GH’s Maurice Benard on ABC Canceling AMC and OLTL: ‘They Made a Big Mistake’
April 14, 2011, was a dark day for fans of ABC Daytime: That was when the network announced that it was canceling the long-running soap operas All My Children and One Life to Live. During an appearance on State of Mind, the YouTube series hosted by General Hospital’s Maurice Benard (Sonny), Benard and his guest, Cameron Mathison (Drew, GH), who both kicked off their soap careers on AMC, reflected on the shocking loss of the two shows.
Regrets Only
Mathison noted how surprised he was when the axe fell and he was forced to say good-bye to Pine Valley and his character, Ryan Lavery. “Something that’s been on the air for 42 years that people love,” he said, “You’re just in denial. Like, it’s not reality that it could go away.”
The actor first appeared as Ryan Lavery on AMC back in 1998. He took a break from 2002-03, then returned to the soap, where he remained until its final episode on ABC, which aired on September 23, 2011. (OLTL’s last ABC episode fell on January 13, 2012.) And Benard, who is best known for playing Sonny Corinthos on GH for the past three decades, got his own start on AMC playing the character of Nico Kelly from 1987-90.
“They made a — and they know they did — they made a huge mistake canceling All My Children and One Life to Live,” Benard declared. “I think it was one of those things where [they] didn’t know the power of [the] soap opera audience.”
First Love: Nico and Cecily’s (Rosa Nevins) marriage started off as one of convenience but soon turned very real.
Mathison then mentioned how ABC had launched other shows during AMC and OLTL’s time slots, but the soaps’ replacement series, The Chew and The Revolution were short-lived. “And that’s why it’s difficult to cancel a soap now,” Benard added. “Because I think they learn from that. That’s my opinion.” Indeed, no network has said good-bye to a daytime drama since, while earlier this year CBS added a show to its soap lineup (Beyond The Gates).
Back in 2011, as AMC was winding up its 41-year run on ABC, Mathison mused to Soap Opera Digest that the imminent end date of the show felt “totally surreal. Part of me is still in denial… I put the last tape date in my calendar and I looked where it was and I was thinking, ‘I’ve got three weeks and one day left.’ Like, this show, this part of my life, is over in three weeks! It was almost like I needed a visual aid to really let it sink in. And I don’t think it totally has sunk in yet. It’s a big deal, a big deal for me. Maybe it’s not a big deal in general, but it’s a big deal for me, especially what I’ve gone through in my time on the show, what the show has meant to me, how loyal I am to the family on this show and how much I love them all… That last day… it’s going to be a very hard day.”
Now, looking back, Mathison agreed with Benard that ABC erred in canceling the two long-running soaps. “I bet you’re right,” he told his GH co-star. “I bet you there’s people that absolutely regret it.”
The Way We Were: Mathison on the AMC set in 2011 with Pine Valley leading lady Rebecca Budig (ex-Greenlee), who went on to play Hayden on GH before landing on B&B as Taylor.
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