Susan Lucci. Photo: ABC
Susan Lucci has a few harsh words to say about the cancellation of All My Children.
In an epilogue for the paperback version of her book, All My Life: A Memoir, Lucci has some not-so-nice things to say about the bigwigs at ABC, according to Bill Zwecker at the Chicago Sun-Times. The book will be released on September 13.
Lucci writes that ABC Daytime president Brian Frons let “greed” get in the way, and that his “very bad decisions” such as hiring a head writer who Lucci says created “sub-par writing,” and the 2008 ouster of show creator Agnes Nixon in 2008 “destroy[ed] the production of our show.”
The soap opera actress said Frons decided to replace All My Children with food-related talk show The Chew simply to save money, adding, “If Brian Frons could show his bosses that he could save the network 40 percent… he could keep his job even if the rest of us lost ours.”
The studio first tried to cut costs in 2009 by moving production of AMC from New York to Los Angeles, uprooting Lucci from her longtime NYC home. Lucci took the move in stride, telling People magazine at the time, “Everybody understands that it’s a huge vote of confidence on the part of ABC… it’s going to be a great move for the show.”
That confidence waned in less than 18 months, however, and the network announced the soap’s cancellation in April of this year. The final episode was taped on August 30, and will air on September 23.
Lucci played character Erica Kane since AMC premiered in 1970, and was the only original cast member to remain in the series remaining episodes. She won a daytime Emmy in 1999 to the delight of fans, after having received 18 failed Emmy nominations.
Lucci is still mulling over being a part of future All My Children ventures, including an online-only show, or a resurrection on cable television.
An ABC representative told Zwecker, “We have all the respect in the world for Susan, and are sorry she felt the need to write this epilogue to an otherwise incredible career.”
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