All My Children
(Monday to Friday 1:00 p.m., ET/12:00 noon, PT)
"All My Children" revolves around the lives of the residents of fictional Pine Valley, a town which closely resembles the Philadelphia Main Line. Now in its 36th anniversary season, the show still includes two original actors among its cast, Susan Lucci (Erica Kane) and Ray McDonnell (Dr. Joe Martin).
"All My Children" celebrated its 35th anniversary on January 5, 2005, marked by a musical celebration on Broadway benefiting Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS. The event raised over $250,000 for the organization. The show was also honored by The Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Television with a proclamation and a street-naming ceremony. Since its premiere, the show has successfully maintained its popularity and continues to be one of daytime's most compelling dramas. "All My Children" took home the 1998 Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, the third time the show received this top honor, having also garnered the award in 1994 and 1992. It also received its third consecutive Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series Writing. "All My Children" has received its third Writers Guild Award and its third GLAAD Media Award, as well as GLAAD's inaugural Out Image Award for the character of Bianca Montgomery.
In all, "All My Children" has received more than 30 Emmy Awards and consistently distinguishes itself in the field of daytime drama. The show has historically been committed to social issues, focusing on such topics as AIDS, abortion, teenage alcoholism, racial bias, acquaintance rape, spousal abuse, homosexuality, Reyes syndrome, Vietnam MIAs, drug abuse, the risks of motherhood over 40, safe sex, pet therapy and organ donations, among others. The show made television history by airing daytime television's first same-sex kiss between the characters of Bianca and Lena.
High production standards add dimension, and "All My Children's" location scenes provide maximum visual excitement. Remote shoots have included the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, the New York State Correction Facility at Sing Sing, the lush Budapest countryside, the Canadian Rockies and Negril, Jamaica. The graphic depiction of such catastrophes as a destructive tornado, a deadly plane crash and a devastating explosion at Holidays have added a richness in production value that is unparalleled in daytime television.
Celebrity fans who have guest-starred on the program include Carol Burnett, Oprah Winfrey, Kathy Bates, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Donald Trump, Montel Williams, Tom Wopat, Donna Hanover, Regis Philbin, Kathy Lee Gifford, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, Paul Anka, Dick Cavett, Melba Moore, Ed Koch, Jimmy Buffett, Stevie Wonder, Aaron Neville, Gwen Verdon, Robert Morse, Cheryl Tiegs, Maureen O'Sullivan, Dom Deluise, Olympian Summer Sanders, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason, race-car driver Danny Sullivan, talk-show hosts Star Jones and Meredith Vieira, folk music group Blessed Union of Souls, Rosie O'Donnell, R&B artist Brian McKnight, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Latin singing sensations C-Note, Elvis Crespo, Shaggy, pop-groups BB MAK and O-Town, Tito Nieves and the outrageous RuPaul.
Created by Agnes Nixon, "All My Children" premiered on the ABC Television Network on January 5, 1970, as a half-hour show; seven years later it expanded to an hour. Julie Hanan Carruthers is executive producer, Megan McTavish is head writer with Conal O'Brien, Casey Childs and Angela Tessinari direct. "All My Children" is produced in New York and airs MONDAY-FRIDAY (1:00-2:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.