What will be canceled next? Is this the end of soap operas? What will Sarah do with her life? Stay tuned.

I am one sad porcupine. It was announced yesterday that CBS will not renew As The World Turns. Soap opera fan sites have tried to assure me that this does not mean that ATWT will go off the air. Perhaps another channel will pick it up. Except probably not. We've been down this road before. Passions was canceled by NBC in September 2007 and then was picked up by DirectTV except they only lasted a year there and aired their last episode in September 2008. Then this past September, Guiding Light was canceled after 72 years. I know it costs a lot of money to produce a soap opera but CBS could not hold out for 75 years? Anyway, now I'm told that As the World Turns will be canceled in September 2010. For the past 3 years, one soap has gone off the air each year. I worry for my precious Days of Our Lives and I worry for the soap opera in general.

Paul pointed out to me that ATWT was the last Procter and Gamble soap. Procter and Gamble pretty much invented the soap opera during the Great Depression to sell soap and other household products. It's the end of an era.

Can soap operas really survive much longer? Once ATWT is gone, there will only be six soap operas on the air. Rumors have been going around for a while that Days is not long for this world and that One Life to Live will be canceled. Hera, help me. This can not happen. Look, I've already started the five stages of grief.

I feel confident in saying that All My Children will not be canceled anytime soon. They're getting ready to move production to LA. If they turn around and cancel it next year, that would just be cruel. There's no way they would make everyone move only to cancel it soon after. Well, it is ABC, so who knows.

Young & the Restless is the only soap to have a prominent black family. Not just a black character. They have a black family. And they've been around for a while. The older characters actually have storylines on Y&R. Katherine Chancellor is as old as dirt and she has storylines that don't involve her being someone's mother or grandmother or great grandmother. Moral of the story: Y&R appeals to lots of demographics. It's been the highest rated soap for 10 years. CBS would have to be crazy to cancel it.

I don't really care for the Bold & the Beautiful and it's the only half hour soap left. Whatever.

James Franco is currently guest starring on General Hospital. I don't know if that has brought the ratings any higher but it seems like ABC most really care about GH to actually get an actor that people have heard of to guest star in multiple episodes. GH was a big deal back in the day. They had Luke and Laura. Millions and millions of people watched back in the 80s. Maybe if ABC really wanted to save GH, they could bring back Genie Francis. Just saying. Anywho, GH does all right for itself. I don't see ABC canceling it anytime soon because it seems like the only soap they really, truly care about. With that said, bring back Genie Francis, please.

OLTL is a sinking ship. With ATWT being canceled and AMC moving to LA, it's going to be the only New York soap. AMC and GH will be able to do cross over storylines. And OLTL will be... um... the cast will be able to appear on The View more often... and that's about it. If the cast had any sense, they would high tail it out to LA before they're left jobless and alone in New York because obviously there are no other jobs in that city for actors. I vote OLTL the most likely to be canceled next.

Days. My beloved Days. I fear for you. Word on the street is that Days is the only show to gain viewers this year, but it's still not doing great. There is nothing that really indicates that NBC would not cancel it. NBC has wanted to get out of the soap opera business for a while. It's their only soap left. It would make a lot of sense for them to cancel it. But they can not do that. Please do not do that. For my sanity. Days has been a constant in my life for 10 years. The Harry Potter books have already ended for me. You can not take this away too. I've watched Days for longer than most of my friendships have lasted. A part of me would be missing without it. I know it sounds lame but it is true.