CBS has announced that after 72 years and more than 15,700 episodes, Guiding Light, the longest-running soap opera on TV, will air its last show on Sept. 18. A press release issued by the network doesn’t give an explanation for the cancellation, but many believe that the show’s low ratings (hovering at 2.17 million) are to blame. The release also doesn’t specify what program might take the place of Guiding Light, which started as a radio serial in 1937, but a talk-show would be a logical replacement. "Guiding Light has achieved a piece of television history that will never be matched; it has crossed mediums, adapted its stories to decades of social change and woven its way through generations of audiences like no other," CBS Entertainment president Nancy Tellem said. "This daytime icon will always be an indelible part of CBS’s history…. Its contributions will always be celebrated and never be forgotten."
Apr 1
2009
07:01 PM ET
'Guiding Light' to air last episode in September, ending 72-year run
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Well, maybe now I will find something to watch on CBS daytime. If only they would get rid of the rest of the soaps, then they might find a way to draw me away from the view and Rachael Ray’s show. The whole genre doesn’t have much going for it these days, and I don’t think it will be long before all the daytime soaps are gone.
big mistake taking off guiding light, I am done watching cbs, when this is done, why not take off as the world turns, that is pretty much a useless show.
I wish they would take off Bold and the Beautiful…talk about useless.
AMEN TO THAT
I think its crazy, Ive watched this show since I could remember with my mother and grandmother, I love it.. Im very sad that its going off the air…i think another talk show in its place is stupid, theres enough already!!(talking about drama!)
I have watched GL most of my life (50+). Tape when I am at work. This ending really saddens me. Future – I will only watch Young& Restless. BOLD & BEAUTIFUL SHOULD HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED; same story lines every year. Plus the characters (Logans) have NO CHARACTER. Please eliminate and put them all out of their misery. GUIDING LIGHT IS A GREAT SHOW!
I grew with the GUIDING LIGHT,it was the first thing before school work.I really am not a fan of the World turns or as some refer to as the stomach turns.I think CW or SOAPchanel should pick up THE LIGHT up.
Just because you don’t like the soap’s is no reason to want them all off the TV
Dream on Moi-Soaps will never go.
Some of the Reality shows need to go as well as cooking shows. Men, women, college kids , teens all love soaps.
I agree with you Kathy, some of the reality shows need to go. The judge shows are beyond rediculous.
Shanna, it’s RIDICULOUS…spell check baby spell check!!
The only soap I still watch after 30 + years is Y&R, but I think when GL went to the new format, it went downhill.
It had to go the queer route and that is what lost sooooo many viewers
I miss the Hortons. Long live Alice and what was the old man’s name? Bill?
Carolyn King,
You are not going to stop watching CBS just because The Guiding Light is going off the air. That is downright silly.
I will change the channel when Guiding Light is replaced with “lets make a deal”.
Lets make a deal was bad before, it certainly won’t replace “Guiding Light”. CBS is making a big mistake!!! “Keep Guiding Light ON”.
I believe that no one else but Guiding lights producers or whoever is in charge of the quality of the filming are to blame for it’s upcoming cancellation. the latest episodes for i would guess to be the last year or so have a very low budget quality to its filming, i don’t know if its their version of high definition, but it looks horrible and cheap. i think this show could have maintain rating if they would have kept things the same, and quit trying so hard to be different, you would think that once they noticed a drop in ratings, that they would have went back to the old way of doing things,
yes i love Guiding light and i think they should keep them on the air and take Y&R off. It is so sad knowing No one is backing up Guiding Light up On This. If We Had More Back up on Here Maybe they will Find Someway To Stay On the Air
I have been watching Guiding Light since before I went to kindergarten. It was only a half hour then, and I’ll agree, over the years it did have it’s dull moments, but overall, it’s the best one on the air. I was heartbroken when I heard it was cancelled. I grew up with these people! Rick and Phillip should have their own show….just a thought.
Why didn’t they give the viewers a chance to give their say before they cancelled the Guiding Light. It has always been the best soap on tv.Get some of the trash off instead.CBS is making a big mistake.
Shellz I agree with you. Poor quality of filming.
