Another World- Daytime Soap Operas- News, polls, casts

The annual MFG Awards ceremony will take place January 10, 2026, at the Beverly Wilshire. Alan Cumming, the Tony- and Emmy-winning host of the The Traitors, will return to host.

Best Actor
George Clooney - Jay Kelly
Leonardo DiCaprio - One Battle After Another
Joel Edgerton - Train Dreams
Ethan Hawke - Blue Moon
Dwayne Johnson - The Smashing Machine

Best Documentary
Becoming Led Zeppelin
Cover Up
My Mom Jayne
Riefenstahl
Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost

Best Actress (TV)
Kathy Bates - Matlock
Kathryn Hahn - The Studio
Catherine O�Hara - The Studio
Parker Posey - The White Lotus
Jean Smart - Hacks

�Grey�s Anatomy�s James Pickens Jr. Reveals Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

The actor declared that he�s �living proof that early detection works� as he teamed up with Black Health Matters (BHM) to urge men to get screened regularly once they turn 40, especially if they are Black are have a family history of prostate cancer.

�It�s not the kind of news anyone wants to hear, but to be honest, prostate cancer has run through my family. My father had it. He had a lot of brothers; several of them had it,� he told BHM, in addition appearing in a PSA. �I would have been surprised if I hadn�t gotten it.�

Pickens Jr. added, �I�ve got a 90-year-old first cousin, who�s still alive, actually; he had it. His son has it. A couple of his brothers had it. No one, as far as I know, has succumbed to it.�

After his doctor referred him to a urologist last year, Pickens Jr. successfully treated his cancer, opting for a robotic radical prostatectomy as opposed to radiation.

�We caught it really early, and so they thought that would be the best route to take,� he explained. �I do have a rare variant that you don�t see very often. They wanted to err on the side of caution and keep an eye on it.

�It was rare enough that they wanted to make sure that they were crossing all the T�s and dotting all their I�s. But they hadn�t seen one that was detected as early as mine,� said Pickens Jr.

The Grey�s Anatomy star�s real-life diagnosis comes after his character Dr. Richard Webber revealed he has cancer in the final moments of this week�s Season 22 midseason finale.

Elizabeth Franz Dies: Tony-Winning & Emmy-Nominated �Death Of A Salesman� Actress Was 84

She died November 4 at her home in Woodbury, CT, as a result of cancer and a severe reaction to her treatment medication, her husband Christopher Pelham told the New York Times.

The veteran performer was prolific and nimble on the stage, appearing in a number of plays on and off Broadway including as the titular nun in Christopher Durang�s Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You (for which she won an Obie Award in 1982), as Matthew Broderick�s on-stage mother in Neil Simon�s Brighton Beach Memoirs (for which she was Tony nominated in 1983), and as the youngest of four sisters in a Midwestern family in Paul Osborn�s Morning�s at Seven (for which she logged another Tony nomination in 2002).

Her most memorable role, however, was her subversive take on wife Linda Loman in Broadway�s 1999 Death of a Salesman production opposite Brian Dennehy�s melancholic traveling salesman Willy Loman. Franz opted to portray the character more assertively than other actresses had done in the past, a decision that led Miller to tell the Times that she �has discovered in the role the basic underlying powerful protectiveness, which comes out as fury, and that in the past, in every performance I know of, was simply washed out.� She subsequently won the 1999 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.

Franz reprised the role for Showtime�s television adaptation of the watershed play in 2000, receiving an Emmy nod for her performance.

She told the Times her performance as Linda was inspired by her father�s experiences as a blue collar worker; the factory employee, who had given nearly four decades of his life to his job, was fired after an illness has kept him away from work for a couple of months. He died the day he paid off his mortgage, which informed the parallels she saw between him and Willy. �It killed my father, really,� she told New Jersey publication The Star-Ledger in 1999, referring to his firing. �He didn�t commit suicide, like Willy. He didn�t have to.�

Additional roles on Broadway included productions of The Cherry Orchard, Getting Married, Uncle Vanya and The Miracle Worker.

