‘GH’ Star Maurice Benard Blasts ABC For Canceling Soap
GH star Maurice Benard used his YouTube vlog to blast ABC for canceling beloved soap opera. Why does he think they made the wrong decision? Keep reading for all the details.
General Hospital Ratings Plunge
Daytime television looked completely different thirty years ago. There were ten soap operas airing in 1995. But then the OJ Simpson trial happened that year. Soaps were pre-empted nearly daily for nearly nine months. Soap operas never recovered viewers from their late 80s and early 90s heyday.
There are only three legacy soap operas airing on network television. Days Of Our Lives left NBC in 2022 and airs exclusively on the Peacock streaming service. It’s been renewed through at least 2026.
There are currently four soap operas on network TV. Beyond The Gates debuted on CBS in February. It’s the network’s first new soap opera in over two decades. BTG has done well in ratings, though it still lags behind the other three soap operas.
According to soaps.com, General Hospital isn’t beating the new soap in ratings by very much. In the ratings from April 14-18, GH got 1,759,000 total viewers, while Beyond The Gates got 1,544,000 for that same period. The site noted that GH is down 226,000 viewers from this time last year. Low ratings have put the show in jeopardy, and many fans are worried ABC will cancel it.
GH Star Maurice Benard Blasts ABC For Canceling Soap
ABC is safe for now, but the network hasn’t officially renewed it for more seasons. General Hospital star Maurice Benard opened up about the network’s track record when it comes to canceling soaps. Soap fans were shocked and blindsided in 2011 when ABC canceled both All My Children and One Life To Live. Both shows were briefly revived for Hulu but streaming wasn’t popular back then, so they were quickly canceled a second time.
Maurice Benard played Nico Kelly on AMC before joining General Hospital as Sonny Corinthos. In addition to his acting career, he also hosts a mental health vlog on YouTube. Maurice Benard welcomed his GH co-star, Cameron Mathison, to State Of Mind this week. Cameron Mathison plays Drew Cain on GH but first rose to fame as Ryan Lavery on All My Children.
During their chat, the discussion turned to All My Children getting canceled. Maurice Benard said ABC made “a huge mistake cancelling All My Children and One Life to Live. They didn’t know the power of a soap opera audience!”
He noted that none of the shows ABC tried to replace the soaps with lasted very long. “Nothing worked, and that’s why it’s difficult to cancel a soap … now. I think they (ABC) learned from that, and that’s my opinion,” he said.
Cameron Mathison agreed that the network regrets canceling the two soap operas. He added that that’s why GH Executive Producer Frank Valentini does what he can to bring in new viewers to the one remaining soap on ABC.
Cameron Mathison Shares Emotional Moment He Saw Home Burning
General Hospital fans are not happy with Drew Cain right now, but Cameron Mathison is generally beloved for his soap roles and many Hallmark movies. His fans rallied around him when he lost his home to a wildfire earlier this year. He opened up to his co-star about the heartbreaking loss.
“As I pulled up (in my car), now that’s gone too, and not only that, everything I own was gone. It felt like my reality what I know to be true, wasn’t matching reality,” he said. The actor revealed that he lost two million dollars when he lost his home, but he said that losing sentimental things that can’t be replaced was the worst part.
Do you agree with the soap stars that ABC regrets canceling two of its most popular soaps? Sound off in the comments.
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