ATWT at a Glance:
As the World Turns takes place in the fictional town of Oakdale, Illinois and centers around the core families of The Snyders, Stewarts, Hugheses, Walshes and Ryans.Premiered: April 2, 1965
Airs: Weekdays at 2:00 p.m. EST on CBS
Cast List:
- Noelle Beck as Lily Snyder
- Dylan Bruce as Dr. Chris Hughes
- Terri Colombino as Katie Peretti
- Ewa Da Cruz as Vienna Hyatt
- Trent Dawson as Henry Coleman
- Ellen Dolan as Margo Hughes
- Eileen Fulton as Lisa Grimaldi
- Meredith Hagner as Liberty Ciccone
- Van Hansis as Luke Snyder
- Don Hastings as Dr. Bob Hughes
- Kathryn Hays as Kim Hughes
- Mick Hazen as Parker Snyder
- Jon Hensley as Holden Snyder
- Scott Holmes as Tom Hughes
- Roger Howarth as Paul Ryan
- Elizabeth Hubbard as Lucinda Walsh
- Agim Kaba as Aaron Snyder
- Billy Magnussen as Casey Hughes
- Marie Masters as Dr. Susan Stewart
- Kelley Menighan Hensley as Emily Stewart
- Michael Park as Jack Snyder
- Wole Parks as Dallas Griffin
- Austin Peck as Brad Snyder
- Julie Pinson as Janet Ciccone
- Colleen Zenk Pinter as Barbara Ryan
- Jon Prescott as Mike Kasnoff
- Marnie Schulenburg as Alison Stewart
- Chauntee Schuler as Bonnie McKenchie
- Jake Silbermann as Noah Mayer
- Helen Wagner as Nancy Hughes
- Maura West as Carly Tenney
- Kathleen Widdoes as Emma Snyder
- Marie Wilson as Meg Snyder
Trivia:
- As the World Turns has won 43 Daytime Emmy Awards.
- In 1988, ATWT made daytime television history by introducing the first gay male character, then did so again with daytime’s first gay male on-screen kiss between two teenagers in 2007.
- Helen Wagner (Nancy Hughes) is in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest-running character on television played by one actor.
- Notable ATWT alumni include: Courteney Cox Arquette, Jason Biggs, Jordana Brewster, James Earl Jones, Lauryn Hill, Julianne Moore, Meg Ryan, Martin Sheen, Marisa Tomei and more.
- On November 22, 1963, CBS news broke into the show (which then aired live) to announce the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The actors were unaware of the interruption and continued to play. This was the only network serial airing when this news broke, and a copy of this episode still exists.
- Since the cancellation of Another World in 1999, the AW characters of Jake, Cass, Vicky, Donna and Marly have all made appearances in Oakdale.
Synopsis:
As the World Turns centers on the daily lives of its core families:
- Hughes: The first family of Oakdale; Nancy Hughes, matriarch
- Stewarts: A self-made family who likes to tango with the Hugheses, both personally and professionally
- Snyders: A simple country family who tend to mix it up with the Oakdale townies. Lily and Holden Snyder are listed as one of my Top 10 Soap Supercouples.
- Ryans: Sophisticated and worldly, big in the world of fashion
In the show’s beginning, its major sponsor, Procter & Gamble, preferred it to stay rather conservative, not even allowing characters to go through with planned abortions until the 1980s. However, in 1988, ATWT pushed the limits and made history by introducing the first gay male character on daytime television, and it hasn’t stopped since.
Filled with soap staples such as adultery, mistaken identities, kidnappings, adoptions, amnesia and more, the families of Oakdale come together and break apart in a mind-spinning fashion -– just as good soaps do.
Controversial Story Lines:
Though homosexual characters are no longer taboo on daytime television, ATWT raised the bar when two of its attractive young male characters, Noah and Luke, shared an on-screen kiss in 2007. This kiss sparked a YouTube frenzy, becoming one of the most watched clips on the internet.
From that point on, fans of the couple waited for them to come to terms with their relationship. Luke was consistently outward (and vocal) in his feelings for Noah, but Noah held fast to his denial, instead turning to his girlfriend Maddie to feel “normal.”
Over time, Noah finally acknowledged his feelings for Luke and the two became an official couple, sharing another (but not seen on-screen) kiss under the mistletoe during the holidays.
Fans were enraged when the lovers’ kiss was not shown and petitioned the show to let the couple be free with their affection. The show listened and the two have shared a more affectionate on-screen relationship, including kisses.
Occupations and Things to Do:
Doctors, lawyers and TV execs are common occupations in Oakdale. In fact, Noah and Luke met as interns at WOAK-TV. Of course, fashion is a key player, and that’s where you’ll find other Oakdale-ites making their living.
Java, Metro and Yo’s are all places you can expect to find your favorite characters catching up, dining out, and partying down. You’ll also find some of Oakdale’s residents crashing at The Lakeview, a hotel owned by Lisa Grimaldi and Lily Snyder. Want to see a wedding? You’ll likely catch that or some other celebration at Luther’s Corner’s Church.
Fan favorites (and married couple) Brad and Katie Snyder are hosts of Oakdale Now and Kim Hughes is the host of Patterns. Both shows air on WOAK-TV.