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All My Children
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All My Children, sometimes abbreviated by fans and the press as AMC, is an American soap opera and drama television series that has been broadcast Monday through Friday on the ABC TV network since January 5, 1970, and the daily episode also airs weeknights on SOAPnet. Created by Agnes Nixon, the show is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a small, fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. Since its inception, the show has featured Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of the daytime's most popular characters.
The title of the show refers to the bonds of humanity.
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Encyclopedia
All My Children, sometimes abbreviated by fans and the press as AMC, is an American soap opera and drama television series that has been broadcast Monday through Friday on the ABC TV network since January 5, 1970, and the daily episode also airs weeknights on SOAPnet. Created by Agnes Nixon, the show is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a small, fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. Since its inception, the show has featured Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of the daytime's most popular characters.
The title of the show refers to the bonds of humanity. The poem, written by Nixon, that appears in the title credits' photo album reads:
The first new network daytime drama to debut in the 1970s, AMC was originally owned by Creative Horizons, Inc., the company created by Nixon and her husband, Bob. The show was sold to ABC in January 1975.
Originally a half-hour in length, the show expanded to an hour in April 1977. Previously, the show had experimented with the hour format for one week starting on July 7, 1975, when Ryan's Hope premiered.
From 1970-1990, it was recorded at ABC's now defunct studio TV18 at 101 West 66th St.
Since March 1990, it has been recorded at ABC's television studio TV23 on 320 West 66th Street in Manhattan, New York City.
On July 25, 2006, the show began using a post-production process called FilmLook, which gives it a filmed (as opposed to taped) appearance.
At one time, the program was so popular that it was the most widely-recorded television show in the United States, and once had an audience that was estimated to be 30% male. The show ranked #1 in the daytime Nielsen Ratings from 1978-1979. Throughout most of the 1980s and into the early 1990s, All My Children was the #2 daytime soap opera on the air.
With the death of core cast member Ruth Warrick in January 2005, two original cast members, Lucci and Ray MacDonnell, remain.
On November 12, 2008 the show celebrated its 10,000th show with a special appearance by Agnes Nixon and a special tribute to Myrtle Fargate
On January 5th, 2010 All My Children will celebrate its 40th anniversary.
History
1970s
In the 1960s Agnes Nixon, then head writer for The Guiding Light, tried to sell a property called All My Children to NBC, then CBS, then NBC again through the auspices of sponsor Procter & Gamble. Despite her success and sponsor support, it was not until the start of 1970 that her brainchild finally aired.
Nixon strived to create a soap that was topical, and could illustrate social issues to the audience. She wanted all this while also injecting regular humor into the script. To keep the action more real, she allowed the audience to locate her fictional "Pine Valley" on a map: situated just outside of Philadelphia, it was a mere hour-long train ride from New York City. However, it wasn't until the 1990s that it was revealed that Pine Valley was actually in Pennsylvania.
From 1970 and into the 1980s, the show was either written by Nixon herself or by her protégé, Wisner Washam. He was groomed by Nixon to take the reins in the 1980s while she focused on other endeavors, like creating and launching Loving in 1983. Lorraine Broderick and Margaret DePriest also had brief stints as head writers in the 1980s.
The show's first action took place around several families and characters. Phoebe Tyler (Ruth Warrick), who fashioned herself as "Queen of Pine Valley", was the definition of a rich snob. There was also single mother Mona Kane and her prima donna daughter, Erica. Contrasting this was the stable Martin Family, who have long been thought of as the symbolic foundation of All My Children.
If Phoebe was the "Queen of Pine Valley", then Susan Lucci's Erica Kane was definitely the "Princess". Destined to break up the young romance of classmates Tara Martin (Karen Lynn Gorney) and Phil Brent (Richard Hatch), Erica found out that Phil was not Ruth's son, but the son of Ruth's sister Amy (Rosemary Prinz). In a selfish attempt to break up Phil and Tara, she told everyone the truth.
All My Childrens first success was its telling of young love. ABC wanted a soap opera that would bring in young viewers, and slowly the program was accomplishing just that.
