All My Children
The great and the least, you are all my children.
**All My Children (AMC)** was a daytime soap opera that first aired on ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and later streamed on The Online Network (TOLN) via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and iTunes from April 29 to September 2, 2013. The show was created by Agnes Nixon and took place in the fictional town of Pine Valley, Pennsylvania—a suburb of Philadelphia inspired by the real-life suburb of Penn Valley. It holds the distinction of being the first new network daytime drama to premiere in the 1970s. The series is especially known for Susan Lucci’s portrayal of Erica Kane, a character who became one of the most iconic figures in daytime television. The show was originally owned by Creative Horizons, Inc., the company founded by Agnes Nixon and her husband Bob, but was sold to ABC in January 1970. It began as a half-hour program and expanded to a full hour on April 25, 1977, though it had briefly experimented with the longer format for one week starting June 30, 1975, before *Ryan’s Hope* premiered. From 1970 to 1990, taping took place at ABC’s TV18 studio at 101 West 67th Street in New York City, a site now replaced by a 50-story apartment tower. From March 1990 to December 2009, it was taped at ABC's Studio TV23 at 320 West 66th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. In December 2009, taping moved from Manhattan to less costly Los Angeles, California, at Stages 1 and 2 of the Andrita Studios, from 2010 to 2011. Later, production relocated to the Connecticut Film Center in Stamford, Connecticut. The show began taping in high definition on January 4, 2010, and started broadcasting in HD on February 3, 2010, making it the third soap opera to be produced and aired in that format. At its peak, *All My Children* was the most widely recorded television show in the United States. In the mid-1970s, an estimated 30% of its audience was male—an unusually high figure for the time. It ranked first in daytime Nielsen ratings during the 1978–79 season and held the number-two spot among daytime soaps for much of the 1980s and into the early 1990s. However, like other U.S. soap operas, its ratings dropped significantly in the 2000s, and by 2010 it had become one of the least-watched daytime soaps. ABC announced the show’s cancellation on April 14, 2011, after 41 years.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Soap opera
- Creator
- Agnes Nixon
- Writer
- Various
- Company
- Creative Horizons, Inc. (1970–1975) / ABC (1975–2011) / Prospect Park (2013)
- Starring
- Series cast
- Runtime
- 30 minutes (1970–1977) / 60 minutes (1977–2011) / 21–27 minutes (2013)
- Network
- ABC
- First Aired
- 1970-01-05
- Last Aired
- 2011-09-23
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Agnes Nixon first conceived All My Children in the 1960s while head writer for The Guiding Light, designing it as a light-hearted soap opera focused on social issues and young love. After unsuccessful attempts to sell it to NBC and CBS, she used ideas from its bible for Another World, including the Erica Kane model for character Rachel Davis. ABC later approached Nixon to create a more contemporary show, leading to One Life to Live; after its success, the network asked for another program, and Nixon revived her All My Children bible and the Erica Kane character. The series debuted on January 5, 1970, replacing the canceled game show Dream House, with Rosemary Prinz as special guest star for six months to boost initial ratings. The show's first action centered on families including the wealthy Phoebe Tyler, divorced mother Mona Kane and her spoiled daughter Erica, and the stable Martin family. All My Children was unique for its use of the Vietnam War, with characters like Amy Tyler and later Ruth Martin leading protests. In May 1972, Erica Kane became the first television character to undergo a legal abortion, a controversial storyline that preceded Roe v. Wade by nearly a year and generated significant media attention.
Reader's Guide
All My Children was the first new network daytime drama to debut in the 1970s and at one point became the most widely recorded television show in the United States. In the mid-1970s, its audience was estimated to be 30% male, unusual at the time. The show ranked first in the daytime Nielsen ratings in the 1978–79 season and was the number-two daytime soap opera throughout most of the 1980s and into the early 1990s. However, like other U.S. soap operas, it experienced unprecedented ratings declines in the 2000s, becoming one of the least-watched by 2010. ABC canceled the series on April 14, 2011, after 41 years, and sold licensing rights to Prospect Park on July 7, 2011, for an Internet revival. After a suspension due to funding and union issues, Prospect Park revived the series on TOLN in 2013, but it faced behind-the-scene obstacles and was canceled again on November 11, 2013. The rights returned to ABC in December 2016. The show's legacy includes its pioneering social issue storylines, such as the Vietnam War and legal abortion, and its role in launching the career of Susan Lucci as Erica Kane.
