Soap operas originated in the 1920s in the United States as radio broadcasts advertising soap powder to American housewives. They target primarily female audiences by airing after mealtimes and featuring traditional female roles, which affects the storylines, characters, and settings. Soap operas run continuously for years in the same time slots, becoming part of popular culture and how audiences see themselves. The relatable storylines allow audiences to empathize with or dislike characters as their interweaving plots overlap to maintain interest.

1. Soap opera basics
Originated 1920’s USA
Broadcast radio
Advertise soap pwder to American housewives
Soap is a feminine genre is primarily aimed at women
This affects scheduling- because traditional female roles are beades in the home soaps are
aired after mealtimes when there is a lull in the day.
Target audience also affects storylines, narrative perspective, characterisation, settings,
costumes.
Soap operas run continuously, in the same time slots, on the same days, broadcasts by the
same institutions, for years. Because they are repeated so often, they become part of the
culture psyche. They become part of who ‘’we’’ are.
The characters become ‘people’.
Story lines are relatable- audiences can watch and understand what is happening, and
emphathise with characters. Or hate them.
Some storylines can be outageous- e.g. baby swapping in Eastenders.
Most soaps have between 10-15 main characters, with overlapping interweaving story lines.
Storylines overlap to keep audiences interested. Different strands can run alongside each
other but develop at different times.
Catharsis: emotional cleansing.the purgine of negative emotions by watching another
person go through something similar/worse.
Soap becomes therapy when it is cathartic- people deal with their problems vivariously.
Soap operas become a form of escapism for ceratain audiences.