The Latest on Reviving AMC and OLTL — an ABC Exec Speaks Out (EXCLUSIVE)
Soaps In Depth had the chance to sit down and chat with ABC’s entertainment president, Karey Burke. Naturally, we asked the exec for an update on potential reboots of ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE — and how the network really feels about GENERAL HOSPITAL!
Between Alex leaving GREY’S ANATOMY and the latest drama surrounding THE BACHELOR and The Oscars, there was plenty for reporters and network executives to dish about at the Television Critics Association press tour. But In Depth had only one question for ABC chief Burke: Have there been further talks about resurrecting OLTL and AMC as part of the network’s daytime lineup — or perhaps even for streaming site Disney+?
After the network axed AMC in late 2011 and OLTL in early 2012, production company Prospect Park launched online reboots of both sudsers in 2013. The short-lived experiment folded amid a host of behind-the-scenes legal battles, with the rights to the shows ultimately reverting back to ABC in 2016. At last winter’s press tour, Burke teased that there “might be some conversation” about another reboot. And what about now? “There have been more discussions,” she confessed to In Depth, “but I can’t tell you more than that.”
As for ABC Daytime’s sole remaining drama, GH seems to be in very good standing with the network. “GH is doing great!” Burke exclaimed. “It’s one of our great performers. It’s a successful business for us. The fact that they have perfected that model is, frankly, an example to other producers in our midst.”
The explosion of streaming services has caused a massive shift in the TV industry and the way that networks look at programming, but Burke points out that GH is handling itself well in this era of change. “To me, they are the sort of gold standard in that kind of storytelling, and we have no reason to ask them to change what they’re doing,” she told In Depth. “We’re proud of it.”
For more on your favorite daytime dramas, keep reading the ABC edition of Soaps In Depth magazine.
This story originally appeared in our print magazine
