Both can be told in serial form, and often the lines are blurred, but what makes them different?

For example, what makes Thirthysomething fall into the domestic drama category, even though it also had serialistic elements?

Shows that are categorized as domestic dramas tend to focus on the problems of the working-class. Soaps, by large, are often categorized to be pretty rich people with problems. So it it a class element that makes them different?

Also, I remember a while back EricMontreal22 mentioned that he never thought of the British soaps are being "soaps" and preferred to group them in as domestic dramas. While the class issue here again comes into play, as soaps like EastEnders and Coronation Street focus squarely on working-class characters, they can also have their fair share of sometimes overused soap cliches (who's the daddy?,long lost relatives, etc).

Edited April 4, 201114 yr by Y&RWorldTurner

I think it's mostly just snobbery by primetime. St. Elsewhere was as much of a soap as anything on Passions, but I doubt anyone who ran the show would ever say that.

Really, it's all soap to me. Soaps, for me, are simply stories of people (or other living beings -- the time has come for the first animal soap!) and their relationships (with themselves and each other).

Edited April 4, 201114 yr by All My Shadows

soap operas are melodramatic, domestic dramas mine the humdrum normalcy of mundane existence. 30something, they had their jobs their relationships, whatever. Dallas had jobs and relationships, but they were drunks, schemers, millionaires and everything a little larger than life.