Prospect Park

On Thursday, May 16, Prospect Park announced its plan to reduce the episode orders of both “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” from the previously planned 168 original episodes per year (excluding Friday “MORE” shows) to just 110 episodes. Fans remain divided on whether the stated reasons behind the change from four original episodes to just two per week was in fact due to the binge viewing the company claimed in their press release or some bigger reason(s) we’re all not privy to, however, the company does admit they can quickly change things should the demand catch up to the supply.

“When the demand grows for more episodes we have the ability to readjust quickly,” a statement read on the “AMC” Facebook page after a concerned viewer asked,”how far into the future will a decision be made about whether there will be more episodes ordered beyond the 110?” The “AMC” Facebook page added to their response in which they said, “The demand of episodes is measured by viewership of each episode.” Of course, that means the more you watch, the more you get. Isn’t that how it’s always been though?

What Do You Think?

ABC Studios

Cancelled primetime dramas “666 Park Avenue” and “Zero Hour” may no longer be in production but fans will get closer to a conclusion to their epic tales as Deadline is reporting that ABC plans to burn off the remaining episodes of both series starting in June.

In its report, Deadline says that “Zero Hour” will begin airing its final episodes on Saturday, June 15 from 8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT. Then, on Saturday, June 22, “Hour” will continue airing from 8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT as it leads into “666 Park Avenue,” which begins airing its final batch of episodes from 9:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT that night.

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The OnLine Network/TOLN

For the first time ever fans of “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” will be able to watch a legal copy of the premiere episodes of both soaps, which launched on Monday, April 29 via Hulu, Hulu Plus and iTunes. Just a short time ago, Prospect Park‘s The OnLine Network uploaded the premiere episodes on its TOLNSoaps YouTube page for the viewing pleasure of fans all around the world (ie. no region cap). “TOLNSoaps on YouTube is a hub for all fans of the shows, a place to watch Behind the Scenes content, Recaps, Previews and Interviews through a platform that allows for free streaming on all devices including mobile. Subscriptions to the TOLNSoaps channel on Youtube is free,” read a notice sent out to fans signed up for the TOLN newsletter.

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Mark Mainz/Getty Images Entertainment

According to TV Guide‘s Michael Logan, Rena Sofer (ex-Lois Cerullo, “General Hospital“) is joining the cast of CBS’ “The Bold and the Beautiful” as Quinn Fuller, the mother of Darin Brooks‘ Wyatt Fuller. “Not a lot of deets yet, except that Mama is as mysterious as Sonny Boy and both have secrets that will rock the soap,” the publication reported.

In addition to her Emmy award winning role on “GH,” Sofer has appeared in episodes of CBS’ “NCIS” and “Two and a Half Men.” Most recently, the actress portrayed Queen Eva in an episode of ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” and appeared as Sabrina Meyer on The CW’s “Beauty and the Beast.”

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Sean Smith/JPI Studios

According to a report by E! Online, “The Young and the Restless‘” Michelle Stafford is departing the daytime drama series after 16 years portraying the role of Phyllis Summers off and on since 1994 (1994-1997 and 2000-present), according to their sources.

In mid-April, Stafford addressed fan concerns over her characters then recent onscreen disappearance. “I am still on the show,” she wrote in assurance to worried fans. “Just not working a lot.”

A rep for “Y&R” was unavailable for comment at press time.

As previously reported, ABC Entertainment Group President, Paul Lee, has called much of the networks new 2013-2014 primetime dramas “soaps,” and we definitely agree with that assessment. Wondering what our readers thought of the shows, we thought we’d give you a closer look at the networks new dramatic offerings.

FALL DRAMAS

Tuesdays
8:00 PM – “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.“

Clark Gregg reprises his role of Agent Phil Coulson from Marvel’s feature films, as he assembles a small, highly select group of Agents from the worldwide law-enforcement organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. Together they investigate the new, the strange and the unknown around the globe, protecting the ordinary from the extraordinary. Coulson’s team consists of Agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), highly trained in combat and espionage; Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen), expert pilot and martial artist; Agent Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker), brilliant engineer; and Agent Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge), genius bio-chemist. Joining them on their journey into mystery is new recruit and computer hacker Skye (Chloe Bennet).

Tuesdays
10:00 PM – “Lucky 7“

In Astoria, Queens, a group of seven gas station employees have been chipping into a lottery pool for months, never thinking they’d actually win. Money could solve problems for each of them: Matt (Matt Long) could get his girlfriend and two kids out of his mother’s house; Matt’s brother, Nicky (Stephen Louis Grush), an ex-con, could pay off a dangerous debt; Samira (Summer Bishil), a second-generation Pakistani immigrant, could afford to go to Juilliard; Denise (Lorraine Bruce), a plucky cashier, could focus on rebuilding her crumbling marriage; Leanne (Anastasia Phillips), a young mother, could help her daughter realize her dreams; Bob (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.), the store’s manager, could finally retire; and Antonio (Luis Antonio Ramos) could give his wife and kids a whole new life.

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Jessica ‘Jessie’ Malakouti made her soap opera debut last week on “One Life to Live” as a new character named “Dusky,” a singer looking to catch her big break at Blair Cramer’s (Kassie DePaiva) new nightclub, Shelter. To learn more about the actress and singer, and her first day on the job, watch the clip below.

Malakouti is the lead singer for the popular group Jessie and the Toy Boys.

Warner Bros. Television

On Sunday, June 16, SOAPnet will present a four-episode father’s day marathon of “One Tree Hill” dubbed “Buff Daddy.” The marathon is scheduled to run from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM ET/PT.

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Apple, Inc.

It remains unclear whether it was done in anticipation of the recent schedule change and the subsequent carriage loss by FX Canada, but we can report that both “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” are now available for download on the Canadian iTunes store. According to both the “AMC” and “OLTL” iTunes Canada pages, the shows were first listed on iTunes Canada on Monday, May 13. Episodes are currently priced at $9.99 for multi-pass access or $1.99 per episode.

If you are a Canadian viewer and upset at the loss of both soaps, you can purchase episodes of either series by clicking on the links below:

“All My Children” on iTunes Canada / “One Life to Live” on iTunes Canada

Rogers Media, Inc.

As a result of Prospect Park‘s announcement that it had reduced the amount of episodes aired each week of “All My Children” and “One Life to Live,” FX Canada has announced that it has dropped both soaps from its lineup with reruns of “30 Rock” taking over the timeslot effective Monday, May 20.

In a statement, FX Canada’s parent company, Rogers Media, said, “Due to changes in production beyond our control,  FX Canada will no longer be airing ‘All My Children’ and ‘One Life to Live.’ Beginning Monday, May 20, back-to-back episodes of critically-acclaimed series ’30 Rock’ will air from noon to 1 p.m. ET on FX Canada.”

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