Creative Origins & the Birth of a Vision
Agnes Nixon first conceived All My Children during the 1960s while serving as head writer on The Guiding Light. Her original story bible envisioned a lighter-toned soap centered on social issues and young romance, but she hit repeated walls trying to pitch it to NBC, CBS, and back to NBC through Procter & Gamble. In 1965, while writing for Another World, she repurposed the emotional blueprint of her Erica Kane character to build a new role called Rachel Davis, describing both women as driven by an elusive dream. Years later, ABC approached Nixon asking for a show with a more contemporary feel. That project became One Life to Live in 1968, and its success prompted the network to request a second series. Nixon dusted off her old bible, resurrected Erica Kane, and crafted a short poem for the show's title-credit photo album, declaring that in joy, sorrow, tragedy, and triumph, "you are all my children." The series debuted on January 5, 1970, stepping into the slot left by the canceled game show Dream House, with veteran actress Rosemary Prinz brought in as a six-month guest star to lend the new program immediate name recognition.
Production Evolution & the Move to HD
All My Children launched as a half-hour program in 1970 before expanding to a full hour on April 25, 1977, though it had briefly tested the longer format for a single week in June 1975. The show was originally owned by Creative Horizons, Inc., a company Nixon co-founded with her husband Bob, before being sold to ABC in the show's first month. For two decades, production took place at ABC's TV18 studio at 101 West 67th Street in Manhattan. In March 1990, taping shifted to the nearby TV23 stage at 320 West 66th Street, where it remained until December 2009. Seeking lower costs, production relocated to Stages 1 and 2 at Andrita Studios in Los Angeles for the 2010-2011 season, before moving again to the Connecticut Film Center in Stamford. A significant technical milestone came in early 2010: the show began taping in high definition on January 4 and aired in HD on February 3, making it the third soap opera in the genre to be both produced and broadcast in the higher-resolution format.
Ratings, Audience, & Cultural Footprint
At its peak, All My Children held the distinction of being the most widely recorded television program in the United States, a testament to its grip on the viewing public. Its audience composition was notably unusual for a daytime drama: by the mid-1970s, roughly thirty percent of its viewers were male, a demographic split that set it apart from most soaps of the era. In the 1978-79 season, the show claimed the top spot in the daytime Nielsen ratings, and it held the number-two position among daytime soaps for much of the 1980s and into the early 1990s. Susan Lucci's portrayal of Erica Kane became one of the most recognized characters in daytime television history. The fictional setting of Pine Valley, Pennsylvania—modeled on the real Philadelphia suburb of Penn Valley and reportedly inspired by Rosemont—gave the show a grounded, relatable geography. As the first new network daytime drama to debut in the 1970s, it helped define the era's soap landscape. However, like its genre peers, it suffered steep rating declines through the 2000s, and by 2010 it had slipped to become one of the least-watched soaps on air.
Cancellation & the Turbulent Revival Saga
On April 14, 2011, ABC announced it would cancel All My Children after forty-one years on the air, with the final network episode airing on September 23 of that year. Just weeks after the announcement, on July 7, ABC sold the show's licensing rights to third-party production company Prospect Park, which planned to continue the series as a web-based format. However, by November 23, 2011, Prospect Park had suspended the revival, citing insufficient funding and failed negotiations with the unions representing actors and crew. The project went dormant for over a year before Prospect Park officially revived it on January 7, 2013, planning a premiere on its new streaming platform, The Online Network (TOLN), accessible through Hulu, Hulu Plus, and iTunes. The revived series launched on April 29, 2013, but behind-the-scenes difficulties persisted throughout its run. On November 11, 2013, several cast members publicly confirmed that Prospect Park had shut down production and canceled the series once more. The TOLN run ended on September 2, 2013, and the rights ultimately reverted to ABC in December 2016, leaving the future of the franchise unresolved.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is All My Children?
All My Children is a daytime soap opera that originally aired on ABC from 1970 to 2011, following the intertwined lives of residents in a small Pennsylvania town. Created by Agnes Nixon, it holds the distinction of being the first new network daytime drama to debut in the 1970s.
When was All My Children cancelled and how was it revived?
The show wrapped its final ABC broadcast on September 23, 2011, and was later resurrected as a digital streaming series on The Online Network (TOLN), available through Hulu, Hulu Plus, and iTunes. The revival episodes ran from April 29 to September 2, 2013.
Who created All My Children?
Agnes Nixon developed the series, which premiered on ABC in January 1970. Her creation went on to become a four-decade fixture of American daytime television before its eventual cancellation.
Where is All My Children set?
The entire story takes place in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictional suburb just outside Philadelphia. The town's name was reportedly drawn from the real-life community of Penn Valley.
How long did the All My Children revival last?
The TOLN revival spanned roughly four and a half months, from late April through early September 2013. Unlike the original run, it was distributed exclusively through online streaming platforms rather than traditional broadcast television.
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