytime drama One Life to Live. He has been played by Thom Christopher from 1990 to 1992, 1996 to 1997, in 2005 and from July 3, 2008 to September 11, 2008. The character was named after Lisa S... |
1992 |
| Supporting Actress Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys since the 6th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony in 1979.... |
Susan Haskell Susan Haskell Susan Haskell is a Canadian actress. She portrays the role of Dr. Margaret "Marty" Saybrooke, bad-girl-turned-good-turned-bad-again, on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live.-Private life:... |
Marty Saybrooke Marty Saybrooke Dr. Margaret "Marty" Saybrooke is a fictional character on the American daytime drama One Life to Live. The role was originated by Susan Haskell, who portrayed Marty from January 24, 1992 through September 16, 1997 and made brief appearances on February 16, 2004 and February 2005... |
1994 |
| Younger Actor Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys since the 12th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony in 1985. The award category was originally called the Outstanding Young Man in a Drama Series... |
Roger Howarth Roger Howarth Roger Howarth is an American actor. He portrays Todd Manning on the daytime drama One Life to Live, a character which became an iconic fixture in the genre's medium, and earned Howarth a Daytime Emmy Award... |
Todd Manning Todd Manning Thomas Todd Manning is a fictional character from the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. Created by writer Michael Malone, the role was originated in 1992 by actor Roger Howarth. In 2003, Howarth departed from the series and the role was recast with actor Trevor St. John as Todd, initially written... |
1994 |
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 ChildrenAll My ChildrenAll My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
) - 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
Scheduling/ratings history
For historical ratings information, see List of US daytime soap opera ratingsABC cemented its reputation as a youth-oriented network in daytime with the addition of OLTL to its schedule, with much of the rest of its lineup consisting of fashionable soaps like Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows is a gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements...
, sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
reruns, and game shows packaged by Chuck Barris
Chuck Barris
Charles Hirsch "Chuck" Barris is an American game show producer, film director and presenter best known for hosting The Gong Show and creating The Dating Game. Barris, a survivor of lung cancer, is also an author and claims to have worked for the CIA.-Early career:Barris was born in Oakland, New...
. The network placed the new serial at 3:30 PM EST/2:30 CST, against CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
' established hit Edge of Night and the popular NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
game You Don't Say. OLTL replaced the short-lived Baby Game, in a three-way shuffle with Dark Shadows and Dating Game.
Despite the tough competition, the intense tone of the plot and strong characters allowed the show to get a leg up on YDS, 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
Bright Promise
Bright Promise is an American daytime soap opera that ran on NBC from September 29, 1969 to March 31, 1972. It aired weekdays at 3:30 PM Eastern/2:30 PM Central.-Synopsis:...
(1969–1972), Return to Peyton Place (1972–1974), and How to Survive a Marriage
How to Survive a Marriage
How to Survive a Marriage is a soap opera which aired on the NBC television network from January 7, 1974 to April 17, 1975. The serial was created by Anne Howard Bailey, with much input from then-NBC Vice President Lin Bolen...
(1974–1975).
Things greatly improved for OLTL in 1972, when CBS relocated Edge in response to packager Procter and Gamble's demands. The four-year-old show managed to top the ratings for the first time over CBS' declining Secret Storm, and later, the game Hollywood's Talking
Hollywood's Talking
Hollywood's Talking is a short lived American game show based the 60s quizzer, Everybody's Talking, and produced by Jack Barry. It ran on CBS for three months in 1973, debuting on March 26 and ending on June 22 to make room for a new version of Match Game.It was hosted by Geoff Edwards, with...
, which ran only 13 weeks. However, trouble loomed on the horizon as OLTL anticipated its fifth birthday, with the coming of CBS' revival of Goodson
Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson was an American television producer who specialized in game shows.-Life and early career:...
-Todman's
Bill Todman
William S. "Bill" Todman was an American television producer born in New York City. He produced many of television's longest running shows with business partner Mark Goodson.-Early life:...
Match Game
Match Game
Match Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
. Some months after its debut in July 1973, that show became the daytime phenomenon of the mid-1970s, becoming the top-rated of all daytime shows by Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
. ABC stood by OLTL, however, keeping it put at 3:30/2:30.
