Even the Names of the Current Soaps Sound Antiquated

[Carolyn1980]

Aside from "General Hospital," and maybe even "All My Children," the names of the remaining soap operas just SOUND "old-hat." I mean, how many of today's teens and 20-somethings would choose to start watching a show called "As the World Turns," or "Days of Our Lives," or "One Life to Live,"....or even the Bell shows with their cliched titles, "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and the Beautiful."

It's almost as though their titles are handicapping them with potential new viewers.

I think ABC would be smart to truncate "One Life to Live's" title to just "One Life." After all, it means the same thing, really. "To live" is kind of redundant.....and a little off-putting to new viewers, with its old-school soap name.

(....just babbling on here..... )

[DRW50]

I don't think that people are avoiding a soap because of its title. I don't remember the attempts at hip soap titles in the 80s or 90s doing much to bring new viewers in.

[Eric83]

Only As the World Turns and Guiding Light pop out as old to me.

Actually even there is no reason to shorten OLTL's title to One Life, I wouldn't mind it if it ever happened, but realistically soaps should have a "soapy title". What kind of title would you consider new or cutting edge that still sounded soapy? The titles are what makes soaps unique IMO, no reason to change them in order to chase a younger audience they will never catch.

[Khan]

Let's see...

CAPITOL

THE CITY

EDGE OF NIGHT

GENERATIONS

PORT CHARLES

SUNSET BEACH

Oh, wait, they're already soap titles.

Oh, wait, they're already canceled.

;-P

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Loving had the be the most boring and snooze-worthy soap title I've ever heard of. Too bad the show actually lived up to such a boring title much of the time.

I still can't believe a show with a Marland/Nixon pedigree had such a lousy title.

[Carolyn1980]

Ehhhh, Feck all of ya'

[Khan]

No-nothing name + even worse opening credit sequence = FAIL.

Conversely, RYAN'S HOPE might've sounded kinda boring, but once you saw the original opening w/ the entire cast playing in (I think) Central Park w/ John Reid, you realize, "Hey, this could actually be about real people in a real setting!," and you stay tuned.

[Eric83]

Well I don't what you meant with the bolded part , but what I meant is when you hear titles like "As the World Turns" or "Days of our Lives" you think, That must be a soap! And IMO, The Edge of Night is as soapy as comes with soap titles.

[Khan]

Meant no harm, Eric. Just attempting to say that an edgy title does not always guarantee a long life for a soap.

[Eric83]

Oh ok, got ya.

[All My Shadows]

As irrelevant as the titles are, the shows could be called "Soap #1," "Soap #2," "Soap #3," and so on, and it really wouldn't make any difference.

[DRW50]

The soaps are also that generic these days, sadly.

[sheilaforever]

I love me some The STRONG and The GORGEOUS on "Hot in Cleveland"...