All My Children (abbreviated as AMC) is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC for 41 years, 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 popular characters.[2][3] The title of the series refers to the bonds of humanity. All My Children was the first new network daytime drama to debut in the 1970s. Originally owned by Creative Horizons, Inc., the company created by Nixon and her husband, Bob, the show was sold to ABC in January 1975.[4] The series started at a half-hour in length, then was expanded to an hour on April 25, 1977. Earlier, the show had experimented with the hour format for one week starting on June 30, 1975, after which Ryan's Hope premiered.
From 1970 to 1990, All My Children was recorded at ABC's TV18 at 101 West 67th St, now a 50-story apartment tower. From March 1990 to December 2009, it was taped at ABC's television studio TV23 at 320 West 66th Street in Manhattan, New York City. In December 2009, the locale for taping the series moved from the costly New York City to California. The show was then produced in Stages 1 and 2 at the Andrita Studios in Los Angeles.[5][6] All My Children started filming in high definition on January 4, 2010 and began airing in high definition on February 3, 2010. All My Children became the third soap opera to be produced and broadcast in high definition.[7]
At one time, the program's popularity positioned it as the most widely-recorded television show in the United States. Also, in a departure from societal norms at the time, All My Children, in the mid-1970s, had an audience that was estimated to be 30% male.[8] The show ranked #1 in the daytime Nielsen ratings in the 1978–79 season. Throughout most of the 1980s and into the early 1990s, All My Children was the #2 daytime soap opera on the air. However, like the rest of the soap operas in the United States, All My Children experienced unprecedented declines in its daytime ratings during the 2000s. By the 2010s, it had became one of the least watched soap operas in daytime television.
On April 14, 2011, it was announced that All My Children would be canceled after 41 years on the air.[9] On July 7, 2011, ABC sold the licensing rights of All My Children to third-party production company Prospect Park with the show set to continue on the internet as a series of webisodes and possibly on cable television.[10][11] The show taped its final scenes for ABC on August 30, 2011, and its last episode on the network aired on September 23, 2011 with a cliffhanger. On November 23, 2011, and exactly two months after the series ended on ABC, Prospect Park officially suspended its plans to revive the series.[12][13]
Agnes Nixon, then head writer for The Guiding Light, first came up with the idea for All My Children in the 1960s. When writing the story bible, she designed the show so it would be a light-hearted soap opera that focused on social issues and young love.[14] She unsuccessfully attempted to sell the series to NBC, then to CBS, and once again to NBC through Procter & Gamble.[15] When Procter & Gamble was unable to make room for the show in its lineup, Nixon put All My Children on hold.
Nixon became the head writer for Another World in 1965, and decided to use a few ideas from her All My Children bible. In one specific case, she used the model of the Erica Kane character to create a brand new Another World character named Rachel Davis. Nixon said Rachel was Erica's "precursor to the public" but Rachel was a lower-class version. "Erica and Rachel have in common is they thought if they could get their dream, they'd be satisfied", Nixon said. "But that dream has been elusive."[16][17]
ABC later approached Nixon to create a show that would reflect a more "contemporary" tone. That program became One Life to Live, and it debuted in 1968. After that show became a success, the network asked Nixon for another program, and she obliged by reviving her All My Children bible and the Erica Kane character.
The poem, written by Nixon, that appears in the title credits' photo album reads:
The Great and the Least,
The Rich and the Poor,
The Weak and the Strong,
In Sickness and in Health,
In Joy and Sorrow,
In Tragedy and Triumph,
You are ALL MY CHILDREN
All My Children debuted on January 5, 1970. Rosemary Prinz was signed on to be the "special guest star" for six months, playing the role of liberal Amy Tyler. Prinz was well known for her role on As the World Turns in the 1950s and 1960s and she was added to the show to give it an initial boost due to her name value.
From 1970 and into the 1980s, the show was either written by Nixon herself or by her protégé, Wisner Washam. He was groomed by Nixon to eventually take over the reins in the 1980s while she focused on other endeavors, which included creating and launching Loving in 1983.
Nixon strove to create a soap opera that was topical, and could illustrate social issues for the audience.[18] She wanted this and a combination of regular humor for the series. To keep the action more real, she allowed the audience to locate her fictional "Pine Valley" on a map: situated a mere hour-long train ride from New York City. Many believed Pine Valley was in New York State because of a town called Pine Valley in western New York. However, it was not until the 1980s that it was finally revealed that Pine Valley is actually in Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia and also near One Life To Live's Llanview.
The show's first action takes place around several families and characters. Phoebe Tyler (Ruth Warrick), who fashions herself as "Queen of Pine Valley", is the definition of a rich snob when she is introduced. A single mother, Mona Kane (Frances Heflin), and her prima donna daughter, Erica (Susan Lucci) are also introduced. Contrasting this is the stable Martin Family, headed by patriarch Joe and later (after the death of her husband, Ted Brent) by matriarch Ruth, who becomes a symbolic foundation of All My Children.
With Phoebe as the "Queen of Pine Valley", Erica became the "Princess". Destined to break up the young romance of classmates Tara Martin (Karen Lynn Gorney) and Phil Brent (Richard Hatch), Erica finds out that Phil is not Ruth's son but the son of Ruth's sister, Amy (Rosemary Prinz). In a selfish attempt to break up Phil and Tara, she tells everyone the truth.
All My Children's first success was its telling of young love. ABC wanted a soap opera that would bring in young viewers, and slowly the program was accomplishing that.[18] The show's ratings did not start out strong, however. In its first year on the air, it ranked #17 out of 19 soap operas. Despite this, its audience was building with each passing year.
The show was unique for its use of the Vietnam War. Before All My Children debuted, no show had discussed the war in any depth. There was the character of Phoebe, a conservative, and Amy, a free-spirited liberal, both butting heads over the war, with Amy often leading protests around Pine Valley. When the character of Amy leaves, Ruth takes over as the anti-war voice. Her early 1970s protest speech wins Mary Fickett the first ever Emmy Award given to a soap opera performer back in 1972. Later in the show's run, Phoebe becomes more liberal.
In 1973, Erica Kane makes the decision to have an abortion, which becomes the first legal abortion aired on American television.[19][20][21] What makes the abortion particularly controversial is Erica's reason for doing it; she does not have it because her health is in jeopardy, but rather because she does not want to gain weight and lose her modeling job. The abortion story received much media attention, especially since Roe v. Wade had been decided just a few months before the story began airing.[20][21] Within the story, Erica develops a potentially fatal infection, which was later determined to be toxoplasmosis after having the abortion, and the switchboards at ABC lit up with calls from doctors and nurses, offering its medical opinions on how best to treat the character's case.
Phoebe's husband Charles (Hugh Franklin) gets close to Mona (Erica's mother) and his secretary at the hospital. The two fall in love and Charles divorces Phoebe, even though she tries to blackmail Mona and even fakes paralysis. In the end, Phoebe is left a drunken divorcée and Mona becomes the new Mrs. Tyler. This ordeal starts the long-time Phoebe/Mona rivalry.
When Eileen Letchworth, who portrayed Margo Flax Martin, contemplated a facelift, she talked it over with Nixon. Not only was Letchworth going to need time off, she was going to look significantly different when she returned to the show. Nixon approved and worked the facelift into a storyline. Margo wanted to impress the somewhat younger Paul Martin (William Mooney). Margo’s facelift in 1974 became one of the first major storylines on television discussing surgery and its psychological effects.
