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HOME / Columns / My View of Llanview / My View of Llanview: April 30 Edition

My View of Llanview

My View of Llanview: April 30 Edition

HOME / Columns / My View of Llanview / My View of Llanview: April 30 Edition

My View of Llanview

My View of Llanview: April 30 Edition

My View of Llanview: April 30 Edition

(SoapOperaNetwork.com) — Who might be returning for “One Life to Live’s” grand finale, and could the show find a new home on another network?

Just two weeks after ABC dropped a bombshell on fans of “One Life to Live” and “All My Children,” rumors have begun to swirl regarding the network’s decision, along with speculation that one or both soaps may be picked up by another broadcast or cable network. In all likelihood, however, both “AMC” and “OLTL” will be still gone as of their Alphabet Network mandated end dates of September and January, respectively. As harsh as it may be to accept, it is something that we must prepare for as soap fans. As the old saying goes, “prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.”

You have no doubt heard in recent days the many unconfirmed reports that NBC and/or SONY (which produces “Days of Our Lives” for NBC and “The Young and the Restless” for CBS) was in the midst of hammering out a top secret deal to pick up both “AMC” and “OLTL” from ABC to potentially air on NBC weekday afternoons. Sounds great, doesn’t it?  Why of course it does. Remember, however, that when something sounds to good to be true, it probably is. The same can also be said of the similar rumor that NBC is/was considering purchasing just “One Life,” as a companion for “DAYS.” At this point, all of this looks to be nothing more than an elaborate rumor, which has yet to receive any credence from a major media outlet. And, while, those same media outlets have also not emphatically denied the rumor either, that doesn’t mean we can look forward to seeing either Erica Kane or Victoria Lord on NBC anytime soon. In other words, I will believe it when I see it. Until then, I am remaining highly skeptical of this speculation. Although, stranger things have happened, so we cannot say with absolute certainly that the two soaps won’t switch from being managed by a mouse to a peacock (never say never, after all), but I wouldn’t bet the bank on it just yet.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point-of-view), at least one rumor has been debunked since the cancellation news broke on April 14th. Following thousands and thousands of posts on Internet message boards and social networking sites by fans claiming otherwise, media guru Oprah Winfrey announced in a video clip on her website that she had no interest whatsoever in placing either “All My Children” or “One Life to Live” on the schedule of her new cable/satellite network OWN. The announcement led to near chaos for some desperate soap fans, who blasted the queen of talk for her decision, which led to cries of boycotting the last few months of her daytime talk show as well as OWN, in addition to many personal threats and other highly unflattering remarks being made against Winfrey herself. While I can certainly understand the passion of these loyal soap fans, their vendetta against Oprah is unjustified and unwarranted. I love soaps (“OLTL” in particular) just as much as the next person, but you have to know when to draw the line. Enough is enough.

With all that said, as it stands right now, “One Life to Live” is still going off the air in January after 43 1/2 years on the air. As we inch ever closer to the end, I would like to take a moment to ponder which former cast members may potentially return to Llanview to help wrap up the show in its final months.

For starters, Andrea Evans (Tina Lord) has already announced publicly that would love to return to “OLTL,” as has Brandon Buddy (Cole Thornhart). Tonja Walker (Alex Olanov) and Catherine Hickland (Lindsay Rappaport) would likely agree to reprise their roles as well. And it should not be too hard to convince Michael Storm (Larry Wolek), Dan Gauthier (Kevin Buchanan), John Loprieno (Cord Roberts), Robert Krimmer (Andrew Carpenter), Laura Bonarrigo (Cassie Callison), Pamela Payton-Wright (Addie Cramer), James DePaiva (Max Holden), Timothy D. Sitckney (R.J. Gannon), and Nathan Purdee (Hank Gannon) to come back, at least briefly. In addition, Kathy Brier and Chris Stack (Marcie and Michael McBain) would also probably return if asked.

On the other hand, those clamoring for Judith Light (Karen Wolek) or Ellen Holly (Carla Hall) shouldn’t hold their breath. Light has never appeared to have any desire to return to her daytime roots, while Holly’s relationship with show became soured more than two decades ago, following her unceremonious firing in 1985 by then “OLTL” Executive Producer Paul Rauch.  Of course, there is always the chance that one or both of them may ultimately agree to return to help give the show a proper send off, but I personally don’t see that happening. Furthermore, even if they do return, what purpose would they serve? Sure, it would be a nice nod to both long term viewers, as well as newer ones who are familiar with the show’s history, but what would they do and who would they interact with? As noted above, Holly left the show in 1985, while Light left in 1983. Not very people that either of their characters corresponded with during their stay in Llanview are still there, with the exceptions of Viki, Dorian, Bo, Clint, and perhaps Echo.  But that’s it….they would have no idea who the hell anyone else was, unless the writers were to create an elaborate back-story where Viki or Dorian had been keeping in touch with them over all these years or something. But aside from that, they would appear out of place.

Who do you think should return to help usher “One Life to Live” off-the-air? I would like to hear your thoughts on the subject. So be sure and leave your comment below.

Moving on, congratulations to “CBRVA,” who correctly identified last time’s mystery “OLTL” celebrity guest star, which was Richard Grieco. From 1986-87 Grieco played Rick Gardner on “One Live to Live,” before going on to star in “21 Jump Street.”

In case you missed the clues, here they are:

This model turned actor played a ‘Gardner’ in the mid 1980’s, before jumping out of daytime and into a successful primetime series.

Now it’s time to play another round of “Llanview, Who Am I?,” a new feature where you have to use the clues to figure out the identity of some mystery future celebrity from “OLTL’s” past. See if you can figure it out. Good luck!!!

This Tennessee born actor gained some northern exposure when he appeared in Llanview in the late 1960s and on stage after leaving town, but didn’t achieve primetime success until more than two decades later.

So who is this mystery group from the past? I’ll have the answers in the May 15th edition of My View of Llanview. And don’t forget to check out my Twitter page for all the latest “OLTL” news and information at SON.

Now, before I wrap up this column, I’m going to look into my crystal ball and give you a quick sneak peek at a few things coming up a few weeks down the road. These are for the week of May 16th. An intimate secret is revealed. One man is shocked by what he learns. Someone resorts to drastic action to keep from losing everything. And one person spirals out of control.

Well that’s concludes yet another column. Have a great weekend! Take care and stay safe. And until next time remember, we only have “One Life to Live”…

  • All My Children
  • One Life to Live
  • The Young and the Restless
  • ABC
  • Erica Kane
  • NBC
  • Chris Stack
  • Kathy Brier
  • Tonja Walker
  • Brandon Buddy
  • Llanview
  • Dan Gauthier
  • SONY
  • Catherine Hickland
  • Oprah Winfrey
  • The Oprah Winfrey Show
  • Days of our Lives
  • Paul Rauch
  • Andrea Evans
  • Michael Storm
  • OWN
  • John Loprieno
  • Laura Bonarrigo
  • Robert Krimmer
  • Pamela Payton Wright
  • Nathan Purdee
  • Judith Light
  • Ellen Holly
  • Richard Grieco
  • 21 Jump Street
  • Victoria Lord
  • James DePaiva
  • Timothy D. Stickney

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