CBS’s daytime drama As the World Turns will broadcast its final episode on Sept. 17, 2010 — one day shy of a year after the network pulled the plug on its 72-year-old daytime flagship Guiding Light. At the time of its final broadcast, the series will have spanned 54 years and more than 13,000 episodes.
“It’s extremely difficult to say good-bye to a long-running series that’s been close to our hearts for so long,” said Barbara Bloom, Senior Vice President, Daytime Programming. “The almanacs will show As the World Turns as a pioneer of the format, a hallmark for quality with its numerous Emmy’s, the launching pad for many television and film stars and a daytime ratings powerhouse for parts of three decades. But, the true legacy of As the World Turns will be the fictional characters and stories of a small Midwest town that resonated every day with millions of viewers over multiple generations, becoming a treasured daytime institution in the process. We thank our partners at Procter & Gamble for the privilege of hosting this beloved series … the actors, writers, producers and crew who worked so hard and shared their amazing talents to bring this series to life … and, of course, the viewers who shared the journey on our network for so many years.”
Longtime fans know that the series served as a launch pad for the careers of James Earl Jones, Marisa Tomei, Meg Ryan, Parker Posey, Julianne Moore, Swoosie Kurtz, Stargate Universe’s Ming-Na, Law & Order: SVU‘s Tamara Tunie, Greek‘s Spencer Grammer, Big Love‘s Amanda Seyfreid and a host of others.
Photo credit: Kwaku Alston/CBS
