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You've probably seen them while channel surfing. Daytime soap operas - a genre of a bygone era, yet a few series (like George Romero zombies) still stagger on. Ask any soap fan, and they'll tell you: the medium is dying. Will the daytime soap manage to survive into the next decade? https://youtu.be/h683ckfeNok A soap opera, soap, or soap, is a serial drama on television or radio that examines the lives of many characters, usually focusing on emotional relationships to the point of melodrama. The term soap opera originated from such dramas being typically sponsored by soap manufacturers in the past. The first serial considered to be a "soap opera" was Painted Dreams, which debuted on October 20, 1930 on Chicago radio station WGN. Clara, Lu, and Em was the first radio soap opera ever to be broadcast across the nation. Early radio series such as Painted Dreams were broadcast in weekday daytime slots, usually five days a week, when most of the listeners would be housewives; thus, the shows were aimed at and consumed by a predominantly female audience. In the name, "soap" refers to the soap and detergent commercials originally broadcast during the shows, which were aimed at women who were cleaning their houses at the time of listening or viewing, and "opera" refers to the melodramatic character of the shows. https://www.youtube.com/watch?vT7A5ej6bwLw What are the core elements of a soap opera? Click "Next" to find out. According to Albert Moran, One of the fundamental features that give a television show its soap opera title is "that form of television that works with a continuous open narrative." While Spanish-language "telenovelas" are usually known as "soap operas," telenovelas have issues in each season that get resolved and a definite ending after (more or less) a year of daily weekday airing. But with soap operas, each episode ends with a "cliffhanger" or a promise that the storyline is to be continued in another episode. https://www.youtube.com/watch?vsJG1xTeUAio Soap opera narratives run simultaneously, weaving in and out of one another like a DNA sample. One storyline ends and helps lead into the next developments. One episode of a soap opera will usually change up between various separate coexisting narrative threads that may at times intersect and involve one another- or these narrative threads may run completely parallel to each other, never affecting each other's plotline. Each episode may feature some of the show's current storylines, but not always all of them. Daytime serials are usually aired every day of the week and contain some kind of revolution within the story's plotline and its actors so that any given storyline or actor may be featured in some but generally not all of the episodes of the week. Evening soap operas usually air one episode a week. These soap operas always feature the entire cast in each episode, and in each episode, every narrative thread of the program's storyline is featured. The seasons of evening soap operas normally take up only a chunk of the year, and these soap operas are usually the ones that bring everything to a dramatic halt at the end of the season, leaving the audience with a cliffhanger- wanting to know what happens next. Original cast of Days of Our LivesJessia Kowalski via Getty Images What are themes of a good a soap? Click "Next" to find out. The essential themes that circulate around soap operas contain a strong focus on family life, personal relationships, sexual insecurity, emotional and moral decision making. Here and there maybe some topical issues will be sprinkled into the plot. Soap operas are usually set in generic domestic interior settings with rare visits into new settings. Fitting in with these characteristics, most soap operas follow the lives of one group of characters who live or work in a particular place or maybe they'll sometimes focus on a large extended family. The storylines follow the day-to-day activities and personal relationships of these characters. Lust and true hatred have been hot topics for many soap opera plotlines throughout the years. Daytime serials in the US often use romance and hatred as the main base for conflict. This allows the plot to weave intricate storylines using adultery to keep the audiences hooked in on the story, wanting to know more. Suspense is key, but so is love. With soap operas, it is most likely that the romantic suspense is what will always leave the audience at the edges of their seats. https://www.youtube.com/watch?vmodmKqfuUDo In many soap operas, particularly daytime soap operas in the US, the characters are usually more on the attractive side. They are seductive scandalous, gorgeous and rich. Soap operas from the UK and Australia seem to focus more on the working class. These storylines involve domestic situations such as dysfunctional families, financial issues and other social realist kinds of stories. Being a part of their nature, however, British and Australian serials always involve comedic relief. Traci and Brad Young and the Wreckless via CBS Sources: (Wikipedia, Youtube) What is your favorite soap opera? Tell us in the comments section below. Related: Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman! Television Through The Decades: 1960s VS. Today 40 Years Later, The Love Boat Cast Reunites And Gets An Unexpected Surprise