By 1975, though, NBC became a serious player in that time slot for the first time in over five years when it expanded its strong soap Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
to a full hour, its second half occupying the 3:30/2:30 period. This would cause OLTL to lose a substantial audience share, but its lead-in, General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
, experienced even worse losses. ABC decided to take an unusual approach in addressing the competition: it expanded both OLTL and GH to 45 minutes, with each composing a half of a 90-minute block between 2:30/1:30 and 4/3. Beginning on July 26, 1976, OLTL assumed the first position, at 2:30/1:30. ABC bet its hopes on viewers staying tuned past the half hour, making them unlikely to switch channels to AW or All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
reruns on CBS (for GH fans, turning to Match Game).
As OLTL struggled, its neighbor, GH, was in danger of cancellation after a 15-year run. This approach showed some promise, until November 7, 1977, when ABC and CBS expanded both General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
and Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
to a full hour. So, in a "make it or break it" ultimatum to OLTL, ABC finally gave an hour to one show, on January 16, 1978, with OLTL occupying the 2-3/1-2 slot; The $20,000 Pyramid
Pyramid (game show)
Pyramid is an American television game show which has aired several versions. The original series, The $10,000 Pyramid, debuted March 26, 1973 and spawned seven subsequent Pyramid series...
, which enjoyed three solid years of success at 2/1, got dispatched to Noon/11 AM for the rest of its ABC run, to make room for OLTL.
This proved to be decisive for the long-term survival of both shows, as GH rose rapidly to the top spot in the Nielsens through its brash, youthful storylines (culminating in the hugely popular "Luke and Laura" storyline by 1979-1980). As for OLTL, from its tenth birthday onward, it took advantage of the decline in quality and popularity of its competitors, all Procter and Gamble productions. Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow is an American soap opera which premiered on September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS to NBC on March 29, 1982. It continued on NBC until the final episode aired on December 26, 1986, a run of thirty-five years. At the time of its final broadcast it was the...
, for instance, spent its last several months on CBS against the last half of OLTL. Its replacement, Capitol
Capitol (TV series)
Capitol is an American soap opera which aired on CBS from March 29, 1982 to March 20, 1987 for 1,270 episodes. As its name suggests, the storyline usually revolved around the political intrigues of people whose lives intertwined in Washington D.C....
, which ran from 1982 to 1987, did little better, and after its cancellation, CBS aligned As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
against OLTL and AW, a configuration that stayed in place until AW's cancellation in 1999. During the 2000s, OLTL run about even with ATWT, with NBC's AW replacement Passions
Passions
Passions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
trailing significantly.
One Life to Live enjoyed fair-to-middling ratings throughout most of its first decade, but rose rapidly as it entered its second year, along with the rest of ABC's daytime lineup. The 1980s saw the show reach the height of its popularity, occupying a top-four place for almost all of the decade. Since 1991, it returned to the middle of the pack, but its numbers declined, in common with all other soaps. By decade's end, the show rested near the bottom of the ratings pack, and continues to hover around the lower reaches of the weekly ratings today, at least in terms of total number of viewers; however, the show does tend to rank in the mid-range for the target demographic of women aged 18–49, often higher than sister show All My Children.
From the mid-1990s until early 2011, General Hospital was the highest rated soap opera on ABC. After the cancellation announcement in April 2011, One Life to Live began to surpass General Hospital in total number of viewers. But General Hospital continued to lead One Life to Live in several categories, most notably the demographic of women between 18 and 49 years old, usually prioritized by daytime networks. By September 2011, One Life to Live had dethroned General Hospital in every categories. Overall, OLTL is now the third highest rated program among the five remaining soap operas; traling behind The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
and The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
, but beating General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
and Days of Our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
. The shows currently averages 2.5 millions viewers on a daily basis.
