Everything I learned from "As the World Turns"

After 54 years, the soap goes off the air. But the kidnappings, back-stabbings and doomed romances taught us well

Published September 17, 2010 11:01AM (EDT)

I've watched "As the World Turns" for nearly three decades, which in soap opera years means I could have gotten married six times, had four children (one while in a coma and one in captivity, no less), become a lounge singer and businesswoman, discovered a skanky twin sister with a Jersey accent, gotten hooked on diet pills, had husband #1 try to blow me up and mother-in-law #3 drug and gaslight me, been falsely convicted for murdering husband #4, been kidnapped a few times, become a castaway after jumping out of a plane, and, through it all, remained a pillar of the community.

Like the men in my life, other soaps have come and gone. But Oakdale and its residents -- like Lily Walsh Mason Snyder Grimaldi Santana Snyder Grimaldi -- have remained a constant, wacky presence.

That's about to end. On Friday, "ATWT" is going off the air after 54 years -- yet another victim of competition from daytime talk shows, the flexibility of TIVO and the primetime reality shows that stole their formula -- ending a legacy that has included such actors Julianne Moore, Meg Ryan, Matthew Morrison and Marisa Tomei. The cancellation means I'm about to die a little inside (much like Jennifer Munson, who died of cardio myopathy brought on by viral pneumonia). But I've learned a lot over the years from this delicious, outlandish, and heartstring-plucking show. Here are a few of the most important lessons. But first:

Jennifer Worick is the author or co-author of more than 25 books, including the just-published "Beyond the Family Tree," and blogs at thingsiwanttopunchintheface.blogspot.com. Reader’s Digest recently named her one of the four funniest bloggers in America.


By Jennifer Worick

Jennifer Worick is the author or co-author of more than 25 books, including the just-published "Beyond the Family Tree," and blogs at thingsiwanttopunchintheface.blogspot.com. Reader’s Digest recently named her one of the four funniest bloggers in America.

MORE FROM Jennifer Worick


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