Debuting in 1956, As The World Turns has been grounded in real characters in the real world, bringing current social issues to the forefront through fresh, thought provoking stories.

A town that you can find everywhere and nowhere, Oakdale’s multi-generational families are familiar and yet still unpredictable, their stories very much like your own but still able to move and touch you in surprising and unexpected ways. At the heart of the show are four different but compelling families, all having found their home in the town of Oakdale. The working upper class Hughes family, the first family of Oakdale, remain great pillars of the community. Their beloved matriarch, Nancy Hughes, is still currently portrayed by original cast member Helen Wagner. The self-made Stewarts, in regular toil with the Hughes both professionally and personally, are also a deeply rooted Oakdale family that continues to thrive. The simple, country Snyder clan has had its own share of entertaining clashes and successes as they mingle with the townies of Oakdale. Lastly is the sophisticated, worldly Ryan family; a brood of flawed, well intending angels and devils whose passionate value of family often leads them into dark and dangerous territory.