Executive producers
| Duration | Name |
|---|---|
| January 2003 to present | Frank Valentini Frank Valentini Frank Valentini is an American television producer, director and composer for the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. From 1985-1994 he worked as stage manager. In 1994 he was promoted to Associate Producer assuming full producer duties in 1996 and in 2003 he became executive producer, replacing Gary... |
| January 2001 to December 2002 | Gary Tomlin Gary Tomlin -Career:Tomlin's career on daytime serials began in 1973 when he was cast on NBC's Search for Tomorrow as Bruce Carson. He also made a guest appearance on "The Nightwalker" episode of the Waltons . He later appeared as Morgan Simpson on the NBC soap opera Another World in 1979... |
| December 1997 to January 2001 | Jill Farren Phelps Jill Farren Phelps Jill Farren Phelps is an American television producer.-Career:Phelps has been the executive producer of many American television soap operas: Santa Barbara , Guiding Light , Another World , One Life to Live , and currently General Hospital .Phelps got her start... |
| October 1996 to December 1997 | Maxine Levinson |
| July 1994 to October 1996 | Susan Bedsow Horgan |
| July 1991 to June 1994 | Linda Gottlieb Linda Gottlieb -Credits:, "SoapLine" -Credits:, "SoapLine" -Credits:, "SoapLine" (a joint production of ABC News and ABC Daytime to bring viewers storyline updates, special features and interviews during breaks in live, pre-emptive coverage of the O. J... |
| August 1984 to June 1991 | Paul Rauch Paul Rauch - Another World :Rauch is best known for his work on Another World, which he produced from 1971 to 1984. For much of that time, he worked in conjunction with Head Writer Harding Lemay, and the team garnered the show critical acclaim and strong ratings.... |
| August 1983 to July 1984 | Jean Arley Jean Arley -Positions held:Search for Tomorrow*Producer Where the Heart Is* Associate ProducerOne Life to Live* Executive Producer *Head Writer -External links:*... |
| July 1977 to August 1983 | Joseph Stuart |
| July 1968 to July 1977 | Doris Quinlan |
Head writers
| Duration | Name(s) |
|---|---|
| May 2, 2008 to present | Ron Carlivati Ron Carlivati Ron Carlivati is an American soap opera writer born on November 25, 1968 .-Career:It was announced in the February 27 edition of Soap Opera Digest that Carlivati was promoted to Co-Head Writer of the ABC Daytime serial One Life to Live alongside Dena Higley. On June 4, 2007, Frank Valentini... |
| February 15, 2008 to May 1, 2008 | Gary Tomlin Gary Tomlin -Career:Tomlin's career on daytime serials began in 1973 when he was cast on NBC's Search for Tomorrow as Bruce Carson. He also made a guest appearance on "The Nightwalker" episode of the Waltons . He later appeared as Morgan Simpson on the NBC soap opera Another World in 1979... (During WGA strike 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West .... ) |
| September 11, 2007 to February 14, 2008 | Ron Carlivati Ron Carlivati Ron Carlivati is an American soap opera writer born on November 25, 1968 .-Career:It was announced in the February 27 edition of Soap Opera Digest that Carlivati was promoted to Co-Head Writer of the ABC Daytime serial One Life to Live alongside Dena Higley. On June 4, 2007, Frank Valentini... |
| May 8, 2007 to September 10, 2007 | Dena Higley Dena Higley Dena Higley is an American television soap opera writer who lives in Los Angeles, California. She was head writer of Days of our Lives... Ron Carlivati Ron Carlivati Ron Carlivati is an American soap opera writer born on November 25, 1968 .-Career:It was announced in the February 27 edition of Soap Opera Digest that Carlivati was promoted to Co-Head Writer of the ABC Daytime serial One Life to Live alongside Dena Higley. On June 4, 2007, Frank Valentini... |
| December 13, 2004 to May 7, 2007 | Dena Higley Dena Higley Dena Higley is an American television soap opera writer who lives in Los Angeles, California. She was head writer of Days of our Lives... |
| November 29, 2004 to December 10, 2004 | Brian Frons Brian Frons Brian Frons is an American television executive, and president of ABC Daytime.- Educational background :Frons holds a Master of Science degree in Communications from Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the State University of New York at Fredonia.-Television... Frank Valentini Frank Valentini Frank Valentini is an American television producer, director and composer for the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. From 1985-1994 he worked as stage manager. In 1994 he was promoted to Associate Producer assuming full producer duties in 1996 and in 2003 he became executive producer, replacing Gary... |