In film, Franz�s credits include School Ties (1992), Sabrina (1995), The Substance of Fire (1996) and Christmas with the Kranks (2004). On television, she appeared in episodes of Roseanne, The Equalizer, Judging Amy, Law & Order, Homeland, Gilmore Girls and Grey�s Anatomy, as well as in soaps like Another World and As the World Turns.

Born June 18, 1941 in Akron, OH, she was inspired to become an actress after seeing Loretta Young in The Bishop�s Wife (1947). She worked as a secretary after graduating high school to raise funds for her enrollment at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. She graduated in 1962 and soon afterward began performing in local theaters including in her hometown.

Franz married her first husband, character actor Edward Binns, with whom she often collaborated on stage, in 1983. He died in 1990.

Margaret DePriest Dies: Actress & Writer On �General Hospital�, �Days Of Our Lives�, �All My Children� & More Was 94

Born in Bristow, OK on April 19, 1931, DePriest rose from Depression-era farm life to win a drama scholarship at the University of Oklahoma.

She began her career as an actress both onstage and television. One of her first credits was a contract role as Abby Cameron #1 on The Edge of Night from 1965-1966. She also portrayed social worker Mrs. Berger on The Doctors.

She segued to co-writer (with Lou Scofield) on The Edge of Night in the mid-1960s. In 1969, she co-created and was co-head writer of CBS Daytime�s Where the Heart Is, and went on to become head writer for daytime dramas General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, All My Children, Another World, One Life to Live, and most recently Sunset Beach.

She also appeared as an actress in guest-starring roles on The Catholic Hour, True Story and N.Y.P.D. in the late �50s and 1960s.

DePriest earned five Daytime Emmy noms for Best Writing, first in 1985 for General Hospital, two for Days of Our Lives in 1984 and 1985, and for All My Children in 1990 and One Life to Live in 1992. She also was nominated for a WGA Award for Best Writing for Another World in 1998. In 1965, she won an Obie Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Place for Chance.

Beloved �Falcon Crest� Star Susan Sullivan Launches New Soap Opera

For nearly a decade (1981-1989), Susan Sullivan (Another World) entertained audiences as Maggie Channing on CBS primetime soap Falcon Crest. Now, she�s channeling that experience into a brand-new YouTube series, teaming up with longtime friends to create a modern soap for today�s viewers.

Sullivan revealed the project on X (formerly Twitter), writing, �Creating a soap opera for seniors with some old actor friends on YouTube under the title� What Friends Do: The Old & The Restless�Come along for the ride, we�d love have to have you!�

The series, created by Smartphone Theater, is described as: �After a lifetime on and off the stage, four friends navigate their twilight years in an upscale independent living community where the cameras have stopped rolling, yet the drama continues.�

The web-series stars Sullivan as Bevy, alongside her Falcon Crest co-star David Selby (Dark Shadows) as Max . It also features Kathryn Leigh Scott (Dark Shadows) as Ruth, and Granville Van Dusen (The Young & The Restless, Port Charles) as Al.

What Friends Do: The Old & The Restless was written by Connell Cowan and Sullivan, directed by Asaad Kelada (The Facts of Life), and produced by Todd Felderstein.

Kyra Sedgwick To Narrate �The Ark,� Documentary On Ukrainian Family�s Quest To Save A Thousand Animals Imperiled By War

The film, from BFD Productions and Believe Entertainment Group, follows a rural Ukrainian family whose home becomes �an improbable sanctuary for over 1,000 animals� abandoned by the war. Sedgwick will also serve as an executive producer on the feature directed by Jeremy Chilnick and Viacheslav Rakovskyi.

