Editing Soap opera (section)

==United States==
===Daytime serials on television===
[[File:Rosemary prinz as the world turns.JPG|thumb|right|Publicity photo of [[Rosemary Prinz]] as [[Penny Hughes (As the World Turns)|Penny Hughes]] from ''[[As the World Turns]]'']]
The first [[daytime television in the United States|daytime TV]] soap opera in the [[United States]] was ''[[These Are My Children]]'' in 1949, though earlier melodramas had aired in the evenings as once-a-week programs. Soap operas quickly became a fixture of American daytime television in the early 1950s, joined by [[game show]]s, [[situation comedies|sitcom]] [[rerun]]s and talk shows.

In 1988, [[H. Wesley Kenney]], who at the time served as the [[executive producer]] of ''[[General Hospital]]'', said to ''[[The New York Times]]'':<ref name="NYT 25">{{cite news|title=At a Ripe 25, 'Hospital' Is Healthy|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/02/arts/at-a-ripe-25-hospital-is-healthy.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 19, 2012|agency=Associated Press|date=April 2, 1988}}</ref>
{{blockquote|I think people like stories that continue so they can relate to these people. They become like a family, and the viewer becomes emotionally involved. There seem to be two attitudes by viewers. One, that the stories are similar to what happened to them in real life, or two, thank goodness that isn't me. | H. Wesley Kenney}}

Many long-running American soap operas established particular environments for their stories. ''[[The Doctors (1963 TV series)|The Doctors]]'' and ''General Hospital'', in the beginning, told stories almost exclusively from inside the confines of a hospital. ''[[As the World Turns]]'' dealt heavily with Chris Hughes' law practice and the travails of his wife [[Nancy Hughes|Nancy]] who, tired of being "the loyal housewife" in the 1970s, became one of the first older women on the American serials to enter the workforce. ''[[Guiding Light]]'' dealt with Bert Bauer ([[Charita Bauer]]) and her alcoholic husband Bill, and their endless marital troubles. When Bert's status shifted to caring mother and town matriarch, her children's marital troubles were showcased. ''[[Search for Tomorrow]]'' mostly told its story through the eyes of [[Joanne Gardner]] ([[Mary Stuart (actress)|Mary Stuart]]). Even when stories revolved around other characters, Joanne was frequently a key player in their storylines. ''[[Days of Our Lives]]'' initially focused on Dr. Tom Horton and his steadfast wife Alice. The show later branched out to focus more on their five children. ''[[The Edge of Night]]'' featured as its central character Mike Karr, a police detective (later an attorney), and largely dealt with organized crime. ''[[The Young and the Restless]]'' first focused on two families, the prosperous Brooks family with four daughters, and the working-class Foster family of a single working mother with three children. Its storylines explored realistic problems including cancer, mental illness, poverty, and infidelity.

In contrast, ''[[Dark Shadows]]'' (1966–1971), ''[[Port Charles]]'' (1997–2003) and ''[[Passions]]'' (1999–2008) featured supernatural characters and dealt with [[fantasy]] and [[Horror fiction|horror]] storylines. Their characters included vampires, witches, ghosts, goblins, and angels.

The American soap opera ''Guiding Light'' (originally titled ''<u>The</u> Guiding Light'' until 1975) started as a radio drama in January 1937 and subsequently began transitioning to television in June 1952; the television and radio editions of the serial continued to broadcast concurrently until the latter version ended production in 1956. With the exception of several years in the late 1940s, during which creator [[Irna Phillips]] was involved in a dispute with [[Procter & Gamble]], ''Guiding Light'' was heard or seen nearly every weekday from 1937 to 2009, making it the longest story ever told in a broadcast medium.

Originally serials were broadcast as 15-minute installments each weekday in daytime slots. In 1956, ''As the World Turns'' and ''The Edge of Night'', both produced by [[Procter & Gamble Productions]], debuted as the first half-hour soap operas on the [[CBS]] television network. All soap operas broadcast half-hour episodes by the end of the 1960s. With increased popularity in the 1970s, most soap operas had expanded to an hour in length by the end of the decade (''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]'' even expanded to 90 minutes for a short time from 1979 to 1980). More than half of the serials had expanded to one-hour episodes by 1980. As of 2025, four of the five American serials air one-hour episodes each weekday; only ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' airs 30-minute episodes.

Soap operas were originally broadcast live from the studio, creating what many at the time regarded as a feeling similar to that of a stage play. As nearly all soap operas were originated at that time from [[New York City]], a number of soap actors were also accomplished stage actors who performed live theater during breaks from their soap roles. In the 1960s and 1970s, new serials such as ''General Hospital'', ''Days of our Lives'', and ''The Young and the Restless'' were produced in [[Los Angeles]]. Their success made the West Coast a viable alternative to New York-produced soap operas, which were becoming more costly to perform. By the early 1970s, nearly all soap operas had transitioned to being taped. ''As the World Turns'' and ''The Edge of Night'' were the last to make the switch, in 1975.

''Port Charles'' used the practice of running 13-week "[[story arc]]s," in which the main events of the arc are played out and wrapped up over the 13 weeks, although some storylines did continue over more than one arc. According to the 2006 Preview issue of ''[[Soap Opera Digest]]'', it was briefly discussed that all [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] shows might do [[telenovela]] arcs, but this was rejected.

Though American daytime soap operas are not generally [[rerun]] by their networks, occasionally they are rebroadcast elsewhere; CBS and ABC have made exceptions to this, airing older episodes (either those aired earlier in the current season or those aired years prior) on major holidays when special event programming is not scheduled or because of last-minute deferrals of scheduled episodes to the following day because of [[breaking news]] coverage. ([[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television in the United States|Temporary production stoppages]] caused by the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] similarly resulted in CBS and ABC airing older reruns of ''The Young and the Restless'', ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' and ''General Hospital'' during the Spring and Summer of 2020 in order to ration first-run episodes and, eventually, to fill airtime after the programs ran out of new episodes to broadcast; ''Days of Our Lives'', which produces its episodes roughly eight months ahead of their initial broadcast, did not resort to airing older episodes during this time as it had a larger first-run episode backlog.) Early episodes of ''Dark Shadows'' were rerun on [[PBS]] member stations in the early 1970s after the show's cancellation, and the entire series (except for a single missing episode) was rerun on the [[Syfy|Sci-Fi Channel]] in the 1990s. After ''The Edge of Night''{{'s}} 1984 cancellation, reruns of the show's final five years were shown late nights on [[USA Network]] from 1985 to 1989. On January 20, 2000, a [[digital cable]] and [[satellite television|satellite]] network dedicated to the genre, [[Soapnet]], began re-airing soaps that originally aired on ABC, [[NBC]] and CBS.

Newer broadcast networks launched since the late 1980s (such as [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]) and [[cable television]] networks have largely eschewed offering soap operas on their daytime schedules, instead running [[broadcast syndication|syndicated programming]] and reruns. No cable television outlet has produced its own daytime serial, although [[DirecTV]]'s [[Audience Network|The 101 Network]] took over existing serial ''[[Passions]]'', continuing production for one season; while [[TBS (American TV network)|TBS]] and [[Freeform (TV channel)|CBN Cable Network]] respectively aired their own soap operas, ''[[The Catlins (TV series)|The Catlins]]'' (a primetime soap that utilized the daily episode format of its daytime counterparts) and ''[[Another Life (1981 TV series)|Another Life]]'' (a soap that combined standard serial drama with religious overtones), during the 1980s. Fox, the [[fourth television network|fourth "major network"]], carried a short-lived daytime soap ''[[Tribes (TV series)|Tribes]]'' in 1990. Yet, other than this and a couple of pilot attempts, Fox mainly stayed away from daytime soaps, and has not attempted them since their [[1994–1996 United States broadcast television realignment|ascension to major-network status in 1994]] (it did later attempt a series of daily prime time soaps from 2006 to 2007, which aired on newly created sister network [[MyNetworkTV]], but the experiment was largely a failure after disappointing ratings).