| March 23, 2004 to November 24, 2004 | Michael Malone Michael Malone Michael Malone is an Emmy Award-winning American author and television writer, born in Durham, North Carolina. He is best known for his work on the ABC Daytime drama One Life to Live, as well as for his best-selling works of fiction Handling Sin , Foolscap , and murder mystery First Lady... |
| March 10, 2003 to March 22, 2004 | Josh Griffith Josh Griffith -Career:During the WGA strike, he took over as Head Writer of CBS Daytimes The Young and the Restless. To do this, he accepted Financial core status with the WGA. Maria Arena Bell, a former writer at The Bold and the Beautiful and daughter-in-law of Y&R creator William J... Michael Malone Michael Malone Michael Malone is an Emmy Award-winning American author and television writer, born in Durham, North Carolina. He is best known for his work on the ABC Daytime drama One Life to Live, as well as for his best-selling works of fiction Handling Sin , Foolscap , and murder mystery First Lady... |
| February 3, 2003 to March 7, 2003 | Josh Griffith Josh Griffith -Career:During the WGA strike, he took over as Head Writer of CBS Daytimes The Young and the Restless. To do this, he accepted Financial core status with the WGA. Maria Arena Bell, a former writer at The Bold and the Beautiful and daughter-in-law of Y&R creator William J... |
| January 2001 to January 31, 2003 | Lorraine Broderick Lorraine Broderick Lorraine Broderick is an American television soap opera writer who got her start on All My Children as a protégée of the show's creator, Agnes Nixon.-Bio:... Christopher Whitesell Christopher Whitesell Christopher Whitesell is an American television soap opera writer. He has served as either co-head writer, associate head writer, or a breakdown writer on the shows he's worked on.-Positions held:Another World... |
| September 1999 to January 2001 | Megan McTavish Megan McTavish Megan McTavish is an American television actress and soap opera writer. McTavish is best known for several head writing stints on All My Children.-Early career:... |
| January 1999 to September 1999 | No Headwriter credited |
| March 30, 1998 to December 31, 1998 | Pamela K. Long |
| June 1997 to March 29, 1998 | Claire Labine Claire Labine -Early career:Although she originally aspired to be an actress, Labine eventually became a critically acclaimed writer. She attended the University of Kentucky where her major was journalism, but later she switched to playwriting major at Columbia University’s School of Dramatic Arts... Matthew Labine Matthew Labine Matthew Labine is an American soap opera writer, the son of Claire Labine and the brother of Eleanor Labine Mancusi.In spring 1996, Claire Labine was offered the Head Writer role at CBS Daytime's As the World Turns but turned it down because she and Matthew Labine were trying to get Heart And Soul... |
| December 1996-June 1997 | Jean Passanante Jean Passanante Jean Passanante is an American television screenwriter best known for her work in daytime soap operas.Passanante got her start as an actress doing bit parts in the 1980s, including John Sayles's Return of the Secaucus 7. In 1985 she married writer Jack Shannon... Peggy Sloane Peggy Sloane Peggy Sloane was an American television soap opera script writer. She wrote on daytime for over 23 years, and her final year of active daytime work was back in 1999... |
| April 1996 to December 1996 | Leah Laiman Leah Laiman Leah Laiman is an American soap opera writer and romance novelist.- Background :This Emmy Award winning writer got her start on daytime television during the early 1980s when General Hospital's Head Writer, Pat Falken Smith, quit the show with the entire writing team... Jean Passanante Jean Passanante Jean Passanante is an American television screenwriter best known for her work in daytime soap operas.Passanante got her start as an actress doing bit parts in the 1980s, including John Sayles's Return of the Secaucus 7. In 1985 she married writer Jack Shannon... Peggy Sloane Peggy Sloane Peggy Sloane was an American television soap opera script writer. She wrote on daytime for over 23 years, and her final year of active daytime work was back in 1999... |
| March 1995 to March 1996 | Michael Malone Michael Malone Michael Malone is an Emmy Award-winning American author and television writer, born in Durham, North Carolina. He is best known for his work on the ABC Daytime drama One Life to Live, as well as for his best-selling works of fiction Handling Sin , Foolscap , and murder mystery First Lady... |
