CBS to end “As the World Turns” in September
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
James Franco joins the cast of ABC’s General Hospital in the recurring role of Franco, a mysterious man who comes to Port Charles and will become intertwined with many other residents in town. His first airdate is in the Nov. 20 episode, as part of the climax of November sweeps.
In “The Belles Bond,” the girls go away for the weekend, where friction between Shea and Emily results in a surprising makeover. Also, Kelly reveals some deep secrets from her past and later — in a tense encounter — Emily meets with a style consultant who thinks she may need to tone down her look to be taken seriously. 
Created by Irna Phillips, the show debuted on NBC radio on January 25, 1937 as the 15-minute radio serial “The Guiding Light.” It made the switch to 15-minute episodes on CBS Television on June 30, 1952, although it continued to air concurrently on radio with the actors playing parts on both shows until 1956, when the radio show ended. In 1967, the series first started being broadcast in color, and a year later, the show expanded from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. In November 1977, the show expanded to a full hour. The series is credited by The Guinness Book of World Records
Cup Series competition, appears on next Wednesday’s (March 18) episode of ABC’s venerable soap opera General Hospital.