Soap opera fans who still bemoan the loss of All My Children have something exciting to look forward to thanks to a new report. According to Variety , the project is still in its very early stages. However, some of the key details that are available suggest that this could be something big. An updated, evening take on the fan-favorite soap opera is in development.
All My Children ended its run on ABC in September 2011. The ABC series, which started in 1970, was set in the fictional city of Pine Valley, Pennsylvania.
Now, the same network is working with two fan-favorite AMC alums to recreate an updated version of the series. Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, who played Hayley Vaughan and Mateo Santos Sr., are signed on as executive producers. As fans surely remember, Ripa and Consuelos even met for the first time on AMC and got married while they were still cast members.
Apparently, this will not air in a daytime spot though. Instead, the development team is looking to make this a primetime show.
The project is tentatively titled Pine Valley . The plan is that a young journalist who has a secret agenda will show up in town hoping to expose the truth about the area.
As the journalist digs to learn the truth about the “dark and mysterious history” of the town, Variety detailed, the reporter will end up pulled into a family feud. The Santos and Kane families will be battling one another in some sense, and the reporter gets tangled up in it all.
Ripa and Consuelos are attached to the project via their Milojo Productions entity alongside the director of development, Michael Halpern. In addition, Robert Nixon will be an executive producer, and he is the son of AMC creator Agnes Nixon.
According to Deadline , the drama of the primetime series will revolve around the decades-old secrets related to both the Santos and Kane families.
In addition to Ripa and Consuelos, AMC featured a number of iconic soap stars. As former viewers know, Susan Lucci played Erica Kane. Over the years, others such as Eva LaRue, Cameron Mathison, Rebecca Budig, Walt Willey, David Canary, Cady McClain, and Michael E. Knight made their mark on the show as well.
Right now, it seems that there are no deals in place regarding original cast members to appear on-screen. The current plan is that it will focus on a new generation of characters, although some old favorites will be incorporated to some extent. Familiar faces may pop up via cameos here and there.
Apparently, the writing and production team will make sure they take advantage of having an evening time slot in terms of content and tone. At the same time, some soapy elements will be utilized as well.
At this stage, it’s too soon to know when All My Children fans can expect to see any episodes of Pine Valley . It’s in the early stages of development and everybody will be quite anxious to learn more.