Soap Opera History
The soap opera is truly an America phenomenon.
Each and every weekday, millions of people from all
over the world tune in to their favourite soap to follow
the trials and tribulations of their favourite
characters. Lives are portrayed with passion,
courage, love; stories are told with a flair for the
outrageous, or even a hint of danger. One soap
opera even went so far as to use the devil and Satan
as one of its storylines!
Soap opera history dates back to the days of radio
dramas, before television. The reason they are
called soap operas is because the radio dramas
used to be sponsored by soap companies, such as
Colgate-Palmolive and Proctor and Gamble. During
the day, these radio dramas would entertain
housewives. When they moved to television in the 1940s, the daytime soap opera
tradition continued. Guiding Light is the longest running soap opera, started in 1937 and
wrapping up in 2009.
Soap characters are like everyday people, but then again, they are really
very fictional. Soap people never seem to age, or they age very rapidly,
as in the case of children being children one day and teenagers the next!!
Characters are always perfectly dressed, with perfect hair, perfect
clothes, and perfect jobs, where the money never runs out, and
babysitting is always available on a moment’s notice, so that if the hero
needs to save the day, he or she can!
Characteristics of a Soap Opera
Soaps are popular among all gender lines, any demographic group or region, all over
the world. However, their main focus years ago was the “housewife”, and stories were
geared toward the market of women aged 18-49. Although this has changed a lot over
the last 50 years, many stories are directed at the romantic, dangerous side, the kind of
stories that bring the viewer in and make them want to watch, day after day.
Soap stories are usually in the form of an “arc”, a long-term story that plays out over a
few months, and then leads to another “arc” to keep the story going. Different types of
soaps, whether it be daytime or nighttime use this arc to keep the viewers interested,
however, a daytime soap can usually go into more detail. Evening soaps are typically
only once a week, for an hour per show, which means that an arc could not delve as
deeply into storyline as a daily show does.
Drama 20G Ms. Van Den Bussche
Soap Opera Elements
The themes of soap operas are often melodramatic, scandalous and romantic. With
long-running storylines and featured characters who enjoy decades-long plot runs, soap
operas have amassed generations of fans. Most daytime soaps have been running for
more than 30 years, including All My Children and General Hospital. Some of the actors
on these shows have been starring in them for the bulk of their run. Other times, a
character featured in the soap has been played by a number of different actors without
a break in the story. The audience understands and is used to changes of actor playing
the same character.
Daytime soaps all follow the same basic format. They are episodic dramas, where a
storyline begun in one show will play out over the course of weeks or months. Most of
these shows deal with personal relationships and have clearly defined good and bad
characters. The happy couple can expect a schemer to come between them time and
again. The successful businessman may be undone by a longtime friend who's a spy for
the competition, or by an attractive coworker who tempts him to cheat. If a baby is born,
at least two people will claim to be the father.
Soap characters are essentially static; that is, they never learn or change from their
experiences. If a mean character suddenly turns nice, it's usually part of a plot to get
something. On those rare occasions where a mean character truly becomes nice,
expect a false accusation or a tragedy to dredge up the character's past failings and
turn her evil again out of frustration.
Soap at Night
Families used to gather around the radio listening to the dramas of their favourite
ongoing series play out. Today, soap operas on television serve the same audience.
Soaring soap opera ratings for daytime shows led to wave of weekly, hour-long dramas
in the 1980s and 1990s that had classic soap elements, including shows like Dynasty,
Dallas and Beverly Hills 90210. Several popular shows from the 2000s also have soap
opera overtones, including Battlestar Galactica, The Sopranos, Lost and Heroes.
Characters
Soap operas rely on stock characters - a special kind of flat character who is instantly
recognizable to most viewers. Possible examples include the “ruthless businessman”,
“shushing old librarian” or “dumb jock.” Example: The main character in a story,
Bernard, is hired by a computer company. His secretary is a blonde named Gidget, who
is cute but forgetful and never gets a joke. In this example Gidget is a stock character.
Drama 20G Ms. Van Den Bussche
Soap Operas Elements include:
an emphasis on family life, personal relationships, sexual dramas, emotional and
moral conflicts
most soap operas follow the lives of a group of characters who live or work in a
particular place, or focus on a large extended family.
Soap narratives are marked by 'chance meetings, coincidences, missed
meetings, sudden conversions, last-minute rescues and revelations.
American soap opera characters are frequently attractive, seductive, glamorous
and wealthy.
Soap operas from Australia and the United Kingdom tend to focus on more
everyday characters and situations, and are frequently set in working class
environments.
Soap operas explore social realist storylines such as family discord, marriage
breakdown, or financial problems.
UK and Australian soap operas feature comedy elements, often by way of
affectionate comic stereotypes such as the gossip or the grumpy old man,
presented as a sort of comic foil to the emotional turmoil that surrounds them.
This diverges from US soap operas where such comedy is rare.
Romance, secret relationships, extramarital affairs, and genuine love have been
the basis for many soap opera storylines.
Crimes such as kidnapping, false identity, and even murder may go unpunished
if the perpetrator is to be retained in the ongoing story.
Many explore the "romantic quality" of criminal life.
Previously unknown children, siblings, and twins (including the evil variety) of
established characters often emerge to upset and reinvigorate the set of
relationships examined by the series.
Unexpected calamities disrupt weddings, childbirths, and other major life events
with unusual frequency.
A character's death is not guaranteed to be permanent. Often comas are the
cover-up.
Drama 20G Ms. Van Den Bussche
Soap Opera History Name ______________
1. How did soap operas get their name?
2. How long was the longest running soap opera on the air?
3. The themes of soap opera are (fill in the blank) -
_____________________________, _______________________, and
________________________________.
4. Soap operas are episodic dramas. What does this mean?
5. Soap opera characters are generally static, which means:
6. What is a soap opera ‘arc’?
7. What are ‘stock characters’? Give three of your own examples.
8. Write down the three soap opera elements that you like best:
9. Quick: Write down one idea for an amazing soap opera episode!
Drama 20G Ms. Van Den Bussche