"As the World Turns" (ATWT) was an American television soap opera created by Irna Phillips. It aired on CBS for 54 years, from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Set in the fictional town of Oakdale, Illinois, the show revolved around the relationships and challenges faced by the town's residents, particularly the Hughes, Snyder, and Walsh families. ATWT, a sister show to "Guiding Light", holds the record for the longest total running time of any television show, with 13,763 hours of cumulative narrative. Originally a 30-minute serial, it expanded to 60 minutes in 1975.
Here are some of the actors who starred in "As the World Turns":
- Don Hastings as Bob Hughes
- Eileen Fulton as Lisa Miller
- Helen Wagner as Nancy Hughes
- Colleen Zenk as Barbara Ryan
- Michael Park as Jack Snyder
- Jon Hensley as Holden Snyder
- Maura West as Carly Tenney
- Terri Conn as Katie Peretti
- Martha Byrne as Lily Walsh Snyder
- Elizabeth Hubbard as Lucinda Walsh
- Meg Ryan as Betsy Stewart
"As the World Turns" was the most-watched daytime drama in the United States from 1958 to 1978, attracting around 10 million viewers daily. The show won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series four times: in 1987, 1991, 2001, and 2003. However, by the time of its cancellation in 2009, viewership had declined to 2.5 million.
"As the World Turns" ran for 54 seasons. It aired 13,858 episodes. The show premiered on April 2, 1956, and the series finale aired on September 17, 2010. The show is no longer ongoing, having been cancelled by CBS.
While an official trailer is difficult to pinpoint, here is a promo from 1996:
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Viewers who enjoyed "As the World Turns" might also like:
- Guiding Light: Another long-running soap opera created by Irna Phillips, often considered a sister show to ATWT.
- The Young and the Restless: A popular CBS daytime soap opera that has surpassed ATWT in consecutive years as the number one rated daytime soap.
- Days of Our Lives: Another long-running daytime soap opera, currently streaming on Peacock.