The show's ratings did not start out strong, however. In its first year on the air, it ranked #17 out of 19 soaps. Despite this, its audience was building with each passing year, which kept both Nixon and ABC happy.
The show was unique for its use of the Vietnam War. Before All My Children debuted no show, let alone daytime soap, had discussed the war in any depth. There was the character of Phoebe, a conservative, and Amy, a free-spirited liberal, both butting heads over the war, with Amy often leading protests around Pine Valley. When the character of Amy left, Ruth took over as the anti-war voice. Her early 1970s protest speech won Mary Fickett the first ever Emmy Award given to a soap performer back in 1972. Later in the show's run, Phoebe became more liberal.
In 1973, Erica Kane made the decision to have an abortion. What made the abortion extra-controversial was Erica's reason for doing it. She wasn't having it done because her health was in jeopardy, but because she didn't want to gain weight and lose her modeling job. The abortion story got much media attention, especially since Roe v. Wade had been decided just a few months before the story began airing. Erica developed a potentially fatal infection after having the abortion, and the switch-boards at ABC lit up with calls from doctors and nurses, offering their medical opinions on how best to treat the character's case. The controversy didn’t hurt ratings, which rose from an 8.2 to a 9.1 Household rating.
Phoebe's husband Charles (Hugh Franklin) had gotten close to Mona Kane (Frances Heflin), Erica's mother and his secretary at the hospital. The two fell in love and Charles divorced Phoebe, even though she tried to blackmail Mona and even faked paralysis. In the end, Phoebe was left a drunken divorcée and Mona became the new Mrs. Tyler. This ordeal started the longtime Phoebe/Mona rivalry.
When Eileen Letchworth, who played Margo Flax Martin, was contemplating a facelift, she talked it over with Agnes Nixon. Not only was Letchwoth going to need time off, she was going to look significantly different when she returned to the show. Nixon approved and worked the facelift into a storyline. Margo wanted to impress the somewhat younger Paul Martin (William Mooney). Margo’s facelift in 1974 was one of the first major storylines on television discussing cosmetic surgery and its psychological effects.
In June 1976, the character of Brooke English showed up on her Aunt Phoebe's doorstep and soon after clashed with Erica over Tom Cudahy and Mark Dalton. Since then, Brooke has feasted on many of Erica's left-over men. Also, in 1976 was the introduction of fan favorite Myrtle Lum Fargate (Eileen Herlie).
By the late 1970s the show had risen to the top of the ratings. One reason for this was the arrival of teenage prostitute Donna Beck. Her relationship with the handsome Dr. Chuck Tyler breathed life into the show and captivated many fans for years to come. Another new addition was the arrival of aristocratic Palmer Cortlandt (aka Peter Cooney) (James Mitchell), his somewhat creepy housekeeper Myra Murdock, and his overprotected daughter Nina (Taylor Miller), who, to Palmer's chagrin, caught the fancy of Dr. Cliff Warner (Peter Bergman). Palmer did everything in his power to break up the couple, included telling Nina she was going blind due to her diabetes. Palmer teamed up with Cliff's past flame, nurse Sybil Thorne (Linda Gibboney), who confronted Cliff about fathering her son. But this was temporary, because Sybil was accidently killed by Sean Cudahy (Alan Dysert). During the murder trial, Nina was astonished to learn that her mother, Daisy Cortlandt (Gillian Spencer), whom she believed to be dead, was in fact alive and living in Pine Valley as 'Monique Jonville'. To complete everyone's shock, Myra acknowledged that Daisy was her daughter. AMC also found memorable villains in Billy Clyde Tuggle and Ray Gardner.
1980s
The early '80s is considered by many to have been a golden period for the show. Younger characters, such as Jenny Gardner and Greg Nelson (Kim Delaney and Laurence Lau), Liza (Marcy Walker), Liza's best friend Amanda Cousins (Amanda Bearse), Jesse Hubbard and Angie Baxter (Darnell Williams and Debbi Morgan) and a now-grown-up Tad Martin (Michael E. Knight), who was now legally Ruth and Joe's son, entered the scene and drew large followings.
