Ron Tom / ABC
Erica Kane … dead? All My Children ended Friday as so many Friday soap-opera episodes do—with a cliffhanger. Except this episode was different: it was the final episode of the soap’s 41-year run. As the seemingly immortal Erica Kane declared “This is not the ending I want” in the last moments, villain J. R. waited in the wings and aimed a gun right at her at a Chandler mansion party, where nearly all the cast was in attendance, and then the show was over. The cast appeared on The View before the finale with creator Agnes Nixon. Famous alum Sarah Michelle Gellar made a cameo Wednesday, and alums like Josh Duhamel and Carol Burnett taped segments to say goodbye on The View. The show will return in webisodes starting in January, but Lucci has reportedly not signed on to return.