Television has been one of the most popular ways for relaxing or having fun since the start of the 20th century. It is still the most powerful way of telling stories directly to the audience and providing a distraction from daily routines that can be pretty stressful. Lots of genres are available on television, from comedies, documentaries, action shows, to those thoughtful and emotional ones. Therefore, it isn’t strange that the beginning of the 21st century is considered the golden age of television.
Some types of TV shows are not lasting too long. They are popular in a certain period, and then the audience gets fed up with such a program. On the other hand, some genres are long-lasting ones and attract a wide audience for decades. Soap operas are one of those, and they represent the foundation of TV programs that are most famous today.
Soap operas started as a radio program in the 1930s, while they moved to TV screens in the ‘50s. They are dealing with melodramatic domestic situations, followed by touching dramas and a bit of sophisticated humor. The open-ended serial nature of the narrative is a crucial element that defines a soap opera. The TV crowd can expect that the storyline is going to be continued after each episode. Soap operas feature multiple storylines that are run in parallel that intersect and enable further developments. You won’t see all the current storylines completed in a single show. After one of them ends, the others develop further and go to another stage of development.
The audience can enjoy soap operas both in daytime and primetime. And from the very start of their broadcasting, they ruled both of them. After each episode, week, or season, soap operas have become an obsession for millions of viewers all around the world. Thanks to their nature, soap operas have continuously been attracting a broader audience, while keeping the existing one.
This genre has been most successful in the US and the UK. Some of the best soap operas of all time have been on the air for decades, and different generations had the chance to feel their stories and sympathize with their characters. The longest-running television soap opera has been on the screens for 60 years, and it has celebrated its 10.000th episode earlier this year. However, there are soap operas whose episode counter exceeds this number!
The history of soap operas is very fruitful and full of interesting facts. If you are intrigued by this genre, we have prepared for you fascinating details about the most popular ones. Don’t forget that these shows were an integral part of our parents’ and grandparents’ lives. Just dip into the infographic we have prepared for you and learn what the longest-running soap operas, the longest-serving actors, and the most popular shows by continent are. Find out what are the craziest storylines, and try to remember if your grandparents have ever told you about them. Share these interesting facts with your friends, and see if someone is familiar with the best soap operas.
(source: slots.info)