Due to the masses of episodes produced for a series, release of soap operas to DVD (a popular venue for distribution of current and vintage television series) is considered impractical. With the exception of occasional specials, daytime soap operas are notable by their absence from DVD release schedules (an exception being the supernatural soap opera, ''Dark Shadows'', which did receive an essentially complete release on both VHS and DVD; the single lost episode #1219 is reconstructed by means of an off-the-air audio recording, still images, and recap material from adjacent episodes).

====Performers====
:''See [[List of longest-serving soap opera actors]]''

Soap opera performers in the United States are typically divided into two main groups: primary characters (sometimes referred to as "contract players" &ndash; as their portrayers signed contracts of employment &ndash; or leading characters) and secondary characters (sometimes referred to as [[recurring status|recurring]] characters). These two groups of characters make up the vast majority of the people who appear on any given soap. There are also characters who appear only for a short time as dictated by a specific storyline, and even characters who may only get a first name and no fleshed-out character history with little dialogue (these are sometimes referred to as "under-5s" since they receive under five lines of dialogue in each episode).

Due to the longevity of these shows, it is not uncommon for a single character to be played by multiple actors. The key character of [[Mike Karr]] on ''The Edge of Night'' was played by three actors.

Conversely, several actors have remained playing the same character for many years, or decades even. [[Helen Wagner]] played Hughes family matriarch [[Nancy Hughes]] on American soap ''As the World Turns'' from its April 2, 1956, debut through her death in May 2010. She is listed in the [[Guinness World Records|Guinness Book of World Records]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060330/us_nm/leisure_world_dc |website=News.Yahoo.com (Internet Archive) |archive-date=April 28, 2006 |title=Actress shares 50th year with ''As the World Turns'' |first=Steve |last=Gorman |year=2006 |access-date=December 12, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060428045747/https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060330/us_nm/leisure_world_dc}}</ref> as the actor with the longest uninterrupted performance in a single role. A number of performers played roles for 20 years or longer, occasionally on more than one show. [[Rachel Ames]] played [[Audrey Hardy]] on both ''General Hospital'' and ''Port Charles'' from 1964 until 2007 and returned in 2009. [[Susan Lucci]] played [[Erica Kane]] in ''[[All My Children]]'' from the show's debut in January 1970 until it ended its network television run on ABC on September 23, 2011. [[Erika Slezak]] played [[Victoria Lord]] #3 on ''[[One Life to Live]]'' from 1971 until the show ended its network television run on ABC on January 13, 2012, and resumed the role in its short-lived online revival on April 29, 2013.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-jeanne-cooper-dies-dead-young-restless-corbin-bernsen-20130508,0,4586061.story |title=Jeanne Cooper of ''Young and the Restless'' dies at 84 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |first=Christie |last=Dzurilla |date=May 8, 2013}}</ref>

Other actors have played several characters on different shows. [[Millette Alexander]], [[Bernard Barrow]], [[Doris Belack]], [[David Canary]], [[Judith Chapman]], [[Keith Charles (actor)|Keith Charles]], [[Jordan Charney]], [[Joan Copeland]], [[Nicolas Coster]], [[Jacqueline Courtney]], [[Augusta Dabney]], [[Louis Edmonds]], [[Don Hastings]], [[Larry Haines]], [[Vincent Irizarry]], [[Lenore Kasdorf]], [[Teri Keane]], [[Lois Kibbee]], [[John Loprieno]], [[Lori March]], [[Maeve McGuire]], [[Robert Milli]], [[James Mitchell (actor)|James Mitchell]], [[Lee Patterson]], [[Christopher Pennock]], [[Antony Ponzini]], [[William Prince (actor)|William Prince]], [[Rosemary Prinz]], [[Louise Shaffer]], [[Mary Stuart (actress)|Mary Stuart]], [[Richard Thomas (actor)|Richard Thomas]], [[Diana van der Vlis]], [[Mary K. Wells]], [[Lesley Woods]] and [[Michael Zaslow]], among many others, have all played multiple soap roles.

====Evolution of the daytime serial====
For several decades, most daytime soap operas concentrated on family and marital discord, legal drama and romance. The action rarely left interior settings, and many shows were set in fictional, medium-sized [[Midwestern United States|Midwestern]] towns.

Social issue storylines were typically verboten when soaps were starting, due to heavy network-imposed censorship at that time, but writer and producer [[Agnes Nixon]] introduced these storylines slowly but surely, first in 1962 when the matriarch of ''The Guiding Light'', Bert Bauer, developed [[uterine cancer]]<ref name="bauer">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-03-02-fi-24140-story.html|title=Charita Bauer of TV's 'Guiding Light' Dies|date=2 March 1985|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=12 December 2012}}</ref> (as the actress, [[Charita Bauer]], had been diagnosed with the same illness in real life). The storyline encouraged many women to get [[pap smear]]s<ref name="bauer" /> and the CBS mailroom in New York City received a then-record amount of fan mail wishing Bauer (both Bert and Charita) well. Nixon would go on to tell many socially relevant storylines on her soaps ''[[One Life to Live]]'' and ''[[All My Children]]'' in the late 1960s and into the 1970s.

Exterior shots were slowly incorporated into the series ''The Edge of Night'' and ''Dark Shadows''. Unlike many earlier serials that were set in fictional towns, ''[[The Best of Everything (TV series)|The Best of Everything]]'' and ''[[Ryan's Hope]]'' were set in a real-world location, New York City.

The first exotic location shoot was made by ''All My Children'', to [[St. Croix]] in 1978. Many other soap operas planned lavish storylines after the success of the ''All My Children'' shoot. Soap operas ''Another World'' and ''Guiding Light'' both went to St. Croix in 1980, the former show culminating a long-running storyline between popular characters Mac, Rachel and Janice, and the latter to serve as an exotic setting for [[Alan Spaulding]] and [[Rita Stapleton|Rita Bauer]]'s torrid affair. ''Search for Tomorrow'' taped for two weeks in [[Hong Kong]] in 1981. Later that year, some of the cast and crew ventured to [[Jamaica]] to tape a love consummation storyline between the characters of Garth and Kathy.

During the 1980s, perhaps as a reaction to the evening drama series that were gaining high ratings, daytime serials began to incorporate action and adventure storylines, more big-business intrigue, and an increased emphasis on youthful romance.

One of the most popular couples was [[Luke Spencer and Laura Webber]] on ''[[General Hospital]]''. Luke and Laura helped to attract both male and female fans. Even actress [[Elizabeth Taylor]] was a fan and at her own request was given a guest role in Luke and Laura's wedding episode. Luke and Laura's popularity led to other soap producers striving to reproduce this success by attempting to create supercouples of their own.

With increasingly bizarre action storylines coming into vogue, Luke and Laura saved the world from being frozen, brought a mobster down by finding his black book in a left-handed boy statue, and helped a princess find her Aztec treasure in [[Mexico]]. Other soap operas attempted similar adventure storylines, often featuring footage shot on location – frequently in exotic locales.

During the 1990s, the mob, action and adventure stories fell out of favor with producers, due to generally declining ratings for daytime soap operas at the time. With the resultant budget cuts, soap operas were no longer able to go on expensive location shoots overseas as they were able to do in the 1980s. During that decade, soap operas increasingly focused on younger characters and [[social issues]], such as [[Erica Kane]]'s drug addiction on ''All My Children'', the re-emergence of [[Viki Lord]]'s [[dissociative identity disorder]] on ''One Life to Live'', and [[Stuart Chandler]] dealing with his wife Cindy dying of [[AIDS]] on ''All My Children''. Other social issues included [[cancer]], [[rape]], [[abortion]] and [[racism]].

Several shows during the 1990s and 2000s incorporated supernatural and science fiction elements into their storylines in an attempt to boost their ratings. One of the main characters on the earlier soap opera ''Dark Shadows'' was [[Barnabas Collins]], a vampire, and ''One Life to Live'' featured an angel named Virgil. Both shows featured characters who traveled to and from the past. In 1995, ''Days of our Lives'' featured a storyline in which fan favorite character [[Marlena Evans]] was possessed by the devil (which was revisited in 2021 with the devil possessing several of her relatives as well), and in 1998, ''Guiding Light'' featured a cloning storyline involving legacy character [[Reva Shayne]].

