I don't understand how B&B didn't make the top 5 though. It's more popular than the top 4

It's not quite as well known a title, I'd argue. If just random American internet viewers went to the site to vote, and weren't soap watchers (or told by the Dark Shadows club to vote), I can easily see a lot more votes going to the slightly more recognizable names.

ANd yes the polls are dumb. At least Friends didn't get any category wins, though the winners were obvious

No OLTL

"ugly stepchild" or "red headed stepchild" ??

Fans of ABC soaps generally always held OLTL in high esteem, often as high (and at times higher) than AMC and GH.

The actual reason is that after Capital Cities/ABC bought the rights to and ownership of AMC, OLTL and GH, the network originally budgeted, promoted and advertised all three shows with roughly the same level of attention (given that it had to make back its rather large investment). This was at a time when GH had ignited a ratings firestorm across the entire daytime soap genre and ABC was at the top of the heap.

Sometime after Disney bought ABC from Cap Cities and ratings began to fluctuate, OLTL slid from ABC's radar. It all became about GH (the once dominant ratings leader "marquee soap", especially after Brian Frons was named head of ABC Daytime later on) and AMC (mainly off the strength of its high public profile/"Erica Kane"/Susan Lucci media fetish) had a long history of neglecting to promote and advertise OLTL, along with cutting its budget. The soap press mainly followed suit in terms of attention to OLTL during this period. Thus OLTL became known as the "ugly/redheaded stepchild" of the ABC lineup.

As far as ABC is concerned, there is a quite a bit of history with this. After ABC acquired Proctor & Gamble's "The Edge of Night" from CBS (around the time of its AMC/OLTL/GH acquisitions), "Edge" was always regarded as the "ugly/redheaded stepchild" of the ABC lineup in terms of network treatment and publicity (althugh ABC had no control over "Edge's" budget). After EON's cancellation and before OLTL became "the ugly stepchild," "Loving" fell into that role. "The City" never really took off from the start and, to its credit, ABC did try to pump "Port Charles" (since it was the direct spinoff of GH) but to little effect in the end.

Perhaps the last true push by ABC in terms of promoting OLTL was around the Billy Douglas coming out story, featuring a then very young Ryan Phillipe. After that OLTL seemed to fall largely out of favor by ABC and the bulk of its publicity efforts centered on promoting GH (and to a certain extent, AMC). Toward the latter part of its run when OLTL was at a creative and critical high (and then-down ratings showed signs of life), many in the soap press did go out of their way to try to get interviews and stories from OLTL, but ABC's folks (including some staffers at OLTL) reportedly were almost apathetic to the very idea.

OLTL remained "the ugly/redheaded" stepchild in terms of network treatment for a good portion of its run from 90's until its cancellation.

I would've swapped out Dark Shadows for As the World Turns. Yeah, DS still has a cult following after all these years, but ATWT was more iconic. It was the classic midwest mom and apple pie soap for much of its run.

Everyone used to know them not so much anymore. Ask some 18-25 about them and alot of them have probably neve rheard of the shows.

Right!! I think I am the only person in my age group that knows about them (I am 21). I would talk about AMC when I was in HS and people would give me this dear in the headlights face and be say "Why are you watching a kids show??". I was like AMC is NOT a kids show it's a soap!! Then they would say "Secrete life is where its at"

OMG OMG OMG. Most people would ask what a soap was or have a look of utter disgust. It seems like soaps where re-stigmatized somewhere in the 90's. Weren't the soaps hip during the 80s?? But now Guys and Girls hate them!!

Everyone used to know them not so much anymore. Ask some 18-25 about them and alot of them have probably neve rheard of the shows.

See that I'm not so sure of. Some rap song mentions "All My Children" (I heard my sister play it all summer) and there are other song lyrics and/or titles with spoofs off that and the "Days" titles. I think Erica Kane is even mentioned by name in songs. Plus all the SNL and Soup references to soaps (even though they don't paint them in the best light). I remember in season two of "Modern Family" (or maybe season one?), Jesse and Angie play in a clip that Claire is watching on TV and GH gets a huge boost with Kelly Monaco's involvement in "Dancing with the Stars." Would I say our modern culture is as knowledgeable about soaps as it once was? No. But I was talking about watching the "Days" stalker storyline when I was like 14 and a coworker and friend of mine who is four years my junior also watched it with her mom and remembered all the victims (except I had to remind her who Cassie was - all I said was fell out of a pinata LOL). What I'm trying to say is soaps are still a part of pop culture.