�Zhenye and Anatoliy Pilipenko�s dream of a quiet place in the country is shattered overnight when Russia invades Ukraine,� notes a synopsis. �As rockets fall and fires rage, they face an impossible choice: flee the violence or stay and protect their home. When a soldier on his way to the frontline asks the couple if they can care for his goats � all 37 of them � while he fights in the trenches; their home transforms into the largest animal sanctuary in Eastern Ukraine.�

The synopsis continues, �From rescued chickens, displaced donkeys, wandering horses and even emus, Anatoliy and Zhenye risk their lives and livelihoods to rescue any part of Ukraine they can. Told primarily through verit�, amidst constant danger, heartbreaking loss and improbably an inextinguishable reservoir of hope, Zhenye and Anatoliy�s sanctuary stands as a defiant testament to the unbreakable bond between a nation, its people, and the land they refuse to surrender.�

The film is produced by Tony Castle, Roxy Hunt, Olena Morentsova, Jeremy Chilnick, and Viacheslav Rakovskyi. Along with Sedgwick, executive producers include Brian Hunt, Dan Goodman, William H. Masterson III, and Jay Ruderman.

Sedgwick�s acting, producing and directing credits number in the many of dozens, among them Born on the Fourth of July, Mr. & Mrs. Bridge, Something To Talk About, Phenomenon, Carolina Caroline � which just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and of course, the starring role in long-running series The Closer, which won her an Emmy.

�Kyra�s creative instincts and boundless empathy have elevated our film in ways we never could have expected,� co-director Jeremy Chilnick said in a statement. �It�s been truly thrilling to have such a collaborative partner who understands just how intertwined humanity and nature are, particularly in such extraordinary times.�

The Ark is an acquisition title. Amy Beecroft of VERVE is representing the film for domestic sales.

�For all the news reports of life in Ukraine under the terror of Russia�s invasion, rarely has such an unusual story of defiance, courage and patriotism emerged,� Peter Wortmann writes in the Woodstock Film Festival program. �When asked why they risked their lives to create the refuge, Anatoly had a simple answer, �the animals were Ukrainians, no more or less than all the people of their land.��

William H. Macy & Nolan Gerard Funk Join Meadow Williams In Erotic Thriller �Eternity�; Filming Underway In Italy

Set against the backdrop of the Mediterranean at the height of summer, the erotic thriller follows Calvin Wells (Funk), a charismatic conman who sets his sights on Katrine Winters (Meadow Williams), a mysterious billionaire widow. Drawn in by her fortune and allure, Calvin accepts an invitation aboard her superyacht Eternity, only to realize her glamorous world hides sinister secrets.

Also joining the cast are Emanuela Postacchini (The Alienist) as Emma; Ludi Lin (Mortal Kombat) as Sebastian; and Cristiano Caccamo (Under the Amalfi Sun) as Luca. The film is being directed by Jamie Marshall (The Foreigner).

The film has undergone changes in recent months when we previously announced that Pierson Fod� was starring alongside Williams in the role of Calvin Wells and Michael Caton-Jones was aboard to direct.

Producers are Jeanette Volturno and Jon Mason. Director of Photography is Michael Merriman. Production designer is Marco Bittner Rosser. Casting director is Nancy Nayor. Costume designer is Marco Idini. Editor is Tommy Aagaard. VFX supervisor is Scott E. Anderson.

Williams said of her role: �Katrine Winters is magnetic, formidable, and deeply conflicted. To play someone whose world is so beautiful on the surface but whose secrets are ruthless has been an exhilarating challenge. As the originator of the story, it�s been especially rewarding to see this vision come to life on screen. I�m thrilled to be part of a film where desire, danger, and deception collide aboard Eternity.�

Funk is represented by Luber Roklin, The Artists Partnership in the United Kingdom, and Jackoway Tyerman. Macy is represented by Independent Artist Group, and Atlas Artists. Marshall is repped by Burgee & Abramoff; Reder & Feig reps the production.

Talk Show Appearance

Sean Astin Elected To Succeed Fran Drescher As SAG-AFTRA National President; Michelle Hurd Wins Secretary-Treasurer

The actors union announced the results Friday evening, revealing that Astin was elected to succeed Fran Drescher with 79.25% of the vote. He will serve a two-year term alongside Michelle Hurd (Another World), who was selected for secretary-treasurer with 64.77% of the vote. Both begin their terms immediately.

