CBS announced on Tuesday that it will be cancelling daytime soap As The World Turns after 54 years and 13,000 episodes, according to Variety. You might wonder why this news is relevant to The Flickcast, but the slow disappearance of scripted daytime dramas causes shock-waves throughout the entire entertainment industry, whether you were a fan or not.
Earlier this year, The Guiding Light was canceled after 72 years on the air. Anytime scripted dramas are being dropped, we should take note, because it could set a dangerous precedent. Desperate networks are pulling the plug on original product, and replacing it with game shows or other alternatives. There is no question these cancellations signal the end of an era.
Take a look at what NBC did to their prime time schedule. They did the unspeakable, and pretty much gave up on cost-prohibitive scripted television. Now we get Jay Leno, for better or worse, five times a week. That’s five hours of scripted television a week wiped clean from the slate.
Continue Reading →
