Soap Opera Deaths - Drama unfolding

Image via WikipediaAnyone who has spent any amount of time watching daytime television knows that when you die on a soap opera it is not guaranteed that you will stay that way. Time and time again people have met their demise only to be brought back with some kind of out of this world explaination.

However, it appears this time that things may stick once and for all with the popular programs. ABC announced yesterday that they have cancelled One Life to Live and All My Children, two of the longest running shows on daytime.

This is just the next level of the grave that has been dug for the programs that have been losing viewers for the past 10 years. While soaps were once a staple every network lineup, they have lost their allure recently as reality television and talk shows have become par for the course.

According to industry statements, the shows are incredibly expensive to produce, especially when you take into consideration the fact that each of them has four times the amount of actors and actresses of a normal prime time program. Many networks have decided that the smaller productions, such as talk shows and cooking programs, are the way to go and ABC has already announced a lineup of new programs that will replace the two cancelled dramas.

The last remaining soap that will appear on ABC will be General Hospital but insiders have said that its days are numbered as well. With the ratings in the toilet General Hosptial will likely only enjoy one more season before it too is replaced by another cheaper to produce program.

So it looks like Susan Lucci will only receive that one daytime emmy that took her so long to pickup.