"Hmmm...you know...maybe that WOULD make a good soap?!"

[Khan]

Inspired by posts within the "Proposed Soaps Over the Years" thread, I thought it might be neat if everyone listed favorite (or maybe not favorite, but stuff you're aware of) films, books, TV miniseries, etc. that, in your opinion, could be spun successfully into an ongoing soap opera.

Anyone care to start?

[allmc2008]

Maybe "Roots" because they never did a soap that took place in the past. They did DS, which was supernatural. EON, which was supposed to be the first Perry Mason adaption for Television, was mainly crime drama. Why not have a Soap that took place in the past.

Another good one would be "All quiet on the Western Front" were they could emphasis on families during WWI.

[Dr Neil Curtis]

Tyler Perry's Family That Prey or even with the addition to Madea's ever growing family a soap center around madea's family would be good.

[All My Shadows]

Jackie Collins's Hollywood Wives should have been a primetime or daytime series, but I think the book and miniseries both came out just a few years too late for that.

[Susan Hunter]

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

[frequentsoapfan]

After reading both the Sophie Katz and Maddie Springer novels, a soap opera with a female amateur sleuth as the lead heroine would be great.

[Bright Eyes]

The Bret Easton Ellis series of characters/novels. Of course, it would have to be on HBO due to all the sex, drugs and complete visceration of human decency.

[watson71]

Definitely Star Wars- which is essentially a "space" opera set a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away... You have good vs evil, cliffhangers, star-crossed lovers, twins separated at birth, long lost fathers, etc.

[DRW50]

Far From the Madding Crowd.

Any Robert Altman film when he wasn't trying to be too comedic.

[ClassicSoapsFan]

Sweet Valley High was suppose to be a teenage soap opera. I would have loved to have seen it as a teenage daytime soap opera. As much as I loved the corny 1990's dramedy, I longed for the Wakefield Twins and their friends to be a daytime soap. I also wondered how the show would have handled graduation? Would they pull a Skins (UK) and bring in new characters or would they have followed the characters to college and real life like in the books? Also, would Jessica and Elizabeth been fraternal or identical twins because identical twin casting would have been hard especially if one of them left. I could see the show being a teen version of Love of Life in a way (since the show focused on sisters.)

[Khan]

As a matter of fact, I had an idea once for a "Roots" series adaptation. Basically, the series would have had two, ongoing, narrative threads: one set in the present-day; the other set shortly after Kunta Kinte stepped foot on Virginia soil as a captured slave.

[Khan]

I'd be fine with that, as long as Tyler Perry's appearances as Madea were kept to a bare minimum. Anytime he, or the guy who portrays Brown, shows up, it always ruins the mood for me.

[Khan]

I'm not so sure the time has passed. With all the "Real Housewives" series being as successful as they are, I think an updated HW might be a good fit right about now.

OMG, I totally want this to happen!

[DRW50]

Gone With the Wind

Boys in the Band (albeit a horribly cast cheapie burned off on Logo)

[All My Shadows]

I always wished Carrie had been adapted into a primetime teen soap. If you take everything that happens up until the prom tragedy, some really, really soapy sh!t was set up. Sue feels bad for picking on Carrie, so she insists her boyfriend Tommy take her to the prom. Tommy is reluctant, but he ends up enjoying the prom with Carrie, so much so that maybe he starts to have feelings for ol' Carrie White, and Carrie has feelings for him, and Sue is left wondering WTF. Then you have Chris, who was quite clearly a slut, and you also have Carrie's mom, who still had unfinished business with Carrie's dad. All the while, the telekinesis would play a small part through the series.