Soap opera basics

Originated 1920’s USA

Broadcast radio

Advertise soap powder to Americans housewives

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

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

The target audience also affects storylines, narrative perspective,

characterisation, settings, costume

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.

The characters become “people”

Storylines are relatable- audiences can watch and understand what is

happening, and empathise with characters. Or hate them.

Some storylines can be outrageous eg- baby swappng in Eastenders

Most soap operas have between 10-15 main characters, with

overlapping, interweaving storylines

Storylines overlap to keep audiences engage. Different strands can run

alongside each other but develop at different times

Catharsis: emotional cleansing. The purging of negative emotions by

watching another person go through something similar/worse.

Soap becomes therapy when it is cathartic- people deal with their

problems vicariously(through someone else)

Soap operas become a form of escapism for certain audiences