| January 1992 to February 1995 | Josh Griffith Josh Griffith -Career:During the WGA strike, he took over as Head Writer of CBS Daytimes The Young and the Restless. To do this, he accepted Financial core status with the WGA. Maria Arena Bell, a former writer at The Bold and the Beautiful and daughter-in-law of Y&R creator William J... Michael Malone Michael Malone Michael Malone is an Emmy Award-winning American author and television writer, born in Durham, North Carolina. He is best known for his work on the ABC Daytime drama One Life to Live, as well as for his best-selling works of fiction Handling Sin , Foolscap , and murder mystery First Lady... |
| August 1991 to January 1992 | Michael Malone Michael Malone Michael Malone is an Emmy Award-winning American author and television writer, born in Durham, North Carolina. He is best known for his work on the ABC Daytime drama One Life to Live, as well as for his best-selling works of fiction Handling Sin , Foolscap , and murder mystery First Lady... |
| May 1991 to August 1991 | Craig Carlson Craig Carlson -Positions held:All My Children*Breakdown Writer Another World*Co-Head Writer *Breakdown Writer Capitol... |
| September 1990 to May 1991 | Craig Carlson Craig Carlson -Positions held:All My Children*Breakdown Writer Another World*Co-Head Writer *Breakdown Writer Capitol... Leah Laiman Leah Laiman Leah Laiman is an American soap opera writer and romance novelist.- Background :This Emmy Award winning writer got her start on daytime television during the early 1980s when General Hospital's Head Writer, Pat Falken Smith, quit the show with the entire writing team... |
| July 1987 to July 1990 | S. Michael Schnessel |
| July 1984 to June 1987 | Peggy O'Shea |
| December 1983 to June 1984 | Sam Hall Sam Hall (writer) Gordon Russell and Sam Hall were a pair of writers known for their work in daytime soap operas.-Dark Shadows:They are best known for their works on Dark Shadows and One Life to Live... Peggy O'Shea |
| June 1983 to December 1983 | John William Corrington John William Corrington John William Corrington was an American movie and television writer, novelist, poet and lawyer. He received a B.A. degree from Centenary College, in 1956 and his M.A. from Rice University in 1960, the year he took on his first teaching position in the English Department at Louisiana State University... Joyce Corrington Joyce Hooper Corrington Joyce Hooper Corrington is an American television writer. She was married to fellow soap opera writer John William Corrington who died in 1988. She is best known for creating the short-lived soap opera Texas along with her husband John and fellow soap opera colleague Paul Rauch... |
| February 1983 to June 1983 | Henry Slesar Henry Slesar Henry Slesar was an American author, playwright, and copywriter. He was also known as O.H. Leslie and Jay Street.-Early life:... |
| July 1982 to January 1983 | Sam Hall Sam Hall (writer) Gordon Russell and Sam Hall were a pair of writers known for their work in daytime soap operas.-Dark Shadows:They are best known for their works on Dark Shadows and One Life to Live... Henry Slesar Henry Slesar Henry Slesar was an American author, playwright, and copywriter. He was also known as O.H. Leslie and Jay Street.-Early life:... |
| March 1980 to May 1982 | Sam Hall Sam Hall (writer) Gordon Russell and Sam Hall were a pair of writers known for their work in daytime soap operas.-Dark Shadows:They are best known for their works on Dark Shadows and One Life to Live... Peggy O'Shea |
| November 1978 to March 1980 | Gordon Russell Gordon Russell Gordon Russell and Sam Hall were a pair of writers well known for their work in daytime soap operas.-Dark Shadows:They are best known for their works on Dark Shadows and One Life to Live... Sam Hall Sam Hall (writer) Gordon Russell and Sam Hall were a pair of writers known for their work in daytime soap operas.-Dark Shadows:They are best known for their works on Dark Shadows and One Life to Live... |
| September 1973 to October 1978 | Gordon Russell Gordon Russell Gordon Russell and Sam Hall were a pair of writers well known for their work in daytime soap operas.-Dark Shadows:They are best known for their works on Dark Shadows and One Life to Live... |
| August 1972 to September 1973 | Agnes Nixon Agnes Nixon Agnes Nixon is an American writer and producer. She attended Northwestern University where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and is best known as the creator of soap operas such as One Life to Live and All My Children... Gordon Russell Gordon Russell Gordon Russell and Sam Hall were a pair of writers well known for their work in daytime soap operas.-Dark Shadows:They are best known for their works on Dark Shadows and One Life to Live... |
