As the World Turns (often referred to as ATWT) is an American
television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2,
1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns
as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light. Running for 54
years, As the World Turns holds the third-longest continuous run of
any daytime network soap opera on American television, surpassed only
by General Hospital and Guiding Light.[a] As the World Turns was
produced for the first 43 years in Manhattan and in Brooklyn from 2000
until 2010.Set in the fictional town of Oakdale, Illinois, the show
debuted on April 2, 1956, at 1:30 pm EST, airing as a 30-minute
serial. Prior to that date, all serials had been 15 minutes in length.
As the World Turns and The Edge of Night, which premiered on the same
day at 4:30 pm EST, were the first two to be 30 minutes in length from
their premiere. At first, viewers were indifferent to the new
half-hour serial, but ratings picked up in its second year, eventually
reaching the top spot in the daytime Nielsen ratings by fall 1958. In
1959, the show started a streak of weekly ratings wins that was not
interrupted for over 12 years. The show switched to color on August
21, 1967 and expanded from a half hour in length to one hour starting
on December 1, 1975, when The Edge of Night moved to ABC. In the
year-to-date ratings, As the World Turns was the most-watched daytime
drama from 1958 until 1978, with ten million viewers tuning in each
day. At its height, core actors such as Helen Wagner, Don MacLaughlin,
Don Hastings, and Eileen Fulton became nationally known. Three of
these actors â€" Wagner, Hastings, and Fulton â€" are also the three
longest serving actors in the history of American soap operas.The show
passed its 10,000th episode on May 12, 1995, and celebrated its 50th
anniversary on April 2, 2006. On September 18, 2009, As the World
Turns became the last remaining Procter & Gamble-produced soap opera
for CBS after Guiding Light aired its final episode on the network.
television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2,
1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns
as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light. Running for 54
years, As the World Turns holds the third-longest continuous run of
any daytime network soap opera on American television, surpassed only
by General Hospital and Guiding Light.[a] As the World Turns was
produced for the first 43 years in Manhattan and in Brooklyn from 2000
until 2010.Set in the fictional town of Oakdale, Illinois, the show
debuted on April 2, 1956, at 1:30 pm EST, airing as a 30-minute
serial. Prior to that date, all serials had been 15 minutes in length.
As the World Turns and The Edge of Night, which premiered on the same
day at 4:30 pm EST, were the first two to be 30 minutes in length from
their premiere. At first, viewers were indifferent to the new
half-hour serial, but ratings picked up in its second year, eventually
reaching the top spot in the daytime Nielsen ratings by fall 1958. In
1959, the show started a streak of weekly ratings wins that was not
interrupted for over 12 years. The show switched to color on August
21, 1967 and expanded from a half hour in length to one hour starting
on December 1, 1975, when The Edge of Night moved to ABC. In the
year-to-date ratings, As the World Turns was the most-watched daytime
drama from 1958 until 1978, with ten million viewers tuning in each
day. At its height, core actors such as Helen Wagner, Don MacLaughlin,
Don Hastings, and Eileen Fulton became nationally known. Three of
these actors â€" Wagner, Hastings, and Fulton â€" are also the three
longest serving actors in the history of American soap operas.The show
passed its 10,000th episode on May 12, 1995, and celebrated its 50th
anniversary on April 2, 2006. On September 18, 2009, As the World
Turns became the last remaining Procter & Gamble-produced soap opera
for CBS after Guiding Light aired its final episode on the network.
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