Citadel: Diana premieres October 10 on Prime Video. Milan, 2030: Eight years ago, the independent global spy agency Citadel was destroyed by the powerful enemy syndicate, Manticore. Since then, Diana Cavalieri, an undercover Citadel agent, is alone, trapped behind enemy lines as a mole in Manticore. When she finally sees a way out and the chance to disappear forever, the only way to do so is trusting the most unexpected ally, Edo Zani, the heir of Manticore Italy and son of the head of the Italian organization, Ettore Zani, who’s vying for leadership against the other European families. 

Season two of Haus of Vicious premieres on BET+ September 19. The series follows the journey of Chantel Vivian, a talented fashion designer whose success is overshadowed by her narcissistic husband, addiction, unresolved childhood traumas, and a dysfunctional personal life.

Anime series DAN DA DAN premieres October 4 on Netflix and Crunchyroll. The story of young love and occult battles begins. When Momo and Okarun’s beliefs clash, they’re thrown into a world of ghosts, aliens, and awakened powers. 

Orb: On the Movements of the Earth premieres on Netflix October 5. In fifteenth-century Europe, heretics are being burned at the stake. Rafal, a brilliant young man, is expected to enter university at an early age and study the era’s most important field, theology. But Rafal values Reason above all else, which leads him both to the shocking conclusion that the Earth orbits the Sun, and into the hands of the Inquisition! A decade later, two members of the Watch Guild, the dour young Oczy and the cynical Gras, find a hidden stone chest that details the secrets of the universe Rafal left behind. Dare they try to change their own stars by selling the heretical texts, or would that only lead to the stake and the fire?

Lifetime is developing movies based on the former ABC soap All My Children. The potential new movie franchise could bring back fan favorite characters for a new era. The first potential film would be a holiday themed movie, with another already in the works. The series was once revived as a web series before being canceled again. Recently, a primetime series was in development but never got off the ground. 

CBS has made some changes to its schedule. An encore of The Summit premiere episode will now air Wednesday, Oct. 2 (9:30-11:00 PM, ET/PT), following the previously scheduled sneak peek premiere airing Sunday, Sept. 29 (9:00-10:30 PM, ET/8:30-10:00 PM, PT). The Summit episode two will now air Wednesday, Oct. 9 (9:30-11:00 PM, ET/PT). The final two episodes will now air Wednesday, Nov. 27 and Wednesday, Dec. 4 (9:30-10:30 PM, ET/PT). The schedule for Big Brother’s final two weeks has also been updated. A two-hour live eviction episode will air Thursday, Oct. 3 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT). On Sunday, Oct. 6, Big Brother airs at 10:00-11:00 PM, ET/7:00-8:00 PM, PT (live to both coasts) following the American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/5:00-7:00 PM, PT) and the two-hour Big Brother finale will now air Sunday, Oct. 13 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).

True crime series Dateline: The Smoking Gun premieres October 3 on Oxygen with a two hour premiere. Hosted by Dateline’s Andrea Canning, the series is a hunt for clues as detectives relentlessly pursue the critical piece of evidence that ultimately cracks the case. Each investigation is packed with twists – false leads, wrong suspects, dead ends – until police finally uncover the smoking gun and arrive at justice. Stories investigated this season include a disappearance involving a young film director, two prosecutors killed in a small Texas town and a serial killer who must be stopped before the next victim is murdered. 

Season three of ABC News’ IMPACT x Nightline premieres on hulu September 12. The series continues to investigate the topics dominating American culture and conversations around the globe. The new season features ABC News anchors and correspondents – including Juju Chang, Byron Pitts, Ashan Singh, Matt Gutman and more – uncovering new details within what is trending, giving viewers a front-row seat to the stories that shape the ever-evolving news cycle. 

Animated series Max & The Midknights premieres October 30 on Nickelodeon. Based on the best-selling children’s books by acclaimed author and cartoonist Lincoln Peirce, the show follows an adventurous 10-year-old named Max who embarks on a quest with her newfound friends to save the Kingdom of Byjovia from ominous forces. 

