On the heels of yesterday’s somewhat surprising news that Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network would *save* the once-dead popular TV soap opera series, All My Children and One Life To Live (in an exclusive 40-episode/10-week limited engagement this summer) after previously being adamant about not being interested in them, saying that they weren’t an option for the OWN Network, I thought we’d have some fun and open up the floor for your suggestions on what canceled shows you would love for OWN to *save* as well.

Not that anything we say hear will prompt any action by Oprah and her OWN execs, but humor me…

I’ll start with 2 that immediately came to mind.

1 – Southland. Yes, Southland. It may not immediately seem like a good fit for OWN, given the network’s target demo. The cop drama just might be a bit too gritty, raw and real for OWN’s core audience; although maybe I’m being presumptuous, and OWN’s audience will embrace the show. But if Oprah is looking to beef up her network’s critical perception, and even be a contender during Emmy Awards season, this could be a move worth considering. In addition, she might also benefit from an audience boost, given that the series’ very loyal fans (and they are very loyal) – an audience that likely aren’t OWN regulars, all 1.7 million of them on average – would likely switch over to OWN when Southland airs. Some of them anyway. As icing on the cake, throw in Regina King’s strong presence on the show – a part for which she’s received lots of acclaim. It’ll be a nice change of pace/counter-programming for OWN’s lineup.

2. Deception. The Meagan Good freshman drama series that NBC canceled earlier this year, due to lagging ratings. Lagging ratings for NBC, a broadcast TV network; but I’m sure OWN (a cabler) would love some of those 3+ million (on average) viewers each week, that it drew for NBC. And like Southland, Deception fans also appear to be quite rabid, given the comments posted on this site when we first announced that the series might be canceled (comments that continue to come, even though it’s been canceled, asking NBC to bring the series back). But unlike Southland, I actually think Deception would be a very good fit for OWN, given the reception to Tyler Perry’s new series for the network, The Haves And The Have Nots. If you think about it, both shows aren’t all-that different. They both deal with issues of class; both are primetime soap operas essentially; and their casts are mostly mixed. If I had to rate them, I’d say that the more-salacious Deception is a better soap than Tyler Perry’s melodrama, and I think OWN’s audience would probably love it even more! Plus, the main protagonist is a black woman.

So, those are my 2 recommendations to start. 

What are yours, along with reasons for why you think OWN should *save* them?