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On the Anniversary of One Life to Live’s Final ABC Episode, a Daring Plan Is Laid Out to Bring the Show Back — Plus, Rare Photos and Bittersweet Memories From the Entire ABC Run
Saturday, January 13th, 2024
Friday the 13th was truly unlucky in January of 2012 — it marked the end of the soap’s run on network television. At least for now.
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In retrospect, Agnes Nixon should probably have called it Two, Maybe Three Lives to Live. But as it was, in 1968 she launched just One Life to Live on ABC. And it was, in a word, magnificent.
Per Christopher Schemering’s The Soap Opera Encyclopedia, All My Children’s future mother was asked by the network — impressed by her success at Another World — to create a new soap. But Nixon was tired of the same-old, same-old — in other words, white folks with white-folk problems. So she laid out the Philadelphia suburb of Llanview as a true melting pot, where characters of different ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds could and would mix and mingle.
We know: By the time we typed “socioeconomic backgrounds,” your eyes had glazed over. But the fact of the matter is that the writer’s tapestry of haves and have-nots, wannabes and already-ares, served as a backdrop for approximately a cajillion compelling stories of love and loss, revenge and redemption. (You can relive a few of them via the video below, from the soap’s last episode on ABC before the noble experiment that was The Online Network.)
Life Goes On… or Could, Anyway
The end of One Life to Live on ABC and then its web counterpart doesn’t have to be the capital-T capital-E The End. Look at what’s going on with All My Children, which is being remixed and rebooted as a primetime series by married alums Kelly Ripa (Hayley) and Mark Consuelos (Matéo). Any freaking thing is possible in 2022.
We’d relaunch One Life to Live as a primetime drama, too — one which owes a debt to Aaron Sorkin’s spectacular 2012-14 HBO series, The Newsroom. In our version, Erika Slezak’s Viki would still serve as publisher of The Banner, but daughters Jessica and Natalie would be co-editors-in-chief. In those roles, they’d clash over how best to cover the madness that is our present day.
Sibling Rivals
Jessica, as you’d expect, would want to take the high road, leading readers toward kindness and compassion by eschewing the seedier side of politics and Llanview’s day-to-day. Natalie, on the other hand, would want to turn heads and attract eyeballs with whatever story was the most salacious on any given day.
If it corrupted the soul of Llanview, so be it. She wasn’t the town’s mama, after all!
“I’m withholding judgment… but just barely.”
Credit: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
In the background, obviously, the series would address the sibs’ relationships with the men in their lives, their mother and one another. And their staff could be made up of characters of so many different backgrounds that you’d just know that somewhere, Nixon was nodding in approval.
Your Call
What do you think, One Life to Live fans? Would you be keen on a primetime soap focused on Jessica and Natalie, with Viki as the angel on both of their shoulders and perhaps Dorian as the devil whispering in their ears? On your way to the comments, stop off at the photo gallery below, which revisits the show’s entire run on ABC.
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Image: Courtesy of the Everett Collection
1/31
<p>When ABC premiered Agnes Nixon’s <em>One Life to Live</em> in 1968, its central heroine Victoria Lord was played by none other than Gillian Spencer (later Daisy Cortlandt on <em>All My Children</em>). Also hanging out in those early days on what looked like a <em>Gilligan’s Island</em> jungle set were Lillian Hayman as Sadie Gray, Justin McDonough as D.A. Bill Kimbrough, Jan Chasmar as little orphan Amy (not her official name, but let’s be real), Antony Ponzini as Vince Wolek, Lynn Benesch as Viki’s sister Meredith and Michael Storm as Dr. Larry Wolek.</p>
Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
2/31
<p>Yep, in the beginning, <em>One Life to Live</em> allowed characters to be shown — <em>gasp</em> — doing the dishes. Seen here in 1971 are Ponzini as Vinny, who fell for good-time gal Niki Smith, unaware that she was Viki’s alternate personality, and Amy Levitt as Cathy Craig, the <em>Banner</em> reporter who carried on with not one but two of Viki’s love interests!</p>
Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection (2)
3/31
<p>In 1971, future six-time Emmy winner Erika Slezak became the third actress to take on the roles of Viki and her wiggy alter, Niki. “My first day,” she told the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpTyuvaG25o" target="_blank">Archive of American Television</a>, “was a little weird.” Not only did none of her castmates know that a recast was taking place until she showed up, “I had never been on television. I didn’t know anything… I didn’t know where the bathroom was!” Nonetheless, she soon distinguished herself as the rookie of the year.</p>
Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
4/31
<p>When <em>Dark Shadows</em> vet Jim Storm (later Bill Spencer Sr. on <em>The Bold and the Beautiful</em>) decided to scrub out as doc Larry after only a year, he knew just the actor to recommend to replace him: his own brother, Michael, who made the rounds in Llanview in one capacity or another for the next 35 (!) years.</p>
Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
5/31
<p>Legend has it that Nixon created for Ellen Holly the pivotal role of Carla Gray, who viewers wouldn’t learn until later was a light-skinned African-American passing for a white woman. Nixon also created for Holly quite a stir. The late-1960s being a less enlightened time, the audience was scandalized by Carla’s romance with a Black doctor. Only years later, after the truth about her ethnicity had come out, did she fall for her true love, Llanview PD lieutenant Ed Hall (Al Freeman Jr., not only the soap’s first Outstanding Lead Actor Daytime Emmy winner but the first African-American Outstanding Lead Actor Daytime Emmy winner).</p>
Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
6/31
<p>In 1976, the cast included Jeffrey Pomerantz as Dr. Peter Janssen, Doris Belack as Anna Wolek, Nat Polen as Jim Craig, Kathy Glass as Jenny Wolek, Lee Patterson as Viki’s husband, Joe Riley, the irreplaceable Slezak as Viki herself, Farley Granger as Will Vernon and Nancy Pinkerton, aka the original Dorian Cramer.</p>
Image: Steve Fenn/ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
7/31
<p>Arguably — and we know that you <em>will</em> argue — the love of the life of upwardly-mobile Dorian (ultimately Robin Strasser) was her babydaddy, David Renaldi (the late, great Michael Zaslow). When the actor was stricken with Lou Gehrig’s disease and fired from his long-running role of Roger Thorpe on <em>Guiding Light</em>, <em>One Life to Live</em> rehired him and wrote his deteriorating condition into his character’s storyline.</p>
Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
8/31
<p>As the ABC soap sought to capitalize on the popularity of primetime’s <em>Dallas </em>and<em> Dynasty</em> in the 1980s, it thrust to the forefront not only Strasser’s Alexis Carrington stand-in, Dorian — whose shoulder pads grew along with her schemes — but J.R./Jock Ewing hybrid Asa Buchanan, played with inimitable swagger by former movie star Phil Carey.</p>
Image: Ann Limongello/ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
9/31
<p>As a matter of fact, a whole family was built around Carey’s Asa — Pa to his sons, Viki’s future husband, <em>Banner</em> editor Clint (Clint Ritchie), and passion’s plaything Bo (Robert S. Woods), riding tall in the saddle here with Cord Roberts (John Loprieno), Clint’s surprise son from a long-ago love affair.</p>
Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
10/31
<p>In its heyday, <em>One Life to Live</em> thrived in its study of contrasts, a la the massive differences between good guys like Woods’ Bo and Gerald Anthony’s always-scheming Marco Dane, a character so popular that he was eventually crossed over to stir the pot on <em>General Hospital.</em></p>
Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
11/31
<p>In 1995, Joey and Jessica Buchanan were played by future primetime megastar Nathan Fillion (currently the titular newbie on <em>The Rookie</em>) and Erin Torpey, who went <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/gallery/soap-stars-who-grew-up-on-screen/alfonso/" target="_blank">from cute kid to leading lady</a> before bequeathing her legacy character to a successor, whom we’ll get to; don’t you worry.</p>
Image: Ann Limongello/ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
12/31
<p>Bo and his ultimate true love Nora Gannon (Hillary B. Smith) had to be ready at a moment’s notice to “drink to that” — and/or attempt to drink it away. And who could blame them? Certainly not us, not considering that over the years, they dealt with as many heartaches (remember when she slept with her ex to give her husband a baby?) as joys (no less than Little Richard was the officiant at their rock-’n’-roll wedding).</p>
Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
13/31
<p>In the underground city of Eterna — what, your town <em>doesn’t</em> have one? — somehow bad girls Tina Lord (Andrea Evans) and Gabrielle Medina (Fiona Hutchison) were allowed to manhandle Christine Cromwell (Susan Floyd) while dad Leo (Alan Scarfe) held them at vague gunpoint. At the time, Viki believed that Christine was the daughter that she’d forgotten ever having. What, <em>you’ve</em> never forgotten… Never mind.</p>
Image: Lucille Khornak/TV Guide/ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
14/31
<p>Viki’s daughter turned out to be her frequent sparring partner, <em>Fraternity Row</em> diva Megan Gordon (Jessica Tuck), who as you can see had the same reaction to iconic playboy Max Holden (James DePaiva) that most of the female population of Llanview did at one point or another. Often <em>more</em> than one point.</p>
Image: Robert Milazzo/ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
15/31
<p>Though lupus ultimately cut short Megan’s life, at least she got to slip away in the arms of her true love, Jake Harrison (Joe Lando). And, perhaps owing to her background as a lead on Bo’s soap opera, even after her passing, she kept showing up as an angel to visit her nearest and dearest. Wings and harp not included.</p>
Image: Robert Milazzo/ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
16/31
<p>During DePaiva’s hiatus from <em>One Life to Live</em>, the daytime drama attempted to replace him with soap vet Nicholas Walker (previously Trey Clegg on <em>Capitol</em>) opposite future <em>Baywatch</em> babe Yasmine Bleeth as Lee Ann Demerest. Did it work? Um… moving on…</p>
Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
17/31