====Traditional grammar of daytime serials====
Modern American daytime soap operas largely stay true to the original soap opera format. The duration and format of storylines and the visual grammar employed by American daytime serials set them apart from soap operas in other countries and from evening soap operas. Stylistically, British and Australian soap operas, which are usually produced for early evening timeslots, fall somewhere in between American daytime and evening soap operas. Similar to American daytime soap operas, British and Australian serials are shot on videotape, and the cast and storylines are rotated across the week's episodes so that each cast member will appear in some but not all episodes. British and Australian soap operas move through storylines at a faster rate than daytime serials, making them closer to American evening soap operas in this regard.

American daytime soap operas feature stylistic elements that set them apart from other shows:
* A construct unique to American daytime serials is the format where the action will cut between various conversations, returning to each at the precise moment it was left. This is the most significant distinction between American daytime soap operas and other forms of American television drama, which generally allow for narrative time to pass, off-screen, between the scenes depicted.<ref name=Bowles-121/> On occasion, a character or characters involved a conversation earlier in that act may appear in a different setting later in the same act.
* In American daytime soap operas, scenes often end with a [[pregnant pause]] and a close-up on the character. There will be no dialogue for several seconds, while the music builds before cutting to a commercial or a new scene. This kind of segue is referred to in the industry as a "tag".
* The traditional [[three-point lighting]] set-up routinely used in [[filmmaking]] and [[television production]] is also used on daytime soap operas, sometimes with accentuated [[back lighting]] to lift actors out of the background. This is useful in programs like soap operas, which are shot on videotape in small interior sets. The backlight is frequently more subtle on filmed productions shot on location and in larger sets.
* Domestic interiors are often furnished with stained wood wall panels and furniture, and items of brown leather furniture. This is to give a sumptuous and luxurious look suggesting the wealth of the characters. Daytime serials often foreground other sumptuous elements of set decoration; presenting a "mid-shot of characters viewed through a frame of lavish floral displays, glittering crystal decanters or gleaming antique furniture".<ref name=Bowles-119/>
* Few American daytime soap operas routinely feature location or exterior-shot footage (''Guiding Light'' began shooting many of its scenes outdoors in its final two seasons). Often an outdoor locale is recreated in the studio, although in recent years, ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' and ''General Hospital'' have taped certain exterior scenes within the grounds of their main soundstages. Australian and British daily soap operas invariably feature a certain amount of exterior-shot footage in every episode. This is usually shot in the same location and often on a purpose-built set, with new exterior locations for particular events.
* The visual quality of a soap opera is usually lower than prime time American television drama series due to the lower budgets and quicker production times. This is also because soap operas are recorded on videotape using a [[multi-camera setup]], unlike prime time productions that are usually shot on film and frequently use the [[Single-camera setup|single-camera]] shooting style. Because of the lower resolution of video images, and also because of the emotional situations portrayed in soap operas, daytime serials make heavy use of [[close-up]] shots. Programs in the United States did not make the full conversion to [[high-definition television|high-definition broadcasting]] until September 2011, when ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' became the last soap to convert to the format; ''One Life to Live'' was an exception to this, as it continued to be produced and broadcast in [[Standard-definition television|standard definition]] – albeit in the [[16:9]] [[Aspect ratio (image)|aspect ratio]] – until the end of its run on ABC in January 2012. ''[[Beyond the Gates (TV series)|Beyond the Gates]]'', being the first daytime soap opera to debut in the modern high-definition era, broadcast in HD from its premiere in February 2025.
* Soap operas have idiosyncratic [[Blocking (stage)|blocking]] techniques. In one common situation, a romantically involved couple starts a conversation face to face, then one character will turn 180° and face away from the other character while the conversation continues. This allows both characters to appear together in a single shot, and with both of them facing the audience. This is unrealistic in real life and is not frequently seen in film or on television outside American daytime serials, but it is an accepted soap opera convention, sometimes referred to as a "two shot West".<ref name=mittell>{{cite book|last=Mittell|first=Jason|title=Television and American Culture|year=2009|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|pages=191–192}}</ref>
* Because of the escapist tone of the genre and due to the large number of cast members employed by each program (usually totaling around 30 to 35 actors for hour-long soaps, and 15 to 25 for those lasting a half hour), daytime soap operas have traditionally listed all contract cast members (as well as recurring and guest actors) during the [[closing credits]], instead of the [[Opening credits|opening title sequence]]. Until the 1990s, these series listed only a few of the principal actors at the end of the episode in certain episodes airing on Monday through Thursdays. Because of the aforementioned reasons, an extended credit sequence featuring a complete list of the show's cast members, listed alongside the characters they portray, typically airs at least once per week (usually on the Friday show; although since the 2000s, most soap operas, with ''General Hospital'' as one of the few exceptions, have randomized the day the cast list is shown). ''The Young and the Restless'' became the first American daytime soap to include the names of its contract actors in the opening credits in 1999 (although due to the large number of actors on contract with the show at one time, it utilizes different versions of the title sequence with a randomized list of about nine actors, increased from the seven listed in each version until 2017). ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' listed its entire main cast (as well as some actors appearing on a recurring basis) from 2004 to 2017, with ''General Hospital'' following suit from 2010 to 2013; ''Beyond the Gates'', beginning with its 2025 premiere, uses a similar alternating title sequence structure as ''The Young and the Restless'', although uniform top billing is given to a handful of its primary lead actors. ({{As of|2025|post=,}} ''The Young and the Restless'' and ''Beyond the Gates'' are the only American daytime soap operas that list the names of their main cast during both their opening titles ''and'' extended closing credit sequence.)<ref>{{cite web|title='General Hospital' Gets New Credits: A Look at 'GH's' Opening Over the Years|url=http://www.aoltv.com/2010/02/25/general-hospital-gets-new-credits-a-look-at-ghs-opening-ov/|author=Michael Maloney|website=[[The Huffington Post]]|publisher=[[AOL]]|date=February 25, 2010|access-date=August 22, 2015}}</ref>

====Decline====
=====Statistics and trends=====
[[List of US daytime soap opera ratings|Soap opera ratings]] have significantly fallen in the U.S. since the 2000s. From September 2013 to February 2025, only four daytime soap operas – ''[[General Hospital]]'', ''[[Days of Our Lives]]'', ''[[The Young and the Restless]]'' and ''[[The Bold and the Beautiful]]'' – were still in production, down from a total of 12 soaps broadcast during the 1990–91 season and a high of 19 in the 1969–70 season; of those, three aired between two broadcast networks and one on streaming. This period marked the first time since 1953 that there were only four soap operas airing on [[Terrestrial television|broadcast television]].<ref name="1950s Nielsen">Waggett (1997). "Soap Opera Nielsen Ratings". ''Soap Opera Encyclopedia'', pp. 626–628.</ref> ''The Young and the Restless'', which has been the highest-rated soap opera since 1988, had fewer than 5&nbsp;million daily viewers as of February 2012, a number exceeded by several non-scripted programs such as ''[[Judge Judy]]''.<ref name="Y&R rating">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/arts/television/after-some-soaps-cancellations-others-adjust.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 | work=The New York Times | first=Taffy | last=Brodesser-Akner | title=After Some Soaps' Cancellations, Others Adjust | date=February 19, 2012}}</ref> Circulations of soap opera [[magazine]]s have decreased and most have even ceased publication; ''[[Soap Opera Digest]]'', the last remaining weekly print magazine devoted to the genre, switched to a quarterly "special issue" publication in October 2023, although it continues to publish daily articles and episode summaries online.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adweek.com/news/press/soap-opera-declines-cause-fallout-magazines-139510|title=Soap Opera Declines Cause Fallout for Magazines|work=AdWeek|date=10 April 2012 |access-date=9 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Spangler |first=Todd |title=''Soap Opera Digest'' Is Ending Its Weekly Print Edition |url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/soap-opera-digest-discontinuing-weekly-print-edition-1235770929/ |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=October 27, 2023 |location=United States |issn=0042-2738 |oclc=810134503 |date=October 27, 2023}}</ref> Soapnet, which largely aired soap opera reruns, began to be phased out in 2012 for the children's cable channel [[Disney Jr.]], and fully ceased operations the following year.<ref name=latimesblog>Villarreal, Yvonne. "''Show Tracker: What You're Watching'' {{snd}} [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2012/03/disney-junior-247-channel-launches-friday.html Disney Junior 24/7 channel launches Friday]." ''[[Los Angeles Times]] Blog'', 22 March 2012. Web. 19 April 2012.</ref> The [[Daytime Emmy Award]]s, which honor soap operas and other daytime shows, moved from prime time network television to smaller cable channels in 2012, then failed to get any TV broadcast at all in 2014, 2016, and 2017;<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/daytime-emmy-nominations-young-and-the-restless-tv-pop-1201738398/ |title='Young & Restless' Leads Daytime Emmy Noms But Ceremony Won't Be on TV |magazine=Variety |date=24 March 2016 |access-date=28 March 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812112840/http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/daytime-emmy-nominations-young-and-the-restless-tv-pop-1201738398/ |archive-date=12 August 2016 }}</ref> the ceremony would eventually return to broadcast television in [[47th Daytime Emmy Awards|2020]].<ref name="deadline20200520">{{cite news|last=Hipes|first=Patrick|date=May 20, 2020|title=Daytime Emmys To Air Live Virtual Ceremony On CBS In June; Nominations Coming Thursday|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|location=United States|url=https://deadline.com/2020/05/daytime-emmy-awards-2020-cbs-date-schedule-1202939440/|access-date=May 20, 2020}}</ref>

