Everyone has been, at some point, mindlessly flipping through channels and landed on a soap opera.
Usually, most people shake their heads disapprovingly and quickly change the channel, but every once in a while, they may stop to watch for just a moment. And, chances are, despite their best efforts, a few will not be able to stop.
An addicting soap opera requires an ongoing story; each episode depends on the last.
In some shows such as “All My Children,” the tale never ends, while in others, it eventually comes to a close even if it takes 100 or more episodes. Generally, soap operas do not include action or fight scenes but instead focus on the drama of daily (but not-so-ordinary) life.
One of the longest-running soap operas, “As the World Turns,” has been airing since 1956. The youngest soap opera still showing is “The Bold and the Beautiful,” which premiered in 1987.
Despite its success, few consider soap operas praiseworthy since they are commonly seen as are overly dramatic shows for housewives, according to the Museum of Broadcast Communications. But, society has given the genre this negative connotation only because the first soap operas were indeed aimed at women.
Broadcasters first introduced soaps in daytime radio to attract advertisements from household item manufacturers by creating a show for women, the main consumers of their products. As the programs grew popular among women, the association stuck.
Eventually, the audience and success of soap operas grew because of their enthralling plots, but the stereotype refused to die. Now, people of all ages – from young children to teens to grandparents – watch soap operas even if they are too ashamed to admit it. Soaps have spread geographically, too – from Britain with “EastEnders” to Latin America’s telenovelas, these shows have gained an ample following worldwide.
With their never-ending series and ability to appeal to a wide range of audiences, soap operas have indeed become one of the most successful and lasting genres on television.
Anne Wei
Copy Editor