OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network is hosting a summer fling for soap fans as the network has acquired the first 40 episodes of The OnLine Network’s reprisal of the popular daytime dramas All My Children and One Life to Live for a special exclusive 10-week limited engagement. Half-hour episodes of each show will air Monday through Thursday beginning Monday, July 15 with All My Children at 1 p.m. ET/PT and One Life to Live at 3 p.m. ET/PT only on OWN.
“These shows have proven to be very popular with a significant, loyal fan base, not to mention Oprah herself is a big fan,” said Erik Logan, president, OWN. “Many of our viewers across numerous platforms have expressed their passion for the soaps so we are especially excited to air this limited engagement on OWN.”
“We are really excited to bring OWN viewers and our audience at large an opportunity to catch up on “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” on traditional television,” said Jeff Kwatinetz, CEO Prospect Park Networks. “We look forward to our millions of fans enjoying the first 40 episodes of the shows.”
Winfrey, who had been criticized from soap fans for releasing a video claiming that the soap opera genre back in 2011, took to Twitter to tell soap fans the news.
For 2 years u posted, tweeted, Facebooked me..I heard you. Starting 7/15, we’re having a summer fling w/ the soaps! http://t.co/UCxklWRlcT …
— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) June 26, 2013
“All My Children” revisits the citizens of Pine Valley following the cliffhanger finale of the long-running network series, which saw a gun pointed at a room filled with the community’s elite, and a shot ringing out. Now, five years later, longtime series characters including Brooke English (Julia Barr) and Adam Chandler (David Canary) reflect on the aftermath of that fateful event, new characters are introduced, and life in Pine Valley continues to be fueled by the drama and action that has made the Emmy Award-winning series a fan favorite for decades. Longtime series stars Darnell Williams (Jesse Hubbard), Debbi Morgan (Dr. Angela Hubbard), Vincent Irizarry (Dr. David Hayward), Lindsay Hartley (Cara Martin), Jordi Vilasuso (Griffin Castillo), Jill Larson (Opal Cortlandt), Thorsten Kaye (Zach Slater), Julia Barr (Brooke English), Eden Riegel (Bianca Montgomery), Cady McClain (Dixie Cooney), Ray MacDonnell (Dr. Joe Martin), David Canary (Adam Chandler), Matthew Cowles (Billy Clyde Tuggle) and Michael Nader (Dimitri Marick), are joined by newcomers Robert Scott Wilson (Pete Cortlandt), Sal Stowers (Cassandra Foster), Eric Nelsen (AJ Chandler), Denyse Tontz (Miranda Montgomery), Jordan Lane Price (Celia Fitzgerald), Paula Garces (Lea Marquez), Brooke Newton (Colby Chandler), Jason Pendergraft (Dr. Anders), Heather Roop (Jane McIntyre) and Ryan Bittle (JR Chandler).
As “One Life to Live” makes its return to the small screen, everyone in Llanview, PA is preparing for the opening of a new nightclub, Shelter. But the fun and games of Llanview’s nightlife are soon interrupted by a murder that puts everyone on edge. Longtime series stars return including Melissa Archer (Natalie Buchanan Banks), Kassie DePaiva (Blair Cramer), Roger Howarth (Todd Manning), Florencia Lozano (Tea Delgado), Kelley Missal (Danielle Manning), Erika Slezak (Victoria Lord), Hillary B. Smith (Nora Buchanan), Robin Strasser (Dorian Lord), Jerry verDorn (Clint Buchanan), Tuc Watkins (David Vickers), Robert S. Woods (Bo Buchanan), Shenaz Treasury (Rama Patel), Josh Kelly (Cutter Wentworth) and Andrew Trischitta (Jack Manning) as well as new cast members Corbin Bleu (Jeffrey King), Robert Gorrie (Matthew Buchanan), Laura Harrier (Destiny Evans), Paolo Seganti (Arturo Bandini), Ron Raines (Carl Peterson) and recurring cast including Nick Choksi (Vimal Patel), Alice Callahan (Kate), Marnie Schulenburg (Jo Sullivan) and Sean Ringgold (Shaun Evans).
New episodes of both series, which returned online on April 29, 2013, are being produced by Prospect Park and The OnLine Network (TOLN). “One Life to Live” originally debuted on ABC in 1968 and “All My Children” originally debuted on ABC in 1970. The shows were created by Agnes Nixon, and each ran for more than 40 years, until 2011. Both series have won numerous Daytime Emmys, and have earned hundreds of nominations in various categories.
For more information: http://www.theonlinenetwork.com
For the latest in television news, follow me on Twitter @Phyllis_Thomas