Several of the most established soaps on American television ended between 2009 and 2012. The longest-running drama in television and radio history, ''[[Guiding Light]]'', barely reached 2.1&nbsp;million daily viewers in 2009 and ended on September 18 of that year, after a 72-year run (including radio).<ref name="Guiding Light ratings">{{cite web|url=http://boards.soapoperanetwork.com/topic/32193-september-14-18-2009/ |title=September 14–18, 2009 – SON Community |date=24 September 2009 |publisher=Boards.soapoperanetwork.com |access-date=2012-04-27}}</ref> ''[[As the World Turns]]'' aired its final episode on September 17, 2010, after a 54-year run. Until it ventured back into the genre in 2024, ''As the World Turns'' was the last of 20 soap operas produced by Procter & Gamble, the soap and consumer goods company from which the genre got its name.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/arts/television/09soap.html |title=CBS Cancels ''As the World Turns'', Procter & Gamble's Last Soap Opera |work=The New York Times|date=December 9, 2009|access-date=September 17, 2010 | first1=Bill | last1=Carter | first2=Brian | last2=Stelter}}</ref> ''As the World Turns'' and ''Guiding Light'' were also among the last of the soaps that originated from New York City. ''All My Children'', another New York–based soap, moved its production out to Los Angeles in an effort to reduce costs and raise sagging ratings; however, both it and ''One Life to Live'', each with a 40-year-plus run, were cancelled in 2011. ''[[All My Children]]'' aired its network finale in September 2011, with ''One Life to Live'' following suit in January 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2011-apr-15-la-fi-ct-soaps-20110415-story.html|title=Soap operas: ABC ending soaps "All My Children" and "One Life to Live."|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=April 15, 2011|access-date=January 27, 2015}}</ref> Both ''All My Children'' and ''[[One Life to Live]]'' were briefly revived online in 2013, before being cancelled again amid creative and intellectual property issues between ABC and [[Prospect Park (production company)|Prospect Park]] (the production company that acquired rights for both serials in a sub-licensing deal with ABC parent [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]]), ending in September that same year.<ref name=enstars>{{cite web|last=DuBois|first=Lauren|title='All My Children' and 'One Life To Live' Officially Cancelled For Second Time|url=http://www.enstarz.com/articles/28792/20131111/all-my-children-and-one-life-to-live-officially-cancelled-for-second-time-shows-bid-farewell-for-good-video.htm|work=EnStars|access-date=12 November 2013|date=11 November 2013}}</ref> In 2019, production of ''Days of Our Lives'' was put on "indefinite hiatus" and all of the cast's contracts were terminated, raising concerns within soap publications that cancellation would ensue,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tvline.com/2019/11/12/days-of-our-lives-cancelled-cast-fired-season-56/|title=Days of Our Lives: Entire Cast Released From Contract – Is the End Nigh?|last=Ausiello|first=Michael|date=2019-11-12|website=TVLine|language=en|access-date=2019-12-21}}</ref> though the show was later renewed through September 2021.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |title='Days Of Our Lives' Officially Renewed For Season 56 By NBC |url=https://deadline.com/2020/01/days-of-our-lives-renewed-56th-season-nbc-1202845851/ |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=29 January 2020 |publisher=Penske Business Media, LLC. |access-date=2 January 2021}}</ref> In 2022, NBC announced that ''Days of Our Lives'' would be moved exclusively to its streaming service, [[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]], making NBC the first of the Big Three networks not to air any daytime soap operas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rice |first=Lynette |date=2022-08-03 |title='Days Of Our Lives' Moving From NBC To Peacock |url=https://deadline.com/2022/08/days-of-our-lives-moving-from-nbc-to-peacock-1235084639/ |access-date=2022-08-05 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref>

In March 2024, [[CBS Studios]] and [[NAACP|NAACP Ventures]], in partnership with [[Procter & Gamble|P&G Studios]] announced that a new soap opera for [[CBS]] [[working title|tentatively titled]] ''The Gates'', which would be the first soap opera since ''[[Generations (American TV series)|Generations]]'' to feature a primarily [[African Americans|African American]] cast, was in development.<ref>[https://deadline.com/2024/03/cbs-studios-naacp-venture-developing-new-daytime-drama-cbs-the-gates-1235847660/ CBS Studios NAACP Venture To Develop New Daytime Drama For CBS Called ‘The Gates’]</ref> On April 15, 2024, CBS ordered ''The Gates'' (later retitled ''Beyond the Gates'') to series; it premiered on February 24, 2025,<ref name="Soap Opera Network 11">{{cite web |last1=Lewis |first1=Errol |title=CBS Sets ''Beyond the Gates'' Premiere Date & Time Slot, Drama Series to Stream on Paramount+ |url=https://www.soapoperanetwork.com/2024/11/cbs-beyond-the-gates-pemiere-date-time-slot-paramount-plus |website=[[Soap Opera Network]] |access-date=November 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241112192553/https://www.soapoperanetwork.com/2024/11/cbs-beyond-the-gates-pemiere-date-time-slot-paramount-plus |archive-date=November 12, 2024 |location=United States |date=November 12, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> taking the timeslot previously occupied by panel talk show ''[[The Talk (talk show)|The Talk]]'' (the timeslot successor of ''As the World Turns'', which would end its 15-season run on December 20, 2024<ref>{{Cite web |last=Swift |first=Andy |date=2024-04-12 |title=The Talk Ending With Season 15 at CBS |url=https://tvline.com/news/the-talk-cancelled-cbs-ending-final-season-december-2024-1235199897/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=TVLine |language=en-US}}</ref>), making it the first new daytime soap opera to premiere on a major broadcast network since NBC's ''[[Passions]]'' in 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rice |first=Lynette |date=2024-04-15 |title=CBS Orders 'The Gates' To Series; Daytime Sudser That Centers On A Black Family To Debut In January |url=https://deadline.com/2024/04/cbs-orders-the-gates-to-series-daytime-soap-premiering-january-2025-1235886082/ |access-date=2024-04-16 |website=Deadline}}</ref>

