CBS cancelled my adolescence…

CBS recently announced that it is cancelling “The Guiding Light,” most likely due to low ratings. That soap opera, though I haven’t watched it in years, is a part of my personal history. And I’m a little disappointed to find that it’s been given the ax.

My grandmother watched GL every single day for, well, forever. Most likely, she’s still watching every day to this day.  I can remember watching with her.

When I went to college, my roommate, Mika, grew up watching NBC soaps with her grandmother. Back in the day, there wasn’t much flipping. You were a one network soap watcher. My grandmother watched all of the CBS soaps, starting with Y&R and sticking with it all day.

Mika and I compromised and recorded each of our favorites. I watched “Days of Our Lives” with her while she watched “Guiding Light” with me. I mark time by that soap in lots of ways, and it is sad to me to think of it not being there.

I had such a crush on Kelly when I was little and watching with my Meemaw… moved on to a crush on Fletcher (a bit of foreshadowing that I crushed on a newspaper man and later married one)… watched Reva dance in the fountain… loved Lujack like there was no tomorrow (he was my first real bad boy crush)… geez, I could go on and on. And I hate to see it go.

GL was the very first soap opera, having been aired for more than 70 years now. It began as a radio serial. It is a piece of television history, not just my history.

I know television is changing. All media is changing. But I just kinda thought that Josh and Reva would always be there.

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