Soap operas are serial dramas with clichéd plots and a large cast of characters. They have continuous narratives and often end with cliffhangers. The term “soap” comes from radio dramas sponsored by soap companies. Irna Phillips is credited with creating the genre. Soaps are expensive to produce, and some networks have turned to other forms of daytime entertainment. Telenovelas are a popular subgenre, designed as miniseries with predictable and melodramatic plots.
A soap opera is a form of serial drama characterized by very clichéd plots, themes and situations. Also, a soap opera has a continuous narrative and a large and complex cast of characters; most episodes end with a promise that the drama will continue in the next episode. Soap opera viewers are often kept on their toes with cliffhanger episode endings, and keeping track of the drama on a soap opera can be a laborious task. Numerous magazines, websites, and talk shows are dedicated to discussing this genre, and these publications include episode guides to keep viewers abreast of complex storylines.
The slang term “soap” has been used to refer to drama created in this style since the 1930s. In the 1930s, several soap companies sponsored serial radio dramas, which ran for 15 minutes to a half hour each day. These dramas followed very predictable formats and were collectively referred to as “soaps.” With the advent of television, soaps made the leap to the screen and numerous soaps can be found airing on daytime television on most of the major networks.
The creation of the soap opera genre is usually credited to Irna Phillips, author of the serial drama Painted Dreams in her radio days. These dramas were relatively easy to produce and were profitable as well as popular; many later listeners and viewers love soap operas for the escape in the melodrama and whimsy they provide. While some people might be tempted to make fun of soap operas, these dramas were a major contributor to the art of storytelling in the West and laid the foundation for other types of radio serials and television shows.
Modern soap opera is sadly a troubled genre, because soaps are expensive to produce. Most soaps air every day of the week and all year round, which requires constant filming in the studio. It can be expensive to maintain a cast and crew to support a soap, and some networks have turned to other forms of television for daytime entertainment, even if the soap opera is unlikely to die out altogether.
A popular subgenre of the soap opera is the telenovela, the Latin equivalent. Telenovelas are usually designed as miniseries, rather than long-running dramas that never really end. They are broadcast in many Spanish-speaking countries or in nations with large Spanish-speaking populations. Like soap operas, telenovelas are very predictable and melodramatic, even if they have their share of complexity and sudden twists.
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