=====Causes=====
As women increasingly worked outside of the home, daytime television viewing declined.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} New generations of potential viewers were not raised watching soap operas with their mothers, leaving the shows' long and complex storylines foreign to younger audiences. As viewers age, ratings continue to drop among young adult women, the demographic group for which soap opera advertisers pay the most.<ref name="WSJ">{{cite news| url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304186404576389693935512286#articleTabs%3Darticle | work=The Wall Street Journal | first=Sam | last=Schechner | title=As Venerable Soap Operas Die Off, Fans Fight for One More Life to Live | date=June 18, 2011}}</ref> Those who might watch in workplace breakrooms are not counted, as [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen]] does not track television viewing outside the home. The rise of cable and the [[Internet]] has also provided new sources of entertainment during the day.<ref name="WSJ"/> The genre's decline has additionally been attributed to [[reality television]] displacing soap operas as TV's dominant form of melodrama.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/arts/television/06kant.html |title=After 72 Years, Springfield Gets a Stop Sign |newspaper=The New York Times | first=Barbara | last=Kantrowitz | date=September 6, 2009}}</ref> An early term for the reality TV genre was ''docu-soap''.<ref>{{cite dictionary|title=docu-soap|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/docusoap|dictionary=Merriam-Webster|access-date=July 10, 2017}}</ref> A precursor to reality TV, the televised 1994–95 [[O. J. Simpson murder case]], both preempted and competed with an entire season of soaps, transforming viewing habits and leaving soap operas with 10 percent fewer viewers after the trial ended.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/society/2014/06/oj-simpson-trial-reality-tv-pop-culture|title=How O. J. Simpson Killed Popular Culture|last1=Anolik|first1=Lili|date=7 May 2014|magazine=Vanity Fair|access-date=16 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Passalacqua|first1=Connie|title=Post-Trial, Is There Life for the Soaps?|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-08-15-ca-35367-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=16 August 2015|date=15 August 1995}}</ref>

Daytime programming alternatives such as [[talk show]]s, [[game show]]s, and [[court show]]s cost up to 50% less to produce than scripted dramas,<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/arts/television/09soap.html | work=The New York Times | first1=Bill | last1=Carter | first2=Brian | last2=Stelter | title=CBS Cancels 'As the World Turns,' Procter & Gamble's Last Soap Opera | date=December 9, 2009}}</ref> making those formats more profitable and attractive to networks, even if they receive the same or slightly lower ratings than soap operas. A network may even prefer to return a time slot to its local stations to keeping a soap opera with disappointing ratings on the air, as was the case with ''[[Sunset Beach (TV series)|Sunset Beach]]'' and ''Port Charles''. Compounding the financial pressure on scripted programming in the 2007–2010 period was a decline in advertising during the [[Great Recession]], which led shows to reduce their budgets and cast sizes.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/as-the-big-3s-world-turns/|title=As the Big 3's World Turns|newspaper=New York Times | first=Jerry | last=Garrett | date=December 3, 2008 | access-date=May 23, 2010}}</ref> In addition to these external factors, a litany of production decisions has been cited by soap opera fans as contributing to the genre's decline, such as clichéd plots, a lack of diversity that narrowed audience appeal, and the elimination of core families.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mulcahy|first1=Kevin Jr.|title=25 Biggest Blunders In Daytime Soap Opera History|url=http://www.welovesoaps.net/2011/09/25blunders.html|website=[[We Love Soaps]]|access-date=16 August 2015|date=25 November 2011}}</ref>

====Current====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Soap
! Network
! Premiered
! Switched to color
! Expanded to hour
! First HDTV broadcast
|-
|data-sort-value="Bold" |''[[Beyond the Gates (TV series)|Beyond the Gates]]''
|CBS
|February 24, 2025
|From the start
|From the start
|From the start
|-
|data-sort-value="Bold" |''[[The Bold and the Beautiful]]''
|CBS
|March 23, 1987
|From the start
|N/A
|September 7, 2011
|-
|''[[Days of Our Lives]]''
|[[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]]
|November 8, 1965
|From the start
|April 21, 1975
|November 8, 2010
|-
|''[[General Hospital]]''
|ABC
|April 1, 1963
|October 30, 1967
|January 16, 1978
|April 23, 2009
|-
|data-sort-value="Young" |''[[The Young and the Restless]]''
|CBS
|March 26, 1973
|From the start
|February 4, 1980
|June 27, 2001
|}

====Former====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Soap
! Network
! Premiere 
! Finale
! Switched to color
! Expanded to hour
! First HDTV broadcast
|-
|''[[All My Children]]''
|ABC
|January 5, 1970
|September 23, 2011
|From the start
|April 25, 1977
|February 3, 2010
|-
|''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]''
|NBC
|May 4, 1964
|June 25, 1999
|June 1966
|January 6, 1975
|N/A
|-
|''[[As the World Turns]]''
|CBS
|April 2, 1956
|September 17, 2010
|August 21, 1967
|December 1, 1975
|N/A
|-
|''[[The Best of Everything (TV series)|The Best of Everything]]''
|ABC
|March 30, 1970
|September 25, 1970
|From the start
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[The Brighter Day]]''
|CBS
|January 4, 1954
|September 28, 1962
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Capitol (TV series)|Capitol]]''
|CBS
|March 29, 1982
|March 20, 1987
|From the start
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[The City (1995 TV series)|The City]]''
|ABC
|November 13, 1995
|March 28, 1997
|From the start
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[The Clear Horizon]]''
|CBS
|July 11, 1960
|June 15, 1962
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Dark Shadows]]''
|ABC
|June 27, 1966
|April 2, 1971
|August 11, 1967
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[The Doctors (1963 TV series)|The Doctors]]''
|NBC
|April 1, 1963
|December 31, 1982
|October 17, 1966
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[The Edge of Night]]''
|CBS/ABC
|April 2, 1956
|December 28, 1984
|September 11, 1967
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[The First Hundred Years]]''
|CBS
|December 4, 1950
|June 27, 1952
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[First Love (1954 TV series)|First Love]]''
|NBC
|July 5, 1954
|December 30, 1955
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[From These Roots]]''
|NBC
|June 30, 1958
|December 29, 1961
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Full Circle (1960 TV series)|Full Circle]]''
|CBS
|June 27, 1960
|March 10, 1961
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Generations (American TV series)|Generations]]''
|NBC
|March 27, 1989
|January 25, 1991
|From the start
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Golden Windows]]''
|NBC
|July 5, 1954
|April 1, 1955
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Guiding Light]]''
|CBS
|June 30, 1952
|September 18, 2009
|March 13, 1967
|November 7, 1977
|N/A
|-
|''[[Hawkins Falls, Population 6200|Hawkins Falls]]''
|NBC
|June 7, 1950
|July 1, 1955
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Hidden Faces (1968 TV series)|Hidden Faces]]''
|NBC
|December 30, 1968
|June 27, 1969
|From the start
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[How to Survive a Marriage]]''
|NBC
|January 7, 1974
|April 17, 1975
|From the start
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (TV series)|Love Is a Many Splendored Thing]]''
|CBS
|September 18, 1967
|March 23, 1973
|From the start
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Love of Life]]''
|CBS
|September 24, 1951
|February 1, 1980
|March 13, 1967
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Lovers and Friends|Lovers and Friends/For Richer, For Poorer]]''
|NBC
|January 3, 1977
|September 29, 1978
|From the start
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Loving (TV series)|Loving]]''
|ABC
|June 26, 1983
|November 10, 1995
|From the start
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Miss Susan]]''
|NBC
|March 12, 1951
|December 28, 1951
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Never Too Young]]''
|ABC
|September 27, 1965
|June 24, 1966
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[The Nurses (ABC TV series)|The Nurses]]''
|ABC
|September 27, 1965
|March 31, 1967
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[One Life to Live]]''
|ABC
|July 15, 1968
|January 13, 2012
|From the start
|January 16, 1978
|December 6, 2010 <small>([[enhanced definition television|EDTV]])</small>
|-
|''[[Our Five Daughters]]''
|NBC
|January 2, 1962
|September 28, 1962
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Passions]]''
|NBC
|July 5, 1999
|September 7, 2007
|From the start
|From the start
|N/A
|-
|''[[Port Charles]]''
|ABC
|June 1, 1997
|October 3, 2003
|From the start
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Portia Faces Life]]''
|CBS
|July 5, 1954
|March 18, 1955
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Return to Peyton Place (TV series)|Return to Peyton Place]]''
|NBC
|April 3, 1972
|January 4, 1974
|From the start
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Ryan's Hope]]''
|ABC
|July 7, 1975
|January 13, 1989
|From the start
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Santa Barbara (TV series)|Santa Barbara]]''
|NBC
|July 30, 1984
|January 15, 1993
|From the start
|From the start
|N/A
|-
|''[[Search for Tomorrow]]''
|CBS/NBC
|September 3, 1951
|December 26, 1986
|September 11, 1967
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[The Secret Storm]]''
|CBS
|February 1, 1954
|February 8, 1974
|September 11, 1967
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Somerset (TV series)|Somerset]]''
|NBC
|March 30, 1970
|December 31, 1976
|From the start
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Sunset Beach (TV series)|Sunset Beach]]''
|NBC
|January 5, 1997
|December 31, 1999
|From the start
|From the start
|N/A
|-
|''[[Texas (TV series)|Texas]]''
|NBC
|August 4, 1980
|December 31, 1982
|From the start
|From the start
|N/A
|-
|''[[These Are My Children]]''
|NBC
|January 31, 1949
|February 25, 1949
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Three Steps to Heaven (TV series)|Three Steps to Heaven]]''
|NBC
|June 27, 1960
|March 10, 1961
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Tribes (TV series)|Tribes]]''
|Fox
|March 5, 1990
|July 13, 1990
|From the start
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Where the Heart Is (US TV series)|Where the Heart Is]]''
|CBS
|September 8, 1969
|March 23, 1973
|From the start
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[A World Apart (TV series)|A World Apart]]''
|ABC
|March 30, 1970
|June 25, 1971
|From the start
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[The Young Marrieds]]''
|ABC
|October 5, 1964
|March 25, 1966
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|}

