Soap-opera bond is slipping away

April 21, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

By Jenei Osterheldt

McClatchy Newspapers

As a little girl, she watched them with her mother. As a mother, she watched them with her little girl.

They are her soaps: “All My Children,” “One Life to Live” and “General Hospital.”

So when I called my mama last week to break the news that two of her three favorite shows had been canceled, she was in disbelief. How could ABC possibly pull the plug on “AMC” in September and “OLTL” next January?

That won’t be enough time to wrap up story lines that have been developing for more than 40 years.

But that’s the problem. Times have changed. And daytime television is taking a different direction.

Brian Frons, the president of daytime TV at the Disney ABC television group, said viewers are looking for a more informative and authentic kind of show that focuses on “real life.”

To that, my mama said, “What?” She may not relate to the characters on her soap operas, but she knows them.

“It’s been an ongoing movie that I’ve watched since I was young. And they are just taking them away.”

When she wants real life, she watches the news or turns to Oprah. But to her, daytime television is for escaping real life. And nothing provides escape and easy conversation like the people of Pine Valley, Llanview and Port Charles.

For as long as I can remember, these shows have been our safe place to connect. We don’t have a lot in common. But the bickering, expectations and indifference always fall to the wayside when we’re talking soaps.

It may sound strange. But let’s be honest: Mothers and daughters have a crazy kind of love. That roller coaster of emotions you ride with your mom is a topsy-turvy adventure that never seems to end. Most of the time, you don’t want it to.

And the things that tie us together are as funny and as dramatic as a soap opera. It just so happens that the soaps are a big part of the bond my mother and I share.

I can close my eyes right now, and the memories of watching with her are clear. I can just see her sitting on our couch, usually with a pack of Virginia Slims on the table, a can of Pepsi in hand and a Snickers bar nearby. She always gave me each character’s history.

A few years ago, I wrote about our soapy love. She said when I joined her in front of the set, it made her happy.

“We had something to talk about,” she said. “It’s something we share. We could agree or disagree but still enjoy it together.”

It’s not over yet. There’s still one place we can turn to for some daytime therapy: “General Hospital.”