Remembering ATWT on the 15th Anniversary of its Final Episode

September 17, 2025, marks 15 years since the final episode of As the World Turns aired on CBS over five decades after its premiere on April 2, 1956. Fans who had become enthralled by the drama going on in the fictional town of Oakdale, Illinois, were left heartbroken when the network announced the soap’s cancellation on December 8, 2009, and the world finally stopped turning after 54 years on September 17, 2010.

What a Wonderful World

Created by Irna Phillips, ATWT made its debut in 1956 as a half-hour show, twice as long as previous soaps, which had only been 15 minutes in length. It soon rose in the ratings and began broadcasting in color on August 21, 1967. Then, on December 1, 1975, ATWT expanded to a full hour of drama every single day.

When the soap premiered, the Hughes family was at the center of the drama. Over time, the canvas grew to include others, like the Lowells, Stewarts, and Snyders. Actors like Helen Wagner (Nancy), Don Hastings (Bob), Eileen Fulton (Lisa), Elizabeth Hubbard (Lucinda), Martha Byrne (Lily/Rose), and Jon Hensley (Holden) played their roles for decades.

ATWT also proved a launching pad for stars like Lauryn Hill (Kira), James Earl Jones (Jerry), Swoosie Kurtz (Ellie), Julianne Moore (Frannie/Sabrina), Ming-Na (Lien), Meg Ryan (Betsy), Amanda Seyfried (Lucy), Martin Sheen (Jack), Marisa Tomei (Marcy), Steven Weber (Kevin), and James Van Der Beek (Stephen). Among its alumni still working in soaps today are Sharon Case (Debbie; now Sharon, Young and Restless), Roger Howarth (Paul, who is joining the cast of Y&R this fall), Christian J. LeBlanc (Kirk; now Michael, Y&R) and Maura West (Carly; now Ava, General Hospital).

Viewers fell in love with couples like Jeff and Penny, Bob and Kim, Tom and Margo, Steve and Betsy, Holden and Lily, and Jack and Carly. They also thrilled to storylines like James Stenbeck’s return from the dead with a “Hello, Barbara,” Tom and Margo’s wild adventure in Africa tracking down the villainous Mr. Big, the reveal that Iva and Josh were Lily’s biological parents, Lisa’s numerous marriages, and the groundbreaking gay male couple of Luke and Noah, nicknamed “Nuke” by their fans.

Over the years, ATWT took home numerous Daytime Emmy Awards. The soap received the Outstanding Drama Series trophy four times — in 1987, 1991, 2001, and 2003 — and an equal number of statuettes for Outstanding Writing. Its highly respected acting troupe netted 21 acting wins, plus Lifetime Achievement Awards for Fulton, Hastings and Wagner.

Join us for a trip back in time courtesy of our special gallery full of classic characters and moments from Oakdale’s storied history.

CBS via Getty Images

When ATWT premiered, its drama centered around the Hughes family, seen here in the heart of their home, the kitchen, and represented by (clockwise from l.) Santos Ortega (Grandpa Will Hughes), Helen Wagner (Nancy Hughes), Rosemary Prinz (Penny Hughes), Mark Rydell (Jeff Baker), Richard Holland (Don Hughes) and Don MacLaughlin (Chris Hughes).

CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection

Penny Hughes fell hard for Jeff Baker, and after they impulsively eloped, her disapproving mother, Nancy, convinced them to get an annulment. After Penny later got engaged to Tom Pope, Jeff proclaimed his love and won back his sweetheart. The young couple was then married in a beautiful church ceremony. Jeff's death in a 1962 car crash led to CBS being inundated with protest calls and letters.

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Nancy also didn't approve of son Bob's (Don Hastings) marriage to Lisa Miller (Eileen Fulton), but over time, the two women developed a bond, and even after the union fell apart, Lisa and Nancy remained close.

Sheldon Secunda/CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection

This fun outtake shows some of the ATWT cast circa 1971. Top Row (from l.): Nina Hart (Meredith), Jerry Lacy (Simon), Larry Bryggman (John), Swoosie Kurtz (Ellie). Second Row (from l.): Ethel Remey (Alma), Fran Carlon (Julia), Henderson Forsythe (David), Marie Masters (Susan). Third Row (from l.): Peter Gaiman (Tom), Eileen Fulton (Lisa), Phoebe Dorin (Penny), Rita McLaughlin (Carol). Bottom Row (from l.): Santos Ortega (Will), Helen Wagner (Nancy), Don MacLaughlin (Chris), William Johnstone (James).

CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection

The characters of Tom and Margo Hughes were recast many times over the years, but the pairing became a bona fide daytime supercouple in the early '80s with Margaret Colin and Justin Deas in the roles. Colin and Deas, who won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 1984 for his work on the show, fell in love in real life, as well, and have been married since 1988.

CBS via Getty Images

Despite Craig Montgomery's (Scott Bryce, r.) best efforts at scheming — including faking paralysis and claiming paternity of Betsy Stewart's (Meg Ryan) daughter, Danielle — Betsy's love for Steve Andropoulos (Frank Runyeon) won out in the end, and the popular couple were married in a traditional Greek Orthodox ceremony on May 31, 1984.

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In the August 1, 1984 episode, Marisa Tomei's Marcy enjoyed a special "Cinderella Concert" with a live performance by Whitney Houston and Jermaine Jackson, who dueted on the song "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do."

STEVE PREZANT/CBS

Spoiled little rich girl Lily Walsh (Martha Byrne) and working-class stable boy Holden Snyder (Jon Hensley) came together from opposite sides of the tracks to create one of ATWT's most popular supercouples.

CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection

In 1986, the Hughes family included (clockwise from bottom l.) Julianne Moore (Frannie), Don MacLaughlin (Chris), Kathryn Hays (Kim), Don Hastings (Bob), Gregg Marx (Tom), Hillary Bailey Smith (Margo), Helen Wagner (Nancy), and Scott DeFreitas (Andy).

CBS via Getty Images

Frannie fell for the handsome and charming Douglas Cummings (John Wesley Shipp), only to later learn that he was the murdering psycho that was stalking her mother, Kim. He abducted the two women and held them prisoner, and although Kim went on trial for Doug's subsequent murder in 1986, he'd really been offed by jealous ex-lover Marsha Talbot.

CBS via Getty Images

The April 2, 1986, episode was a double anniversary celebration as the soap marked 40 years on the air in a special show where family and friends gathered to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Helen Wagner's Nancy and Don MacLaughlin's Chris.

CBS via Getty Images

A call from Frannie about a look-alike sent Don Hastings's Bob and Kathryn Hays's Kim on an adventure to Venice, where they learned that the child Kim had believed was stillborn had been switched, and the pair eventually tracked down Frannie's identical cousin/half sister, Sabrina (also played by future Oscar-winner Julianne Moore, who earned a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Ingenue in 1988).

Craig Blankenhorn/CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection

Jessica Griffin (Tamara Tunie) and Duncan McKechnie (Michael Swan) fell in love after his previous wife, Shannon, passed away. Despite their families objecting to the interracial relationship, the couple married in 1992. The birth of their daughter, Bonnie, helped bring their disparate clans closer together. Unfortunately, when Duncan learned that Shannon wasn't really dead after all, it spelled the end of their union.

Jim Antonucci/CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection

When John Dixon (Larry Bryggman) and Barbara Ryan (Colleen Zenk) grew closer and spent the night together, she became pregnant, and he showed his commitment to her by proposing. Unfortunately, when Barbara was injured in an explosion in 1997, John was forced to authorize the early birth of their son to save his wife's life. Baby Johnny died soon after being born, and a heartbroken Barbara demanded a divorce.

Arthur L. Cohen/CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection

In 1997, Rosanna offered her sister, Carly Tenney (Maura West), a $50 million trust fund for any child she had with a husband who wasn't Mike, the man they'd previously fought over. Carly desperately wanted to have Jack Snyder's (Michael Park, l.) baby, but when he was incapacitated, she turned to Hal Munson (Benjamin Hendrickson). Then, a panicked Carly asked John to inseminate her to make sure she was pregnant by the deadline, making everything even more complicated! In the end, baby Parker was actually fathered by Hal, though Carly lived happily ever after (eventually!) with Jack.

Arthur L. Cohen/CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection

In the late '90s, Denise Maynard (Cassandra Creech, l.) and Camille Bennett (Lauren B. Martin) fought over the handsome and heroic doctor, Ben Harris (Peter Parros).

Lorenzo Bevilaqua/CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection

After a one-night stand following a Halloween party in 2000, Katie Peretti (Terri Conn) fell hard for Australian con man Simon Frasier (Paul Leyden) and offered to marry him so he wouldn't be deported by INS. The couple eventually fell in love for real, though it sadly didn't last.

John Paschal/jpistudios.com

In 2007, ATWT told its first gay male love story when Luke Snyder (Van Hansis, r.) and Noah Mayer (Jake Silbermann) fell for each other. The pairing was nicknamed "Nuke" by their devoted fans, who were disappointed that Luke and Noah weren't given an appropriately happy ending when the soap came to an end.

John Paschal/jpistudios.com

The ATWT cast came together in May 2010 at a studio in Manhattan for one final group cast photo. Top Row (from l.): Scott Holmes (Tom), Billy Magnussen (Casey), Daniel Cosgrove (Chris), Terri Conn (Katie), Bailey Harkins (Johnny), Grayson McCouch (Dusty), Julie Pinson (Janet), Kelly Menighan Hensley (Emily), Maura West (Carly), Noelle Beck (Lily), Lesli Kay (Molly). Second Row (from l.): Ewa Da Cruz (Vienna), Ellen Dolan (Margo), Marnie Schulenburg (Allison), Marie Masters (Susan), Marie Wilson (Meg), Sarah Wilson (Liberty), Vanessa Ray (Teri), Roger Howarth (Paul), Michael Park (Jack), Jon Hensley (Holden), Jake Silbermann (Noah), Van Hansis (Luke). Third Row (from l.): Trent Dawson (Henry), Colleen Zenk (Barbara), Don Hastings (Bob), Kathryn Hays (Kim), Eileen Fulton (Lisa), Jon Lindstrom (Craig), Allie Gorenc (Sage), Elizabeth Hubbard (Lucinda), Valentina DeAngelis (Faith), Eric Stevens (Reid). Front Row (from l.) Ben Levin (Gabriel), Mick Hazen (Parker), Isabella Palmieri (Natalie), Jason Bastelli (Ethan)

George DeSota/jpistudios.com

The show's final episode centered around Bob's retirement from his long career at Oakdale Memorial Hospital, where he served as chief of staff. In the very last scene, Bob admitted to Kim that packing up his office and saying good-bye was harder than he'd expected. “I don’t think there should be good-byes,” Kim smiled. “Just good night.” She then exited to wait in the car. Bob took one more look around, then reached for the light switch. “Good night,” he said, then turned off the light and ambled out. In the darkness, the globe on Bob’s desk began to spin on its own before the fade to black.

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Remembering As the World Turns on the 15th Anniversary of Its Final Episode: A Celebration of Oakdale

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