===The primetime serial===
Serials produced for prime time slots have also found success. The first prime time soap opera was ''[[Faraway Hill]]'' (1946), which aired on October 2, 1946, on the now-defunct [[DuMont Television Network]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dumonthistory.com/a1.html|title=DuMont Television Network – Historical Web Site|access-date=9 August 2015|archive-date=14 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214212348/http://www.dumonthistory.com/a1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Faraway Hill'' ran for 12 episodes and was primarily broadcast live, interspersed with short pre-recorded film clips and still photos to remind the audience of the previous week's episode.

The first long-running prime time soap opera was ''[[Peyton Place (TV series)|Peyton Place]]'' (1964–1969) on ABC. It was based in part on the [[Peyton Place (film)|eponymous 1957 film]] (which, in turn, was based on the 1956 [[Peyton Place (novel)|novel]]).

The popularity of ''Peyton Place'' prompted the CBS network to spin off popular ''As the World Turns'' character [[Lisa Miller Grimaldi|Lisa Miller]] into her own evening soap opera, ''[[Our Private World]]'' (originally titled "The Woman Lisa" in its planning stages). ''Our Private World'' was broadcast from May to September 1965. The character of Lisa (and her portrayer [[Eileen Fulton]]) returned to ''As The World Turns'' after the series ended.

The structure of ''Peyton Place'', with its episodic plots and long-running story arcs, set the mold for the prime time serials of the 1980s, when the format reached its pinnacle.

The successful prime time serials of the 1980s included ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'', its spin-off ''[[Knots Landing]]'', ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]'', and ''[[Falcon Crest]]''. These shows frequently dealt with wealthy families, and their personal and big-business travails. Common characteristics were sumptuous sets and costumes, complex storylines examining business schemes and intrigue, and spectacular disaster cliffhanger situations. Each of these series featured a wealthy, domineering, [[promiscuous]], and passionate [[antagonist]] as a key character in the storyline – respectively, [[J. R. Ewing]] ([[Larry Hagman]]), [[Abby Cunningham]] ([[Donna Mills]]), [[Alexis Colby]] ([[Joan Collins]]), and [[Angela Channing]] ([[Jane Wyman]]). These villainous schemers became immensely popular figures that audiences "loved to hate".

Unlike daytime serials, which are shot on video in a studio using the multi-camera setup, these evening series were shot on film using a [[single camera setup]], and featured substantial location-shot footage, often in picturesque locales. ''Dallas'', its spin-off ''Knots Landing'', and ''Falcon Crest'' all initially featured episodes with self-contained stories and specific guest stars who appeared in just that episode. Each story was completely resolved by the end of the episode, and there were no end-of-episode cliffhangers. After the first couple of seasons, all three shows changed their story format to that of a pure soap opera, with interwoven ongoing narratives that ran over several episodes. ''Dynasty'' featured this format throughout its run.

The soap opera's distinctive open plot structure and complex continuity was increasingly incorporated into American prime time television programs of the period. The first significant drama series to do this was ''[[Hill Street Blues]]''. This series, produced by [[Steven Bochco]], featured many elements borrowed from soap operas, such as an [[ensemble cast]], multi-episode storylines, and extensive character development over the course of the series. It and the later ''[[Cagney & Lacey]]'' overlaid the police series formula with ongoing narratives exploring the personal lives and interpersonal relationships of the regular characters.<ref>Bowles, p. 123.</ref> The success of these series prompted other drama series, such as ''[[St. Elsewhere]]'' and situation comedy series, to incorporate serialized stories and story structure to varying degrees.

The prime-time soap operas and drama series of the 1990s and 2000s, such as ''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]'', ''[[Melrose Place]]'', ''[[Party of Five]]'', ''[[The O.C.]]'', and ''[[Dawson's Creek]]'', focused more on younger characters. In the 2000s, ABC began to revitalize the prime time soap opera format with shows such as ''[[Desperate Housewives]]'', ''[[Grey's Anatomy]]'', ''[[Brothers & Sisters (2006 TV series)|Brothers & Sisters]]'', ''[[Ugly Betty]]'', ''[[Private Practice (TV series)|Private Practice]]'', and more recently ''[[Revenge (TV series)|Revenge]]'', ''[[Nashville (2012 TV series)|Nashville]]'', ''[[Scandal (American TV series)|Scandal]]'', ''[[Mistresses (American TV series)|Mistresses]]'', and formerly ''[[Ringer (TV series)|Ringer]]'', which its sister production company [[ABC Signature|ABC Studios]] co-produced with [[CBS Studios|CBS Television Studios]] for [[The CW]]. While not soaps in the traditional sense, these shows managed to appeal to wide audiences with their high drama mixed with humor, and are soap operas by definition. These successes led to NBC's launching serials, including ''[[Heroes (American TV series)|Heroes]]'' and ''[[Friday Night Lights (TV series)|Friday Night Lights]]''.{{citation needed|date=June 2013}} The upstart MyNetworkTV, a sister network of Fox, launched a line of prime time telenovelas (a genre similar to soap operas in terms of content) upon its launch in September 2006, but discontinued its use of the format in August 2007 after disappointing ratings.{{citation needed|date=June 2013}}

On June 13, 2012, ''[[Dallas (2012 TV series)|Dallas]]'', a continuation of the [[Dallas (TV series)|1978 original series]] premiered on the cable network, [[TNT (American TV network)|TNT]]. The revived series, which was canceled after three seasons in 2014, delivered solid ratings for the channel, only losing viewership after the show's most established star, [[Larry Hagman]], died midway through the series. In 2012, [[Nick at Nite]] debuted a primetime soap opera, ''[[Hollywood Heights (TV series)|Hollywood Heights]]'', which aired episodes five nights a week (on Monday through Fridays) in a manner similar to a daytime soap opera, instead of the once-a-week episode output common of other prime time soaps. The series, which was an adaptation of the Mexican telenovela ''[[Alcanzar una estrella]]'', suffered from low ratings (generally receiving less than 1&nbsp;million viewers) and was later moved to sister cable channel [[TeenNick]] halfway through its run to [[Burning off|burn off]] the remaining episodes.

