For fans of daytime drama, April 14, 2011, marks a turning point — not for the better. It was on that day that the curtain fell on two legendary soap operas: All My Children and One Life to Live.
The announcement, delivered in a now-infamous virtual meeting, blindsided cast and crew alike, ending a combined 84 years of storytelling and shaking the soap world to its core.
Years later, the sting of that decision still lingers — and it was recently brought back into the spotlight by none other than General Hospital star Maurice Benard.
On his mental health podcast, State of Mind, Benard sat down with longtime friend and co-star Cameron Mathison to reflect on the past — and speak candidly about what went wrong.
“They Knew They Messed Up” — A Painful Truth
“I want to say something,” Benard began, his voice steady but resolute. “They made a mistake. They know they did. They made a huge mistake cancelling All My Children and One Life to Live.”
It wasn’t just nostalgia talking. Benard, who played Nico Kelly on AMC from 1987 to 1989, knew firsthand the passion of the soap audience. “They didn’t know the power of a soap opera audience. That’s why it’s difficult to cancel a soap now. Because I think they learned from that. That’s my opinion.”
Mathison, who portrayed Ryan Lavery on AMC, didn’t need convincing. Recalling the day he got the call from then-executive producer Julie Hanan Carruthers, he described the weight of that moment — realizing the end had come. “It’s a big chunk of the audience,” Mathison said. “We see how General Hospital is doing.
Not only on network but also streaming… The fans and the loyalty they bring. What Frank [Valentini] is doing over there to make sure we get new eyeballs on it — yeah, I bet you’re right. I bet you there are people who absolutely regret that decision.”
Benard didn’t miss a beat. “I felt that years ago, that they know they messed up.”
Short-Lived Replacements, Long-Lasting Regret
It’s hard to argue with him. The two shows meant more than just ratings. They were part of the American cultural fabric, birthed by the visionary Agnes Nixon and sustained by decades of loyal viewers.
ABC’s attempts to replace them — first with The Revolution and then The Chew — fell far short of filling the void. One fizzled out in six months; the other made it seven years. But neither matched the endurance or emotional weight of their predecessors.
Since then, daytime television has faced an uphill battle, often dismissed as a relic of a bygone era. Yet glimmers of hope still exist. Just this year, CBS introduced Beyond the Gates, the first new daytime drama on network television in over 25 years.
The show, helmed in part by soap veteran Julie Hanan Carruthers, proves that the genre isn’t done yet.
State of Mind: A New Platform, But the Same Heart
As for Benard, he’s carved a new path with State of Mind, a weekly podcast where he explores mental health, wellness, and the human experience with guests ranging from actors to athletes.
But he hasn’t forgotten where he came from — or what the soap community lost. “Nothing worked,” he said bluntly about the post-cancellation replacements. “And that’s why it’s difficult to cancel a soap… now.”
Fourteen years later, the echoes of that fateful decision still resonate. The fans never left. The stories never stopped mattering. And as Benard and Mathison reminded us, the heart of daytime TV is still beating — even if it had to weather a few wounds along the way.
Be sure to catch up on everything happening with Maurice Benard right now.