In June 1976, the character of Brooke English shows up on her Aunt Phoebe's doorstep and soon after clashes with Erica over Tom Cudahy and Mark Dalton. Since then, Brooke ends up with several of Erica's leftover men. In 1976, the show introduces fan favorite Myrtle Lum Fargate (Eileen Herlie).
By the late 1970s, the show had risen to the top of the ratings. One reason for the rise was the arrival of teenage prostitute Donna Beck (Candice Earley). Her relationship with the handsome Dr. Chuck Tyler breathed life into the show and captivated fans. Other new additions are the arrivals of aristocratic Palmer Cortlandt (aka Peter Cooney) (James Mitchell), his somewhat creepy housekeeper Myra Murdock (Elizabeth Lawrence), and his overprotected daughter Nina (Taylor Miller), who, to Palmer's chagrin, entrances Dr. Cliff Warner (Peter Bergman). Palmer does everything in his power to break up the couple, including telling Nina she is going blind due to her diabetes. Palmer teams up with Cliff's past flame, nurse Sybil Thorne (Linda Gibboney), who confronts Cliff about fathering her son, but this is temporary; Sybil is accidentally killed by Sean Cudahy (Alan Dysert). During the murder trial, Nina is astonished to learn that her mother, Daisy Cortlandt (Gillian Spencer), whom she believes to be dead, is, in fact, alive and living in Pine Valley as Monique Jonville. To complete everyone's shock, Myra acknowledges that Daisy is her daughter. All My Children also found memorable villains in Billy Clyde Tuggle and Ray Gardner.
All My Children had always aired in color since its 1970 debut. The episodes were initially only saved for a short time on cartridge tapes and were eventually erased in order to tape other productions. Beginning in 1976, all the episodes were saved on cartridge tape and then digitally since the late 1990s. A few early episodes were saved on kinescope in black and white, one of which aired on ABC in 1997 on a special "A Daytime To Remember". But there are no known pre-1976 episodes to be still in existence on tape.
The early '80s is considered to have been a "golden period" for the show and the "Golden Age" for supercouples.[18][22][23] Younger characters, such as Greg Nelson and Jenny Gardner (Laurence Lau and Kim Delaney), Liza Colby (Marcy Walker), Liza's best friend Amanda (Amanda Bearse), Jesse Hubbard and Angie Baxter (Darnell Williams and Debbi Morgan), and a now-grown-up Tad Martin (Michael E. Knight), who was now legally Ruth and Joe's son, enter the scene.
The storyline involving Liza plotting to win Greg back after he leaves her for Jenny became a fan favorite, as was the Greg and Jenny and Jesse and Angie pairings.[18][24] Jesse and Jenny's summer in New York City became regarded as one of the greatest storylines in the history of the series.[25] Meanwhile, the legend of "Tad the Cad" is born when Tad takes Liza's virginity, then simultaneously begins having sex with her mother, socialite Marian Colby (Jennifer Bassey), who eventually is sent to prison.
For older appeal, Jenny and Tad's natural mother Opal (Dorothy Lyman) was also added to the canvas, where she opens the Glamorama salon and spa. Opal greatly showcased All My Children’s attempt at humor and satire. Also introduced in the 1980s were powerful businessman Adam Chandler and his identical twin brother Stuart (both played by David Canary), the first arrival of members of the Chandler family. Adam became cited as one of the "most powerful male figures in television",[2][26] which was contrasted by Stuart's kind, generous, and honest personality.
The character of Erica begins to take on a larger-than-life role by the 1980s. This is evident with her writing an autobiography, "Raising Kane", and turning it into a motion picture. When her presumed half-sister Silver (Deborah Goodrich) accuses her of murdering Kent Bogard (Michael Woods, Lee Godart), her former lover and boss, she goes on the run, fleeing to the Hollywood Hills. She does this all while posing as a nun. Her forest encounter with a grizzly bear after she escapes a kidnapping attempt made by Adam is considered a memorable moment.[citation needed]
The show made its first attempt at tackling the taboo topic of homosexuality in 1983. Tricia Pursley portrayed the divorced Devon McFadden, who believes she is falling in love with her psychiatrist, Lynn Carson (portrayed by Donna Pescow).[27] Lynn admits to being a lesbian, and Devon admits her crush. No other American soap opera had done a story about homosexuality.[27]
The show also intelligently tackled the issue of drug use when Mark La Mura's character, Mark Dalton, becomes addicted to cocaine after years of casual use. His half-sister, Erica, stages an intervention with his friends to have him confront his problems. They practice a "tough love" policy that has Mark admit to the addiction. The informative episode showed how to hold an intervention, and the stages to go through for a successful confrontation.
Controversy was prompted in 1987 with the arrival of Cindy Parker (Ellen Wheeler), who would later fall in love with Stuart. The character was revealed to have AIDS. Through visits by now-Dr. Angie Hubbard, the show educated the public on how the disease was spread and how to prevent it. Cindy had contracted HIV from her husband, Fred, who contracted it from sharing needles for drug use. Cindy is attacked by a vigilante hate group led by her niece, Skye Chandler. The tragedy of the attack shows the extremes of violence that occur every day to victims of the disease. Cindy marries Stuart and he adopts her son, Scott. She dies early in 1989 in one of the show's most watched episodes.
ABC wanted changes at All My Children. The show was getting about 6.5 million viewers per episode, but there sentiment that the program had lost its unique sense of humor. Efforts were made to bring the show back to the glory days of the late '70s and early ‘80s. This would mean adding a mixture of both social issues and also the intelligent satire that the show had been known for.
Felicia Minei Behr was hired as the new executive producer in early 1989. Having been a producer on Ryan's Hope, Behr was familiar with All My Children, having been an associate producer from 1970 to 1975. Among the stories featured was a baby storyline involving the characters of Adam, Brooke, Tad, and Dixie (Cady McClain). By this time, the show had also found a "hit couple" in Cecily and Nico (portrayed by Rosa Nevin and Maurice Benard), but Behr was unable to convince either to remain with the show, and the duo left at the end of 1989.
ABC was pleased with Behr; Nixon was as well, and decided her creation was safe in the hands of the new producer. Behr, however, made the unpopular decision to fire Peter Bergman (Cliff Warner) during this time, as well as Ellen Wheeler (Karen) and Robert Gentry (Ross Chandler). Bergman's departure was particularly frustrating to Debbi Morgan (who thought it was a cop-out by ABC on the promising interracial Angie/Cliff pairing; Morgan later defected to the new NBC soap Generations in protest), Taylor Miller (who was misled when Behr approached her to bring back her character Nina; Miller was frustrated to find out she had only been brought back for two weeks to facilitate Bergman's departure: Cliff and Nina reunited, married yet again, and left Pine Valley, leaving Miller to lament to Soap Opera Digest that she felt it was going backward for both characters, and difficult emotionally to play), and Bergman himself (who had just bought a house, and was left without a paycheck, unexpectedly). Behr then brought back fan favorite Opal Gardner, but instead of contacting Emmy winner Dorothy Lyman to reprise the role, Behr hired Jill Larson. Lyman later noted her disappointment in never being contacted about reprising the role.
