Broadcast Fiction: The Soap Opera

1. BROADCASTBROADCAST
FICTION:FICTION:
THE SOAP OPERATHE SOAP OPERA

2. HISTORY
Soap operas started as serialised dramas on radio in
the US in the 1930s. The name ‘soap opera’ was
given by the newspapers to these dramas because
they were often sponsored by companies which
made washing powder, soap and cleaning materials.
The genre quickly globally expanded, not just in the
US.

3. CODES AND CONVENTIONS
• Serial narrative told through a series of episodes.
• Narrative that progresses between episodes.
• Use of hook and cliff-hanger.
• Characters change and develop over time.
• Often based on an Infinitely extended middle (there is no
end in sight).
• The audience are usually able to identify with particular
characters and follow their progression over time.
• Constant – runs 52 weeks per year.
• Regular scheduling to create routine.
• Theme of community, family and domestic life.

4. CODES AND CONVENTIONS
• Multi-strand or metanarrative.
• Large cast of characters but a limited number used at
any point.
• Central meeting place for characters to interact.
• Limited number of sets.
• Strong geographical identity.
• Exaggerated dramatism – melodrama.
• Can be entered at any stage and understood.
• Attract large advertising revenue due to large audience
share.
• Focus on contemporary and ‘controversial’ issues.
• Use of stereotypes.

5. OPEN AND CLOSED NARRATIVES
Open soap operas continue with no apparent end point – think
of Eastenders for example which continues to be shown several
times each week, without any end date.
Closed soap operas, however, do move to a final conclusion,
although this may be a long drawn-out progression. A closed
soap opera of this kind is less common on US/UK TV but is very
popular in Latin America and is known as the telenovela, which
suggests in the name a conclusion to the narrative. One of the
key attractions for a closed soap opera is finding out what
happens in the end, just as with a good novel.

6. SOAPS AND AUDIENCES
Traditionally, soaps are watched by women (link back to
historical context) rather than men and socio-economic status
of the audience has tended to be lower. Given this audience
and the perception that soap operas offered little to ‘inform’ or
‘educate’ and audience as well as ‘entertain’, they have always
be seen as a ‘low culture’ form of television.
However, the multiplicity of narratives or metanarrative of a
soap opera make it one of the most complicated genres on
television. In fact, the preknowledge of the multi-narrative to
date is the central factor in the stability of the audience who
will engage with the soap opera over many years.

7. FEATURES OF THE METANARRATIVE IN SOAP
• Based on fantasy rather than real life, especially in
supersoaps.
• Central focus on family conflicts and romance.
• Several plots at different points in the resolution of
disequilibrium. There is often a primary ‘shocker’ story
leading the metanarrative.
• Storylines relating to issues such as domestic violence,
teenage pregnancy, drug problems etc.
• Providing a range of characters of all ages and backgrounds
to allow all audience members to feel they can identify with a
particular character ‘like me’.

8. UK SOAPS
‘It was not until the 1980s when Brookside (1982) and
Eastenders (1985) were both launched that British soap
operas took up social issues more overtly and handled
social problems in a more direct way which went beyond the
plight of the individual characters and dealt with the public
sphere as well as the personal.’
(Geraghty 1995:66)
Although some of its audience may not take soap opera
seriously, it is impossible to ignore the underlying social
issues and concerns that, since the 1980s, have become
embedded within this genre.

9. When Eastenders was criticised in the 1980s that its content
was too outspoken and brutal, the producer, Julia Smith,
replied, ‘We don’t make life, we reflect it.’ (1987).
To what extent to you agree with the above comment?
Make a list of the 8 most common contemporary and
‘controversial’ issues that are presented within the soap opera
genre.

10. FEATURES OF THE UK SOAP
• Began in the 1940s with The Archers on BBC Radio.
• Grounded in ‘realism’ – confronting ‘real life’ issues e.g.
unemployment, drugs etc. Life is not always ‘good’
• Strong female presence.
• Focuses on issues of community, family and conflict. Rarely
incorporates any explicit social issues of the city/town they
are based in e.g. London = violent crime.
• Incorporates melodrama but not as contrived as US soaps.

11. THE AMERICAN SUPERSOAP
The supersoaps, such as Dallas and Dynasty were a
particular, fantasy driven, subgenre of soaps with wealthy,
scheming families but still the same form of metanarrative and
representations as with the kitchen sink soaps. For example,
Dallas has the extended family (The Ewings), complete with a
patriarch, matriarch, good son, bad son and in-laws – all of
whom lived in the same house. The narratives were centred
around these core family members.
These soaps aimed to attract the conventional female
audience in this way but also sought to attract a male
audience with Ewing Oil’s boardroom intrigues. Dallas was so
successful it was the first US serial to be marketed globally
and spawned many debates about US Cultural Imperialism.

12. FEATURES OF US SUPERSOAPS
• High element of melodrama - stories based around
emotion rather than action.
• Dramatic intensity - A large degree of drawn out pauses
and reaction shots to support emotional disruptions. Use
of music. Coded actions to establish emotion.
• Tends to be studio based (like sitcoms) with very little
action being taken outside of a set.
• Grounded in patriarchy e.g. male characters are more
active in the working world; men ultimately control the
family unit; deals with issues of power (oil in Dallas).
•Stays away from issues of class – generally represents
upper and middle class America. Extensive use of
‘glamour’.

13. MELODRAMA AND MORALITY
Melodrama:
• Good vs. Evil
• Music – Heightening emotion (US and Australian soaps)
• Dramatic intensity – longs pauses, drawn out speeches,
close-ups.
• Based around disruption in the text.
Morality:
• Use of good and evil to reinforce dominant order.
• About ‘human factor’ – not focused on the divine.

14. Exercise:
Watch an episode of Eastenders and analyse it in terms
of the following:
• the use of soap codes and conventions.
• representational factors e.g. the representation of
women, Britain, working class etc.