ABC Cancels 'The Revolution,' 'General Hospital' Will Continue To Air

It’s the news soap fans have been waiting for! Deadline reports ABC has canceled ‘The Revolution,’ and keeping ‘General Hospital’ on the air for the foreseeable future.

Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva writes, “Soap fans can rejoice — I’ve learned that ABC will keep its only remaining daytime drama General Hospital on the air while canceling freshman talk show The Revolution. The news ends months of speculation about what will happen to the venerable soap whose long-time 3 PM slot will be taken over by Katie Couric’s new syndicated talk show in the fall.”

The Revolution’s final episode will air in July. Starting July 9, ABC will air a Good Morning America special in its place, GMA In The Afternoon, during the following nine weeks. Information on the afternoon GMA program is still being finalized, but Deadline reports the series will be light and feature personalities from the morning program.

While this news is great for GH, what remains to be seen is just how long General Hospital will continue to be around. Would ABC be foolish enough to cancel the show before or after it celebrates its 50th anniversary next April? Of course. It’s more important than ever for GH have ratings growth, get under budget and prove why it should remain on the ABC lineup. It will not be an easy task ahead for GH head writer Ron Carlivati and executive producer Frank Valentini. Personally, I don’t look at this news as a “renewal,” but rather a stay of execution. ABC Daytime’s executive vice president Vicki Drummer will continue looking for non-scripted series that fit the areas of lifestyle, health and/or talk.

The best thing to do is to continue watching the show and letting ABC know that you will not support shows that replace your soaps. The battle may have been won but the war for GH’s sustainable future is far from over…