Is it the death knell for soap operas I hear ringing?
ABC Television has decided not to renew All My Children and One Life To Live. The two long running daytime serial programs are under performing for the network and both will be off the air by early next year.
AMC last air date will be in September of 2011 and OLTL closes up January of 2012. The Chew and The Revolution are replacement programming – one hour of informative lifestyle and topical shows that will pair up with The View.
In an announcement, ABC says “these new shows expand ABC Daytime’s focus to include more programming that is informative and authentic and centers on transformation, food and lifestyle — cornerstones of programming that resonates with daytime viewers as evidenced by the success of The View.”
“While we are excited about our new shows and the shift in our business, I can’t help but recognize how bittersweet the change is,” said ABC Daytime President Brian Frons in a statement. “We are taking this bold step to expand our business because viewers are looking for different types of programming these days. They are telling us there is room for informative, authentic and fun shows that are relatable, offer a wide variety of opinions and focus on ‘real life’ takeaways.”
The Revolution will focus on health and wellness featuring one woman each week who has a five month long weight loss documented and presented daily for the week. Reveals and final weight loss totals will be shown at the end of the 5 day focus.
The Chew is a food-centric series with some famous culinary hosts including former Iron Chef Mario Batali, current Iron Chef Michael Symon and Top Chef contestant Carla Hall. What Not to Wear host Clinton Kelley is also on tap for the new show.
From the press release: “As food has become the center of everyone’s life, “The Chew” will focus on food from EVERY angle — as a source of joy, health, family ritual, friendship, breaking news, dating, fitness, weight loss, travel adventures and life’s moments.”
I’m on board with just about anything you put Carla Hall on – I just adore her and can imagine her personality being able to shine on a show like this, but who the heck decided to call it The Chew? What a gawd-awful name. I think of an old guy in a rocker on a porch spitting tobacco. Gross! Honestly – what a terrible name. Blech.
[image: ABC TV]
Comments(2)