Runner-up Chuck Slavin received 20.75% of the votes for president, while his running mate Peter Antico received 35.23% of the votes for secretary-treasurer.

Per the union, about 17% of SAG-AFTRA�s 117,000+ eligible members submitted ballots in this year�s national election. That�s quite a decline from 2023, when nearly 23% of the union voted overwhelmingly to re-elect Drescher. When she was first elected in 2021, more than 26% of the national membership submitted ballots.

The local Los Angeles and New York election results also were revealed Friday. Drescher�s 2021 and 2023 running mate Joely Fisher, who had been national secretary-treasurer, won her bid for Los Angeles Local president, beating Antico and Brian Kruse with 66.64% of the vote. SAG-AFTRA says 7,406 of the 56,651 eligible members � just 13% � of the Los Angeles local submitted ballots.

Lisa Ann Walter was elected First Vice President and David Jolliffe was elected Second Vice President of the Los Angeles Local. Unopposed national board member candidate Dan Navarro also officially secured his seat.

As for New York, Ezra Knight was elected Local President with 72.88% of the vote, compared to Kevin Cannon�s 27.12%. Linda Powell was elected 1st Vice President, Anthony Rapp was elected 2nd Vice President, Jim Kerr was elected 3rd Vice President, and Liz Zazzi was elected 4th Vice President. Janice Pendarvis, who ran unopposed, will officially get a New York national board member seat.

The turnout was slightly better in New York with 16% of the 27,737 eligible voters casting ballots.

As the latest SAG-AFTRA National President, Astin follows in the footsteps of his mother Patty Duke, the Valley of the Dolls and The Miracle Worker actress who became the second woman to ever run the then-Screen Actors Guild in 1985. She held the position for three years.

Oscar nominee and Lord of the Rings alum Astin will have quite the task ahead of them at the top of next year as SAG-AFTRA returns to the negotiating table with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which collectively bargains on behalf of the major Hollywood studios.

This will be the first contract negotiation cycle since the 2023 strike, regarding an industry that has been hit hard by a global production contraction that has resulted in far less work. There still are some concerns the union is seeking to address, primarily regarding technological advances in artificial intelligence over the past three years.

Jane Krakowski on Brilliant Minds

Jane Krakowski To Star In Broadway�s �Oh, Mary!�

Returning to the Broadway stage for the first time since her Tony-nominated performance in 2016�s She Loves Me, Krakowski will take over the Mary role from Jinkx Monsoon, whose final performance will be September 28. Hannah Solow will play the title role from Tuesday, September 30 through Sunday, October 12.

Others who have played the role include its originator Cole Escola, Tituss Burgess and Betty Gilpin.

�Thank you, Cole, for giving us this madcap work of genius, directed to perfection by Tony Award winner Sam Pinkleton,� said Krakowski in a statement. �I am so honored to slip into the bratty curls previously worn by (my Tony Award winning zaddy) Cole Escola, (my sister wife) Betty Gilpin, (my comedy brother) Tituss Burgess, and (mother) Jinkx Monsoon. From the first time I watched Oh, Mary! downtown I thought, �how do I get myself on that stage in this role?� After watching Cole take the NYC taxi ride uptown and now worshipping it four times more, I made it! Oh, Mary! is a comedic work of genius that ends up in my dream version of 7 minutes in heaven.�

Krakowski�s casting was announced today by producers Kevin McCollum & Lucas McMahon and Mike Lavoie & Carlee Briglia.

Oh, Mary! has been extended with performances now on-sale through Sunday, July 5, 2026.

