All My Children (AMC) and One Life to Live (OLTL) are Back!

As Petey walks into Opal's home the line "Everyone's watching TV online now" made me chuckle with glee. There is an obvious insider joke that All My Children known to fans as AMC, and One Life to Live or OLTL getting saved by Prospect Park and Hulu is the direction television is moving toward.

When we last left Pine Valley, JR was about to burst into the Chandler Mansion with a gun, and shoot folks. The opening sequence showed David (Vincent Irizarry) struggling with JR and shots ring out.  AMC reincarnation picks up five years after the sad incident.

I have missed these characters, returning to Pine Valley we have the incomparable Jesse (Darnell Williams) and Angie (Debbie Morgan) Dixie (Cady McClain), Opal (Jill Larson), Adam (David Canary) Brooke (Julia Barr), and Zach (Thorstyn Kaye), and of course a whole slew of the next Generation from Adam JR, Miranda, and a whole slew of guest stars on heading into town from Alicia Minshew's Kendall to Eden Riegel's Bianca.  The cast is smaller, there are lots new folks, and no Erica Kane or la Lucci as Regis calls her, but watching the show felt like coming home.

I fell in love with All My Children when my grandmother used to watch me, my grandpa would go in the other room (to finish the Young and the Restless) and I would watch AMC with my grandma.  I was sad when this show was cancelled, but I am excited to see who comes back, and where the new characters will take this reborn series.  David out of jail for manslaughter, watching the loving Angie and Jesse, and damn is Petey sexy!  I just hope Erica comes back to spar with Brooke, those fights have been some of my favorite over the years.

Leaving Pine Valley, and on Llanview. Returning to our computer screens there's Victoria Lord (Erika Slezak), Jerry verDorn (Clint Buchanan)Tuck Watkins (David Vickers), Dorian Lord (Robin Strasser), Natalie Buchanan (Melissa Archer) Tea Delgado (Florencia Lozano) Dannielle Manning (Kelley Misal), Bo Buchanan (Robert S. Woods) Nora Buchanan (Hillary B. Smith), Kassie DePaiva (Blair Manning), Roger Howarth (Todd Manning) and some recasts.

When OLTL left the air there were some cross over stories which brought Todd, Blair, Tea, Star, and John McBain to Port Charles. With these stars characters contractually obligated to to return to Prospect Parks version I am curious to see how all of this plays out.  At the moment the rumor is that many of the characters will return to Port Charles again,  but now as different characters. I have to say, don't do this!

More on the residents of Llanview and their own drama.  The show picks up, not far in the future with brand new club opening now known as Shelter, Dorian in a political scandal, Todd returning home, Vicki and Clint engaged, and masked men with a symbol on their arms wrestling and fighting.  Matthew and Destiny have been recast, and I have to say I am not as big of a fan of the new Destiny, I like that they had a heavier actress on the air, and this recast proves to be an interesting change of direction.

I started watching One Life to Live much later, and not as attached to this show as much as All My Children.  When I watched AMC I got chills for the return of these characters, and OLTL provided some excitement, just not the same level.  Over the last years of both shows One Life to Live was just a much better show, and more consistent.  When both were cancelled my heart sank a bit, ABC did a poor job by cancelling them both rather than investing in their long running programming.

Both AMC and OLTL come back on an equal playing field with this rebirth.  There were of course some pieces missing in both, from characters who should be there to some bad dialogue alluding too much to new technology, too much music blaring over dialogue, and some over acting but that's a Soap!  I am excited to see the direction these shows go because with the online market through Hulu they can be a huge success once again, bringing old and newer viewers back to these shows.  Watching Blair and Todd's fiery passion, or the long lasting Angie and Jesse, and seeing the new young ones is a blast.  Welcome back All My Children and One Life to Live!