Soap Operas: The Little Known Answer to Hollywood's Prayers

By: Sean Robbins

Host, Executive Producer of The J-Pop Exchange

What do Brad Pitt, Demi Moore, and Alec Baldwin have in common?  

They all got their start on soap operas.

For decades, soaps were a staple of American television and radio. You know the ones—long-running serialized dramas with long-lost twins, frequently occurring amnesia, and melodramatic deaths. More recently, declining ratings have resulted in cancelations of this once-beloved genre, and it now faces the tragic possibility of extinction. This would be a shame, as the genre offers many benefits for those looking to break into the notoriously impenetrable entertainment industry. As a soap opera aficionado, I believe there are ways for the genre to recover, and perhaps even enter a new golden era.

Unique to the genre, traditional soaps don't end; the storylines constantly continue. In many cases, new episodes air every day or multiple times each week. Since soaps have so many hours to tell their story, they have many main and minor characters with potential for significant character development. This offers plentiful opportunities for those looking to break into the field. Put simply, more soaps mean more jobs—and not just for actors, but also writers, directors, producers, designers, composers, editors, dialect coaches, etc.

For actors specifically, a talent agent is almost always required to book a primetime role. However, in soaps, it’s possible to land a minor role without an agent or a manager. Soap operas typically allow actors to send their headshots and resumes straight to the show's casting director.  While there are no guarantees, it's still an opportunity to be considered for a role!

Networks blame declining soap ratings on changes in audience viewing habits. This seemed to begin as early as 1995 with the four-month televised O.J. Simpson Trial, which stole daytime viewership and caused soap ratings to decline by 10 percent—and never recover. Sadly, networks did not propose solutions.  Instead, they sought cost-saving measures by slashing soap budgets and seeking out cheaper programming options.  I believe that we can and should be working to find innovative ways for soaps to earn a greater return on their investment. We need to ensure soap survival; not only do they provide opportunities, but they’re also entertaining. Who didn’t love Luke and Laura’s iconic General Hospital wedding? (Which raked in a whopping 30 million viewers!)

Here are my suggestions for reviving soaps:

1. Close-Ended Episodes and Syndication

When a long-running TV series has produced enough episodes (usually around 100), it can enter syndication by selling its distribution rights to other television stations. 

This is usually very lucrative. Even though popular soaps have a massive number of episodes, it's impractical for them to enter syndication as watching a random episode in the middle of a story arc would be hard to get into.

This is why I suggest that soaps should explore self-contained stories that start and end in one episode.  In turn, this would make it more practical for soaps to enter the syndication market and reap additional revenue. In addition to the revenue earned in syndication, more people would be exposed to the program and could be interested in watching new episodes, further increasing viewership and overall show popularity.

Moreover, the syndication model could also involve everyone’s new favorite viewing method: streaming. Although streamers can’t accommodate first-runs of soaps which, by definition, are broadcast multiple times each week, they have the ability to boost revenue and viewership through syndication.

2. Days of Our (Different) Lives

Many soap operas take place in the present in environments such as hospitals, peoples’ houses, apartments, etc. Why not explore different possibilities?

For instance, how about a sci-fi soap opera set in a different time and universe, focusing on the lives of crew-members from various backgrounds and social hierarchies, all while going on adventures? With the frequency of soap opera episodes, one could feel completely immersed in such a world.

3. Social Relevancy

Soaps may have a bit of a reputation for hokey or cliché stories. We’ve seen only glimpses of truly innovative, socially relevant storylines.  In 1988, As the World Turns had the first gay male character. In the past, The Young and the Restless explored the challenges of those born into poverty while working hard for a better life. In the 1990s, my favorite soap, General Hospital, featured a character with AIDS; the show poignantly depicted how he overcame adverse social stigma and found acceptance.

Instead of the same clichéd plots, television has the power to amplify voices of those suffering in silence. It’s important for all television—soaps included—to share stories that are socially relevant.

Without question, soap operas have the ability to entertain, inform and empower—all while providing more job opportunities.  I don’t want to see the days of my life pass in a world without soaps. Networks: get greenlighting!