Soaps AMC and OLTL Will Return but at a Different Address

Agnes Nixon and Susan Lucci

Daytime TV's All My Children closed its doors at ABC-TV yesterday, and One Life to Live will exit the network January 20, 2012. However,  AMC's exit was more like a end-of-season hiatus cliff hanger. Pictured above with Susan Lucci is the creator of AMC, Agnes Nixon.

I thought, how odd. Then, I reasoned there is something going on here more than saying a fond farewell. Could AMC be coming back at another media outlet? It is, indeed! Good news for fans like me!

ABC signed a contract with Prospect Park Productions in Century City, CA, giving them the right to take over the production of the canceled daytime dramas All My Children (AMC), and One Life to Live (OLTL). The episodes will be streaming live on your computer soon. That's correct. They are moving to the Internet.

Brian Kerwin (Charlie) and Erika Slezak (Victoria)

OLTL's executive producer Frank Valentini will continue to executive produce OLTL when it moves online. In addition, Valentini has been named VP Serial Dramas for Prospect Park’s new online network.

 
So, I did a little research. Prospect Park is a production company located in Century City, CA, helmed by partners Jeff Kwatinetz and Rich Frank. Valentini will work closely with them and their executive team on programming strategies, including the upcoming relaunch of AMC, which will be followed in 2012 by the relaunch of OLTL sometime after it leaves ABC in January.

 
Not only did Prospect Park snag Valentini but, so far they have signed OLTL's primo star Ericka Slezak (Victoria Banks), Kassie dePaiva (Blair Cramer) and Michael Easton (John McBain). Also, from AMC they have commitments from Cameron Mathison (Ryan Lavery) and Lindsay Hartley (Dr. Cara Castillo Martin).

 
By the way, Ericka Slezak's father was the late famous and talented actor, Austrian Walter Slezak (May 1902 - April 1983). His first movie role was in the 1922 Austrian film Sodom And Gomorrah, by his friend and the film's director, Michael Curtiz. Both he and Curtiz left Germany and headed to Hollywood before Hitler's Brown Shirts burned the German Parliament Building in 1933.

 
Slezak also appeared on Broadway, his father Leo was a famous opera tenor in Europe, and Walter won a Tony for his role in Broadway's Fanny in 1954. He was lauded for his role as the German Captain in Alfred Hitchocks' 1944 movie, Life Boat. His last appearance on the stage was in 1970s when he played the non-singing role of Frosch, the jailer, in the San Francisco Opera production of Johann Strauss' operetta Die Fledermaus, a fitting tribute to his late Father. Erika's mother was Dutch. Read about Walter Slezak.

Prospect Park Productions is in negotiations with Susan Lucci (Erica Kane) and others in the AMC and OLTL casts, but no word yet from La Lucci, AMC's premo star, or David Canary (Adam / Stuart).

Yes, in case you don't know, AMC's Dr. David Hayward (actor Vincent Irizarry) resurrected Dixie, Stuart, Zack and a few other dead characters making the good(?) doctor a hero in Pine Valley.

There is no word as to the exact relaunch dates, where the new Internet TV network can be found on the Web, and whether it will be for free or fee.

Meanwhile, if this has not yet happened to your favorite daytime drama airing on TV, one thing you can do to help prevent it is to NOT watch The Chew on ABC, airing in AMC's time slot starting today.