Season three of I Am Georgina premieres September 18 on Netflix. Everyone is talking about her life, but now it’s her turn to speak. A new and luxurious life in Saudi Arabia. New friends and dream experiences. Georgina Rodríguez returns to make us more aware than ever of her romance with Cristiano.

The Secret of the River premieres October 9 on Netflix. When a child arrives in a small Mexican town, an unexpected friendship blossoms with a local boy, and a dark secret seals their bond forever.

All episodes of Los Chávez are now streaming on hulu. Away from the boxing ring, Julio César Chávez opens up about his private life and his family. The series features touching and funny moments – and depicts a father’s struggle to save his children from addiction. 

The post Your TV Source Roundup: ‘Bridgerton’ Teases Sophie, ‘Citadel: Diana’ Trailer, ‘Haus of Vicious’ Trailer, ‘DAN DA DAN’ Premiere Date, ‘Orb: On the Movements of the Earth’ Premiere Date, ‘All My Children’ Movies In Development, and More! appeared first on TV Source Magazine. TV Source Magazine - TV News, Spoilers, Recaps, Interviews

Susan Lucci, celebrated for her role as Erica Kane on ABC’s “All My Children,” has a history with the Daytime Emmy Awards. Before finally clinching a win, she had previously been nominated 19 times. Reflecting on the Lifetime Achievement honor, Lucci expressed her humility. “I am truly humbled to receive this esteemed award from the Academy,” she said. “Throughout my career, I have been incredibly fortunate to work alongside exceptional talents and embraced by my fans that have been with me every step of the way. This honor is not just a reflection of my journey, but a testament to the enduring power of storytelling and the profound connection we are so lucky to forge with audiences all over the world through television.”

Meanwhile, Maury Povich, known for his syndicated talk show “Maury” which ran from 1998 to 2022 following “The Maury Povich Show” (1991-1998), conveyed his surprise and gratitude at the recognition. “I’m just blown away by this honor from the Academy. I have always had great respect for its work as I served on the National Board and was President of the New York Chapter. I guess if you hang around long enough, some good things happen. It’s been a 60+ year ride for me in this business, so I feel extremely blessed with this acknowledgment.”

In addition to announcing the Lifetime Achievement honorees, NATAS revealed the 2023 Gold and Silver Circle inductees. Tanya Hart, Wendy Riche, Al Schwartz, and Vernée Watson will be welcomed into the Gold Circle, while Christina Knack and Patrick Weiland are set to join the Silver Circle. All these individuals are recognized for their enduring contributions to daytime television.

The award ceremony, initially slated for June 16, was postponed due to a writers strike. The new date will be announced in due course, and it will see the celebration of the Lifetime Achievement and Gold and Silver Circle honorees.

The post Daytime Television Titans Susan Lucci and Maury Povich to Receive Lifetime Achievement Honors at the 50th Daytime Emmy Awards appeared first on TV Source Magazine. TV Source Magazine - TV News, Spoilers, Recaps, Interviews

10. Adam Seduces Rafe–The Young and the Restless (@Chadamfan1)

When your father is Victor Newman, scheming to get what you want is basically encoded into your DNA. So is getting revenge on people that you feel have wronged you. It appeared Adam Newman’s plan to gaslight his father’s girlfriend, Ashley, as part of his revenge plot against his father was about to be exposed. Rafe was dangerously close to the truth that it was Adam, and not Rafe’s aunt Estela, who was actually guilty. When backed into a corner, Adam did what he had to do: he seduced Rafe. While the actual love scene didn’t air, that kiss between Adam and Rafe had jaws dropping…

Also tied for the No. 10 spot:

10. Janet Pushes Natalie Down the Well–All My Children (@mushyboyKarl) 

When mousy, dowdy Janet Green showed up to town to visit her vibrant twin Natalie, she was incredibly envious of her life, including Natalie’s handsome fiance, Trevor. When Janet decided she wanted Natalie’s life for herself, she Single White Female’d her way into it. She lost weight, got contacts, dyed her black hair blond, removed that hideous duster she was constantly in…and pushed her sister down a well. Yeah, you read that correctly; she pushed her sister down a well. Janet usurped Natalie’s life and almost made it to the finish line as Trevor’s bride. She eventually got exposed by Harold the Dog, but the collective yell my mother, grandmother, and I let out when Janet sent Natalie careening into that well is a sound I’ll never forget. 

