The Dying Soap Genre

I am a huge daytime soap fan, and it pains me to see the genre rapidly dying the way it is. The recent cancellations of Guiding Light and As The World Turns just seems like another nail in the coffin. They say that today soaps are obsolete because there are more options available (cable, the internet, etc.) than before…but, IMO, that’s just an excuse. Yes it’s true that there aren’t as many housewives today as there were back during the soaps golden age, but there’s still a daytime television audience. Especially now that the economy is so bad and unemployment is at an all time high. It just saddens me that the television world is content to let the genre die, as opposed to trying to rejuvenate it.

Oh, I agree that this is very depressing news. I first started watching soaps when I was 9- I watched all the CBS soaps religiously for a few years, switched to Days of Our Lives, quit watching soaps for a while, and then recently got back into Days again. I feel like I grew up with a lot of the characters on soaps, and I can't imagine there being no soap operas to look forward to in the mornings/early afternoon.

I think soaps got lazy and took themselves for granted. Thus they slacked off and now are paying the price.

Simply put: The soap genre is dying because the television networks want them to.

Every one of the head writers of the remaining six soaps on the air would jump at the chance to be this generations Agnes Nixon or William J. Bell and would steadfastly create a brand new soap, if the networks they work for were to commission them to. However, the fact that there hasn't been a new serial to premiere since 1999 says it all. To get themselves out of keeping the genre replenished, meanwhile, TPTB have covertly created this climate of having everyone–sponsors include–believe that soaps are this antiquated machine that is undesirable to today's viewer and that they, the networks, are struggling to do all that they can to preserve this sacred-but-sadly-dying medium, all while they underhandedly eye its time slots for other, cheaper to produce, programming; like a disgruntle child contemplating what kind of computer desk would fit in their elderly parents bedroom.

Truth is that soaps are no less passé than any other genre of television (game shows, talk shows, court shows, reality, comedy, drama, you name it.) There's always going to be a market for it, even if it wavers in size. People who rationalize that what's killing it is: blah-blah-blah, cable…blah-blah-blah, internet…blah-blah-blah, working women…completely ignore the fact that all of those things exist during prime time as well, but how many cop drama's are currently on the air? There's always people at home during the day, a JAG rerun on USA didn't have to be any more compelling than As the World Turns.

I don't watch any of the reality based shows or the talk shows that are replacing soaps. I have no interest in that kid of thing and never have. It really is sad that soaps are dying and that TPTB aren't investing in them the way they once were. I've watched most of the soaps except for ATWT, which never caught on. Used to watch GH and AMC but quit in disgust over the biased writing and am feeling the same way about OLTL right now. Y&R is decent, but if I miss the show, I don't sweat it that much. still, it's better than the ABC soaps right now.

ITA that it's the TV networks that want soaps to die. They'd rather go for cheap shows that have no impact and are forgotten the moment you turn off the TV, rather than shows that impact the viewers and create an impression.

With only four shows left, and no signs of any new ones in sight, they may as well just end it all. The genre is dead.

I can't stand those daytime talk shows. The View is just plain, utterly stupid. Regis and Kelly, welll...I don't think could find anyone dumber than Kelly! Plus Regis is leaving so that show is basically done. The only good thing about that show was Regis. What's that new one? The Talk or something like that? Hell, it's so stupid I haven't even paid attention to the exact name.

ABC;s makign it very easy for me to quit watcing entirely. I look forward to the day when ABC is bought out by another network.