Media Term Thursday #29
/Soap Opera
Soap operas are narratives without a resolution (as opposed to television dramas). Continuing stories with many interwoven plots.
Soap operas are about the everyday lives of a group of people living in a close-knit community. They have a very defined formula, multiple story lines, catchy theme songs, cliffhanger endings, down-to-earth characters, informal language and themes of love, infidelity, jealousy, moral dilemmas and betrayal.
Structural features include short scenes from previous episodes to remind viewers what is happening, high points that happen just before each commercial break and a preview of tomorrow’s episode at the end.
Soap operas started as radio serials before television came about. They are so named because the soap manufacturer, Procter and Gamble were the major sponsors of these early shows.
