Soap operas originated in the 1920s United States as a genre primarily aimed at women broadcast on radio to advertise soap products. This targeting of women affected the scheduling and storylines, which focused on traditional female domestic roles and took place after mealtimes when women had free time. The continuous broadcast of soap operas over many years in the same time slots and on the same channels means they become deeply ingrained in culture. Viewers come to see the characters as real people and relate to or dislike the empathetic and often outrageous storylines that interweave between the large ensemble casts. Many viewers find catharsis and escapism by vicariously experiencing the dramatic problems of others through soap operas.

2. Broadcast radio

3. Advertise soap powder to Americans housewives

4. Soap is feminine genre- the genre is primarily aimed at women

5. This affects scheduling- made to fit around womens lifestyle. Traditional female roles are base in the home soaps are aimed after mealtimes when there is a lull in the day

6. The target audience also affects storylines, narrative perspective, characterisation, settings, costume

7. Soap opears run continuously, in the same time slots, on the same days, broadcast by the same institutions, for years, because of this they become part of our culture and who we are.

8. The characters become “people”

9. Storylines are relatable- audiences can watch and understand what is happening, and empathise with characters. Or hate them.

10. Some storylines can be outrageous eg- baby swappng in Eastenders

11. Most soap operas have between 10-15 main characters, with overlapping, interweaving storylines

12. Storylines overlap to keep audiences engage. Different strands can run alongside each other but develop at different times

13. Catharsis: emotional cleansing. The purging of negative emotions by watching another person go through something similar/worse.

14. Soap becomes therapy when it is cathartic- people deal with their problems vicariously(through someone else)

15. Soap operas become a form of escapism for certain audiences