9. Maya is Myron–Bold and the Beautiful (@tornadosong)

Maya schemed her way into her cushy life as Rick’s partner and lead model at Forrester Creations (She deliberately broke up Caroline and Rick’s marriage and took him for herself. If that ain’t scheming, I don’t know what is.) Life seemed sweet…until little sister Nicole showed up. Scheming and holding secrets as leverage must be the Avant way because she blackmailed her sister into giving her some sweet perks in exchange for keeping her deep, dark secret. Fans were fully prepared for it to be revealed that Nicole was really Maya’s child but NO one was ready for Nicole’s bombshell: “You’re not my sister, Maya. You’re not Maya at all. You’re Myron; my brother.” When I tell you that Twitter whale went up in 2.2 due to the sheer volume of  “whaaaaat?!?!?” tweets as it became apparent that Bold had changed the game and made Maya the first transgender lead character on a daytime serial. We. Were. Living.

8. Lucky is Alive–General Hospital (@puckdowd)

When Elizabeth and Lucky pledged their love to each other on Valentine’s Day in that church, all of us thought it was a permanent lock. When the fire broke out at Jason’s bike shop, we were horrified at the thought of Lucky being BBQ’d in his sleep because of an overturned candle that Elizabeth gave him. Our hearts broke with Elizabeth and his mother, Laura, when his body was found with the necklace Lucky had given to Elizabeth. We watched his family and loved ones grieve and say goodbye(I can still hear dark haired toddler Lulu asking if Lucky went to Heaven) and then we cut to Lucky, alive (!!!) and being held prisoner and brainwashed by Cesar Faison on orders from Helena Cassadine.

7. F*cking Cousins–Guiding Light  (@PinkElle015)

Tammy Layne Winslow and Jonathan Randall. Good girl. Bad boy. Fighting their mutual attraction to each other. It’s your standard soap trope; we know how the story goes. Then along comes Guiding Light. Jonathan seduced Tammy to get revenge on his birth mother…who is the half sister of Tammy’s mother. Making them half cousins.Yeah. We know. Cue the Dueling Banjoes. The pairing shouldn’t have worked. Tammy tried to stay away from him but every time she stroked that locket, we knew what she wished she was stroking instead. From the fire kisses and almost getting it cracking in that barn to them getting together, breaking up, marrying other people, sneaking around and stepping out on their respective partners, and then finally getting their dream wedding, the off-the-charts chemistry in this quasi-incestuous relationship between these kissing cuzzins was truly “unbelievable.” 

6. NecklaceGate–Bold and the Beautiful (@Dylan_StJaymes)

Good girl Hope Logan was ready to give her V-card to photographer boyfriend Oliver. He said there was no pressure. She said when she was ready, he’d know. Hope would put her arms around him and whisper, “I’m ready.” It was a case of mistaken identity involving leather jackets and masks (Oliver and Ridge) and Hope and Brooke wearing the same dress and mask. Combine Brooke wearing the birthday necklace Oliver gave Hope combined with Brooke whispering, “I’m ready” in Oliver’s ear thinking he was Ridge, and the next thing you know, Oliver is chopping down Brooke Logan. How Oliver thought virginally sweet Hope would want to get her cherry popped up against a wall outside a smoky club with the soooo not romantic mood music of a Daddy Yankee concert going on in the background is beyond me, but whatever. The look on his face when he realizes he plundered his girlfriend’s mom’s sugar walls was priceless and “NecklaceGate” became a legend in soap history. 

