Soap opera

A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction, usually broadcast on television or radio. What differentiates a soap from other television drama programmes is their open-ended nature. Plots run concurrently, and lead into further developments: there is rarely a need to "wrap things up", although soaps that run in series for only part of the year tend to bring things to a dramatic cliffhanger.

Most soaps follow the lives of a group of characters who live or work in a particular place.

The term "soap opera" originated from the fact that when these serial dramas were aired on daytime radio, the commercials aired during the shows were largely aimed at housewives (this was during the first half of the 20th century, when married women were expected to stay home and raise the children). Many of the products sold during these commercials were laundry and cleaning items. This specific type of radio drama came to be associated with these particular commercials, and this gave rise to the term "soap opera" -- a melodramatic story that aired commercials for soap products.

To do:

• proto-soaps: Dickens, film serials
• early soaps
• soap-ishness pervading into other programmes

See History of radio, Literature, Drama, Radio Theater, Theater, Crossroads

Some U.S. soap operas include:

• All My Children
• Guiding Light
• Days of Our Lives
• General Hospital
• Young and the Restless
• One Life to Live
• Passions
• Bold and the Beautiful
• As the World Turns
• Another World
• Ryan's Hope
• Port Charles

Some of the prime time soaps to make the scene were Dallas, Dynasty, and Knot's Landing. The first real prime time soap opera was Peyton Place.

A few soap opera spoofs have been made. Two of the most famous U.S. spoofs were Soap and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. On British television, comedian Victoria Wood created a long-running spoof soap entitled Acorn Antiques.