Source: “One Life to Live” Has Secured All of Its Main Players
It’s one more life to live for the popular soap opera, “One Life to Live.” The ABC soap ended its network run exactly one year ago with the hope that Prospect Park Productions was taking it to the internet. That situation fell apart, as we all know. But now I can tell you that the revived online version of “One Life to Live” looks real. I talked to Robert S. Woods today, the great actor who plays Bo Buchanan. He told me he’s met with the Prospect-ors, and they’ve made a deal for Woods to join the new show.
Yesterday, Robin Strasser announced on Twitter that she was coming back, too. Sources also say that Erika Slezak, the nominal “star” of “OLTL” has made her deal, along with Jerry verDorn (Clint Buchanan). It does seem like Prospect Park is going to make a ‘go’ of this.
No word yet from “All My Children” and Susan Lucci, although I did tell you before Christmas that contact had been made and the two sides were talking. Since then, the creator of both shows, Agnes Nixon, issued a statement that she was on board. A couple of “AMC” actors signed on as well. Writers and producers appear to have been hired for both shows’ online versions. Woods says he thinks they’ll be back to work by mid February.
What a strange turn of events. ABC was so eager to dump the soaps and replace them with cooking shows. Now “The Revolution” is gone. “General Hospital” added another 500,000 viewers last week compared to last year. “Days of Our Lives,” though sort of dreadful, has been extended for another by NBC. Maybe Procter & Gamble will wake up and license “As the World Turns” to Prospect Park. My guess is eventually the shows will go to cable TV.
Stay tuned– it’s a cliffhanger!
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE LIZ VASSEY TO COME BACK TO ALL MY CHILDREN. I ALWAYS LOVED AS EMILY ANN SAGO. I GREW UP WATCHING HER. SAME WITH KELLY RIPA AS HAYLEY. I WOULD ALSO WANT JEFF BARNSON BACK AS JONTHAN RYAN’S BROTHER. I DEFFENTLY WANT WLAT WILLEY, NATALIE HALL, ALICIA MINSHEW, CHRISHELLE STUASE, AIDEN TURNER, BRENT WEBER, LEVEN RAMBIN, JUSTIN BUERING AS JAMIE, MICHALE E. KNIGHT, JILL LARSON, SUSAN LUCCI BACK. I LOVED EDEN RIDGEL AS BIANCA. I WANT AMEILA HINEL BACK AS MIA SUANDERS BACK. I LOVED JACOB YOUNG AS JR. I MISS JOHN CALLAHAN AS EDMUND. I WAS AND STILL I’M UPSET HE WAS KILLED OFF SAME WITH TREVOR JAMES KIBERD. I GREW UP ALSO WATCHING JAMES KIBERD. GOOD CALL OF BRINGING BACK CADY MC’CLIN AS DIXIE. I LOVE HER DYLAN FURBUS AS TIM BACK AS AMANDA’S BROTHER. I ALSO GREW UP WATCHING HIM. I DIDN’T LIKE THAT COLIN EGGSFIELDSON LEFT SAME WITH TERRI IVNES AS SIMONE, ELIZABETH HENDERICKSON AS MAGGIE STONE. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE TYLER GLIDDERSLEEVE AGAIN TOO.
I’m excited!! I want to see McBain reunite with Natalie & Liam!! Glad that they are bringing back AMC & OLTL!!!
[…] roles in the Prospect Park reboot of the cancelled drama series continues to grow. According to published reports, Robert S. Woods has become the latest “One Life” vet to help the soap transition to […]
I’m so excited … have missed AMC and OLTL-please actors come back we need you….
WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU BLAIR!!! YOU TO JESSICA AND NATALIE…COME BACK!!!!
Trevor St. John is a must.
Please get him back.
Where will we be able to tune in?
Trevor St. John is a must.
Olease get him back.
I DO WISHED THAT SAMUEL BALL WOULD COME BACK AS DREW BUCHANAN. I ALWAYS BEEN A FAN OF HIS SAME WITH JOSH CASAUBON AND JOHN BROTHERTON. I ALWAYS LOVED HUHG,JAREDN, DREW AND OTHER MORE. BEN DAVIDSON , SAM RAPPAPORT AND JEN RAPPAPORT.
Hallelujah!!!!! I can finally go back home…to Llanview!! Cannot wait to see Vikki and Dorian and everyone else!!!
I WANT BREE WILLIAMSON NACK I’M A HUGE FAN OF HER’S. SAME WITH GINA TOGONI, TOM DEGAN, DAN GAUITHER, BRAIN KERWIN, JOHN BOLGER, JUSTI BOLDING, SUSAN HASKELL, JASON SHANE SCOTT, STEVE RICHARD HARRIS, DAVID FUMERO, KAMAR DE LOS RYES, CHARISSA CHAMAROO, CATHERINE HICKLAND, PATRICIA ELLIOTT, PETER BARTELL, BRITNEY UNDERWOOD, DARLENE VOGEL, JAMES DEPAIVA, JOHN LEPERINO, ANDERA EVAINS, SCOTT EVAINS, BRETT CLAYWELL, ROBIN CHRISTOPHER BACK AND MORE.
I want to encourage fans like Roberta above that it’s fairly inexpensive to add internet to your home, especially if you already have cable. Both Comcast and Time Warner will usually give you a good intro rate for 6 months. If you don’t have a computer at home, the Google Chrome books (laptop) sell for as little as $199. Asus Netbooks are about $300 if you want a hard drive. And you can connect a laptop to your television; it’s easy. It only requires a usb-type cable you can get at Radio Shack or Best Buy. Please don’t feel like you’ll be left out with the online platform. Here in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve found more people have internet connections than tv, let alone cable tv–it’s actually cheaper.
