Prospect Park to revive ‘All My Children,’ ‘One Life to Live’
The production company Prospect Park, having secured agreements with Hollywood guilds, plans to revive the canceled ABC soap operas “One Life to Live†and “All My Children†as Web productions.
“We are pleased to confirm that Prospect Park is reviving the beloved soap operas, ‘All My Children’ and ‘One Life To Live’ as the anchor programs on the Online Network (TOLN),†the company’s principals, Jeff Kwatinetz and Rich Frank, said in a statement.
The privately held firm said it had arranged financing and signed pacts with the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), as well as with the Directors Guild of America.
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Three executives have been hired: Foz McDermott, who will be head of production for the Online Network; Jennifer Pepperman, who was a director on ABC’s version of “One Life to Live†and will become executive producer of the Internet incarnation; and Ginger Smith, a veteran of “All My Children,†who will serve as executive producer of the Web version.
The company did not say when soap opera fans could expect new episodes of the daytime dramas that went off the air more than a year ago, or which actors might be reprising their appearances. ABC cancelled the long-running shows because they required large crews but weren’t mustering sufficient ratings or advertising revenue to make production profitable.
Prospect Park’s earlier effort in 2011 to revive the two soaps fell apart, in large part because of a stalemate during negotiations with the guilds.
Agnes Nixon, who created the soaps, announced the move late last week on her blog. Nixon will become a consultant on the projects.
“We of the ‘One Life to Live’ and ‘All My Children’ families are thrilled to bring our beloved viewers new, ongoing stories from Llanview and Pine Valley,†Nixon wrote. “I’m overjoyed that so many actors you love have voiced their desire to bring their characters back to life.â€
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