I hate to see it go.
Guiding Light is the only soap I have watched and I started watching it with my grandmother 30 years ago. I taped it daily and watched it at night to wind down. There isn’t anything on at night worth watching and now I don’t even have this. I can’t believe they have took it off the air. I hope someone will bring it back.
True, I’m 56 and have watched this with my Mom since I was little. They had to go the queer route, that is why they lost so many viewers.
Maybe you should get off your butt and get at job so you would’t have to worry about sitting around watching TV
Some of us who watch soaps are employed, we dont’ sit on our butts…I personally work the midnight till 8am shift and got up @ 3pm to watch The Guiding Light. Get a life and you would know that not everybody works during the day shift.
Some of us work 60 hours a week and tape this to watch and relax with.
WELL I CAN REMEBER WATCHING GUILDING LIGHT WHEN REVA WAS MARRIED TO H.B LEWIS AND MARRING JOSH FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE PADDLE BOAT ON THE LAKE. WOW IM TELLING MY AGE I WAS PROB SIX YEARS OLD MAN THATS HARD TO BELEAVE. BUT WHEN AS THE WORLD TURNS HAD THE FIRST GAY RELATION SHIP ON TV I STOPPED WATCHING IT. THEN WHEN G/L DID WITH OLIVEA AND RAPHS MOM DID I STOPPED WATCHING IT AS MUCH. I JUST DONT BELEAVE IN THAT AND I THANK ITS A SHAM THAT THEY HAVE BROUGHT THAT TO DAYTIME TV. WE CANT HAVE BIBLE AND PRAYER FOR THE LORD IN SCHOOLS AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN OUR GOV BUILDINGS BUT YOU CAN HAVE GAY COUPLES ON DAYTIME TV THAT IS A DISCRACE
Shame on you. I guess the Lord only approves of caucasian heterosexuals. I pity people as belligerent, self-righteous, and stupid as you. It is no surprise to me that you have such strong opinions about daytime drivel. YOU are the disgrace.
If i were you pastor/priest/whatever i would kick you out of my church. You clearly have missed the point of religion. Did you miss the part of the Bible about judging others? No wonder so many people don’t want anything to do with religion. They come onto things like this and see the ignorance. Why would they won’t to surround themselves with hate? Oh and by the way, beleave is actually spelled believe.
Guiding Light has been my life and I will be lost without it. just like millions of women. from genaration to genaration. I can’t believe it’s over.I’m so disappointed.
I SO AGREE! I AM HEARTBROKEN, AND JUST CRIED WATCHING THE LAST EPISODE THAT I TAPED SO I COULD HAVE MEMORIES! I HAVE WATCHED THIS SHOW SINCE I WAS 11-12 YRS OLD AND I AM NOW 33.
If they take off all the soaps, what would they have left to watch then, the same old junk they have now. pls.
This used to be my favorite soap. I’m very sad, but honestly I could not get past the unsaturated colors, poor lighting, and overall cheap production qualities after the change.
I also have not gotten used to the new format. All the indoor scenes looked like they were filmed in a trailer. Outdoor scenes were okay. Sorry to see it go. They should have changed it back to the way it was. Maybe it would still be on the air, then.
In noting all of your comments, I am just SAD. I DVR Guiding LIght and when I cannot sleep, I watch it. I have grown to love the characters and have mourned when they leave. I agree that a gay story line was unnecessary–especially when they had already determined they were pulling the plug. I would have loved to see more story lines resolved–kind of like a book series where the last one is never published. As to the new format, I got used to it because it felt more like you were watching home movies–especially loved all the outdoor scenes and their attempt to make the characters more REAL. Escapism, thy name is Soap Opera.
Is this an April Fool’s joke?
Soaps are an institution, and as someone who watches pretty much all of them, I hope they remain for many years to come. I’ll miss GL. I was actually named after a character on the show, so I had a personal attachment to it. It’s a sad day, but I think a lot of soap fans knew GL was on it’s last legs.
I remember Amanda, she was a whiney beotch! I wouldn’t brag I was named after her!
I named one of my sons after Joshua Lewis. What a handsome man.
