Which soaps are ending

In , there were 18 daytime soap operas on US television. Now there are only four. The genre was first established in the s on radio, sponsored by detergent companies such as Procter and Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive, and they became known for their bad scripts and high drama, hence the name. They were initially used as a vehicle to advertise household products to women, says Miriam Berg, an assistant professor in residence at Northwestern University in Qatar.

The migration to television happened in the s and eventually to primetime, although these were more likely to be once a week.

One of the most famous moments in soap history came in when JR Ewing was left a bloody mess on his office floor in the weekly primetime show Dallas. The armed assailant's identity was kept under wraps for months until the next episode, and the intervening summer was filled with speculation - there were T-shirts and other merchandise asking the question everyone was asking.

Who shot JR? It employed the classic soap opera device - the cliffhanger - to maximum effect. About million people around the world tuned in to find out the answer - it was Kristin, JR's sister-in-law. The reason for the growth of soap operas during the s was its continuous narrative format, which meant that these shows would run for decades, leaving viewers hung up at the end of each episode.

Soaps dealt with controversial social issues in a more developed and thoughtful way than earlier forms of television, says Elana Levine, a professor in the department of journalism, advertising and media studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which included abortion, race relations, sexuality and generational conflicts.

C Lee Harrington, a professor of sociology at Miami University, says the OJ Simpson trial in was a major factor in the soap opera's decline. The trial was televised for months, taking daytime soaps off the air, and they never fully recovered, says Ms Harrington.

Added to that, she says, the trial gave viewers a glimpse of a world of entertainment that could more than match a soap - the real lives of the rich and famous. Today, there are few clearer examples of that than Keeping Up with The Kardashians, which has been going on for just over a decade. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info. EastEnders have announced that despite cutting back the broadcast of episodes to just two a week, the BBC soap will go off air until filming resumes once it is safe to do so.

Instead of getting their fix of Albert Square drama, viewers will get a chance to look behind-the-scenes in a series of interviews.

The cast members will open up about their character, their experience on set and much-loved storylines. General Hospital is far and away the best remaining soap on tv. The best writing and actors by a mile!! Wish ABC would air the originals in prime time, then revive it.

Keep politics out of soap operas and stop catering to different groups and their views. That is the reason I will no longer watch soap operas until this stops. I have something to say. Im almost 52,and I always loved the soaps. I would be so thrilled. The bold and the beautiful is so boring Ridge is always Thinking is so much better than Bill but Ridge is so boring and dress like he is homeless and needs a shave. Do he bath. She has slept with every man in his family and he has slept with every man in his family.

I check in from time to time to see Brooke—still one of the best on all of daytime tv. The writing for the show, however, is horrendous.

We all know Bill Bell was passionate about the shows he created and it showed in his work. The cast is a snore for the most part but its the writing that really … Read more ». Home News Cancelled or Renewed? How are your shows doing in the ratings? Next Post ». Inline Feedbacks. Sherrie G. October 9, am. September 27, am.