At the time of Behr's hiring in early 1989, the show usually ranked around #4 in the ratings. By 1990, the show had inched up to the #3 spot. Billy Clyde Tuggle returns to Pine Valley in 1990, after a ten-year absence (in prison). He proceeds to undo the lives of many in Pine Valley. He tells his daughter, Emily Ann Sago, that he is her natural father, devastating her with the truth that she was the product of rape. He dies tumbling over a bridge (with Tad Martin), ending the reign of one of Pine Valley's most evil and entertaining characters ever.
ABC chose Megan McTavish, a former actress who had been on the writing team since 1987, to be its new head writer. She was officially promoted to that position in 1992, with Nixon serving as Executive Head Writer. Stories such as Molly's leukemia, Ceara Connor's (Genie Francis) incest, Mona’s lung cancer, and Deconstruction (a story about racism), were all praised in soap opera magazines for their social conscience. Other storylines included the Who Killed Will Cortlandt? mystery, Willow Lake Acres (a both humorous and serious tale about the plight of the elderly in a fraudulent nursing home), and a tornado that rocked Pine Valley. Behr also helped craft a story re-exploring Erica's father, Eric Kane. It was revealed he had faked his own death. In a comical twist, Erica finds him working as a clown in a traveling circus.
McTavish was also instrumental in a major but still popular retcon (retroactive continuity) storyline in 1993. Kendall Hart (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is introduced as Erica's new personal assistant, but the audience later soon learns that Kendall is actually Erica's long-lost daughter. Kendall was conceived after Erica was raped on her 14th birthday by her father's actor friend Richard Fields. After she became pregnant, Erica gave the baby up for adoption to the Harts, a couple from Florida. Kendall has made her way to Pine Valley after finding out her biological mother is the famous Erica Kane, and intends to wreak havoc on her and assume her glamorous lifestyle, which she feels is her birth right.[26] Erica had thought she had put that whole nightmare behind her, only to have it come back years later with a vengeance and a name. Mother and daughter end up loathing one another during this time within the series. Despite being proclaimed by some "as the second coming of Erica",[26] the popular Gellar only played Kendall for a little over two years, and then left the show to pursue other acting opportunities. Producers ended up waiting at least six years before even contemplating to recast the role (which eventually went to Alicia Minshew).
The Santos, Dillon, Frye, and Keefer families were introduced during the 90s as well. Also, the Tad and Dixie pairing had become especially popular.[28] The show also had other couples with great followings during this time: Dimitri and Erica (Michael Nader),[29] Trevor (James Kiberd) and Natalie (Kate Collins), and Hayley (Kelly Ripa) and Brian (Gregory Gordon, Matt Borlenghi, Brian L. Greene).
By the early-mid-1990s, some of McTavish's storytelling received criticism for being gimmick-driven (i.e. multiple dual roles, bomb plots). Reports soon surfaced that Behr and McTavish were having conflicts about storylines and the direction of the series. After the O.J. Simpson trial preempted daytime television programs throughout late 1994 and into 1995, many soaps saw their ratings decline, and All My Children was no different. When Megan McTavish was fired from her head writing post in the spring, former head writer Lorraine Broderick was tapped by Behr to lead the team once again.
Broderick's tenure under Behr was popular among critics and fans for returning All My Children to its socially relevant, character-driven roots. Her most significant successes were Erica's drug addiction story (with the character receiving treatment at the Betty Ford Center), and also the story of homophobia over a gay high school boy and a history teacher.[27] However, with the ratings still stagnant, ABC fired longtime executive producer Felicia Minei Behr, and brought in Francesca James (who had previously won an Emmy award acting on the show as twins Kitty and Kelly). The storylines now included a voodoo arc with the popular Noah and Julia (Keith Hamilton Cobb and Sydney Penny), a fantasy story for Myrtle featuring the "real" Santa Claus, and finally a baby kidnapping story involving Erica.
Despite winning three consecutive Daytime Emmys for writing during her tenure on All My Children, Broderick was replaced in December 1997 by her predecessor, McTavish. The first major story McTavish tackled was, "ironically", one created by Broderick, Bianca Montgomery's anorexia. The character of Bianca, Erica's young daughter, is checked into a facility to treat the disease. Apart from the anorexia story, McTavish's tales were plot-driven[30] and made implausible alterations to the show's history such as the resurrection of Erica's lifetime-love, Mike Roy (Nicholas Surovy). In 1998, the show again got a new executive producer, Jean Dadario Burke, taking over from Francesca James. She would become known to many speculating fans as a weak producer with little vision.
Cady McClain, who had left the show as Dixie in 1996, returned to the delight of her fans, but other storylines—involving ghosts, poison tattoos, Nazi art, and a sperm switch—were all ill-received. By the start of 1999, with All My Children being voted as the "Worst of 1998" by Soap Opera Digest, McTavish was once again fired.
As ratings began to fall in the late 1990s, ABC convinced Nixon to make a brief return. Many long-running actors, such as Michael Nader, James Kiberd, and Robin Mattson, left their roles.
Nixon decided to write a story that would rejuvenate the show and be socially relevant at the same time. This resulted in the series revealing Erica's daughter Bianca as a lesbian. Within the series, Bianca admits the truth to her mother in December 2000. Though initially controversial, the storyline was praised by fans and critics.[31][32][33] Bianca emerged as a breakout character and lesbian icon.[32][33][34] The show found additional success in the pairing of newcomers Leo and Greenlee (Josh Duhamel and Rebecca Budig).[35][36]
Richard Culliton wrote several of All My Children's early 2000s (decade) storylines. He created popular characters Frankie and Maggie Stone, and said Frankie was already intended to be killed in a murder storyline after only three months on the series.[37] Culliton and ABC executives were surprised when viewers became attached to the romance between Bianca and Frankie, developed by Culliton with Frankie's debut.[38] These fans attributed Frankie's death to the show's fear to focus on a lesbian romance.[37][39] Eventually, Culliton introduced the idea to bring back popular actress Elizabeth Hendrickson, who had portrayed Frankie, as Frankie's twin sister Maggie. Culliton continued to write for the show until late 2002.[40]
After more staff turnover, McTavish again returned as head writer. Her storylines began airing in July 2003, which included the controversial rape of Bianca. Gone upon McTavish's latest return was Jean Dadario Burke as executive producer, being replaced with Julie Hanan Carruthers.
Under McTavish, ratings fluctuated back and forth. To lure back long-time viewers, McTavish created new characters and romances, as well as scripted the return of various characters who had been gone for long. She introduced star-crossed couple JR Chandler and Babe Carey upon writing JR's return to the series, scripted most of popular pairing Bianca Montgomery and Maggie Stone's love story, and created fellow popular couple Zach Slater and Kendall Hart. Characters Julia Santos (Sydney Penny) and Janet Dillon (Kate Collins, who was originally slated to return for a brief stint) were eventually brought back.
On July 26, 2006, Tanika Ray, pop star Rihanna, as well as other celebrities, appeared on the show.[41] During the Rihanna appearance, a controversial storyline involving Erica's thought-to-be-aborted son having come to Pine Valley under the name Josh Madden intensifies when Josh learns of how he truly came to exist.[41] In August 2006, after months of speculation, it was confirmed that fan favorite Eden Riegel would be reprising her Emmy winning role as Bianca. She was a part of a controversial storyline centered on transgender character Zarf/Zoe.[42]
The most notable return was Cady McClain's return as show heroine Dixie Cooney Martin. The news of her return spread just two weeks before she reappeared on the series. In an unpopular and controversial move by the series, the writers chose to kill off Dixie in January 2007 only a year after her return.[30][43][44][45] The character's death was the result of the Satin Slayer storyline where she is unintentionally murdered in place of character Babe Carey.
