Sonny and Drew may hate each other on General Hospital, but their real-life counterparts get along great. The two recently chatted about all kinds of soapy things, leading to a discussion about cancelled ABC soaps.
All My Children
Cameron Mathison was a recent guest on Maurice Benard’s State of Mind podcast. They discussed how they both began their soap careers on the now-cancelled All My Children. Mathison played Ryan Lavery from 1998 until the final episode in 2011, with one small break from 2002 to 2003. Benard played AMC’s Nico Kelly much earlier, from 1987 to 1990.
Mathison spoke of his surprise when he heard about the AMC cancellation. “Something that’s been on the air for 42 years that people love,” he said, “You’re just in denial. Like, it’s not reality that it could go away.”
He told Soap Opera Digest back in 2011 how hard it was to say goodbye to Pine Valley. “Part of me is still in denial… I put the last tape date in my calendar, and I looked where it was, and I was thinking, ‘I’ve got three weeks and one day left.’ Like, this show, this part of my life, is over in three weeks! It was almost like I needed a visual aid to really let it sink in. And I don’t think it totally has sunk in yet.”
He went on to say, “It’s a big deal, a big deal for me. Maybe it’s not a big deal in general, but it’s a big deal for me, especially what I’ve gone through in my time on the show, what the show has meant to me, how loyal I am to the family on this show, and how much I love them all… That last day… it’s going to be a very hard day.”
Irreplacable
Not only did ABC cancel AMC back then, but soap favorite One Life to Live also got the axe. “They made a — and they know they did — they made a huge mistake canceling All My Children and One Life to Live,” Benard declared. “I think it was one of those things where [they] didn’t know the power of [the] soap opera audience.”
Mathison added that the shows that replaced the soaps, The Chew and The Revolution, didn’t last long. Benard agreed, “And that’s why it’s difficult to cancel a soap now,” Benard exclaimed. “Because I think they learn from that. That’s my opinion.”
“I bet you’re right,” Mathison said to his co-star. “I bet you there’s people that absolutely regret it.”
Do you agree with the men of GH? Was it a mistake to cancel the ABC soaps? Let us know in the comments.
