Joie de Vivre Magazine: Why Do We Love Soap Operas? (This is My Continuing Story That Does Not Continue. LOL.)

Monday, June 6, 2022

Why Do We Love Soap Operas? (This is My Continuing Story That Does Not Continue. LOL.)

Dear housewives (or househusbands): Please don't take this offensively but … soap operas are a waste of time. Aren't they? You know they are. So can you explain to me why we allow ourselves to become addicted? I don't watch soap operas anymore. It was a brief affair but then we parted ways. This is my story.

Back in the day, when television had just been invented, those who could afford a TV set and had the opportunity to stay at home or work from home could watch the soaps. One summer, it happened. My sister and I got hooked! Starting at about one o'clock in the afternoon until about four o'clock, we would both be glued to the boob tube. Man! You can really get involved in the lives of the characters. Some of them you love. Some of them you hate. Funny thing!

Despite its amazing popularity we never got hooked on General Hospital, which is probably the blueprint for all the other daytime soaps.

All My Children? AMC enjoys tremendous popularity, however, that series was a Johnny come lately and by that time we had lost interest.

My mom worked from home. Her favorite soap shows used to be The Edge of Night, Guiding Light and As the World Turns.

The two shows that we (my sister and I) really connected with were: Love is a Many Splendored Thing and One Life to Live. What made Love is a Many Splendored Thing a fave? We thought they had the most talented actors. You know it because the cast members moved on and accepted better acting roles in the entertainment industry. In particular, we got attached to the loving couple, husband and wife, played by David Birney and Donna Mills. Of course, their relationship was not all peaches and cream. They had their difficulties, but we were always there to support them. We wanted them to stay together! Silly huh?

One Life to Live, of a truth, this was my favorite of the two. Why? Well for all the sisters around the country who were also following ABC's OLTL back in the day, like my sister and me, there was really only one reason worth tuning in each and every day. Doctor Price Trainor. Pure eye candy!! :)