5. Marlena’s Possession–Days of Our Lives (@joeiscool1981)

Storytelling in Daytime Television was forever altered when Dr. Marlena Evans did a dance with the devil. Aided by some hypnotism and mind-altering drugs courtesy of Stefano DiMera, Marlena switched personalities and she became this eery, green-eyed levitating baddie possessed by The Devil. It took daytime in a direction it had never gone before. Even if the storyline dragged out months longer than it should have, and sexy Priest John Black saying one measly Our Father to exorcise the Demon was anticlimactic as hell, Deidre Hall levitated her way into the Soap Opera Hall of Fame. The storyline was so popular that Days of Our Lives is revisiting the possession storyline and has turned it into an umbrella story that involves the majority of the cast. Previews tell us that a sexy priest is on his way back to Salem to do battle for Marlena’s soul, but, in the meantime, we are LOVING the sassiness of MarDevil.

4. Jerry Jax is Mr. Craig–General Hospital (@purplelvngmom)

It used to be a thing of beauty to not know what plot twist was coming next on a soap. The last time I was genuinely shocked (and unspoiled) by a show was when we found out that James Craig, the masked gunman that held guests in the Metro Court hostage trying to obtain a briefcase being held in hotel vault, shot Robin Scorpio, and left Alan Quartermaine to suffer, untreated, as he suffered a heart attack, and ultimately detonated a bomb and escaped with a gunshot wound in the mayhem that followed was none other than Jerry Jax– with some fresh AF plastic surgery and a new attitude to match. Mr. Craig was cruel, sadistic, a monster, and we were completely drawn in. The backstory with Irina explaining Jerry’s radical personality change and extreme lack of ethics was utter garbage, but Jerry Jack’s cemented himself into the annals of bad ass GH villains and Sebastian Roche is still missed to this day. 

3. Reva “Pushes” Annie Down the Stairs– Guiding Light (@JBB1971)

Nurse Annie Dutton fell for Josh Lewis while she was treating him for injuries sustained during the Fifth Street Fire. They fell in love and, despite Annie keeping quiet about still being married to Rick Bauer and Josh still being in love with his returned-from-the dead wife Reva, they married. Annie was pregnant and that baby (conceived without Josh’s knowledge or consent through artificial insemination) was the only thing keeping Josh and Reva apart and Annie knew it. Annie miscarried, kept it a secret, and, in a twist that had me screaming at the TV, picked a fight with Reva at the top of the stairs at the Spaulding mansion. Annie took Reva’s hand, and made it seem as if Reva pushed her down the stairs causing her to lose her child. Reva was charged with murder. Alan Spaulding, in love with Annie at this point, helped her cover up her crime, but she neglected to tell Alan that the doctor that inseminated her was the only other soul that knew she miscarried. The look on Annie’s face when the doctor took the stand at Reva’s trial and revealed that the insemination occurred, that the baby was already dead, AND that Annie chose to leave his office without having a D&C done was exposed. Annie lost Josh AND the ability to carry more children because she left the dead fetus inside her womb too long. Annie caused a bunch of mayhem before leaving town (and returning with plastic surgery under the assumed identity of Teri DeMarco) but the legend that is Crazy Annie Dutton still lives on. 

2. Kimberly’s Scar/Wig Snatch–Melrose Place (@abpgh1)

Melrose Place wasn’t a daytime soap, but, seeing as primetime has deep roots from the daytime genre, we HAD to include one of the soapiest events to ever happen in primetime. Drunk driving Michael Mancini got into an accident that causes Kimberly Shaw to go into a coma. It was later revealed that she didn’t die comatose as her mother later told them. She turns up alive and reveals herself just as Michael, married to his ex sister-in-law Sydney, decides to make the best of the blackmail situation Sydney has him in. After Kimberly is shown to be alive, and Sydney loses her blackmail leverage over Michael, he boots her out of his life and Kimberly and Michael reunite. After earthshaking sex, Kimberly goes to the restroom and sits in front of the mirror. She rubs her temples, teases her locks, and takes some pills. When Kimberly starts messing with the side of her face and then rips that wig off revealing a jagged Frankenstein-esque scar that runs the length of her nearly bald head, you could hear me and my neighbors in their apartments on both sides of mind start yelling and screaming simultaneously. This scene went down as one of the best wig snatches in television history. 

