'All My Chidren' Actress Lucci Slams ABC After Cancellation
Original cast member of ABC’s “All My Children,” Susan Lucci has voiced anger over ABC’s decision to cancel the 41-year-old show.
The last episode of the daytime drama will air on September 23 and will become an online series; Lucci said that the decision to cancel the show was goaded by greed.
Lucci added that Brian Frons, head of ABC’s daytime unit, has “that fatal combination of ignorance and arrogance,” AP has reported.
In April, ABC canceled the daytime dramatic series “One Life to Live,” claiming soap operas were becoming less popular with audiences.
Frons said that trying to keep shows going during severe declines in ratings was like “trying to catch a flailing knife.”
According to Lucci, Frons said that making a cooking and weight-loss series, which will replace the canceled soap operas, would be 40 percent cheaper.
“If Brian Frons could show his bosses that he could save the network 40 percent in production costs, he could keep his job even if the rest of us lost ours,” said Lucci in her memoir, “All My Life.”
Published earlier this year, “All My Life” also covers Lucci’s criticism of Frons for shunning Agnes Nixon, creator of “All My Children,” by replacing her with a new head writer.
The 64-year-old actress noted that many ABC employees had either lost their jobs or lost money when the show moved production to California from New York in the network's attempt to save money.
“I wonder, did Brian Frons take a pay cut, too?” Wrote Lucci.
The relationship between Lucci and the media company that is to produce “All My Children” online is uncertain.
“We have all the respect in the world for Susan and are sorry she felt the need to write this epilogue to an otherwise incredible career,” said spokeswoman for ABC Jori Pertersen.