Another prominent return to the series occurred on February 9, 2007, when Susan Pratt returned as Barbara Montgomery. Pratt made her last appearance in July of that year. That same month, McTavish was fired as head writer, reportedly due to viewer criticism about her storylines.[30] On May 21, 2007, James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten were announced as the new head writers of All My Children.[30] The duo wrote for Days of our Lives, One Life to Live, Dynasty and Port Charles, and created and wrote for The City.
On December 12, 2007, ABC revealed Rebecca Budig would be returning to the series as Greenlee Smythe; the return was one of the most widely reported in daytime television history, attracting mainstream media attention such as the Associated Press and New York Daily News.[46][47][48][49][50][51][52] Budig's return was overshadowed by controversy when news of Sabine Singh's reportedly unfair treatment as a Greenlee recast in order to bring Budig back incited viewer outrage.[53][49][54]
On December 25, 2007, Soap Opera Digest reported the return of fan favorites Debbi Morgan and Darnell Williams as Jesse Hubbard and Angie Baxter. Morgan returned on January 18, 2008, and Williams on January 25, 2008. In April 2008, it was announced that Laurence Lau would briefly reprise the role of Greg Nelson for Jesse and Angie's much anticipated wedding.
On May 21, 2008, Charles Pratt, Jr., former co-head writer for General Hospital, was announced as a replacement for Brown and Esensten amid record low ratings.
On November 6, 2008, All My Children aired a special episode in which veterans share their stories unscripted.[55]
On November 12, 2008, the show celebrated its 10,000th show with a special appearance by Nixon and a special tribute to Myrtle Fargate (as portrayed by Eileen Herlie who had recently died).[56][57][58][59] On December 19, 2008, a special episode ran for Herlie, showing clips from the past.
On February 16, 2009, All My Children made daytime history with the nuptials of Reese Williams and Bianca Montgomery,[60] the first legal same-sex marriage in American daytime television.[61] After departing the show in February 2005, Riegel continued to return to the series for limited guest appearances, but permanently left the role in 2010.[62][63][64]
On November 20, 2009, Pratt was fired as head writer. Daytime Emmy-winning former head writer Lorraine Broderick was brought back to lead the writing team on an interim basis. Reportedly, Broderick returned at the request of show creator Agnes Nixon, but was not interested in remaining permanently as the team's top scribe.
On January 5, 2010, All My Children celebrated its 40th anniversary with an episode structured like a documentary and hosted by character Hayley Santos. It featured appearances by characters Palmer Cortlandt, Nina Warner, Maria Santos Grey, Brooke English, Greg Nelson, Bianca Montgomery, Mateo Santos, and Lily Montgomery. It was also the final episode for characters Joe and Ruth Martin, who are moving to Florida for retirement, and the final appearance for Palmer, as his portrayer James Mitchell, died just over two weeks after the episode's airing.
On January 13, 2010, ABC Daytime announced the appointment of David Kreizman and Donna Swajeski as the co-head writers of All My Children, replacing interim head writer Lorraine Broderick, who in turn replaced Charles Pratt, Jr.. Brian Frons, head of ABC daytime, stated, "David and Donna are the perfect team to bring new ideas to All My Children while remaining true to its core by telling stories with a focus on the integrity of the show's history, its characters and families on the canvas."[65] Prior to his appointment on All My Children, Kriezman was the head writer of Guiding Light from 2004 to the final episode on September 18, 2009, and the co-head writer of As the World Turns from 2009 to the final episode on September 17, 2010. Swajeski's prior experience includes a head writing stint on Another World from 1988 to 1992.[66]
With the death on January 22 of James Mitchell (Palmer Cortlandt 1979–2010), the show aired a tribute episode to Palmer on Tuesday April 20, 2010.[67] Gillian Spencer (Daisy Murdoch Cortlandt), Taylor Miller (Nina Cortlandt), and Cady McClain (Dixie Cooney Martin) returned for the episode.
On February 8, Walt Willey returned as a contract cast member in the role of Jackson Montgomery, following numerous months away and dispute about his future on the show. On February 23, Julia Barr reprised the role of Brooke English; Brooke's return was timed to the retirement of David Canary (Adam Chandler) after more than 26 years on the show. Their final episode aired April 23, 2010.
On July 18, 2010, All My Children lost one of its original cast members, Larry Keith. Larry was on the show from 1970–2005. Larry portrayed Nick Davis who gave Erica Kane the nickname "Princess". He was last seen on January 5, 2005 for All My Children's 35th anniversary episode.
In September 2010, Daytime Emmy winner Vincent Irizzary's character, the popular villain David Hayward, was murdered. On the November 22, 2010 episode, David Hayward waltzed into the courtroom during Greenlee's trial (for which she was just sentenced to life in prison for murdering him) at the tail end of it, confirming rumors that he was going to return all along. Soap Opera Digest confirmed soon after that the show had planned this all along from the start.
On September 16, 2010, Adam Mayfield (Scott Chandler) and Brittany Allen (Marissa Tasker) were announced to be leaving the show. ABC reports that they wanted to take both the characters in a different direction. On September 22, 2010 it was announced that Daniel Cosgrove (ex-Scott, All My Children; ex-Bill, Guiding Light; ex-Chris, As the World Turns) would return to All My Children and replace Adam Mayfield (Scott) as Scott Chandler. On October 28, 2010, it was announced that Sarah Glendening (ex-Lucy, As the World Turns) would be taking over the role of Marissa Tasker. Glendening debuted on December 27 and Cosgrove debuted on December 29.
In December 2009, the place for taping All My Children was moved from ABC's television studio TV23 at 320 West 66th Street in Manhattan, New York City to Stages 1 and 2 at the Andrita Studios in Los Angeles. All My Children also started taping in High Definition on January 4, 2010 and began airing in high definition on February 3, 2010. All My Children became the third soap opera to be produced and broadcast in high definition.
In January 2011, Debbi Morgan said that she would take a leave of absence from the show. She said it was for personal reasons and on January 14, 2011 she released to the public that she has been diagnosed with Lyme Disease. She returned during the second week of February and her first episode aired on March 8, 2011. On February 10, 2011, as part of her 25th (and farewell) season, Oprah Winfrey invited All My Children's Susan Lucci, Debbi Morgan, Darnell Williams, and Michael E. Knight, along with General Hospital s Luke and Laura and The Young and the Restless's Mrs. Chancellor to The Oprah Winfrey Show. As a surprise, Winfrey shocked Lucci and the rest of the crowd by bringing back all of Erica's husbands. During February 2011, the TV Land hit sitcom Hot in Cleveland and All My Children did a crossover event. On the 16th, and 23 February, Lucci, Michael E. Knight, and Darnell Williams made a guest appearance on the show. On the 24th, Wendie Malick guest starred.