<p>Long before Judith Light learned how to pose without giving herself a double chin — see exhibit A — the Daytime Emmy winner stunned soap audiences with her revelation that yes! Fine! Doctor’s wife Karen Wolek had <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eCIAe4hLeU">turned tricks to pass the time.</a> Needless to say, the powerhouse has gone on to make a hell of a name for herself on stage and in primetime.</p>
Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
18/31
<p>We dunno how, but it worked: The audience bought wholeheartedly into the romance of kooky spiritualist Luna Moody (Susan Batten) and DePaiva’s soulless Casanova Max.</p>
Image: Robert Milazzo/ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
19/31
<p>Since scheme queen Tina was and always would be endgame for gullible Cord, it wasn’t exactly a jaw-dropper when he briefly found himself drawn into the tangled web woven by Dorian’s manipulative niece, Blair Daimler (Kassie Wesley, who of course in real life married James DePaiva). What <em>was</em> surprising was that, once he was in her clutches, he managed to find his way back out.</p>
Image: Steve Fenn/ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
20/31
<p>When Billy Douglas (future movie star Ryan Phillippe) confessed that he was gay, Reverend Andrew Carpenter (Wortham Krimmer) reached out to the teenager to reassure him — and wound up being falsely accused of preying upon the boy by a spiteful Marty Saybrooke. More on her in 3, 2…</p>
Image: Ann Limongello/ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
21/31
<p>After being gang raped by Todd and his frat brothers, Marty (Susan Haskell) was understandably shattered. She didn’t know if she’d ever feel anything again except for anger and fear. But that all changed when a trip abroad brought into her life rugged poet Patrick Thornhart (Thorsten Kaye, now Ridge Forrester on <em>The Bold and the Beautiful</em>). Their chemistry was too great to be denied — or contained on screen; their portrayers also became a couple in real life.</p>
Image: Robert Milazzo/ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
22/31
<p>Llanview shuddered when Bo’s scariest ex, batty former secret agent Alex Olanov (Tonja Walker), tied the knot with Carlo Hesser (Thom Christopher), a mafioso who was so unscrupulous, he even cheated death. Their unholy alliance — sorry, <em>marriage</em> — left all of Llanview on high alert. Heck, it’s probably <em>still</em> on high alert, even now!</p>
Image: Ann Limongello/ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
23/31
<p>Viki probably shouldn’t have looked so shocked here. By the time she learned that the notorious Todd Manning (Roger Howarth) was her half brother, she’d already discovered that Megan was her daughter and Tina was her half sister. </p>
Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection (2)
24/31
<p>“Muy caliente” doesn’t even <em>begin</em> to describe the amount of sexy that Kamar de los Reyes and David Fumero brought to Llanview as the Vega brothers, Antonio and Cristian. Fun fact: Both actors married co-stars, the former, Sherri Saum, who played his love interest Keri Reynolds; the latter, the former Melissa Gallo, who played his cousin, Adriana Cramer.</p>
Image: George De Sota/JPI
25/31
<p>It sure didn’t look like it was in this “party picture” from 2010. Based on the expressions on the faces of Gigi Morasco (Farah Fath), beau Rex Balsom (at the time, the actress’ real-life significant other, Jean-Paul Lavoisier) and Kelly Cramer (Gina Tognoni), the champagne was flat. Or worse, there was none left.</p>
Image: John Paschal/JPI (2)
26/31
<p>Once Viki was made aware of the fact that she’d had two daughters, not just one, as she’d for so long believed, twins Jessica (Bree Williamson) and Natalie (Melissa Archer) made up for lost time by squabbling over everything from who Mom loves more to who can attrack whose boyfriend-of-the-week faster.</p>
Image: ABC (2)
27/31
<p><em>One Life to Live</em> sent us back to geometry class when it dropped detective John McBain (Michael Easton, now Hamilton Finn on <em>General Hospital</em>) into an emormously polarizing love triangle with Natalie and lawyer Evangeline Williamson (<em>Hamilton</em> Tony winner Renee Elise Goldsberry). In fact, it wasn’t resolved until… What’s that, you say? It <em>still</em> isn’t resolved? Well, alrighty then!</p>
Image: George De Sota/JPI
28/31
<p>The residents of Angel Square couldn’t help but contemplate a name change for their hood whenever it was paid a visit by she-devil Blair and her “better” half, Todd. In their defense, they often had Very Big Issues to deal with. For instance? Erm, the odd stretch in which Todd had to prove that he was, in fact, Todd and not… Well, keep scrolling. You know very well the character to whom we’re about to get.</p>
Image: John Paschal/JPI
29/31
<p>Well, he sure had <em>us</em> <em>fooled</em>. Victor Lord Jr. (Trevor St. John) spent the better part of a decade claiming to be Todd. Even <em>he</em> believed it, thanks to the brainwashing that he received courtesy of his and his brother’s maniacal Mommie Dearest, Viki’s old “pal,” Irene Manning.</p>
Image: George De Sota/JPI
30/31
<p>… there was always Roxy Balsom (daytime deity Ilene Kristen). In this instance, she was surrounded by the too-ripped-for-words Ford brothers, Nate Salinger (Lenny Platt), James (Nic Robuck) and Robert (David Gregory), who everybody just called Ford. That is, when they could still form words in his presence.</p>
Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
31/31
