- I am deeply saddened to report that Disney has decided to cease operations of SoapNet beginning in 2012. The network is being replaced with Disney Junior. As you are all aware, SoapNet currently airs reruns of One Tree Hill, Beverly Hills 90210 and The O.C. I do not know what this means for the syndication deals currently in place for those shows. Quite frankly, I am still trying to process this development. In the meantime, I have four things to offer: the press release from Disney, a post from SoapNet and articles from the New York Times and Entertainment Weekly, the latter of which makes some very interesting points. Thank you to Daniel and Gloria for alerting me to the news.
- In the last Weekly Poll, all three questions had results with large margins. Sixty-three percent believe Quinn and Clay aren’t dead on One Tree Hill, though 5 percent believe it’s quite possible. Another 17 percent have no idea but hope not while 15 percent have no idea but hope so. The Jenny-Chuck storyline on Gossip Girl made 64 percent of voters feel disgusted while just 17 percent were entertained. Nine percent were torn while 10 percent are still trying to process it. Lastly, 71 percent believe 90210’s Naomi was about to be raped by Mr. Cannon. Nineteen percent don’t think that’s happened while 10 percent had no idea. The Weekly Poll will be on hiatus during, um, the hiatus. In the meantime, we have the show evaluations and soon I’ll be resuming weekly trivia on Twitter.
- Korbi has the next part of her interview with Mark Schwahn (creator, One Tree Hill). Here he discusses whether he wants the show to continue past an eighth season.
- Registration has opened for Christy-Anne’s second One Tree Hill fan reunion, which will be held this July.
- Shannen Doherty (Brenda, Beverly Hills 90210) performed during last night’s Dancing With The Stars finale. I haven’t found YouTube video of it yet to link to.
- Gossip Cop and I busted a false National Enquirer story about Brian Austin Green (David, Beverly Hills 90210) and Megan Fox.
- The Huffington Post has an interesting interview with the band Rooney, and there’s some references to their appearance on The O.C.
- Josh Schwartz (executive producer, Gossip Girl; The O.C.) and Stephanie Savage (executive producer, Gossip Girl; The O.C.) will produce the film Fun Size with their new company Fake Empire.
- ESPN has a short interview with Ron Machado, who appears with Blake Lively (Serena, Gossip Girl) in her Vogue spread.
TeenDramaWhore
There's always drama but without it, what fun would TV be?
TeenDramaWhore 
ugh. I will miss soapnet…itll be a while, but still.
WHAT?! SOAPNET GONE? I think i’m gonna go cry now.
I’m really upset about the SoapNet news because not only do I love to watch the One Tree Hill reruns, I also love Being Erica. It’s my new favorite show and I’m really bummed that we can’t see it in the US now because Disney is pulling the plug. It’s not fair to us viewers in the States and I really hope all the shows can somehow get picked up (either in syndication or not) by other networks eventually.
Trai – i’m sure Being Erica will be over by 2012 anyways.
They’re supposed to air the third season on SoapNet in early 2011, but the article in TV Guide specifies that the fate of BE is unknown. So I don’t know what that means for the third season airing. Maybe it will end after the third season, but if it doesn’t, it would still be annoying to have to hunt it down elsewhere if another US network doesn’t pick it up.
Trai, TVGuide.com is being both dramatic and inaccurate. As you can see in the link I posted above, SoapNet says they still intend to air the third season of Being Erica as scheduled. Considering it’s unknown whether the show will have a fourth season in Canada, it cannot possibly be determined now if and where that season would air oin the U.S.
What excuse will I have to watch One Tree Hill reruns everyday if there is no Soapnet? I have all of the seasons but only let myself put in the DVD if I am going to watch in on the treadmill. I watch Soapnet more than any other channel. I am going to be sad….
Why would they pull the plug? I was under the assumption that it was a strong network. I think it’s great idea for a channel to showcase soaps. Are there any other channels that currently air ANY of our teen dramas? This is most definitely disappointing.
Alyssa, based on the press release, it seems to me the reason for pulling the plug was two-fold. 1, the network’s basic mission today doesn’t have as much of a purpose as it did when the network launched roughly 10 years ago. The channel started out as a way to watch daytime soaps (some but not all) if you missed their original airings during the day or that week. But with the rapid rise of DVR use, many people are recording the shows and watching at their own convenience. It’s no longer necessary to rely on SoapNet to view your soaps. 2, the network’s mission isn’t in-line with where the company (Disney) wants to focus its attentions. They see the preschool demographic as more viable, particularly with their other kid-friendly properties and international opportunities. All that said–I can’t say I agree with their choice, especially as you said, the network’s ratings have been strong, which the EW article points out quite clearly. And no, there is no other channel in the U.S. (that I’m aware of) that shows BH90210 or The O.C., or OTH repeats prior to the current season. And there aren’t any channels here (again, that I’m aware of) that airs Dawson’s Creek. (Gossip Girl and 90210 aren’t eligible for syndication yet.)
It seems I’ve summed things up pretty well (if I do say so myself!) as I just found an interview with the head of SoapNet/ABC Daytime, Brian Frons, who explains the decision pretty much as I did…
http://tvguidemagazine.com/soaps/disney-to-shut-down-soapnet-5190.html