Edited September 20, 201213 yr by alexisfan07

Right!! I think I am the only person in my age group that knows about them (I am 21). I would talk about AMC when I was in HS and people would give me this dear in the headlights face and be say "Why are you watching a kids show??". I was like AMC is NOT a kids show it's a soap!! Then they would say "Secrete life is where its at"

OMG OMG OMG. Most people would ask what a soap was or have a look of utter disgust. It seems like soaps where re-stigmatized somewhere in the 90's. Weren't the soaps hip during the 80s?? But now Guys and Girls hate them!!

My friends knew Passions when it was on. They knew Passion and DAYS only because that came on before Passions so some watched it while waiting. In middle school Passions was the soap to watch. I had all of three friends who ever heard of GH and I was actually discussing soap operas with non soap friends the other day and none of them ever heard of any of the ABC soaps or the CBS ones though they did hear about Passions.

It doens't matte rif these soaps get named dropped hear and their in popular culture, the young people do not really know them to remember the names. And for al the Kemo did DWTS so people know her crap I always hear none of my friends have ever heard of her and most don't remember who was on last season let alone season 1.

Edited September 20, 201213 yr by frequentsoapfan

Scotty I agree with everything you say. However, just to be clear, my point was this was part of a LONG multiple choice option (I checked, OLTL was listed) for the general population, or at least anyone who decided to vote. I don't think it could ever be denied that OLTL had the name recognition of Y&R, Days, AMC or GH with non soap fans, who probably made a HUGE chunk of this voting. Dark Shadows has name status but, Tim Burton's flop aside, mainly in my experience with either older fans, or else, as I said, the cult fans, and it seems their fan groups did make a push to get people to vote. So in this case I don't think the ugly red headed step child thing really counts...

It doens't matte rif these soaps get named dropped hear and their in popular culture, the young people do not really know them to remember the names. And for al the Kemo did DWTS so people know her crap I always hear none of my friends have ever heard of her and most don't remember who was on last season let alone season 1.

It's funny, this makes me feel REALLY old at 32. However, I am a TA at a number of English lit courses at UVIC, the university here. Most of the students for the classes I work at are 18-22. And people have used (often cynically, but not always when discussing things like how Dickens novels were serialized) soap operas in our conversations, and actually AMC, GH, DAYS and Y&R have all been names they've used instead of saying "it's like a soap opera". So I'm not sure that's true with everyone but it may depend on the background of most of the students I am with. For the record Days seems to be the main example.

Certainly I do think ATWT and OLTL prob have some name recognition too with them. Shows like Loving, Search for Tomorrow (though they'd probably recognize that as a soapy name), Edge of Night--I doubt it.

It's funny, this makes me feel REALLY old at 32. However, I am a TA at a number of English lit courses at UVIC, the university here. Most of the students for the classes I work at are 18-22. And people have used (often cynically, but not always when discussing things like how Dickens novels were serialized) soap operas in our conversations, and actually AMC, GH, DAYS and Y&R have all been names they've used instead of saying "it's like a soap opera". So I'm not sure that's true with everyone but it may depend on the background of most of the students I am with. For the record Days seems to be the main example.

Certainly I do think ATWT and OLTL prob have some name recognition too with them. Shows like Loving, Search for Tomorrow (though they'd probably recognize that as a soapy name), Edge of Night--I doubt it.

You live in Canada though. I'd assume it's a little different than here in the US. I live about a little over an hour away from New York . Maybe they have a little bit more familiarity with soaps there.

If we're going by quality, imo, the top 5 should look like this:

1. The Young and the Restless

2. Another World

3. As The World Turns

4. Santa Barbara

5. The Edge of Night

If we're going by impact, then:

1. General Hospital

2. Days of our Lives

3. All My Children

4. The Young and the Restless

5. Dark Shadows

And if I were to simply play favorites:

1. Santa Barbara

2. The Young and the Restless

3. Days of our Lives

4. As The World Turns

5. Another World

Edited September 20, 201213 yr by juniorz1

I mean ALF came in ahead of Miss Piggy as fave non human character? WTF?

WTF is right.

I heard ALF won by a nose.

I tried to rewatch some ALF a month ago on Hub and it just wasn't funny.

You didn't watch it sober, did you? In order to appreciate a show like "ALF," you must be on something.

ALF are you kidding me.

Best drama, ER over Hill Street Blues or St. elsewhere. Come on. And I loved the first few years of ER.