Courtesy/ABC
Daytime Emmy winner, Cady McClain (Dixie, AMC) took to her Facebook page again to give her thoughts on the disappointing turn of events just before Thanksgiving that had Prospect Park deciding to stop their efforts to bring One Life to Live and All My Children to the web, which for many soap fans was watching their two beloved shows die a double death! McClain addressed the companies blame game on the unions and the actors, and their lack of understanding of the soap genre and of consideration for the fans! Here are just a few riveting excerpts, but make sure to read the entire post!
McClain wrote: “Many of these important issues were being put on the chopping block in a rather concerning way. In fact, one of the guys at PP was heard to have said, “I thought we were buying Judge Judy.” Now nothing against Judge Judy, I love that show, but clearly it is a very inexpensive show to produce. It’s one set, two contract players and a rotating cast of real people. No stunts, no 18 hour days, no dialogue to write or memorize, one set… C’mon. Really? Soaps=Judge Judy??”
McClain then went on to say later in the post: “I get that it was a sales pitch, a hustle to try and raise the rest of the funds, but that’s a gamble. Gambling with the future of a 40 year old show and it’s historic 40 year value to an entire country is pretty cocky. I am in shock they did not have it in them to call Agnes Nixon directly and admit they were not going to continue. That is another arrow pointing very clearly in the direction that PP as it stands is not a class act.
As you can see, there are much bigger issues at hand than the unions demanding “too much,” a claim which is patently untrue. The truth is, PP was not able to get their financing and they are trying to save face by sending blame elsewhere. Remember a few weeks ago when it was all the actors fault? I’m sort of shocked to discover they were able to come in and have as much control over the ending of the show when they weren’t 100% solvent and ready to produce, but that is a sign of how willing both the shows were to “make things work.”
It appears to me now that AMC and OLTL were used as bait to lure investors through the power of their incredible fan base. I think it is foolish of PP to turn around and say, “Oh now we realize that it’s mostly people over 40 who aren’t on the internet and don’t spend that much money.” NOW you think that’s the case? What did you think when you put all that money down to buy the licensing? What kind of operation is this? Oh, I get it. Now it’s the FANS fault.
There is a reason that soaps are going the way of the dinosaur, but it doesn’t have to do with the fans not caring, the actors not wanting to work, the unions not participating or the productions not trying to accommodate tighter budget constraints. It has to do with a business model that insists on showing higher and higher profits for the shareholders, while compensating the execs with outrageous bonuses.
There are some who wonder if PP buying the licensing rights was all intended to quell the negative publicity that was created by ABC canceling the two shows in the first place. Was PP played as much as we were all played? Is there a “chess master” behind this whole thing or has this all been a sad case of a deal gone horribly wrong?
It seems to me that some businessmen wanted to come in and make a profit off a business without making the time to really learn about it. What ever happened to due diligence? Didn’t the guys who invested in Facebook do their homework? I think they did. Why didn’t PP? All that said, I’m really sorry for you guys, the incredible, loyal fans of the soaps, who put in so many years only to be whipsawed at the end. Your attention and support is worth more and you should’ve been treated better.”
So what do you think of Cady’s sentiments? Let us know!
Torrey says: 
Brian 
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