On April 2, 2011, amid rumors of All My Children's possible cancellation, Soaps in Depth broke the news via Twitter that longtime All My Children writer Lorraine Broderick had once again been named the show's head writer, replacing David Kreizman and Donna Swajeski.[68]
On April 14, 2011, ABC confirmed that after 41 years, All My Children would be canceled and would end its ABC run in September, 2011 and that One Life To Live would be canceled and end its run on January, 2012. Reasons for both shows' cancelations cited "extensive research into what today’s daytime viewers want and the changing viewing patterns of the audience".[9] It will be replaced by a new lifestyle show, The Chew,[9] while its time slot on SOAPnet will be replaced by daily reruns of Days of Our Lives.[69] In response to the cancellation of this, 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.[70][71][72] On April 25, Cady McClain (ex-Dixie Cooney Martin) announced that she would be returning to All My Children and that she couldn't report what her storyline would be, but fans would be happy. Other former cast members announced to be returning to the series are Ray MacDonnell (Dr. Joe Martin), Lee Meriwether (Ruth Martin), David Canary (Adam Chandler), Julia Barr (Brooke English), Thorsten Kaye (Zach Slater), Eva La Rue (Maria Santos), Jennifer Bassey (Marian Colby), Kate Collins (Janet Dillon), Melissa Claire Egan (Annie Lavery), Josh Duhamel (Leo du Pres), Leven Rambin (Lily Montgomery) Carol Burnett (Verla Grubbs),[73] Jason Kincaid (Sam Brady), and Sarah Michelle Gellar in an unknown role.[74]
On July 7, 2011, the New York Post reported that ABC had sold the licensing rights of All My Children and One Life To Live to a TV-focused online channel being developed by TV, film and music production company Prospect Park. ABC confirmed this via press release; as a result of Prospect Park's acquisition of the two soaps, All My Children and One Life to Live will be the first soap operas to transition first-run broadcasts from traditional television to internet television.[75] Since the deal between ABC and Prospect Park is a licensing agreement, both soaps will continue to remain the property of ABC.
On September 8, 2011 the original Ruth Martin, Mary Fickett, died at the age of 83. The episode on Wednesday September 21, 2011 was dedicated to her.
On September 23, 2011, the series finale aired on ABC with open-ended stories. The final week featured Dr. Joe and Ruth Martin relocating to Pine Valley to cover recently arrested David Hayward's hospital duties. The return of Adam Chandler and Brooke English coincided with the revelation that David had somehow resurrected Stuart Chandler. Jackson Montgomery dissolved his relationship with Erica after she admitted that she prefers not to remarry. Unresolved is JR Chandler's plunge into insanity as he drunkenly aims a gun at a crowd of All My Children regulars during a welcome-home party for Stuart. The screen darkens before revealing the victim, leaving the story open for an eventual continuation with Prospect Park.
On August 2011, Prospect Park announced that it was shopping for a cable network to air All My Children.[10][11] On August 16, 2011 actor Walt Willey announced on WGN that the whole cast of All My Children had received their contract offer from Prospect Park, but came short on giving the details about it.[76] Prospect Park officially began negotiations with the actors of All My Children on September 15, 2011.[77] During a September 18, 2011 appearance on CBS Sunday Morning, lead actress Susan Lucci revealed that she had not decided yet about her future with the show after its conclusion on ABC. On September 19, 2011, Cameron Mathison and Lindsay Hartley became the first and only actors that had agreed to continue the show with Prospect Park.[78]
Prospect Park initially intended for All My Children to begin its run on the internet on September 26, 2011,[75] but has since revealed that the transition could be delayed until 2012 because it had to negotiated a new contract with the union representing the actors of All My Children.[79] On September 27, 2011, Prospect Park announced that All My Children along with its sister soap One Life to Live would be relaunched in January 2012 on the company's new internet channel, The Online Network.[80] But on November 10, 2011, several sources reported that Prospect Park had indefinitely suspended its plans to relaunch All My Children and that the company would concentrate solely on One Life to Live.[81][82] Reasons given for this decision were lack of funding coupled with Prospect Park not being able to sign enough cast members from All My Children.[81][82]
On November 23, 2011, Prospect Park confirmed that it officially suspended its project, not only to continue All My Children, but also One Life to Live.[13] Reasons given by Prospect Park for this decision include funding problems and poor negotiations with the unions representing the cast of both soaps. WGA and AFTRA, which respectively represent the writer and the actors, have both expressed disappointment over Prospect Park's announcement.[83]
All title sequences used a book of the show's title. Ever since the debut in 1970, All My Children's opener had included a photo album/scrapbook in some kind of form.
January 5, 1970–December 29, 1989 All My Children |
The First Two Decades
This sequence has three distinct openings: 1970–1971, 1971–1976 and 1976–1989
With the premiere, the sequence was simple: a camera slowly zooms in on a leather-bound photo album as a female hand enters the image to open the album. On the first page of the album, the title is shown in calligraphic type. Until at least June 1970, the hand turned to a second page, crediting Rosemary Prinz as a "Special Guest Star". Prinz, at the time, was the cast member with the most experience in soaps, and crediting her in the sequence was used as a way to coax her fans to tune in. She left after six months on the show, and the second page was eliminated from the sequence.
In June 1970, the sequence was updated, featuring the same hand-turning the book format, only now based on a larger table/credenza, and the book was more centered. The title appeared in the same calligraphic font, but the inside title page now revealed a painted spring of flowers to accompany it. The hand would begin to turn to the next page just as the sequence faded out, to give the effect of someone displaying a full family photo album. However, additional pages would never be seen again during the run of this sequence. The theme music used with this sequence was written by Dina Dore and her daughter Carlina Paul. It went through two principal arrangements. In the beginning and continuing through the mid '70s, the first arrangement was a lush, sweeping tune with overtones of flutes and brass.[84] A soft lullaby-type slow-tempo version of the tune was also used in subsequent weeks during the 1970 mid-season. Retained from the original 1970 thematic underscore suite, this arrangement ran through at least the summer of 1970.[85]
A new version of the theme, more sweeping and cheery than the two previous versions, and featuring full orchestration by Jack Urbont, was used from 1976 to 1989, making it the longest unmodified opening in the show's history.
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January 2, 1990–January 2, 1995 All My Children |
The Falling Pictures
In 1989 executive producer Felicia Minei Behr decided to create a new sequence to bring All My Children into the 1990s for the 20th Anniversary. Billy Barber (of Flim & the BB's) and Bob Israel were hired to record the new theme. By the middle of December 1989 the recording of the theme music was completed. Then, all contract cast members of the show were all called to do a photo shoot and once the filming was completed, animation began. The animation was completed early in the last week of December and by December 29 the sequence was complete. The new sequence debuted during the 20th Anniversary week in January 1990. This new sequence kept the photo album theme, but expanded upon it. It began with the camera panning across a desk featuring framed pictures of longtime cast members.
This dissolved into a series of animations in which still pictures of each cast member hovered into piles on the desk. It ended with a portrait of lead actress Susan Lucci slowly sliding onto a page in the photo album, as it closed to reveal the title in an Old English type on the cover. Occasionally, the title would disappear from the cover and a sponsor's logo would be in its place, with the announcer doing an ad for the sponsor.
As popular as the sequence was, the theme music was even more popular. Written by Billy Barber, it began with a perky melody. A slightly remixed / remastered version (new drum beat pattern, w/more chimes) of this theme debuted on December 30, 1992 with a quieter, slower arrangement at the beginning.
