Is Guiding Light Really Dead?...

Is Guiding Light Really Dead?

Category: Television
Posted 8 months ago by NewsHound
Credit: http://www.tvguidemagazine.com/soaps/is-guiding-ligh
There’s a new report in the industry trade TV Week that CBS is actively shopping for a show to replace Guiding Light and it has triggered quite a firestorm though, as a GL press rep noted to me Monday, “there’s nothing new in the article.” True enough. Reports surfaced quite some time ago that a decision would be made about the soap’s fate in April 2009 and that things didn’t look good. At the time, CBS Daytime chief Barbara Bloom refused to address the matter with a terse “We don’t comment on rumors.” Her inability (or disinterest) in putting a positive spin on the matter spoke volumes.

Thus, it’s no surprise that Bloom is also refusing comment on the TV Week piece. If GL, the longest-running program in entertainment history, dies after 15 years on radio, followed by nearly 57 years on TV, it’ll largely be on her head. It was Bloom who masterminded the show’s pretentious, avant-garde makeover in early 2008, substituting traditional cameras for herky-jerky handicams and moving GL outdoors to the colorless New Jersey suburb of Peapack. Rather than luring new, young viewers, the new look and style drove away a sizable chunk (18 percent) of the existent audience.

Yet there’s been every reason to hold out hope. Bloom made a visit to the set of GL just a few weeks ago and — my moles tell me — strongly intimated that the soap would be getting a renewal. Even before that there was a growing sense of excitement behind the scenes, what with the return of fan fave Grant Aleksander (Phillip) and the feverish audience response to the latent-lesbian storyline involving Olivia (Crystal Chappell) and Natalia (Jessica Leccia). And, earlier this month, the soap took several cast members to shoot on location at Universal Studios theme park in Orlando, and flew in a bunch of press to cover the event. Thus, it’s no surprise that the TV Week report is said to have thrown GL executive producer Ellen Wheeler for one hell of a loop.

The article sent an extra chill down spines with the news that CBS is “contracting with an outside studio for programming to replace” GL and developing “possible in-house candidates for the soap opera’s slot” but this may seem scarier than it really is. NBC also fielded replacement possibilities last year while it was deciding whether or not to renew Days of Our Lives, and seriously considered replacing it with repeats of the Real Housewives franchise and other female-friendly shows from its sister channel Bravo. It’s called having a backup plan. Ultimately, NBC decided to stick with Days a while longer.

It’s not my intention to paint an inaccurately rosy picture. For all I know, GL is as dead as Harry Truman. But do keep in mind that nothing has been officially decided here. And miracles do happen. More to come…
Related Links: Crystal Chappell, Grant Aleksander, Beth Chamberlin, Jessica Leccia
Is Guiding Light Really Dead?
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See Also: Crystal Chappell News :: Grant Aleksander News :: Beth Chamberlin News :: Jessica Leccia News
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