The storyline involving Liza plotting to win Greg back after he left her for Jenny was a huge fan favorite, as was the Jenny/Greg pairing. The legend of "Tad the Cad" was born when Tad Martin took Liza Colby's virginity, then simultaneously began having sex with her mother, socialite Marian Colby (Jennifer Bassey), who eventually was sent to prison and returned to marry Stuart Chandler (David Canary).
Jenny and Jesse's summer in New York City was so well received that it allowed the program to reach #1 in the ratings for 10 weeks in mid-1982.
On the not-so-younger side, Jenny and Tad's natural mother Opal (Dorothy Lyman) was also added to the canvas, where she opened the Glamorama salon and spa. Opal greatly showcased All My Children’s attempt at humor and satire. Powerful businessman Adam Chandler and his twin brother Stuart arrived in town and became significant characters.
The character of Erica began to take on a larger-than-life role by the 1980s. This was evident with her writing an autobiography, "Raising Kane", and turning it into a motion picture. When her presumed half-sister Silver (Deborah Goodrich) accused her of murdering Kent Bogard (Michael Woods, Lee Goodart), her former lover and boss, she went on the run fleeing to the Hollywood Hills. She did this all while posing as a nun. Many remember her forest encounter with a grizzly bear after she escaped a kidnapping attempt made by Adam. The character would go on to marry over 10 times (with her most recent wedding taking place in June 2005).
The show made their first attempt at tackling the taboo topic of homosexuality in 1983. Tricia Pursley played the divorced Devon McFadden who believed she was falling in love with her psychiatrist, Lynn Carson (played by Donna Pescow). Lynn admitted to being a lesbian, and Devon admitted her crush. Other soaps and television shows had done stories hinting at bisexuality, but never homosexuality, much less with women.
The show intelligently tackled the issue of drug use when Mark La Mura's character, Mark Dalton, became addicted to cocaine after years of casual use. His half-sister, Erica staged an intervention with his friends to have him confront his problems. They practiced a "tough love" policy that had Mark admit to the addiction. The informative episode showed how to hold an intervention, and the stages to go through for a successful confrontation.
Controversy hit in 1987 with the arrival of Cindy Parker (Ellen Wheeler), who would later fall in love with Stuart Chandler (David Canary). The character was revealed to have AIDS. Through visits by Dr. Angie Hubbard, the show educated the public on how the disease was spread and how to prevent it. Cindy had contracted HIV from her husband, Fred, who contracted it from sharing needles for drug use. Cindy would be attacked by a vigilante hate group led by her niece Skye Chandler. The tragedy of the attack showed the extremes of violence that was occurring everyday to victims of the disease. Cindy married Stuart and he adopted her son Scott. She died early in 1989 in one of the soap's most watched episodes.
By 1989, ABC wanted changes at All My Children. The show was getting about 6.5 million viewers per episode, but many felt that the program had lost its unique sense of humor. Agnes Nixon and Wisner Washam, who had both written the show since the '70s, were faced with a merry-go-round of executive producers, starting in the mid-'80s when producer Jacqueline Babbin left. Jorn Winther was hired to executive produce the show. Efforts were made to bring the show back to the glory days of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. This would mean adding a mixture of both social issues and also the intelligent satire that the show had been known for.
Felicia Minei Behr was hired as the new executive producer in early 1989. Having been a producer on Ryan's Hope, Behr was familiar with All My Children, having been an associate producer from 1970 to 1975. Behr welcomed the input of both Nixon and Washam. In the eyes of Agnes Nixon, the show finally had a stable executive producer. Behr worked with Nixon and Washam, crafting a baby storyline involving the characters of Adam, Brooke, Tad, and Dixie (Cady McClain). By this time, the show also found a hit couple in Cecily and Nico (played by Rosa Nevin and Maurice Benard).
