All My Children was first broadcast on January 5th, 1970. It originally began as a half-hour series, but later ran for a full hour in 1977. It is currently running on ABC and has been on the air for 33 years. The show is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania. The original cast was composed of two families, the Martins, and the Tylers (who were the founders of Pine Valley). There have been many prominent characters and storylines throughout the years, but currently, some of the most prominent characters are:

Susan Lucci--Erica, the founder of Enchantment cosmetics

David Canary--Adam and Stuart Chandler. Adam is one of the richest businessmen in Pine Valley; Stuart, his mentally challenged twin brother

Eva LaRue--Maria Grey, who has recently returned to the show after being presumed dead for 5 years following a plane crash. She is now suffering a bout of amnesia.

John Callahan--Edmund Grey, Maria’s husband

Julia Barr--Brooke English, Edmund’s partner at Tempo Magazine

Michael Knight--Tad Martin, the former “playboy” figure of Pine Valley-

Agnes Nixon is the creator of the show. She was originally a writer for Guiding Light, and then went on to become head writer of Another World, whose ratings went up due to her writing. ABC approached her about writing a new series, to which she replied with One Life to Live, also a currently running series. This was a huge success, and ABC asked her to create yet another series. All My Children was created and the rest is history.

The show portrays a theme of young love. It has always contained many love triangles among its younger characters. The show also features within the eternal triangle, the child who doesn’t know who his father is. It is therefore essentially considered a fun and romantic drama. The show does attempt to heighten social awareness however, by tackling some more serious issues. The show has addressed issues such as abortion, rape, AIDS, alcoholism, etc. The show mainly attracts high school and college aged viewers, and is usually found in the top 3 of the Nielsen ratings. The overall message of the show is that people are only human and that happiness is best found in sharing experiences with a loved one. It is considered a very optimistic show, having many references to hope and faith. Some of the achievements of the show include being awarded Outstanding Soap Series several times, as well as individual actors on the show such as Julia Barr, Michael Knight, and John Callahan being awarded Emmy’s for their performances.

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