I am so excited about our shows coming back.My afternoons have been boring without AMC and OLTL. I am so hoping that Hillary Smith- Nora) and Roxy,David, the Butler for the Bucannon Mansion, Jessica and her sister, Natalie, Blair Todd 1 and 2. Happy, happy times will soon be back with us and I can’t wait! Thank you so much all the powers that be :)
ABC did not listen to us, we proved them wrong. Thank you Prospect Park for following through . The fans are celebrating and hopeful that this will be a Real GO I would also like to see so many more cast members to come back and I agree that we just have to be patient with all the negotiations that have to be worked out. Thank you for this article and yes it is a CLIFFHANGER but we love it!
I wish someone would bring Another World back.
Thank you Roger for following this. It is heartening to know that the soap fans have not been totally forgotten. Hopefully the networks will see that there is an audience out there for quality programs.
Roger,
In no way am I shooting the messenger-as Mr Boudreau stated above-you have been a loyal and trusted ally/source in our quest to bring AMC and OLTL back into production. But, many fans like myself are still skeptical of Prospect Park. If they are to be trusted, I’m thrilled, but PP needs to show me a LOT more before I’m convinced this will happen
I have watched One Life To Live since I was in the 5th grade. I loved the stars, the characters, the story lines I guess I just Love One Life TO Live. I started watching General Hospital again just to see my One Life To Live people. They have made a boring show quit good. The comedy of the lines is just great and that is what I loved about OLTO. I loved that they wove in the characters and there references to others from the show. So glad they are coming back. Will it be on Apple TV too? Where ever it is I am going to watch it. I hope they can gather the other characters that have new roles on other shows. We need Jessica, Natalie, Matthew, Destiny, Victor, Gigi and Rex and of course David Vickers Buchanan. Can’t wait.
Have to add that there needs to be a license for “Guiding Light”. Still miss that show!
What a great reward we are getting for standing by our beloved soaps! ABC was wrong to cancel the soaps and state they wanted to lose the demographic of women over 40. I look forward to seeing my favorite characters on ALL MY Children nd One Life To Live. Even if not everyone returns I will watch. And I will continue to watch General Hospital on dvr or HULU everyday.
ABC still hasn’t learned from their stupid mistake. Now there is a new show called The Taste.. I need to hear it from Lalucci herself that she has signed on, also waiting on Michael E. Knight, Jill Larson, Bobbie Eakes..
One Life To Live is the kind of show where it’s almost impossible to list a few actors/actresses as the “main players”. I know not 100% of the cast will be asked to rejoin the relaunch but there are so many excellent castmembers that add so much to this soap and there are quite a few more that I would love to see again. Having Bob, Erika, Jerry and Robin start the ball rolling is fantastic but I hope many others will also join since their presence is needed. Nora, Roxie, Blair etc. I could go on forever…….
The respected entertainment industry writer, Roger Friedman, has been a good and loyal friend to millions of soap opera fans (yes, counted and uncounted by Nielsen et al.) throughout America in his reporting of the facts in this case as they unfolded, and equally faithfully, on his reasonable observations regarding them. He was the sole journalist to make the ever acutely perceptive, spot on observation, powerfully likening the now notorious decisions made by senior ABC/Disney’s executives Anne Sweeney and Brian Frons, in canceling “One Life to Live” and “All My Children,” and replacing them with lower quality, unscripted reality talk show replacement programming as a business decision of such magnitude, so gone bad in its arrogance and hubris and in its rank ignoring of its viewers, its customers wishes en masse,that this period would forever be known historically in the industry – as ABC/Disney’s “New Coke” era. Fast forward to today, one year plus later, and Mr. Friedman, so many of us fans now are saluting you and we say “thank you” for your related relevant writings in FORBES and elsewhere, which helped with gravitas in paving the way. Your articles assisted in powerfully making a mature contribution toward today’s realizing this most joyful rebirthing as 2013 begins of these two longstanding, most beloved gems of Agnes Nixon’s great classical American storytelling tradition repertoire in her role as mother of the modern soap opera. Why Sir, what more could one possibly ask for? Happy New Year, Mr. Friedman, and thank you, sincerely from ever so many of us.
I HAVE WAITED A YEAR TO HEAR ERIKA SLEZAK WILL RETURN!! I AM DELIGHTED THAT THE MAIN CHARACTERS WILL BE BACK. WHEN ROBIN SAID YESTERDAY SHE WAS SIGNED I KNEW ES HAD TO COME BACK. I AM BEYOND HAPPY. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[…] report out this afternoon from Showbiz 411.com that reveals that their sources are telling them that both six-time Daytime Emmy winner, Erika […]
Now lets get all these soaps both on the internet and back on TV. Love my Llanview escapes!!!!!!
Oh thank you so much for this. You have my undying support.
It is great news to hear that Erika Slezak and Bob Woods have now also signed on, but there are more than 4 main players. Kassie DePaiva, Roger Howarth, Florencia Lozano, Ilene Kristen, Hilary B Smith, and Trevor St. John are a few that come to mind that I would also consider main players.
I NEED TO HEAR THAT ROBERT S WOODS AND HILLARY B SMITH WILL BE COMING BACK ALSO… THEY ARE MY FAV COUPLE ON 1L2L…
So excited for OLTL and AMC to be coming back!!! Have missed them both, their characters and story lines, so much the past couple of years that my afternoons just haven’t been the same.
I can only hope that they will go to cable! That’s the only way I’ll be able to watch them again! Judging by the actors they’ve already signed for both soaps, I’m not even worried about the casts anymore. They clearly know what they’re doing with that. I just hope they take these soaps to television too so I can see them return!