ABC was pleased with Behr; Agnes Nixon was as well, and decided her creation was safe in the hands of the new producer. The program was faced with many actor defections during this time, including longtime favorites such as Peter Bergman, Taylor Miller, and Debbi Morgan, but Behr countered this by bringing back other favorite characters from the past -- Opal (this time played by Jill Larson), Dr. Chuck Tyler, and Billy Clyde Tuggle (the former pimp who first made his big splash in the '70s). Behr also helped craft a story re-exploring Erica's father, Eric Kane. It was revealed he had faked his own death. In a comical twist, Erica found him working as a clown in a traveling circus. We soon learned that Erica was raped on her 14th birthday, by her father's actor friend Richard Fields. She became pregant and gave the baby up for adoption to the Harts, a couple from Florida. Years later the child, Kendall Hart (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alicia Minshew) emerged and made her way to Pine Valley after finding out her biological mother was indeed the famous Erica Kane, to reek havoc on the unsuspecting rape victim, and assume Erica's glamorous lifestyle which she felt was her birth right. Erica had thought she had put that whole nightmare behind her, only to have it come back years later with a vengence.......and a name. Mother and daughter loathed one another.
1990s
At the time of Behr's hiring in early 1989, the show usually ranked around #4 in the ratings, by 1990, the show had inched up to the #3 spot. ABC chose Megan McTavish, a former actress who had been on the writing team since 1987, to be its new head writer. She was promoted to head writer in 1992, with Nixon serving as Executive Head Writer.
Billy Clyde Tuggle returned to Pine Valley in 1990, after a ten-year absence (in prison). He proceeded to undo the lives of many in Pine Valley. He told his daughter, Emily Ann Sago, that he was her natural father, devastating her with the truth that she was the product of rape. He died tumbling over a bridge (with Tad Martin), ending the reign of one of Pine Valley's most evil and entertaining characters ever.
Stories such as Molly's leukemia, Ceara Connor (Genie Frances') incest, Mona’s lung cancer, and Deconstruction (a story about racism), were all praised in the soap magazines for their social conscience. Other storylines included the 'Who Killed Will?' mystery, Willow Lake Acres (a both humorous and serious tale about the plight of the elderly in a fraudulent nursing home), and a tornado that rocked Pine Valley. The introduction of Erica's daughter Kendall Hart (Sarah Michelle Gellar), was a major retcon, but still a popular story in the eyes of many. The Santos, Dillon, Frye, and Keefer families were introduced during this time as well.
Tad and Dixie were now very popular. The show also had other couples with large followings during this time: Dimitri and Erica (Michael Nader), Trevor (James Kiberd) and Natalie (Kate Collins), and Hayley (Kelly Ripa) and Brian (Gregory Gordon, Matt Borlenghi, Brian L. Greene).
Many fans consider the early and mid 1990s to have been a second golden period for the show, often comparing it to the late 1970s/early 1980s.
However, by the early-mid-1990s, some of McTavish's storytelling received criticism for being gimmick-driven (i.e. multiple dual roles, bomb plots). Reports soon surfaced that Behr and McTavish were having conflicts about storylines and the direction of AMC. After the O.J. Simpson trial preempted daytime television programs throughout late 1994 and into 1995, many soaps saw their ratings decline, and All My Children was no different. When Megan McTavish was fired from her head writing post in the spring, former associate head writer Lorraine Broderick was tapped by Behr as the new head writer.
Broderick's tenure under Behr was popular among critics and fans for returning AMC to its socially relevant, character-driven roots. Her biggest successes were Erica's drug addiction story (with the character receiving treatment at the Betty Ford Center), and also the story of a homophobia over a gay high school boy and a history teacher. But with the ratings still stagnant, ABC fired longtime executive producer Felicia Minei Behr, and brought in Francesca James (who had previously won an Emmy award acting on the show as twins Kitty and Kelly). The storylines now included a voodoo arc with the popular Noah and Julia (Keith Hamilton Cobb and Sydney Penny), a fantasy story for Myrtle featuring the "real" Santa Claus, and finally a baby kidnapping story involving Erica.
