I honestly never thought I would see the day that “Guiding Light” would end, but alas, the long-running CBS soap opera will shine no more.
According to reports, the 72-year-old daytime serial has been cancelled. The final episode will air on September 18th.
Do you know how many retirees are crying right now? I know one retired woman, who lives and dies by CBS soaps. My friend’s grandmother has been a fan of “Guiding Light” since it debuted on TV in June 1952 (the daytime drama began as a radio soap opera in 1937) and has only missed a handful of episodes in the decades since.
The series, which became an hour-long daily drama in 1977, is credited as The Longest-Running Television Drama by The Guinness Book of World Records, and has produced more than 15,700 episodes since it began.
So why in the world is CBS pulling the plug on “Guiding Light” now?
Execs say blame it on the economy… and changed viewing habits. Apparently there aren’t enough people like my friend’s grandma, who religiously follow the Spaulding, Lewis and Cooper families in the fictional town of Springfield. The fans were there in the past when the likes of James Earl Jones, Calista Flockhart, Hayden Panettiere, Kevin Bacon and Taye Diggs were getting their start on “Guiding Light.”
Unfortunately, the show couldn’t keep its numbers elevated. According to media reports, “Guiding Light” has the lowest ratings of the eight daytime dramas on the air. When it leaves, CBS and ABC will have three weekday soap operas, while NBC has just one.
Die-hard “Guiding Light” fans still have a little hope. Procter & Gamble Productions, which makes the show, said yesterday that it plans to explore different ways to keep the drama going after September, perhaps on cable or online. The company says it will have to evaluate whether there’s a cost-effective way to keep producing the soap.
Are you a “Guiding Light” fan?
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