The last episode of All My Children with the falling pictures sequence aired on January 2, 1995.
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January 3, 1995–October 4, 2002 All My Children |
The Locket & Pearls
In 1994, Behr decided to come up with another new sequence for the 25th Anniversary. She hired saxophonist David Benoit to record the theme and then decided she wanted heirlooms such as necklaces, chess pieces, and different exteriors. By Christmas Eve 1994, she decided that they would include motion backgrounds, not in color however, to make the opening a tour of Pine Valley and finalized most of the components such as cast pictures. On December 29, 1994, the sequence was completed with motion images. However, they became stills due to budgets. For the 25th Anniversary week, the new sequence made its debut. The first episode of All My Children with the locket sequence aired on January 4, 1995. It featured stills of each cast member fading in and out of a white background while various images, including galloping horses, house exteriors, pearl necklaces, and pink roses, crossfaded throughout the cast images. Susan Lucci was again given a nod as her picture was always first, and was the only one in the sequence to be framed with a silver frame. Finally, Agnes Nixon's hand-written epigram for the show crossfaded in the background just as the photo album did.
On March 8, 1995, a new arrangement of this theme debuted to replace the January 1995 version; it was shortened at the beginning and lengthened towards the end with a few new instruments. Also, a new quiet piano arrangement debuted on April 4, 1995. In October 1995, the sequence was updated to include posed images of most cast members, but the images were still motionless. In July 1996 the opening was updated and debuted live video images of the former stills. In August 1997, the aforementioned piano arrangement became the main title theme. A major cast overhaul was made in September 1997 following the last update in December 1996. In late 1997 a new variant was recorded and was mixed differently from 1995 format (including a harp). It debuted in 1998 with an updated cast montage which lasted to October 1998 when a new upbeat version that included the ending version would debut. A faster-paced version of the new upbeat cut debuted sometime in 1999. In 2000 it was remixed with a few additional instrument tracks included, and used Digital Surround Sound. All of the music that accompanied these sequences were composed by David Benoit. All My Children retired this sequence on October 4, 2002.
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October 7, 2002–May 28, 2004 All My Children |
The Scrapbook
On October 7, 2002, after nearly eight years of the previous sequence, a new one made its debut. The first All My Children episode with the Scrapbook opening aired on October 7, 2002. It featured the photo album, but unlike the other sequences, the photo album was constantly seen throughout. It began with a closeup of the album (with the title on the cover) as it opened. The Agnes Nixon epigram is seen on the front page, but the screen fades into the montage of cast member images, all done in live action. The photos were already on their pages in the album and as each face was shown, the name of the character was scrawled on their page in the book, similar to what many people do with their own family scrapbooks. Yet again, Susan Lucci is paid homage by being at the end of both formats of this sequence. This time, however, she shared that honor with David Canary, as he was in both sequences as well, as Adam Chandler in one and Stuart in the other. The theme that accompanied this sequence was a much-loved update of the 1990–1995 theme originally composed by Billy Barber, this time with contributions by Robert Israel. There were two music versions of this sequence, the first of which was a quiet, fast tempo that lasted for two weeks when it was replaced by a more dramatic orchestral theme. An alternate video change of the opening theme debuted in 2003 and was occasionally used through May 28, 2004.
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May 31, 2004–December 21, 2010 All My Children |
The Family Album
After a year and a half of the previous opening, the show debuted another on May 31, 2004. This opening was styled after the commercial break bumpers that were present on all of ABC's serials at the time. One Life to Live and General Hospital's openings were done in similar ways to the All My Children opening. The theme music was a remix of the previous version, with a revised intro, a percussion track, and electric guitar track added. It included pictures from the show's past, including montages of classic Susan Lucci and Ruth Warrick headshots and a wedding portrait from Edmund and Maria's 1994 wedding. The All My Children book letter font was in Monotype Corsiva rather than the traditional Old English Text and the book was in a different red hue. This was also the first time that the show's name was written on a single line, as opposed to the usual three lines. A slight modified video change of the opening title debuted on December 2006 and was occasionally used through December 21, 2010.
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December 22, 2010– September 23, 2011 |
The Memories of Pine Valley
On December 14, 2010, All My Children announced they were debuting new opening credits. On December 22, 2010, Executive Producer Julie Hanan Carruthers unveiled a new show opening coinciding with the show's new High-Definition format, which began 11 months earlier. The opening is accompanied with the same music from the previous opening with a slight edit at the music start point (which is the start point from the 2002–2004 opening music). The visual features episodic clips of the show and the contract cast members contained behind and inside big size letters of the show's title scrolling left to right in each take. Each cast member has two clips on the side of one another while through the sequence we see variations of the shows former title book and majority of the clips features on location images of the cast. After the last cast member we see a clip of Erica and her daughters Bianca and Kendall as the title forms with the words zooming into place at the top of the screen against an opened photo album with the pages flapping on a table and a bigger size version of the ABC network logo under the title. This new sequence marked the first time the show has changed its opening credits since All My Children relocated its production to California in early 2010. On March 21, 2011, the opening credits was updated with a few minor clip changes. Amanda Martin (Chrishell Stause) was added to the opening...which is right after the clip of Jake Martin (Ricky Paull Goldin), Annie Chandler (Melissa Claire Egan) got removed from the opening because the actress herself left the show, new clips for Madison North (Stephanie Gatschet) and Scott Chandler (Daniel Cosgrove) was updated into a new version, and a small shot of Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) and Jackson Montgomery (Walt Willey) was added to Jackson's clip.
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Closing CreditsAll My Children
For the first 12 years of All My Children, the closing credits used the format of a single mimed scene of one or more characters engaging in an activity or interacting with each other, usually only on a single set. Credits would always scroll over the scene, and would feature the full cast list after production principals on some days, while a full crew list would appear on others. Occasionally, as is still the case to this very day, full cast and crew would run if enough time allotted. As with most soaps, this entire credit list was known for running especially on holiday episodes.
During the entire time All My Children used mimed scenes for the closings, thin, regular Craw Clarendon font, in white, was used. In the era in which the show debuted, this font was commonly used on two other ABC soaps, General Hospital and One Life to Live. OLTL was also an Agnes Nixon production, under her Creative Horizons company, which explains the similar cosmetic look between that soap and All My Children. General Hospital, however, had been completely purchased by ABC come the early 1970s, but had always used Craw Clarendon Condensed font as opposed to the regular variant of the type utilized on One Life to Live and All My Children. Both programs saw their closing sequence formats go unchanged even after Ms. Nixon sold them to ABC entirely, in 1975. By 1978, the Craw Clarendon used on All My Children became smaller and finely embossed, but by that same year the program was the only one still using the font, as OLTL's credit setup changed at that time. It should also be noted that beginning in the late 1970s, the scrolling cast list went from being completely centered to displaying character names on the left side of the screen, while actors' names were positioned on the right. Copyright notice first appeared on All My Children in 1980; it appeared in small Arial font under the "Videotaped at ABC Television Center in New York" credit until 1982.