Despite winning three consecutive Daytime Emmys for writing during her tenure on AMC, Broderick was replaced in December 1997 by her predecessor, McTavish. The first major story McTavish tackled was ironically one created by Broderick, Bianca Montgomery's anorexia. The character of Bianca, Erica's young daughter, was checked into a facility to treat the disease. Apart from the anorexia story, McTavish's tales were plot-driven and made severe, implausible alterations to the show's history such as the resurrection of Erica's lifetime-love, Mike Roy (Nicholas Surovy). In 1998 the show, yet again, got a new executive producer, Jean Dadario Burke, taking over from Francesca James. She would become known to many speculating fans as a weak producer with little vision.
Cady McClain, who had left the show as Dixie in 1996, returned to the delight of her fans, but other storylines -- involving ghosts, poison tattoos, Nazi art, and a sperm switch -- were all busts. By the start of 1999, with All My Children being voted as the 'Worst of 1998' by Soap Opera Digest magazine, McTavish was once again fired.
As ratings began to fall in the late 1990s, ABC convinced Agnes Nixon to make a brief return. Many long-running actors, such as Michael Nader, James Kiberd, and Robin Mattson, left their roles. Nixon decided to write a story that would breathe new life into the show and be socially relevant at the same time. This resulted in the revelation that Erica Kane's daughter Bianca was a lesbian. She admitted the truth to her mother in December 2000. Despite the many flaws during this period, the show found success in the pairing of newcomers Leo and Greenlee (Josh Duhamel and Rebecca Budig).
2000s to present
After more than a ten year absence, Kate Collins reprised the role of Janet Green for a limited run in November 2005, making more brief returns in February 2007 and November 2007.
Starting with the July 25, 2006 episode, the show's video has been processed to appear as though it was shot on film. For a time, the soap has been strongly criticized for keeping the film look.
Another big return occurred on February 9, 2007, when Susan Pratt returned as Barbara Montgomery. Pratt made her last appearance in July of that year.
On December 12, 2007, news came that Rebecca Budig would be returning as Greenlee Smythe. Seen by many as a desperate attempt by President of ABC Daytime Brian Scott Frons to bring back viewers, enthusiasm for Budig's return was overshadowed with word of how Sabine Singh, the character's recast, was treated in the process of bringing Budig back. While many viewers rejoiced at the news of Budig's return, others had grown to accept and appreciate Singh as Greenlee, and both sides felt the actress was treated badly by ABC.
It was reported in the December 25, 2007 issue of Soap Opera Digest that fan favorites Debbi Morgan and Darnell Williams would return as Jesse Hubbard and Angie Baxter. Morgan returned on January 18, 2008 and Williams on January 25, 2008.
In April 2008, it was announced that Laurence Lau would briefly reprise the role of Greg Nelson for the much anticipated wedding of Jesse and Angie Hubbard.
In August 2008, it was announced that Eden Riegel and Vincent Irizarry would reprise their roles as Bianca Montgomery and David Hayward. Bianca would be returning with a new love interest, Reese Williams, portrayed by Tamara Braun. Bianca and David would make their returns in the midst of a multi-tornado storm - a prediction made by Opal - in October 2008 as Greenlee's feelings towards Ryan are revealed.
On November 6, 2008, AMC aired a special episode in which veterans share their stories unscripted.
On November 12, 2008 AMC celebrated their 10,000 episode.
On December 19, 2008 a special episode ran for the late Eileen Herlie. It showed clips from the past.
On Friday, February 13, 2009 Bianca and Resse got married - the first gay marriage on daytime TV.
All My Children storylines and people
Megan McTavish and her replacements as head writer
After even more staff turnover in recent years, Megan McTavish, who wrote the show for most of the '90s, again returned. Her storylines began airing in July 2003, which included the controversial rape of Bianca.
Gone upon McTavish's latest return was Jean Dadario Burke as executive producer, being replaced with Julie Hanan Carruthers.
Under McTavish, ratings bounced from the middle of the pack and the bottom. McTavish resorted to quick thinking and stunt casting to lure back long-time viewers. Various characters returned to the show after long absences, including Julia Santos (Sydney Penny) and Janet Dillon (Kate Collins, who was originally slated to return for a brief stint and was eventually given a contract. The most notable, however, was the long-kept secret of Cady McClain's return as the iconic Dixie Cooney Martin. The news of her return was spread just two weeks before she appeared on viewers' screens again. In a very unpopular move the writers chose to kill off Dixie only a year after her return
A controversial storyline had Erica's thought-to-be-aborted son come to Pine Valley.
