Person of the Week: Agnes Nixon

The Great and the Least,
The Rich and the Poor,
The Weak and the Strong,
In Sickness and in Health,
In Joy and Sorrow,
In Tragedy and Triumph,
You are All My Children.


Known as the “Queen of Modern Daytime Drama,” Agnes Nixon is responsible for shaping serialized storytelling for television. Nixon began her career working for the original “Queen of Soaps,” Irna Phillips who transitioned daytime drama from radio to television and pioneered new methods of storytelling. Nixon worked with Phillips on several Procter and Gamble soap operas in the capacity of writer and head writer. These include: As the World Turns, Search for Tomorrow, and Guiding Light. By the 1960’s Nixon dreamed of creating her own programs which would be able to not only entertain their audience, but enlighten them by exploring social issues and the real-life events that were shaping society.

In 1965, Nixon developed a new show which she entitled All My Children. With the “story bible” in her hand, she pitched the show to networks. For purely business reasons, ABC passed on All My Children, but asked Nixon to create a different cutting-edge show that would break the barriers of the traditional daytime drama. Nixon’s response to this request was to create One Life to Live. OLTL debuted in 1968 and gave Nixon the stage she needed to both entertain and educate.

One Life to Live was such a success that ABC asked Nixon for a second program. It was the perfect opportunity to dust off the “story bible” about her creations in Pine Valley. All My Children debuted on January 4, 1970 and broke ground with stories ripped from the headlines and thoughtful portrayals of people in true life situations. By combining the usual fantastical events which defined soap opera with important social issues, Nixon was able to create a world filled with interesting yet relatable characters.

One Life to Live and All My Children thrived on ABC and made the network’s daytime line-up one of the most successful in the industry. While Nixon’s involvement with One Life to Live became less hands-on, she did continue to counsel as well as write for All My Children well into this year.

2011 will be remembered by soap fans as the year that ABC (particularly Daytime President, Brian Frons) killed All My Children and One Life to Live in favor of cheaper, less-complicated talk shows. But, that doesn’t mean that Miss Nixon’s work will be forgotten. Through her decades of exceptional work, Agnes Nixon has impacted the world in a way few writers have an opportunity to do.

Last week, Miss Nixon said of the cancellations of her legendary programs:

“ABC’s decision to cancel All My Children and One Life to Live saddens me greatly. I treasure the decades that the worlds of Pine Valley and Llanview were brought to life by our talented casts and crews. I appreciate that the network allowed our teams to break new dramatic ground and always supported our commitment to the honest portrayal of social issues. We hope we have entertained our viewers and perhaps even educated them along the way. My deep gratitude goes to all the talented people who have contributed to All My Children and One Life To Live over these many years; we were always family, made up of writers, producers, directors, actors, crews. Equally important in that family are our loyal fans who shared this journey with us. Although ABC has concluded there is no longer a place for our shows on their network, I will do everything possible to keep them alive. God bless you all.”

--The Pine Valley Bulletin



Despite the tragic destruction of these two programs, Miss Nixon’s legacy will live on. At last year’s Daytime Emmy Awards, Nixon was honored for her tremendous body of work. And, for all that she’s done to shape our world, to educate and to entertain, Agnes Nixon is our “Person of the Week.”