This Soap Opera Debuted 62 Years Ago - and Fans Are Still Outraged It Was Canceled
Sudsers still on the air these days include The Young and the Restless, General Hospital, and The Bold and the Beautiful.
Just before the millennium struck, fans were also enjoying Another World, which had been on TV for a whopping 35 seasons. That is, until NBC canceled it in 1999.
Monday, May 4 marks 62 years since Another World premiered on the network. Created by Irna Phillips, the Procter & Gamble-run show came onto the scene in 1964 as the first soap opera to tackle abortion, Soaps.com reports.
It was also also the first sudser to do a crossover, with a character from Guiding Light - which was also created by Phillips - coming from Springfield to the show's setting of Bay City.
For those not yet familiar, Another World centers on life in a Midwestern (and fictional) town - as well as "the love, loss, trials and triumph of its residents, who come from different backgrounds and social circles," per IMDb.
Big names landed roles early on in their careers, such as Kelsey Grammer, Morgan Freeman and the late, great Ray Liotta - the latter of whom was able to launch his career thanks to the soap.
Then, after three and a half decades on NBC, the sprawling program was axed as part of a reported shakeup of the network's daytime and early-morning schedules. Decades later, folks are still talking about the controversial cancellation.
A Reddit thread launched last year, for example, that centered on the 1999 conclusion of Another World, with plenty of fans chiming in. "Stupid mistake by NBC. Replaced it with that trash Passions," wrote one Redditor, while another user commented, "I miss this soap and characters like Rachel, Felicia and Cass who were so complex and compelling to watch."
What's your favorite sudser these days? Days of Our Lives is another one that is still alive and well these days, while we're on the topic...
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 9:18 PM.