In August 2006, after months of speculation it was confirmed that fan favorite Eden Riegel would be reprising her Emmy winning role of Bianca Montgomery. Since departing the show in February 2005, Eden has returned for three limited guest appearances but this time signed a contract of undetermined length with the show.
In 2006, the show began a storyline about a transgender character that involves Bianca and the rock musician Freddie 'Zarf/Zoe' Luper.
In December 2006, AMC introduced a storyline where the women of Fusion Cosmetics began being killed by a serial killer. Simone and Erin were the first two victims of the serial killer, with Danielle Frye being the third. When the "Satin Slayer" attacked Danielle, she saw him/her before collapsing. Josh Madden and Babe get to Danielle before she died, and got her to the hospital, but she was unable to identify her attacker. Her father had her moved to Hawaii for her recovery, and to get her away from the killer. Dixie Cooney Martin was the fourth victim of the "Satin Slayer". Although Babe Chandler was the intended victim, Dixie accidentally ate the poisoned food, and succumbed to the drug. Dixie's spirit visited Jamie and J.R. as well as Tad, and she realized that Kathy was her Kate, before moving on to the afterlife. Weeks later Babe was to fall victim to the Satin Slayer. Her bodyguard had been killed behind her car and as she went to check on him, the Satin Slayer got hold of her and plunged a syringe into her neck causing her to suffer the same fate as her co-workers and mother-in-law, or so it seemed. It was later revealed that Babe was indeed alive and in hiding. It was revealed in February 2007 that Alexander Cambias Sr. was The Satin Slayer.
It was officially announced February 2007 that Megan McTavish has been fired due to viewer criticism about her storylines and playing favorites with certain characters. On May 21, 2007, James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten were announced as the new head writers of All My Children. The duo have written for Days of our Lives, One Life to Live, Dynasty and Port Charles, and were the creators and writers of The City.
On May 21, 2008, Charles Pratt, Jr., former co-head writer for General Hospital was announced as a replacement for Brown and Esenstein, amid record low ratings.
Title sequences
All title sequences use a book of the show's title.
Ever since the debut in 1970, AMC's opener has included a photo album/scrapbook in some kind of form.
Cast
Current cast members
Recurring cast members
Comings and goings
| Actor | Character | Status |
|---|
| John Behlmann | Dr. Burke | Debuts March 10 | | Frank Runyeon | Forrest Williams | Temp. Returns Week of March 16 | | Laila Robins | Claire Williams | Temp. Returns Week of March 16 | | Adam-Jon Fiorentino | Simon Marshall | Temp. Returns Week of March 16 | | Eden Riegel | Bianca Montgomery | Returns Spring |
Deceased cast members
| Actor | Character | Year of Death | | Kay Campbell | Kate Martin | May 27, 1985 | | Raúl Dávila | Hector Santos | January 2, 2006 | | Louis Edmonds | Langley Wallingford | March 3, 2001 | | Hugh Franklin | Dr. Charles Tyler | September 26, 1986 | | Kate Harrington | Kate Martin | November 23, 1978 | | Eileen Herlie | Myrtle Fargate | October 8, 2008 | | Frances Heflin | Mona Tyler | June 1, 1994 | | Jo Henderson | Wilma Marlowe | August 8, 1988 | | Paul Gleason | Dr. David Thornton | May 27, 2006 | | William Griffis | Harlan Tucker | April 13, 1998 | | Elizabeth Lawrence | Myra Sloane | June 11, 2000 | | Dack Rambo | Steve Jacobi | March 21, 1994 | | Lynne Thigpen | Grace Keefer | March 12, 2003 | | Ruth Warrick | Phoebe Wallingford | January 15, 2005 |
Notable alumni