Falcon Crest Star Susan Sullivan Says Her Cancer Is 'Muted' in Health Update

Not only has she had a film and TV career spanning six decades, but the actress has gone through two cancer diagnoses � one of which is in remission, and the other is, as she puts it, �muted.�

�I've had a really, really fortunate time on this planet so far, and I want it to continue,� the Dharma & Greg actress, 82, tells PEOPLE exclusively. �And when you turn 80, longing is not over. You turn 80, wishing to be seen as attractive and charming and win the room is not over. It�s all there.�

She adds, �What I really would like people to think about in their 80s is the game is still on and you're old, but you're still restless.�

At 82, few have had a career as prolific as Sullivan, having appeared in more than 70 shows and TV movies, including starring roles in Another World and Castle. She was also the pitchwoman for Tylenol for 11 years, and adds, "I have the beach house to prove it."

Thankfully, she never listened to career advice from Cary Grant, who she says once told her in her early 20s, �Darling, you don't want to be an actress.�

These days, The Incredible Hulk actress does want to still act, but for the right role.

�What doesn't appeal to me is the makeup chair getting to the set, getting up at five o'clock now. None of that appeals to me anymore. What appeals to me is acting and writing and collaborating with people,� she says from her home in Los Angeles.

During the COVID pandemic, in order to stay connected with friends, she and her longtime partner, psychologist and writer Connell Cowan (co-author of the self-help classic Smart Women, Foolish Choices), even created a soap opera for seniors that chronicled life in an upscale retirement community. Although it was officially called What Friends Do, she admits that she informally refers to it as �The Old and the Restless.�

�Selfishly, I hope people find it and get a kick out of it,� she said of the show, which she plans to release on YouTube, and is available on the Smartphone Theater website, �but for me, it's staying creative, which is absolutely the bottom line.�

After creating the show, cancer started rearing its head. During a routine mammogram in 2023, Sullivan�s radiologist noticed a swollen lymph node under her arm and suggested a biopsy. The following month, she was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer and underwent surgery. Within months, she was cancer-free. In January 2025, though, the My Best Friend�s Wedding star said on X, formerly Twitter, that she had lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, which required chemotherapy.

�At first it was all right, but then when it started to be painful, to have that chemo was like burning hot liquid, going into your veins, and then your veins collapse and they can't find a vein,� she says. �I wasn't quite the adventurous, smiling, positive creature. I was more, �F---, no, I'm not going back.� �

During her last PET scan, the lymphoma wasn�t gone, but it was �muted,� she says, adding that doctors want her to have infusion therapy every quarter.

�I have a tendency to be in the soft blanket of denial, and I said, I would rather see how my body does on its own and do a PET scan in November as opposed to an infusion in August, so that's where I am,� she explains. �There are people who say, �Oh, just do the maintenance, do it, do it, and I think maybe I should see what my body wants to do. I don't want to sit there for five hours with a needle in my arm if I don't absolutely have to.�

�When you're going through this kind of therapy or chemotherapy, people have different reactions to it. It wasn't so terrible for me, but it affects your heart. It affects your whole system. So then you really have to take care of yourself, period. That's where I am. I'm basically sort of on hold, but I feel good and all through this,� she says. �If I could give older people, people aging, any advice: work out. I work out twice a week. I do resistance training, and I worked out all through the pandemic. I worked out after the lung cancer surgery. I did what I could do, and it was always modified, but it is so essential to stay strong, particularly while you're aging, because you're sort of trying to keep up.�

Kelsey Grammer Joins �Young Washington� Film From Wonder Project And Angel Studios

Grammer will play Lord Fairfax, the unofficial leader of the Virginia gentry who has a complicated relationship to young George Washington as both his crucial mentor and as the father of his romantic rival.

Young Washington chronicles the origins of America�s first president. After making a tremendous mistake that triggers the French and Indian War, an ambitious 22-year-old George Washington must face his failures and find the courage to become the leader that will forge a nation.

The Frasier star joins the previously announced William Franklyn-Miller who will portray George Washington, Sir Ben Kingsley who will portray Robert Dinwiddie, Andy Serkis who will portray General Edward Braddock, Joel David Smallbone who will portray the cunning William Fairfax.