Writer’s Choice: Sharon Wears the Phyllis Lingerie–The Young and the Restless

After their daughter’s death, Nick and Sharon, trapped in their individual grief, started drifting away from each other and towards other people. Sharon was drawn to engaged Brad Carlton and Nick was spending his free time with married Phyllis Summers. Sharon stopped herself from going too far with Brad, but the same could not be said of Nick with Phyllis. After piecing together a picture of Nick and Phyllis having a fabulous time at the Baldwin Wedding, a motel receipt Nick was stupid enough to not have charged to the Newman Corporate account, a tacky monkey knickknack both parties shared and busting Nick lying about the Newman website, a suspicious Sharon dialed a number that kept showing up on Nick’s cell phone bill and Phyllis answered. Sharon surmised they were having an affair and set about exposing it. Sharon left Phyllis’s glove, left behind after one of their trysts, by her computer, alerting Phyllis to the fact that Sharon knew the truth. 

Sharon goes to Fenmore’s and tells Lauren she wants to buy something special. We later find out she bought the same lingerie Phyllis did and she booked the same room Phyllis had slept with Nick in at the Genoa City Hotel. Our jaws dropped at Sharon, in all her hotness, lounging in that lingerie. Sharon telling Nick it was the same outfit Phyllis had bought had us leaning forward in our seats with anticipation, especially when, after Nick posited how he could have possibly known that, Sharon dropped the hammer on him and said that Phyllis bought it to wear with him…maybe on the night they were in the same hotel room, or when they were together in the stable…or maybe it had been in that cheap motel room where they’d stayed during the snowstorm. Nick was busted and Shick busted up as well. 

1. Clink Boom–General Hospital (@Rodrigosworld81)

Everyone knew that Sonny was married to Lily but madly in love with Brenda. Sonny had decided to leave it all behind and go into hiding with Brenda when Lily revealed she was pregnant. Knowing what having a child means to Sonny, Brenda realizes they could never have a future together. Sonny chose to give his child the childhood he never had and left Brenda standing in the rain in one of the saddest and poignant breakups in General Hospital history. Lily’s mobster father thought Sonny was not living up to his promise of being a good husband to his daughter and decided to get rid of Sonny by placing a bomb in Sonny’s car. 

Brenda, meanwhile, dove headfirst into a relationship with corporate raider Jax. He demanded that she give up on Sonny completely and start anew by marrying him. So, two celebrations were taking place simultaneously. Sonny and Lily celebrating their baby news at Luke’s alongside the scenes of Brenda and Jax getting married aboard his yacht. We see Lily walking to the car in slow-mo and waving to Sonny as she got in juxtaposed with rings being exchanged and a kiss being shared between Jax and Brenda. We see Lily close the door and, as Brenda and Jax clink champagne glasses, pregnant Lily turns the key, the car blows up, and “Clink Boom” becomes soap canon. 

So. Did your favorite plot twist make our fan voted list? Let us know in the comments.

The post Fan Selected Top 10 Plot Twists on Daytime Television appeared first on TV Source Magazine. TV Source Magazine - TV News, Spoilers, Recaps, Interviews

Reeves, who lives in Tennessee, made the decision not to return to Los Angeles when the series resumed filming this month after an extended production shutdown due to the coronavirus. She recently became a grandmother, and is expecting another grandchild later this month. Though the actress was embroiled in controversy over the summer due to social media, that did not factor into her decision not to return to set.

Cady McClain is a two-time Emmy Award winning actor, filmmaker, musician and writer whose professional career spans more than thirty years. Her credits include studio and independent films, network and cable television, New Media, Off-Broadway theater, and performance art. 