Many well-known film and television actors and celebrities appeared on the serial before their big break, including:
Ratings
For historical ratings information, see List of US daytime soap opera ratings
1970s ratings
1978-1979 Season (HH Ratings)
All My Children 9.06. One Life to Live 8.0
1980s ratings
1979-1980 Season (HH Ratings) (Nielsen)
1981-1982 Season (HH Ratings)
- 1. General Hospital 11.2
- 2. All My Children 9.4
Highest rated week in daytime history
(Week of November 16-November 20, 1981) (HH ratings)
- 1. General Hospital 16.0 (3-4pm)
- 2. All My Children 10.2 (1-2pm) (#2 in viewers)
- 2. One Life to Live 10.2 (2-3pm) (#3 in viewers)
- 4. Guiding Light 7.4 (3-4pm)
- 5. The Young And The Restless 7.0 (12:30-1:30pm)
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1982-1983 Season
- 1. General Hospital 9.8
- 2. All My Children 9.4
1983-1984 Season
- 1. General Hospital 10.0
- 2. All My Children 9.1
1984-1985 Season
- 1. General Hospital 9.1
- 2. All My Children 8.2
1985-1986 Season (HH Ratings)
- 1. General Hospital 9.2
- 3. All My Children 8.0
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1986-1987 Season
- 1. General Hospital 8.3
- 4. All My Children 7.0
1987-1988 Season
- 1. General Hospital 8.1 (#1 in viewers)
- 1. The Young and the Restless 8.1 (#2 in viewers)
- 3. One Life to Live 7.7
- 4. All My Children 7.7 (#3 in viewers)
1988-1989 Season (HH Ratings)
- 1. The Young and the Restless 8.1
- 4. All My Children 6.7
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1990s ratings
1989-1990 Season (HH Ratings) (1 = 921,000 Homes)
- 1. The Young and the Restless 8.0
- 3. All My Children 6.5
1990-1991 Season (HH Ratings)
- 1. The Young and the Restless 8.1
- 3. All My Children 6.6
1991-1992 Season (HH Ratings)
- 1. The Young and the Restless 8.2
- 2. All My Children 6.8
1992-1993 Season (HH Ratings)
- 1. The Young and the Restless 8.4
- 2. All My Children 7.3
1993-1994 Season (HH Ratings) (1 = 942,000 Homes)
- 1. The Young and the Restless 8.6
- 2. All My Children 6.6
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1994-1995 Season (HH Ratings)
- 1. The Young and the Restless 7.5
- 2. All My Children 6.1
1995 Ratings (Millions of Viewers)
1995-1996 Season (HH Ratings)
- 1. The Young and the Restless 7.7
- 4. All My Children 5.3
1996-1997 Season
- 1. The Young and the Restless 7.1
- 5. All My Children 4.7
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1997-1998 Season
- 1. The Young and the Restless 7.0
- 5. All My Children 4.2
1998-1999 Season (HH Ratings)
- 1. The Young and the Restless 6.9
- 5. All My Children 3.9
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2000s ratings
1999-2000 Season (HH Ratings) (Nielsen)
2000-2001 Season
2001-2002 Season
2002-2003 Season
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2003-2004 Season
2004-2005 Season
2005-2006 Season (HH Ratings)
2006-2007 Season (HH Ratings)
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2007-2008 Season (HH Ratings)
The show reached a record low of 1,931,000 viewers on Friday, August 22, 2008. It's previous low was 2,080,000 viewers on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 and 2,144,000 viewers on Friday, November 2, 2007.
1/26-30/09
- Monday: 2.2/2,802,000
- Tuesday: 2.1/2,894,000
- Wednesday: 2.2/2,913,000
- Thursday: 2.0/2,609,000
- Friday: 1.8/2,540,000
Scheduling history
Except for a period between July 7, 1975 and December 31, 1976, when AMC ran at 12:30 p.m. Eastern/11:30 a.m. Central time in order to make way for the new Ryan's Hope, the show has aired since its inception at 1 p.m./12 Noon. It replaced the original version of the game show Dream House, which had been plagued by several prize-related scandals.