Grammer just wrapped filming for Avengers: Doomsday. Most recently, he shot two seasons of the Frasier reboot for Paramount+. He is represented by UTA and Vault Entertainment.

The film will be directed by Wonder Project founder and House of David creator Jon Erwin (Jesus Revolution, House of David) and is set for a nationwide theatrical release over Independence Day weekend 2026.

Erwin will produce the film with Chip Diggins. Wonder is joined on the production side by 10 Ton Productions, led by Benton Crane, and 2521 Entertainment, led by Tyler Zacharia. Angel will distribute worldwide. The film was written by Jon Erwin and Tom Provost & Diederik Hoogstraten.

William H. Macy To Star In Dan Fogelman�s NFL Series For Hulu

In a series regular role, Macy will play Hank Durkin. He joins the previously announced series lead Christopher Meloni, who will play Danny Roarke, the head coach of an NFL team.

The series, from 20th Television and Skydance Sports, is written and executive produced by This Is Us and Paradise creator Fogelman and executive produced by Jess Rosenthal with David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, and Jason T. Reed for Skydance Sports.

Macy is an Oscar and Golden Globe nominee, an Emmy and SAG Award-winning actor, and a writer in theater, film, and TV. He starred in the Showtime series Shameless, for which he was nominated twice for a Best Actor Emmy Award and has won twice for the SAG Award. He played Frank Gallagher, patriarch of the family at the center of the series, working opposite Emmy Rossum and Jeremy Allen White.

Macy�s film credits include Disney�s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Amazon�s Ricky Stanicky, Seabiscuit, The Cooler, Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Jurassic Park III, Fargo, and Wild Hogs, among others. Macy made his feature directorial debut with Rudderless, the closing film at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.

He can next be seen in Edgar Wright�s The Running Man remake from Paramount Pictures, as well as Train Dreams for Netflix, starring opposite Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, and Clifton Collins Jr. Macy is a founding member of the Atlantic Theater Company. He is repped by Independent Artist Group and Atlas Artists.

Rena Sofer Is Leaving Los Angeles � But Is Lois Cerullo Also Leaving General Hospital?

Longtime General Hospital star Rena Sofer announced on social media this week that she and husband Sanford Bookstaver are leaving Los Angeles, where the ABC soap is filmed, after almost 35 years.

�Yes I�m getting emotional,� Sofer wrote on Instagram. �I met and had my children in LA met the man of my dreams and created an incredible life there. I had amazing success in the Biz and made all my lifelong friends who I will miss desperately. � Thank you LA for being you. And now on to quieter and calmer times. Leave it to a leaf blower to finish this post, there is nothing more la!! Now we are off � with our 5 dogs in the back to our new life!!!�

UPDATE: While an initial report suggested that Sofer would be getting an official exit story � with the writers leaving the door open for a potential return � a new report from Soap Opera Digest confirms that Sofer is remaining with the show, despite her considerable move. She will fly to Los Angeles to film as needed, just as several other cast members currently do.

Sofer has portrayed Lois on and off since 1993, winning a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance in 1995. Her other major daytime role came via The Bold and the Beautiful, on which she played Quinn Fuller from 2013 to 2022. Sofer�s primetime credits include memorable roles on 24, Melrose Place, Once Upon a Time and NCIS, among many others.

Brad Pitt's Mom Jane Etta Pitt Dead at 84

Sources familiar with the situation tell us Jane passed in the last day or two, and a member of the family shared a touching IG post confirming the news.

Brad was incredibly close to his mom -- she was the glue of the extended Pitt clan, famously pulling the whole family together for a huge blowout just 5 years ago.

Jane, a former family counselor, mostly kept out of the spotlight ... but she did make a few red carpet cameos by Brad�s side with her husband, William.

For Older News Visit The Daytime Soap Operas News Archives: Here!

Facts

Submit Comments

Please Include Your Email Address If You Want A Response

Options

Other Shows

Non-Soap Polls

Other Sites

Sponsors

Retro Showdown Poll Question

News & Cast Updates

AARP Movies for Grownups Award Nominations