Soap operas are serial dramas characterized by dramatic, overwrought storylines and large casts, popular on radio in the 1930s before spreading to television in subsequent years.
Soap operas saw an initial surge of popularity during the 1980s, yet by its conclusion, they had fallen out of favor as viewers increasingly turned towards shows dealing with current issues and family dramas.
| Soap Opera | Description | Notable Milestones | Ratings and Popularity |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Bold and the Beautiful | Premiered in 1987. | 100 Daytime Emmy Awards. | Still attracts 3.38 million viewers. Renewed through 2023-24 season. |
| The Young and the Restless | Long-standing soap. Expanding into digital platforms and spinoffs. | Popular in the United States and globally. Available as audio podcasts. | Continues to lead in ratings and viewership. Expanded into digital and audio platforms. |
| Days of Our Lives | Premiered in 1965. One of the longest-running soap operas. | Multiple Daytime Emmy Awards and nominations. | Celebrating its 58th season. Beloved daytime drama. |
| General Hospital | Premiered in 1963. Features celebrity guests and raises awareness for various issues. | Top-rated soap opera. Available on streaming platforms. | Maintains its popularity and falls within the same demo ratings as other top soaps. |
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful premiered on March 23, 1987, and has become one of the most-watched daytime dramas worldwide since then, winning 100 Daytime Emmy Awards — more than any other soap opera ever! B&B is produced by CBS Television Network and airs each Monday-Thursday evening between 1:30 pm ET and 12:30 pm PT from their studios in Los Angeles.
B&B recently recast Thomas Forrester with Matthew Atkinson from Young and Restless’ Austin Travers; Lawrence Saint Victor also joined the cast as Carter Walton; while Katrina Bowden recently made her debut as Flo Fulton, an influential fashion mogul with deep connections to Storm’s family through her mother Zoe Buckingham (deceased).
Even amid a decline in daytime ratings overall, B&B still managed to draw 3.38 million viewers last week – its highest total for over two months and giving it top honors among women aged 18-49 and 25-54. This performance puts it ahead of other CBS soaps whose numbers have recently seen decreases.
CBS recently renewed the series through 2023-24 season; however, its future beyond that remains uncertain. If it can continue to attract viewers and remain competitive then another two year renewal could follow.
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is a daytime drama airing on CBS that chronicles the lives of residents in Genoa City – their romances, hopes and fears. Starring Peter Bergman, Eric Braeden, Sharon Case, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Bryton James Christian LeBlanc Connor Floyd Amelia Heinle Courtney Hope Melissa Claire Egan Michael Graziadei Camryn Grimes Kelly Kruger Michael Mealor Joshua Morrow Mishael Morgan Katelyn Dever Kelly Sullivan Michael Mealor Mishael Morgan Joshua Morrow Michael Mealor Michael Mealor Joshua Morrow Mishael Morgan Katelyn Dever Kelly Sullivan Melody Thomas Scott Trevor St John among others.
Young and the Restless has long been a ratings leader in daytime television and has reached many milestones over its tenure. More recently, however, it has expanded into new ventures such as digital platforms and spinoffs; and also became the first network soap to debut showcasts – audio recordings of each episode available via podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher on weekdays.
The soap opera also enjoys strong popularity outside the United States. Global Television Network in Canada ranks Y&R as their top-rated series; Channel 5 Great Belize Television broadcasts it throughout Belize while NTV airs it throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Cast members even appear occasionally on famous celebrity talk shows such as Ellen DeGeneres Show or Tonight Show!
Days of Our Lives
Since its premiere in 1965, “Days of Our Lives” has quickly become one of the most beloved daytime dramas. Over its long run it has earned multiple Daytime Emmy Awards and nominations, in addition to multiple People’s Choice Awards, GLAAD Media Awards, and Prism Awards. Set in Salem – an fictitious Midwestern town – the show focuses on core families such as Bradys, Horton’s Carvers & DiMeras as its protagonists.
Even after experiencing its share of low points over its history, Days of Our Lives remains one of the longest-running soap operas worldwide and most beloved daytime dramas on network TV. Days is set to enter its 58th season this November – one year short of surpassing longtime rival Guiding Light as America’s oldest daytime serial in TV history!
Margaret DePriest helped stabilize the show during its late 70s/early 80s run with her serial killer storyline, while later head writers Sheri Anderson, Thom Racina, and Leah Laiman introduced action/adventure plots and supercouples such as Bo and Hope, Shane and Kimberly and Patch and Kayla. Eileen Davidson then portrayed Kristen DiMera who faked miscarriage then hired a double to have John Black bear their child for her.
Days introduced its revamped studio and rebooted teen scene in 1992, featuring Alison Sweeney, Marci Miller and Christie Clark. Over the next decade, Days would feature an AIDS storyline, several main character recastings, new cast members such as Vivian Alamain (now Lisanne Gardner), Billie Reed, Kate Roberts and Bryan Dattilo as new cast members.
General Hospital
GH is one of the longest-running daytime dramas worldwide. Created by husband-and-wife soap writers Frank and Doris Hursley, its premiere air date was April 1, 1963. Since then, the show has featured high-profile celebrity guests like Roseanne Barr, James Franco and Elizabeth Taylor; furthermore raising awareness for HIV/AIDS, breast cancer and sexual child abuse issues.
GH takes place in Port Charles, New York and follows its residents including the Quartermaine family and their relatives, including Luke and Laura’s romance as well as those between AJ and Courtney and Sonny and Brenda.
Though General Hospital (GH) may have seen viewer numbers decrease over time, it remains one of the top-rated soap operas. It falls within the same demo ratings as The Bold and the Beautiful, The Young and Restless and Days of Our Lives.
General Hospital can be seen on Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix among other services, making it easily available for streaming viewing. You can easily track its release by subscribing to any or all of them and receive notification of its arrival – GH is currently airing Monday and Tuesday afternoons at 2PM ET/1PM CT; its tagline reads “Days Are Long But Soaps Are Short”. Plus you can follow them on social media like Twitter and Instagram to keep informed on what’s going on in Port Charles!