The timeslot caused some ratings (and thus audience development) problems in the show's early years, as it faced local newscasts or tape-delayed games or soaps on NBC and CBS affiliates, but AMC persevered despite the handicap and fought very strongly against NBC's Days of our Lives from 1979 onward.
Unless one counts The Today Show, AMC has stayed in its timeslot longer than any other daytime program running on network television, having reached a total of 30 consecutive years of broadcasting daily at 1 p.m./Noon on January 3, 2007.
International Broadcasting
-In South Africa All My Children broadcasts an episode each weekday morning at 10:30 on SABC 3. Episodes are currently about 4 years behind that of the USA.
- In Italy All My Children, under the title La valle dei pini, started to air in 1985, with episodes 4 years behind the U.S. In 1992 it was cancelled; at that time episodes were 7 years behind the U.S..
Awards and nominations
Here is the list of the winners at the Daytime Emmy Awards, it has been nominated in excess of 250 times.
Show
- 1988 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
- 1992 "Outstanding Drama Series"
- 1994 "Outstanding Drama Series"
- 1995 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
- 1995 "Outstanding Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control"
- 1995 "Outstanding Live and Tape Sound Mixing and Sound Effects"
- 1996 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
- 1997 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
- 1998 "Outstanding Drama Series"
- 1998 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
- 1998 "Outstanding Makeup"
- 1998 "Outstanding Multiple Camera Editing"
- 1998 "Outstanding Live and Direct To Tape Sound Mixing"
- 1999 "Outstanding Music Direction And Composition"
- 2001 "Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing"
- 2001 "Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling"
- 2002 "Outstanding Achievement in Casting"
- 2002 "Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design"
- 2002 "Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control"
- 2002 "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition"
- 2003 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
- 2005 "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series" (tied with
One Life to Live) 2007 "Outstanding Achievement In Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control"
Individuals
Executive producers and head writers
Current Main Crew
| Writers | Producers/Consultants | Directors |
|---|
| Charles Pratt, Jr.; Daran Little, Chip Hayes, Kate Hall, Joanna Cohen, Rebecca Taylor, Jeff Beldner, Addie Walsh, Tracey Thomson, Amanda L. Beall | Julie Hanan Carruthers (Executive Producer), Ginger Smith, Karen Johnson, , Barry Gingold, Joann Busiglio, Enza Dolce, Brian Frons | Casey Childs, Steven Williford, Conal O'Brien, Angela Tessinari, Barbara M. Simmons, Jill Ackles, Michael V. Pomarico, Francesca James, Shelley Curtis, Judy Blye Wilson | |
Popular culture
AMC was the favorite TV show of author P. G. Wodehouse, who otherwise loathed television. On the Nickelodeon show, The Fairly OddParents, an episode was made where a character watched a show called All My Parents' Offspring, as well as All My Biceps.A parody version of All My Children exists within the universe of Futurama, entitled All My Circuits as well as Gaia Online, entitled All My Gaians.A parody entitled All My Siblings appears in Pinky and the Brain episode The Family That Poits Together, Narfs TogetherIn Season 2 episode 19 of Friends, the character Gunther claims to have played Bryce on All My ChildrenIn an episode of Friends Joey auditions for the part of a boxer on All My Children.The main characters from the show Friends are named after All My Children characters. Ross for Ross Chandler, Joey for Joey Martin, Chandler for the Chandler family, Monica for Monique/Daisy Cortland, Rachel (Karen) Green for Janet "from another planet" Green, and Phoebe for Phoebe Tyler Wallingford.The hip-hop community has embraced the Erica Kane character in several songs.All My Children was mentioned in the CW series Supernatural, the character Sam Winchester comments on the soap, asking "So Kendall married Zach to get back at Ethan who is Zach's son!? What a bitch!" referencing the popular Ethan/Zach/Kendall triangle.The game company TSR, Inc. introduced the All My Children game in 1985, based on the daytime drama. The game sold more than 150,000 copies.
DVD
A DVD was released on January 24, 2004 titled Daytime's Greatest Weddings which contained All My Children and other daytime soaps' weddings.
External links
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