| July 1968 to July 1972 | Agnes Nixon Agnes Nixon Agnes Nixon is an American writer and producer. She attended Northwestern University where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and is best known as the creator of soap operas such as One Life to Live and All My Children... Paul Roberts Paul Roberts Paul Roberts is an English singer who was the lead singer of The Stranglers between 1990 and 2006.-The Stranglers:... Don Wallace Don Wallace Donald Allen Wallace is a former Major League Baseball player. Wallace played 23 games with the California Angels in the 1967 season. He had six at-bats, without a hit. He attended Oklahoma State University.... |
International broadcasting
One Life to Live currently does not air on any of the three major Canadian broadcasting networks, but did aired in CBC TelevisionCBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
from 1992 to 1998. OLTL currently airs on Bell Media's A system at 1PM local time. The series was previously broadcast on Joytv
Joytv
Joytv is a privately held Canadian television system owned by ZoomerMedia. Joytv airs a mix of multi-faith and family-oriented programming in the form of dramas, comedies, news magazines, talk shows and more.-History:...
and the Citytv
Citytv
Citytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...
stations in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
(CKAL-TV
CKAL-TV
CKAL-DT is a television station based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Citytv system as of August 2, 2005, and was previously branded as A-Channel. The station is owned by Rogers Media through its Rogers Broadcasting, Ltd. division...
), Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
(CKEM-TV
CKEM-TV
CKEM-DT is a television station based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Owned and operated by Rogers Media, it is part of the Citytv system and was formerly the flagship station of Craig Media's A-Channel system between 1997-2005...
), and Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
(CHMI-TV
CHMI-TV
CHMI-DT is a television station licensed to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada, with most of its operations in Winnipeg. It is part of the Citytv system, and the only Rogers TV station not part of any duopoly ever since CIIT-TV was sold to S-VOX in 2008.-History:The station was licensed by the...
); and in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
on Sun TV
CKXT-TV
CKXT-DT was a broadcast television station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and serving much of southern and eastern Ontario, owned by Quebecor Media through its Groupe TVA unit. At the time of the station's closure on November 1, 2011, the station was serving as an over-the-air simulcast of...
. One Life to Live also has been available on Canadian households directly through ABC since its debut in 1968 and continues to be the case.
In Italy One Life to Live, under the title Una vita da vivere, aired in the afternoon from November 1982 to September 1985 on Canale 5
Canale 5
Canale 5 is an Italian private television network of Mediaset, the media branch of Fininvest. Canale 5 was the first private television network to have a national coverage in Italy in 1980, based on a local channel, TeleMilano 58, founded in 1978....
(1978-1981 US episodes). The series returned with new episodes in July 1988, this time on Rete 4
Rete 4
Rete 4 is an Italian television station belonging to the Mediaset network. It is an Italian private commercial TV channel. Rete 4's main news programme is TG4, whose editor-in-chief is Emilio Fede since 1992.-TV Series:...
in the afternoon. In September 1989 it was moved to 8.30 am, and stopped airing in June 1991 (1984 UU episodes). Reruns aired from 1987 to 1990 on Italia 7 and briefly in 1994 on Tivù Italia.
130 episodes of One Life to Live from 1980-1981 were broadcast under the title Solo se vive una vez on Spain's TVE1 at 11.30 am starting on August 11, 1986.
In Israel One Life to Live debuted in 1994 on Channel 3 weekdays at 18:00 with the Marty Saybrooke gang rape storyline (US: 1993). It went off the air in 1998. In Summer 1999 the series was relaunched in prime time on the telenovela
Telenovela
A telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
channel Viva (21:00), starting where the previous run of episodes had left off (US 1997 episodes). In 2001 One Life to Live was relocated again, this time to Yes Channel 3 satellite. It went off the air in May 2002 (2001 US episodes). In Israel, the show was named "לחיות את החיים" (Likhiot Et Hakhayim) - meaning "Living The Life".