McClain is best known for her role as All My Children’s Dixie Cooney-Martin, which she played off and on from 1988 until the series cancellation in 2011. McClain jumped ship to CBS’ As the World Turns in 2002, taking over the role of Rosanna Cabot. In 2005, McClain returned to AMC, playing a much darker and jaded Dixie. Her return was short-lived, as then-head writer Megan McTavish killed off the beloved character in 2007 during the ill-received “Satin Slayer” storyline, which saw Dixie murdered after eating poisoned banana pancakes. Over the next three years, McClain bounced back and forth between AMC and ATWT, reprising Rosanna in six month blocks and appearing on AMC as Dixie in spiritual form. After ABC canceled All My Children in 2011, McClain returned for the remainder of the series, appearing the final four months of episodes. In 2013, she appeared in the online reboot of the series for its first and only season. In 2014, she joined The Young and the Restless, taking over the role of Kelly Andrews from Cynthia Watros (currently General Hospital‘s Nina).

Look for McClain to begin airing late October-early November. It is unknown how long she will “temporarily” be in the role.

Days of our Lives airs weekdays on NBC. Episodes are available on NBC.com, onDemand and Peacock.

The post ‘All My Children’ Star Cady McClain Tapped as ‘Days of our Lives’ Jennifer Horton Recast appeared first on TV Source Magazine. TV Source Magazine - TV News, Spoilers, Recaps, Interviews

Paramedics were called to the Palm Desert, CA home of the daytime star on March 27. He was taken to the Eisenhower Mesical Center in Rancho Mirage, CA and placed on life support. His ex-wife Eva LaRue (ex-Maria, AMC) and daughter Kaya were immediately notified and rushed to his side from Los Angeles.

In a statement, LaRue said, “We are extremely saddened and distraught over the loss of John.  He was my great friend, co-parent and an amazing father to Kaya. The absence of his bigger than life, gregarious personality will leave a hole in our hearts forever. Words cannot express the shock and devastation we are feeling at this time. The Yankees just lost one of their greatest fans.”

John Callahan is best known for his role as All My Children’s hunky Edmund Grey from 1992-2005. It was there where he fell in love with co-star Eva LaRue, and the pair would wed in 1996. Callahan previously starred in Santa Barbara, Falcon Crest and Days of our Lives.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Callahan’s family during this difficult time.

The post ‘All My Children’ Star John Callahan Dies at 66 appeared first on TV Source Magazine. TV Source Magazine - TV News, Spoilers, Recaps, Interviews

Airing Friday, August 17, SOD reports the hunky star will play a mysterious stranger named Rey who quickly finds himself immersed in the drama of Genoa City.

Jordi Vilasuso, known for his Daytime Emmy winning role as Tony Santos on CBS’ Guiding Light, went on to join ABC’s All My Children in the fall of 2010 as Dr. Griffin Castillo. Vilasuso reprised his AMC role in Prospect Park’s online version of All My Children in 2013. Vilasuso earned two nominations for Outstanding Younger Actor while on Guiding Light, taking home the win in 2003.

In 2015, the actor was cast as Days of our Lives’ newly aged Dario Hernandez. Dario was written out in 2017 after a change in creative teams.

The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS. Episodes are available on CBS.com.

Our Take: Great get for Y&R! TV Source has been vocal about the need for more diversity in soaps, and Y&R has been making good effort to do so on their soap. Could Rey have ties to Abby’s current boyfriend and Nikki’s ex-boytoy Arturo? From a visual standpoint, we’re super open to the idea of an Amelia Heinle/Jordi Vilasuso pairing. This needs to happen!

The post Soap Alum Jordi Vilasuso Joins <i>The Young and the Restless</i> appeared first on TV Source Magazine. TV Source Magazine - TV News, Spoilers, Recaps, Interviews

Licensing rights to the dramas are now back in ABC’s control.