In mid-1982, All My Children experienced its first major credits overhaul. The credits went from running on an image frame to being computer generated, and for a few months, remained in Craw Clarendon font. The Arial-set copyright continued, but was now under a closing display of the show's title. That fall, following Jacqueline Babbin's arrival as executive producer, the font setup entirely changed to Britannic Bold for actors and crew members, and small Helvetica for character names and production titles. Subsequently, the cast list now scrolled completely on the left hand side. All My Children became the first ABC daytime program to then implement a network-mandated copyright, set in a variation of italicized Century Gothic font. This copyright had been introduced on all ABC News programs, daytime and nighttime, a couple of years earlier. With the introduction of this notice format, "All Rights Reserved" was added to the copyright for the first time, and it originally contained the word "Copyright" before the symbol; it would be removed by early 1984. This mandate subsequently made its way to all other ABC daytime programs in the next year and a half (with the exception of General Hospital, which has traditionally been allowed different credit and branding practices by ABC).
Thereafter, All My Children's credits continued to see periodic alterations, especially with the changing of the guard in executive producers. By 1985, the credit portions in Britannic Bold became smaller and super-embossed with black shadowing. The "Videotaped At" credit went from being entirely in Helvetica to having the first line be in the latter font, with the next two lines appearing in Britannic Bold. In early 1988, the cast list reverted to running centered on the screen, for the first time since the late 1970s. Not long after Felicia Minei Behr became the new executive producer in early 1989, black shadowing on the credits was toned down. For the first time in All My Childrens 19-year history, the closing visuals changed; they now featured stills of scenes from that day's episode (a practice Ms. Behr kept during the final months of Ryan's Hope, as well as what was currently seen on Loving). These latest changes lasted into the second-generation visuals package that premiered in January 1990. In 1991, the still-shots were replaced by live-action repeats of select scenes aired in the given episode.
In late 1995, most closing credit sequences became carded in groups over the live-action shots. On the final week of January 1996, a new network-mandated sequence took over, as they did on all other ABC soaps. The font was switched from the long-running Britannic/Helvetica combo to Windsor type, and ran just as they did in the last few months prior to the change. The early-1980s style ABC copyright notice was also retired in favor of a new, three-line formatted notice, in a more new-age variation of Helvetica. "Copyright (year)" was on the top line, "American Broadcasting Companies, Inc." was on the middle, and "All Rights Reserved" was below. Later in 1996, the ABC Go Network web logo was added above the closing title display, and in 1997, episode stills returned to the credits.
During the 1980s, the All My Children episodes that officially commemorated Christmas ran the entire credit setup (cast and crew) entirely in Britannic Bold, sans the use of the accompanying Helvetica. All credits would be centered, including the cast, even during the years in which the cast appeared to the left of the screen, usually. Once the Felicia Minei Behr era began, long Christmas credits utilized the year-round Britannic/Helvetica combo.
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For historical ratings information, see List of US daytime soap opera ratings
1969–1970 season
1970–1971 season
1971–1972 season
1972–1973 season
1973–1974 season
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1974–1975 season
1975–1976 season
1976–1977 season
1977–1978 season
1978–1979 Season (HH Ratings)
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1979–1980 Season (HH Ratings) (Nielsen)
1980–1981 Season (HH Ratings) (Nielsen)
1981–1982 Season (HH Ratings)
Highest rated week in daytime history
(Week of November 16–November 20, 1981) (HH ratings)
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1982–1983 Season
1983–1984 Season
1984–1985 Season
1985–1986 Season (HH Ratings)
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1986–1987 Season
1987–1988 Season
1988–1989 Season (HH Ratings)
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1989–1990 Season (HH Ratings) (1 = 921,000 Homes)
1990–1991 Season (HH Ratings)
1991–1992 Season (HH Ratings)
1992–1993 Season (HH Ratings)
- 1. The Young and the Restless 8.4
- 2. All My Children 7.3
1993–1994 Season (HH Ratings) (1 = 942,000 Homes)
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1994–1995 Season (HH Ratings)
- 1. The Young and the Restless 7.5
- 2. All My Children 6.1
1995 Ratings (Millions of Viewers)
1995–1996 Season (HH Ratings)
1996–1997 Season
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1997–1998 Season
1998–1999 Season (HH Ratings)
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1999–2000 Season (HH Ratings) (Nielsen)
2000–2001 Season
2001–2002 Season
2002–2003 Season
2003–2004 Season
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2004–2005 Season
2005–2006 Season (HH Ratings)
2006–2007 Season (HH Ratings)
2007–2008 Season (HH Ratings)
2008–2009 Season
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2009–2010 Season
The show reached a record low of 1,931,000 viewers on August 22, 2008. Its former low was 2,144,000 viewers on November 2, 2007. (Nielsen Media Research)
Monday: 2,758,000
Tuesday: 2,913,000
Wednesday: 2,772,000
Thursday: 3,031,000
Friday: 3,475,000
All My Children had an overall increase of 495,000 viewers from the previous week, making it the second most watched daytime soap after The Young and the Restless. All My Children's final episode beat the final episodes of the three previous canceled soaps: As the World Turns, Guiding Light and Passions.
- January 5, 1970 – July 4, 1975: 1:00–1:30 PM (12:00–12:30 PM, CT/PT)
- July 7, 1975 – January 14, 1977: 12:30–1:00 PM (11:30 AM–12:00 PM, CT/PT)
- January 17, 1977 – April 22, 1977: 1:00–1:30 PM (12:00–12:30 PM, CT/PT)
- April 25, 1977 – September 23, 2011: 1:00–2:00 PM (12:00–1:00 PM, CT/PT)
From January 1970 to July 1975, the show aired for thirty minutes at 1 p.m. (12 p.m.), but when the new Ryan's Hope premiered, All My Children was bumped up a half-hour to 12:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m.). It returned to its original time slot in January 1977 and has been there since, expanding to sixty-minute episodes on April 25, 1977.
At the time of the show's cancellation, All My Children aired Monday through Friday at 1 p.m. Eastern, with an option to air the show at noon (11 a.m. Central Time) for stations that air news in that time slot. Encores were aired on SOAPnet in primetime at 8 p.m. (7 p.m.), late nights at 1 a.m. (midnight), and early mornings at 7 a.m. (6 a.m.). The week's episodes aired in a marathon on Sunday nights at midnight (11 p.m.).
SOAPnet is currently airing classic episodes from 2006 at 1 A.M. EST, and 2 A.M. EST. 12.AM and 1 A.M. CST.
In Australia, All My Children airs on free to air channel 7TWO at 11 a.m. weekdays. 7TWO is currently airing episodes from 2007. It had previously aired on Network Ten in the late 1980s.
In France, All My Children, under the title La Force du Destin (Strength of Destiny) was aired on TF1 in March 2003, with episodes eight years behind the US during a week at 2:30 p.m. (after The Young and the Restless). But, because of a fall of the audience, the show was canceled.
In Italy, All My Children, under the title La valle dei pini (Pine Valley), started to air on Canale 5 in September 1985 at 2:30 p.m., with episodes four years behind the US In January 1987, it was moved to another channel, Rete 4, always at 2:30 p.m. At the end of the decade, La valle dei pini began airing in late afternoon (and from September 1990 with only half US episode each evening), after a bunch of Latin American telenovelas and before General Hospital. Then, in September 1991, the show was moved to 9:00 a.m. All My Children was canceled in May 1992, with episodes at that time six years behind the US.
As of 2012, New Zealand, will start airing All My Children on TV3 1 p.m. weekdays. TV3 airs episodes from 2010. TV3 has reportedly canceled their contract with ABC NETWORK after learning of the show's demise.