I think it’s kind of sad that this medium is dying, not that I watch any of them. But I suspect they’ll soon all be gone. Tastes change.
This is complete BS. TV wasn’t even available to the consumer until the early 50′s and if the guiding light was on the radio it certainly wasn’t memorable. Guiding light had a good 40year run max. Doing a show that nobody knows about doesn’t count.
Just because you weren’t alive to witness it doesnt mean it doesnt count. All of history “counts”.
This is a sad day indeed. I have memories of watching this soap with my Aunt as a kid. I haven’t watched in years but I feel like I should as it’s run winds down. Strange but somehow I always thought the genre (and this soap in particular) would go on forever. It’s truly the end of an era.
I know how you feel,it’s almost like hearing someone I used to know well has died. I watched GL for 25 years, then stopped watching about 5 years ago. I couldn’t get past Reva’s son and Cassie’s daughter being in love, it was too incestuous even for soaps. I think I’ll watch the final week.
I hope CBS has second thoughts. This is a good show and should not be canceled. No judge show or talk show will have better ratings.
THE BEST SOAP ON TV, AND THEY WANT TO CANCEL?????
ALL MY FRIENDS WATCH THIS SHOW IT’S THE ONLY ONE THAT MAKES ANY SENSE.
PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!! KEEP IT ON THE AIR .
GISI
I agree with you, Gisi. It is the only show that makes sense. How many of us walk around looking like we just stepped out of a fashion magazine ALL the TIME!! I know people love glamour, but get real. My mother started me on General Hospital and Days of Our Lives when I was too young to realize what good TV was –but the characters were appealing and I think Daytime Soap actors have to be some of the most underrated actors in the world. Just the amount of lines they had to learn everyday would throw the average movie star into a tailspin. I will certainly miss Reva’s gumption and I dread seeing where my favorite character actors from GL end up –how will I ever think of them as anyone other than who they have been all of my life?
I hope that guiding light can stay on the air, i have been a fan for meny years, it is my favoite soap on CBS thanks
That would be MANY years Dorothy, not meny….And it is your FAVORITE soap…not favoite.
Lets keep GL, i have been a fan for meny years , i will be sad to see it go
Well, if it’s not an April Fool’s Joke, then I don’t understand. Guiding Light has crossed over to so many mediums, why not continue to the internet? A low-budget daily should would be great online. Seems like a natural progression to me.
what is a low-budget daily should??? did you mean SHOW?
Leigh,
What is your damn problem. If you have nothing to say about the soap why dont you put-the-shut-to-the-up…You sound like a broken record with your spell check fetish. Its not like we are turning in a college essay…we don’t give a damn about how someone spells their comments. We are here to acknowledge our feelings about loosing something that is dear to our hearts. So get over yourself.
GL u will be missed dearly…especially you Reba,Josh & Johnathan. I was so happy to see that they brought Johnathan back for last couple of weeks.
Leigh, I was told growing up if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Maybe you should incorporate this little diddy into your daily life.
You are rude, maybe put some thought in your responses rather than just grammar checking.
Lady are the the spelling police??
Great – another talk show – oh well I guess it’s a good thing I work for a living
MarkD:
I have to wonder how mad you would get over something that matters in the slightest way? If you feel very irritated about this, I suggest you seek professional counceling.
I agree strongly !! She needs to get a life
COUNSELING….spell check IS your friend!
MarkD
Before TV, there was the radio, and it was pretty big. CBS was a radio network before being a television network. Unless you are in your 80s, I don’t think you’re the one to lecture on the popularity of this serial prior to hitting tv.
Goodbye Reva and Josh.
Say it ain’t so! http://DontDateHimGirl.com
It was expected. Women have jobs now, and if they are not working outside of the home then they are working on their home computers and have no time to watch a soap. Still it is bit unfair though. I mean, Y&R is aired on Soap Net yet ATWT and Guiding Light are not. Women who like soaps can check their favorites on SN at night.
Even though I don’t watch soaps, anyone who loves television should be sad; it is probably the only program existing that spans the very history of the medium.
If u don’t watch soaps, why r u on this site? & feel u can coment?!
COMMENT Tammy…spell check – use it!