Prospect Park Networks, which licensed the rights to the soaps created by the late great Agnes Nixon after ABC unceremoniously canceled them in 2011, filed a $25 million suit against ABC in April 2013 over allegations of conspiracy, sabotage and breach of contract. Prospect Park later amended the lawsuit in November 2013, months after shutting down production, alleging ABC conspired to create a “mega soap” and defraud Prospect Park Networks by sabotaging their efforts to reboot the soaps, among other things, seeking $125 million in damages.

Language in the contract between ABC and Prospect Park Networks included a clause stating ownership rights would revert to ABC if production ceased for 18 consecutive months (Prospect Park’s amended suit also sought to rewrite this). Production for All My Children and One Life to Live ceased June 2013, 11 days ahead of a planned summer hiatus, due to labor disputes with unions for the crew. An agreement would later be reached, but production never continued. AMC’s was to resume August 2013, later pushed to October 2013; OLTL production was suspended indefinitely September 2013 pending the outcome of the lawsuit.

As part of the conspiracy, Prospect Park alleged ABC maliciously convinced the studio to let them “borrow” select characters from One Life to Live in a “limited and short-term capacity” for use on General Hospital. Prospect Park claimed ABC violated the terms of their agreement in a pre-conceived plan to undermine any future attempts by Prospect Park to reboot the projects. “Even before the ink dried on the parties’ agreement, ABC began unilaterally changing key storylines and themes, literally killing some OLTL characters and deeply integrating others into the GH landscape, all to create a mega soap of GH behind Prospect Park’s back,” read their suit. (Editor’s Note: On November 23, 2011, Prospect Park announced it was suspending its plans to launch the series online)

Prospect also accused the network of engaging in deceptive practices when negotiating “secret, multi-year, exclusive contracts” with Michael Easton, Kristen Alderson and Roger Howarth (Editor’s Note: The complaint later included Kassie DePaiva in this group, though she was never signed to a ‘multi-year, exclusive’ contract) behind the studio’s backs. “Although ABC was well aware that having the OLTL characters portrayed by  these specific actors was an important element of the OLTL format rights acquired by Prospect Park, ABC never informed these actors of Prospect Park’s rights to the characters, and on information and belief, made multiple misrepresentations about Prospect Park, its plans and prospects to induce the actors to sign with ABC. Not a word was said to Prospect Park about any of this.”

Thus, Prospect Park sustained damages that hindered the success of the projects: “Confronted with losing its entire investment or trying to pick up the pieces and press on, Prospect Park eventually produced one new season of OLTL and of AMC. But, the damage could not be undone, nor the fans reclaimed. As a consequence of ABC’s fraud and its multiple breaches of both the express terms of the parties’ contract and the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing included in every contract in this state, Prospect Park has sustained the loss of its investment of over $30 million, as well as the profits that it stood to make had ABC acted as the partner it had held itself out to be.”

In addition to the above, ABC was also accused of other forms of sabotage including but not limited to:

• Failing to consult Prospect Park for storyline approval
• Refusing to allow OLTL stars to appear on ABC’s other programming to promote the online projects
• Creating “copy-cat” characters and daring to air them during and after the filing of their lawsuit and while Roger Howarth appeared on the online version of OLTL
• Refusing to turn over URLS and social media pages for show websites
• Altering OLTL “canon” by killing off characters and breaking up popular pairings
• Refusing to air advertisements for One Life to Live and All My Children
• Instructing Hulu management not to offer Prospect Park the beneficial financial terms and arrangements that Hulu was prepared to provide and had provided other less popular shows; making negative comments about Prospect Park to actors and encouraging them not to sign on to OLTL
• Hiring Frank Valentini and Ron Carlivati as General Hospital’s new executive producer and head writer as part of its plans to create a “mega soap” out of OLTL and GH. (Editor’s Note: Prospect Park fired both executives in November after suspending [Prospect Park now says it was only temporary] plans to launch OLTL in January 2012).