All My Children is broadcast in South Africa every weekday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. CAT. Episodes are currently four years behind the USA.
All My Children aired on CTV Two 12 p.m. PT, 1 p.m. ET in Canada until its 2011 cancellation. The program was also previously seen on Citytv stations in Calgary CKAL-TV, Edmonton CKEM-TV, and Winnipeg CHMI-TV. Prior to 1998, All My Children aired on the CBC Television network.
In Solomon Islands, All My Children aired on Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation Mondays to Friday at 1:00 p.m.
Here is the list of the winners at the Daytime Emmy Awards; the show and its performers have been nominated in excess of 250 times.
- 1981 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
- 1988 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
- 1992 "Outstanding Drama Series"
- 1994 "Outstanding Drama Series"
- 1995 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
- 1995 "Outstanding Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control"
- 1995 "Outstanding Live and Tape Sound Mixing and Sound Effects"
- 1996 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
- 1997 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
- 1998 "Outstanding Drama Series"
- 1998 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
- 1998 "Outstanding Makeup"
- 1998 "Outstanding Multiple Camera Editing"
- 1998 "Outstanding Live and Direct To Tape Sound Mixing"
- 1999 "Outstanding Music Direction And Composition"
- 2001 "Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing"
- 2001 "Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling"
- 2002 "Outstanding Achievement in Casting"
- 2002 "Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design"
- 2002 "Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control"
- 2002 "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition"
- 2003 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
- 2005 "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series" (tied with One Life to Live)
- 2007 "Outstanding Achievement In Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control"
- 2008 "Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction/ Electronic Camera/Video Control"
- 2009 "Outstanding Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design"
- 2009 "Outstanding Lighting Direction"
- 2009 "Outstanding Live & Direct To Tape Sound Mixing"
- 2009 "Outstanding Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control" (tied with The Young and the Restless)
- 2010 "Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design"
- 2010 "Outstanding Lighting Direction"
- 2010 "Outstanding Makeup"
- 2011 "Outstanding Hairstyling"
In 2010, All My Children was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for "Outstanding Daily Drama" during the 21st GLAAD Media Awards.[86]
| Duration |
Name |
| 1970 to 1981 |
Agnes Nixon |
| 1981 to 1982 |
Agnes Nixon & Wisner Washam |
| 1982 to 1986 |
Wisner Washam |
| 1986 to 1987 |
Wisner Washam & Lorraine Broderick |
| 1987 to 1988 |
Lorraine Broderick |
| March 1988 to August 1988 |
1988 Writers Guild of America strike |
| August 1988 to January 1989 |
Lorraine Broderick |
| January 1989 to March 1989 |
Lorraine Broderick & Victor Miller |
| March 1989 to November 1989 |
Margaret DePriest |
| November 1989 to May 1992 |
Agnes Nixon |
| May 1992 to April 1995 |
Megan McTavish |
| April 1995 to June 1995 |
Agnes Nixon (interim) |
| June 1995 to December 1997 |
Lorraine Broderick |
| December 1997 to May 1999 |
Megan McTavish |
| May 1999 to June 1999 |
Agnes Nixon & Elizabeth Page |
| June 1999 to November 1999 |
Agnes Nixon, Elizabeth Page, and Jean Passanante |
| November 1999 to January 2001 |
Agnes Nixon and Jean Passanante |
| January 2001 to August 2001 |
Jean Passanante (with Michael Conforti in May 2001) |
| August 2001 to September 2001 |
no head writer credited |
| September 2001 to December 2002 |
Richard Culliton |
| December 2002 to March 2003 |
Gordon Rayfield |
| March 2003 to June 2003 |
Gordon Rayfield and Anna Cascio |
| July 2003 to February 2007 |
Megan McTavish |
| May 2007 to July 25, 2007 |
no head writer credited |
| July 26, 2007 to January 14, 2008 |
James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten |
| January 15, 2008 to January 30, 2008 |
Julie Hanan Carruthers and Brian Frons (WGA strike) |
| January 31, 2008 to August 26, 2008 |
James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten |
| August 27, 2008 to November 20, 2009 |
Charles Pratt, Jr. |
| November 22, 2009 to March 12, 2010 |
Lorraine Broderick (interim) |
| March 15, 2010 to April 1, 2011 |
David Kreizman and Donna Swajeski |
| April 4, 2011 to September 23, 2011 |
Lorraine Broderick |
Jill Ackles, Larry Auerbach, James A. Baffico, Jack Coffey, Jean Dadario Burke, Christopher Goutman, Sherrell Hoffman, Del Hughes, Henry Kaplan, Andrew Lee, Robert Scinto, Susan Simon, Diana B. Wenman
Felicia Minei Behr, Jean Dadario Burke, Michael Laibson, Heidi Adam, Terry Cacavio, Thomas DeVilliers, Lisa Connor, Linda Laundra, Stephen Schenkel, Nancy Horwich
Neal Bell, Clarice Blackburn, Bettina F. Bradbury, Craig Carlson, Cathy Chicos, Hal Corley, Christina Covino, Carolyn Culliton, William Delligan, Judith Donato, Caroline Franz, Sharon Epstein, Charlotte Gibson, David Hiltrand, Janet Iacobuzio, Anita Jaffe, Frederick Johnson, Susan Kirshenbaum, Kathleen Klein, N. Gail Lawrence, Mimi Leahy, Kathleen Klein, Karen Lewis, Taylor Miller, Victor Miller, Jane Owen Murphy, Juliet Law Packer, Michelle Patrick, John PiRoman, Pete T. Rich, John Saffron, Courtney Simon, Peggy Sloan, Elizabeth Smith, Gillian Spencer, Millee Taggart, Ralph Wakefield, Elizabeth Wallace, Addie Walsh, Mary K. Wells, Jack Wood, Rodney Christopher, Laura Siggia, Moses Thomas Greene, Wisner Washam
| Writers |
Producers/Consultants |
Directors |
| Lorraine Broderick, Addie Walsh, Lisa Connor, Lloyd Gold, Chip Hayes, Kate Hall, Joanna Cohen, Rebecca Taylor, Dave Ryan, James Harmon Brown, Barbara Esensten, Jeff Beldner. |
Julie Hanan Carruthers (Executive Producer), Karen Johnson, Jack Houghton, Nadine Aronson, Barry Gingold, Joann Busiglio, Enza Dolce, Brian Frons |
Casey Childs, Steven Williford, Angela Tessinari, Anthony Pascarelli, Jill Ackles, Michael V. Pomarico, Shelley Curtis, Judy Blye Wilson |
The game company TSR, Inc. introduced the All My Children game in 1985, based on the daytime drama. The game sold more than 150,000 copies.[88]
A DVD was released on January 24, 2004 titled Daytime's Greatest Weddings which contained All My Children and other daytime soaps' weddings.[89]
- ^ "All My Children". TV.com. http://www.tv.com/all-my-children/show/62/summary.html. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
- ^ a b H.W. Wilson Company (1986). Current Biography. H.W. Wilson Company. pp. 128 (specific page). http://books.google.com/books?id=6pMYAAAAIAAJ&q=erica+kane.
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- ^ [1]
- ^ Prospect Park Begins Official Negotiations with ‘All My Children’ Actors | Soap Opera Network
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- ^ [2]
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