With the news earlier this fall, that One Life to Live won't be going HD filming, the sounds get louder towards a cancellation. Is there anything that realistically can be done to keep the show on the air? Is the lack of talk about this situation an indication that people don't care?
One Life to Live has been seen for many years as the lesser of the ABC soaps. OLTL isn't General Hospital, which was saved from the brink of cancellation approximately 30 years ago, and skyrocketed to number one in the ratings. A “miracle” like that happening in today's television landscape is almost unfathomable. OLTL isn't All My Children, Agnes Nixon’s baby, who has the most recognizable actress to non-soap watchers in Susan Lucci. With that show moving out west to a new studio, which will have HD cameras, it seems to show a commitment to All My Children. It is doubtful that ABC would move most of the performers across the country just to cancel the program in six months. As a show, One Life to Live seems to live under the radar even if within the industry many seem to appreciate its value as a critical darling.
Increasing visibility of One Life to Live would be key to any strategy as that usually fosters more discussion as does actors making public appearances. Seeing both Soap Opera Digest and Soap Opera Weekly give full covers to the show within the same month is a quite welcome change. TV Guide also did a feature in its soap section. The articles showcased different parts of the program, which is another plus, as it casts a wider net to potential viewers. Having this happen close or during sweeps month hopefully will have a positive impact in the ratings when it counts the most. If people who are soap viewers, lapsed or otherwise hear positive comments on the show, they may tune into it.
If interest is only shown with increased online chatter, which doesn’t cause any revenue, I wonder if TPTB really care. More recent ratings reports from the summer have stated that One Life to Live added viewers on SoapNet, but is that enough to keep the show on the air. Writing letters and calling can only do so much. Contact to the network, the program and the publications may make one feel better, but it may not achieve anything. Pleading with people, who don’t have much interest in keeping the show on the air and attempting to change minds is extremely difficult.
If the network doesn’t care about One Life to Live surviving, and only is using it as a placeholder until they can find a cheaper alternative, I don’t know if anything we do as viewers change the tide. Once the network finds something that is even more inexpensive, and is expected to garner similar ratings, those who enjoy watching One Life to Live are out of time and out of luck.
As viewers, we should try to enjoy as much as we can for as long as we can. Perhaps that is why the screams in horror over the cancellation have quieted as long as the show is on, there is a possibility for it to continue, and the best way to support it is to keep watching. The warning signs may be impossible to ignore, but they should not be the sole motivator. It is difficult when any of our stories end, but if all we do is worry about them ending, it is hard to find any joy in what is in front of our faces.
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