ABC filed a counterclaim in March 2014 seeking $5 million in damages plus unpaid licensing fees for All My Children and One Life to Live. At the time, ABC claimed fees for Season 1 of All My Children and One Life to Live were $4.5 million and $4 million, respectively. ABC’s countersuit sought to recover all unpaid Series Fees owed up to and through the date of the trial because of Prospect Park’s failure to pay in breach of the License Agreement.

ABC alleged Prospect Park paid series fees for both series for the months of April, May and June 2013, but it only paid the fees for All My Children for July and August 2013, and hadn’t issued any payments since despite ABC’s demand. As part of its suit, ABC sought compensatory damages, legal fees and interest before and after the judgment. Under the terms of the licensing deal, series fees for both shows would have amounted to more than $145 million over the course of 15 seasons.

ABC’s response to the Prospect Park lawsuit included the following:

• Per ABC, the agreement allows Prospect Park the rights to produce up to 15 seasons of 12 calendar months for All My Childrenand One Life to Live.
• Rights would revert to ABC only if: a) The network ceases production for 18 consecutive months. Should that happen, rights would revert to ABC ORb) Prospect Park meets the terms of the agreement and produces the 15 seasons.
• With production on the Connecticut-based soaps “suspended” since September 2013, Prospect would’ve had to resume production on AMC and OLTL before March 2015 or their rights would expire.
• After Prospect Park’s first attempts to get AMC and OLTL off the ground failed in 2011 due to “financing shortages, labor disputes and high production costs,” the studio and ABC entered an amended agreement that would benefit both parties.
• In exchange for licensing back to ABC the rights to use some OLTL characters on General Hospital, ABC would “align the dates for Prospect Park to exercise its options for OLTL and AMC, thus giving Prospect an additional four months on the AMC option, and to forgive some of the debt that Prospect owed it at that point.”
• ABC contended that Prospect Park didn’t complain while the characters were used by the network throughout 2012. When Prospect decided to move forward with AMC and OLTL, ABC entered “two additional amendments to use the License Agreement, which each extended Prospect Park’s time to begin production of the shows and give ABC continuing use of the OLTL characters on GH.”

Prospect Park Networks filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2014, at the time listing ABC as one of its top creditors with $1.7 million owed. Additionally PPN owed money to the Writer’s Guild, Screen Actors Guild, Director’s Guild, Connecticut Film Center and actors including Erika Slezak (Viki, OLTL), Tuc Watkins (David, OLTL) and Denyse Tontz (Miranda, AMC), among others. Running up debt, stiffing creditors and the workers. A true Trump mess.

The post Rights to ‘All My Children,’ ‘One Life to Live’ Revert to ABC; Prospect Park Suit Dismissed appeared first on TV Source Magazine. TV Source Magazine - TV News, Spoilers, Recaps, Interviews

“After a couple rounds of film festivals it all began to hit me right between the eyes. Women are not valued the same as men when it comes to directing. I knew directing was not inherently a man’s job. I had done it, with an mostly male crew who totally respected me and I them. But when it came to respect at higher levels, things were very different. I had to figure it out… what was going on?” McClain states on the film’s IndieGoGo page.

Cady with documentarian Deborah Riley Draper, Olympic Pride, American Prejudice.

McClain has interviewed top directors around the world to gain a multi-level understanding of the glass walls that exist in the film industry. Interviews include directors like Sarah Gavron (Suffragette), Meera Menon (Equity), Lesli Linka Glatter (Homeland), Bethany Rooney (Pretty Little Liars), Joanna Kerns (Crazy Ex Girlfriend), Leah Meyerhoff (I Believe in Unicorns, founder of Film Fatales), Betty Thomas (The Brady Bunch Movie, Dr Doolittle), Anne Makepeace (Robert Capa in Love and War, Coming to Light), and Lizzie Borden (of the feminist epic Born in Flames).

There are 15 days left to make a contribution to this important project. To donate and learn more, visit the IndieGoGo page for Seeing Is Believing: Women Direct. You can follow McClain on Twitter at @CadyMcClain and use the hashtag #SIBWomenDirect.

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