The End of a 54-year TV Relationship
As the story goes, my grandmother Marion called my great-grandmother Elizabeth one weekday afternoon. Elizabeth picked up and, with great urgency, said:
“Hang up the phone and turn on CBS. As The World Turns is on…”
And that began my family’s 4 generation-long love affair with ATWT. So you can imagine my sadness hearing the news yesterday that CBS canceled As The World Turns.
Growing up, I never really questioned why I watch The Show (as my grandmother sometimes called it), I just did. My great-grandmother introduced it to my grandmother who introduced it to my mother who introduced it to me. It was a family tradition. I’m guessing it’s similar to the way one’s relatives might teach them a special family recipe or pass down antique jewelery from one generation to the next. But since elaborate meals were not really our family forte and we’re a little short on jewels, As The World Turns is the closet thing I have to a secret recipe or a family heirloom.
In fact, the first person who taught me about long-term television relationships was my grandmother. It wasn’t just that she watched As The World Turns, she loved it. After she had finished reading her Soap Opera Digests, she’d mail them to us – complete with all ATWT references circled or highlighted. And the first, and only, TV fan convention I ever attended was for As The World Turns. We’d walk around taking pictures with our favorite characters, entering raffles for autographed paraphernalia, and connecting with other fans who loved ATWT. Yes, it was my white-haired barely 5-foot-tall grandmother who taught me to be a fan.
As The World Turns will air its last episode in September 2010, which means I still have time to check in on Bob & Kim, Margo & Tom, Lucinda, Lisa, Mama Snyder, Susan Stewart, matriarch Nancy, and the rest of the residents of Oakdale, Illinois. And though I haven’t kept close tabs on The Show for a while now, I always took great comfort in the fact that it was there – a daily reminder of our 4 generation-long television relationship.
2 Responses
Leave a Reply
What a great story about you and your grandmother watching As The World Turns all those times and together. As The World Turns is a show that will be remembered always It is also a show no fan wants to ever miss. It will go down in history they are a milestone show. As The World Turns is very fortunate to have fans like you and your grandmother. Thank you for shareing your love with us for this great show.
Hi, nice post. I stumbled upon this blog, but I will definitely come here again. Have a great day.