‘Another World’ Finds New Life Online

(SoapOperaNetwork.com) — A decade after its demise, “Another World” breathes new life on the web.

TeleNext Media, the company that produces “As the World Turns” and the recently canceled “Guiding Light” for Procter & Gamble and CBS, has announced that they will be launching a new website dedicated to the defunct sudser “Another World,” which was canceled in 1999. The site, anotherworldtoday.com, will provide fans with insight into what their favorite characters have been up to in the past decade.

The move comes on the heels of better than expected viewership of classic “AW” episodes on Hulu.com. According to Alina Adams, creative content producer for TeleNext Media, “People still have warm, nostalgic feelings for the show. ‘AW’ ushered a lot of fans into the world of daytime drama. It was their gateway drug. They miss it and they want more.”

Chapter one of the blog is set to debut on May 4th, the 45th anniversary of “AW’s” premiere, with the presumed dead Grant Harrison returning to town to visit his son. Also, Felicia Grant and her friends Dean and Jenna all mysteriously disappear while visiting New York City. Further chapters are expected to follow on a regular basis.

In addition to reading the latest chapter of “Another World Today,” fans can also read updates on popular “AW” characters, view classic clips from the soap, and vote following the conclusion of each week’s webisode, where they think the storyline should go next. The site also promises that, in the near future, fans will “be able to contribute original story ideas, write dialogue, create (or bring back) characters and win prizes for doing so!”

“Another World” was the brainchild of “Guiding Light” creator Irna Phillips and her one-time scribe William J. Bell, who would go on to create “The Young and the Restless” and “The Bold and the Beautiful.” “Another World” premiered on May 4th, 1964 on NBC, and enjoyed a long and successful run, before coming to an end on June 25th, 1999. In its 35 year history, the soap tackled a number of controversial storylines, including abortion and having children out of wedlock. Starting out as a thirty minute daytime serial, “AW” expanded to sixty minutes in 1975. However, it briefly converted to an unheard of ninety minutes from 1979-1980, before returning to the more traditional hour long format. The show also spawned two spin-offs, “Somerset” (1970-76) and “Texas” (1980-82). Although “AW” was considered a sister soap to “As the World Turns,” there were no crossovers over references made between the two soaps given the fact that “AW” aired on NBC and “ATWT” on CBS. This was due to the fact that CBS had no room for the start-up soap on their daytime schedule. However a shrewd Phillips managed to sell “AW” to NBC after removing all references to “ATWT” from the new soap’s storylines.

“Another World” can claim a long list of big name celebrities as alumni, including Christine Baranski, Faith Ford, Morgan Freeman, Kelsey Grammar, Jackee Harry, Anne Hache, Lindsay Lohan, Rue McClanahan, Ed O’Neal, Luke Perry, Brad Pitt, Kim Rhodes, Ted Shackleford, Susan Sullivan, and Jean Smart. Major guest stars included Dick Cavett, Crystal Gayle, Liberace, Joan Rivers, Al Roker, and Betty White.

New installments of “Another World Today” are scheduled to be broadcast on the website on a weekly basis beginning in May. Visit anotherworldtoday.com for more information.