In 2015, Fox debuted ''[[Empire (2015 TV series)|Empire]]'', a prime time musical serial centering on the power struggle between family members within the titular recording company. Created by [[Lee Daniels]] and [[Danny Strong]] and led by [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] nominees [[Terrence Howard]] and [[Taraji P. Henson]], the drama premiered to high ratings. The show is strongly influenced by other works such as [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[King Lear]]'', [[James Goldman]]'s ''[[The Lion in Winter]]'' and the 1980s soap opera ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]''. Also in 2015, [[E!]] introduced ''[[The Royals (TV series)|The Royals]]'', a series following the life and drama of a fictional English Royal family, which was also inspired by ''Dynasty'' (even featuring [[Joan Collins]] as the Queen's mother). In addition, ABC debuted a prime time soap opera ''[[Blood & Oil]]'', following a young couple looking to make money off the modern-day [[Williston, North Dakota|Williston]] oil boom, premiering on September 27, 2015.

====List of primetime serials====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Soap
! Network
! Premiere 
! Finale
! Number of seasons
! Number of episodes
|-
|''[[2000 Malibu Road]]''
|CBS
|August 23, 1992
|September 9, 1992
|1
|6
|-
|''[[90210 (TV series)|90210]]''
|The CW
|September 2, 2008
|May 13, 2013
|5
|114<br />([[List of 90210 episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[American Heiress]]''
|MyNetworkTV
|March 13, 2007
|July 18, 2007
|1
|65<br />([[List of American Heiress episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Army Wives]]''
|Lifetime
|June 3, 2007
|June 9, 2013
|7
|117<br />([[List of Army Wives episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Bare Essence]]''
|NBC
|February 15, 1983
|June 13, 1983
|1
|11
|-
|''[[Beacon Hill (TV series)|Beacon Hill]]''
|CBS
|August 25, 1975
|November 4, 1975
|1
|13
|-
|''[[Berrenger's]]''
|NBC
|January 1, 1985
|March 16, 1985
|1
|12
|-
|''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]''
|Fox
|October 4, 1990
|May 17, 2000
|10
|293<br />([[List of Beverly Hills, 90210 episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Blood & Oil]]''
|ABC
|September 27, 2015
|December 13, 2015
|1
|10<br />([[Blood & Oil#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Brothers & Sisters (2006 TV series)|Brothers & Sisters]]''
|ABC
|September 24, 2006
|May 8, 2011
|5
|109<br />[[List of Brothers & Sisters episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Central Park West (TV series)|Central Park West]]''
|CBS
|September 13, 1995
|June 28, 1996
|2
|21<br>([[Central Park West (TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'' <small>(1978)</small>
|CBS
|April 2, 1978
|May 3, 1991
|14
|357<br />([[List of Dallas (1978 TV series) episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Dallas (2012 TV series)|Dallas]]'' <small>(2012)</small>
|TNT
|June 13, 2012
|September 22, 2014
|3
|40<br />([[List of Dallas (2012 TV series) episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Dark Shadows (1991 TV series)|Dark Shadows]]'' <small>(1991)</small>
|NBC
|January 13, 1991
|March 22, 1991
|1
|12<br>([[Dark Shadows (1991 TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Dawson's Creek]]''
|The WB
|January 20, 1998
|May 14, 2003
|6
|128<br />([[List of Dawson's Creek episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Deception (2013 American TV series)|Deception]]''
|NBC
|January 7, 2013
|March 18, 2013
|1
|11<br>([[Deception (2013 American TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Desire (TV series)|Desire]]''
|MyNetworkTV
|September 5, 2006
|December 5, 2006
|1
|65<br />([[List of Desire episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Desperate Housewives]]''
|ABC
|October 3, 2004
|May 13, 2012
|8
|180<br />([[List of Desperate Housewives episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Devious Maids]]''
|Lifetime
|June 23, 2013
|August 8, 2016
|4
|49<br />([[List of Devious Maids episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]'' <small>(1981)</small>
|ABC
|January 12, 1981
|May 11, 1989
|9
|220<br />([[List of Dynasty (1981 TV series) episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Dynasty (2017 TV series)|Dynasty]]'' <small>(2017)</small>
|The CW
|October 11, 2017
|September 16, 2022

