ALL MY CHILDREN, Mark Consuelos, Kelly Ripa, 1970-2011. © ABC / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Credit: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection

The beloved ABC soap is being revamped for primetime as Pine Valley.

It’s a Christmas freaking miracle. ABC has begun developing Pine Valley, a primetime version of its much-missed daytime drama All My Children, reports our sister site Deadline. And honestly, the project couldn’t be in better hands.

Who’s in Charge

Married All My Children alumni Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, who played supercouple Hayley and Matéo Santos, are executive-producing with Andrew Stearn and filmmaker Robert Nixon, the son of the soap’s late, great creator Agnes Nixon.

More: All My Children backstage secrets revealed

What’s the Plot

Setting off the goings-on in the update — written by yet another EP, Leo Richardson (who, excitingly, has worked on the UK’s sublime, and supremely successful, EastEnders) — is the arrival in our titular town of a young journalist who is determined to bring to light Pine Valley’s homicidal history. (Poisoned pancakes, anyone?)

Once our Lois Lane begins digging into the local dirt, she’ll find herself smack-dab in the middle of a feud between Hayley and Matéo’s family and the Kanes, the clan (at least previously) headed up by Susan Lucci’s one and only Erica.

maria kendall

Why would Maria and Kendall’s families be feuding? We can’t wait to find out!

Credit: Bill Morris/ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, John Paschal/JPI

Who’s Returning

As yet, there’s been no word as to which of our former favorites will still reside in Pine Valley; it’s early stages. But AMC 2.0 is said to include not only a new generation of characters but also familiar faces. (Yes, we can hear the wheels turning in your head already: “OK, well, obviously, they’ll need Eva LaRue’s Maria Santos, and they’ll have to get Eden Riegel back as Bianca Montgomery, and… ”)

More: Tribute to All My Children creator Agnes Nixon

What’ll It Be Like

According to Deadline, Pine Valley will “wink” at the tropes of daytime in much the same way that Jane the Virgin did telenovelas. But don’t let that panic you. This does not sound like a project that is going to make fun of the soap we knew and loved.

Why do we think so? Two words: Andrew Stearn.

ALL MY CHILDREN, from left: Susan Lucci, Albert Stratton, 1994, 1970-2011. ph: Cathy Blaivas/© American Broadcasting Company /Courtesy Everett Collection

No, Pine Valley will not be clowning around like this.

Credit: Cathy Blavais/ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection

A Shared Dream

Apparently, Stearn grew up watching the show the same as we all did and chose to commit himself to ABC Signature rather than another studio for his overall production deal because it would allow him to pursue his dream of putting Pine Valley back on the map. In fact, he began working toward that goal before the ink on his contract was even dry.

In other words, this guy knows All My Children. He cares about All My Children. And he wants to get this right.

A Storied Past

As pretty much anyone who’s ever visited Soaps.com probably knows, All My Children ran on ABC from 1970-2011 and then for a few months in 2013 on the ill-fated Online Network. Among the careers that it launched are those of Sarah Michelle “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” Gellar, Transformers star Josh Duhamel, CSI: Miami vet Eva LaRue, The Hunger Games’ Elizabeth Banks and Black Panther heartthrob Michael B. Jordan.

More: The moment that shocked Erica Kane

What do you think, people? Is this news not too good to be true? Can you believe it? Hit the comments with the characters that you most hope will turn up in Pine Valley, and while you’re in an All My Children kinda mood, check out the below photo gallery that takes you through the soap’s original run on ABC.