The daytime staples will end in September and January, respectively. In their place, ABC will launch two new younger-skewing, lifestyle-oriented series, The Chew and The Revolution.
Chew, an hour-long food series executive produced by Gordon Elliot (Paula Deen's Home Cooking), will bow in September and be hosted by Mario Batali (Iron Chef America), Clinton Kelly (What Not to Wear), Carla Hall (Top Chef), Michael Symon (Iron Chef America) and nutrition expert Daphne Oz.
Revolution, a health and lifestyle series hosted by experts and guest contributors that will bow in January. JD Roth (The Biggest Loser) will executive produce with 3 Ball Productions. Fashion expert Tim Gunn, trainer Harley Pasternak and American Idol alum Kimberly Locke will host the series, which will document one woman's five-month weight-loss journey every week with a reveal every Friday.
The news follows a string of day-time cancellations at other networks in recent years, including CBS' long-running The Guiding Light, As the World Turns and NBC's Passions. A bellwether of sorts came in 2009, when ABC, which owns and produces all of its soaps, moved AMC filming from New York to Los Angeles in an effort to save on production costs amidst a ratings slide. The following year, parent company Disney announced it would replace its SoapNet cable channel with Disney Junior in 2012.
“While we are excited about our new shows and the shift in our business, I can’t help but recognize how bittersweet the change is,” said Brian Frons, president of Daytime at Disney ABC/Television Group. “We are taking this bold step to expand our business because viewers are looking for different types of programming these days.
"[Viewers] are telling us there is room for informative, authentic and fun shows that are relatable, offer a wide variety of opinions and focus on 'real life’ takeaways," he added. "A perfect example of this is The View, and that factored into our decision. The Chew and The Revolution are in the same vein and will be great additions to the lineup, with The View serving as an ideal foundation from which to launch these programs. They will also provide enormous opportunity for the creation of ancillary businesses and growth.”
ABC's daytime changes will not impact General Hospital. AMC premiered Jan. 5, 1970; Life premiered on July 15, 1968.
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