|5
|108<br />([[List of Dynasty (2017 TV series) episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Empire (2015 TV series)|Empire]]''
|Fox
|January 7, 2015
|April 21, 2020
|6
|97<br />([[List of Empire episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Falcon Crest]]''
|CBS
|December 4, 1981
|May 17, 1990
|9
|227<br />([[List of Falcon Crest episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Faraway Hill]]''
|Dumont Television Network
|October 2, 1946
|December 18, 1946
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Fashion House]]''
|MyNetworkTV
|September 5, 2006
|December 5, 2006
|1
|65<br />([[List of Fashion House episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Flamingo Road (TV series)|Flamingo Road]]''
|NBC
|May 12, 1980
|May 4, 1982
|2
|38<br />([[List of Flamingo Road episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Filthy Rich (2020 TV series)|Filthy Rich]]''
|Fox
|September 21, 2020
|November 30, 2020
|1
|10<br />([[Filthy Rich (2020 TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Friday Night Lights (TV series)|Friday Night Lights]]''
|NBC
|October 3, 2006
|February 9, 2011
|5
|76<br />([[List of Friday Night Lights episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[GCB (TV series)|GCB]]''
|ABC
|March 4, 2012
|May 6, 2012
|1
|10<br />([[GCB (TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Glitter (American TV series)|Glitter]]''
|ABC
|September 13, 1984
|December 25, 1984
|1
|14
|-
|''[[Gossip Girl]]''
|The CW
|September 19, 2007
|December 17, 2012
|6
|121<br />([[List of Gossip Girl episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Grand Hotel (TV series)|Grand Hotel]]''
|ABC
|June 17, 2019
|September 9, 2019
|1
|13<br />([[Grand Hotel (TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Grey's Anatomy]]''
|ABC
|March 27, 2005
|''Ongoing''
|20
|421<br />([[List of Grey's Anatomy episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Harold Robbins' The Survivors]]''
|ABC
|September 22, 1969
|September 17, 1970
|1
|15<br>([[Harold Robbins' The Survivors#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Hollywood Heights (TV series)|Hollywood Heights]]''
|Nick at Nite/TeenNick
|June 18, 2012
|October 5, 2012
|1
|80<br />[[List of Hollywood Heights episodes|List of episodes]]
|-
|''[[If Loving You Is Wrong]]''
|Oprah Winfrey Network
|September 9, 2014
|June 16, 2020
|5
|102<br>([[List of If Loving You Is Wrong episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[King's Crossing]]''
|ABC
|January 16, 1982
|February 7, 1982
|1
|10
|-
|''[[Knots Landing]]''
|CBS
|December 29, 1979
|May 13, 1993
|14
|344<br />([[List of Knots Landing episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Malibu Shores]]''
|NBC
|March 9, 1996
|June 1, 1996
|1
|10
|-
|''[[Melrose Place]]'' <small>(1992)</small>
|Fox
|July 8, 1992
|May 24, 1999
|7
|226<br />([[List of Melrose Place episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Melrose Place (2009 TV series)|Melrose Place]]'' <small>(2009)</small>
|The CW
|September 8, 2009
|April 13, 2010
|1
|18<br />([[Melrose Place (2009 TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[A Million Little Things]]''
|ABC
|September 26, 2018
|May 3, 2023
|5
|87<br />
|-
|''[[Mistresses (American TV series)|Mistresses]]''
|ABC
|June 3, 2013
|September 6, 2016
|4
|52<br />([[List of Mistresses (American TV series) episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Models Inc.]]''
|Fox
|June 29, 1994
|March 6, 1995
|1
|29
|-
|''[[Monarch (American TV series)|Monarch]]''
|Fox
|September 11, 2022
|December 6, 2022
|1
|11
|-
|''[[Nashville (2012 TV series)|Nashville]]''
|ABC/CMT
|October 10, 2012
|July 26, 2018
|6
|124<br />([[List of Nashville episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[North Shore (2004 TV series)|North Shore]]''
|Fox
|June 14, 2004
|January 13, 2005
|1
|21
|-
|''[[Our Private World]]''
|CBS
|May 5, 1965
|September 10, 1965
|1
|38
|-
|''[[Our Kind of People]]''
|Fox
|September 21, 2021
|January 25, 2022
|1
|12
|-
|''[[Pacific Palisades (TV series)|Pacific Palisades]]''
|Fox
|April 9, 1997
|July 30, 1997
|1
|13<br>([[Pacific Palisades (TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Paper Dolls]]''
|ABC
|September 23, 1984
|December 25, 1984
|1
|14
|-
|''[[Party of Five]]''
|Fox
|September 12, 1994
|May 3, 2000
|6
|142<br />([[List of Party of Five episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Pasadena (TV series)|Pasadena]]''
|Fox
|September 28, 2001
|November 2, 2001
|1
|13
|-
|''[[Peyton Place (TV series)|Peyton Place]]''
|ABC
|September 15, 1964
|June 2, 1969
|5
|514
|-
|''[[Private Practice (TV series)|Private Practice]]''
|ABC
|September 26, 2007
|January 22, 2013
|6
|111<br />([[List of Private Practice episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Queens (American TV series)|Queens]]''
|ABC
|October 19, 2021
|February 15, 2022
|1
|13
|-
|''[[Push (American TV series)|Push]]''
|ABC
|April 6, 1998
|August 6, 1998
|1
|8
|-
|''[[Revenge (TV series)|Revenge]]''
|ABC
|September 21, 2011
|May 15, 2015
|4
|89<br />([[List of Revenge episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Ringer (TV series)|Ringer]]''
|The CW
|September 13, 2011
|April 17, 2012
|1
|22<br />([[Ringer (TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Riverdale (American TV series)|Riverdale]]''
|The CW
|January 26, 2017
|August 23, 2023
|7
|137<br />([[List of Riverdale episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Saints & Sinners (2007 TV series)|Saints & Sinners]]'' <small>(2007)</small>
|MyNetworkTV
|March 14, 2007
|July 18, 2007
|1
|65<br />([[List of Saints & Sinners (2007 TV series) episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Saints & Sinners (2016 TV series)|Saints & Sinners]]'' <small>(2016)</small>
|Bounce TV
|March 6, 2016
|May 22, 2022
|6
|49<br>([[Saints & Sinners (2016 TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Savannah (TV series)|Savannah]]''
|The WB
|January 21, 1996
|February 24, 1997
|2
|34<br>([[Savannah (TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Scandal (American TV series)|Scandal]]''
|ABC
|April 5, 2012
|April 19, 2018
|7
|124<br />([[List of Scandal episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Secrets of Midland Heights]]''
|CBS
|December 6, 1980
|January 24, 1981
|1
|8
|-
|''[[Star (TV series)|Star]]''
|Fox
|December 14, 2016
|May 8, 2019
|3
|48<br />([[List of Star episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[The Catlins (TV series)|The Catlins]]''
|Superstation TBS
|April 1, 1983
|May 31, 1985
|N/A
|555
|-
|''[[The Colbys]]''
|ABC
|November 20, 1985
|March 26, 1987
|2
|49<br />([[List of The Colbys episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[The Hamptons (TV series)|The Hamptons]]''
|ABC
|July 27, 1983
|August 24, 1983
|1
|5
|-
|[[The Haves and the Have Nots (TV series)|''The Haves and Have Nots'']]
|OWN
|May 23, 2013
|July 20, 2021
|8
|196 ([[List of The Haves and the Have Nots episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[The Monroes (1995 TV series)|The Monroes]]''
|ABC
|September 12, 1995
|October 19, 1995
|1
|13
|-
|''[[The O.C.]]''
|Fox
|August 5, 2003
|February 22, 2007
|4
|92<br />([[List of The O.C. episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[The Oval (TV series)|The Oval]]''
|BET
|October 23, 2019
|''Ongoing''
|1
|113<br>([[The Oval (TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[The Round Table (TV series)|The Round Table]]''
|NBC
|September 18, 1992
|October 16, 1992
|1
|9
|-
|''[[The Royals (TV series)|The Royals]]''
|E!
|March 15, 2015
|May 13, 2018
|4
|40<br />([[List of The Royals episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[The Yellow Rose]]''
|NBC
|October 2, 1983
|May 12, 1984
|1
|22<br />([[The Yellow Rose#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[This Is Us]]'' 
|NBC
|September 20, 2016
|May 24, 2022
|6
|106<br />([[List of This Is Us episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Titans (2000 TV series)|Titans]]''
|NBC
|October 4, 2000
|December 18, 2000
|1
|13
|-
|''[[Watch Over Me]]''
|MyNetworkTV
|December 6, 2006
|March 6, 2007
|1
|66<br />([[List of Watch Over Me episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[W.E.B.]]''
|NBC
|September 13, 1978
|October 5, 1978
|1
|5
|-
|''[[Wicked Wicked Games]]''
|MyNetworkTV
|December 6, 2006
|March 6, 2007
|1
|66<br />([[List of Wicked Wicked Games episodes|List of episodes]])
|}

===Telenovelas===
The [[telenovela]], a shorter-form format of serial melodrama, shares some thematic and especially stylistic similarity to the soap opera, enough that the colloquialism ''Spanish soap opera'' has arisen to describe the format. The chief difference between the two is length of series; while soap operas usually have indefinite runs, telenovelas typically have a central [[story arc]] with a prescribed ending within a year or two of the show's launch, requiring more concise storytelling.

Spanish-language networks, chiefly [[Univision]] and [[Telemundo]], have found success airing telenovelas for the growing U.S. Hispanic market. Both originally produced and imported Latin American dramas (as well as imported Turkish dramas since the 2020s) are popular features of the networks' daytime and primetime lineups, sometimes beating English-language networks in the ratings.<ref>{{cite web|last=Guthrie|first=Marisa|date=1 April 2011|title=How the Telenovela Is Beating the Networks|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/how-telenovela-is-beating-networks-173938|website=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=16 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Vivarelli|first=Nick|date=21 May 2021|title=Why Turkish Dramas Are Conquering Hispanic Audiences in the U.S. on Univision (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/turkish-dramas-u-s-hispanic-audiences-univision-1234978398/|website=Variety|access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref>

===Online serials===
Some [[web series]] are soap operas, such as ''[[Degrassi: In Session]]'' or ''[[Venice: The Series]]''. In 2013, production company [[Prospect Park (production company)|Prospect Park]] revived ''All My Children'' and ''One Life to Live'' for the web, retaining original creator [[Agnes Nixon]] as a consultant and keeping many of the same actors (Prospect Park purchased the rights to both series months after their cancellations by ABC in 2011, although it initially suspended plans to relaunch the soaps later that same year due to issues receiving approval from acting and production unions).<ref>{{cite web|last=Potts|first=Kimberly|title='All My Children,' 'One Life to Live' Return as Online Soaps: Six Things You Need to Know|url=https://tv.yahoo.com/news/-all-my-children----one-life-to-live--return-as-online-soaps--six-things-you-need-to-know-214221733.html|work=Yahoo! TV|access-date=21 May 2013|date=29 April 2013}}</ref> Each show initially produced four half-hour episodes a week, but quickly cut back to two half-hour episodes each.<ref>{{cite web|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|title='All My Children' & 'One Life To Live' Change Air Pattern To Two Episodes A Week Each|url=https://deadline.com/2013/05/all-my-children-one-life-to-live-change-air-pattern-to-two-episodes-a-week-each-501601/|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=21 May 2013|date=16 May 2013}}</ref> In the midst of (though not directly related to) a lawsuit between Prospect Park and ABC, the experiment ended that same year, with both shows being canceled again.<ref name=enstars/>