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Why do you like Daytime??


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My reasons are a combination of several already listed. I like characters I can relate to, the sense of family and community, cliffhangers, the chance to truly explore character and develop story by playing out over a long time period daily, the interplay between stories/different genres, and the craft that goes into good soap writing. Attractive people don't hurt but they would not grab me without these other elements. I could never stomach Sunset Beach or Passions for more than an episode or two.

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Exactly. I remember when I first moved to Montreal--and my only sense of family was watching AMC and OLTL everyday (or whenever I could--I didn't have a TV for a while and this was just a year or two before youtube and online viewing--I did have a few exceptionally kind friends who I think found it amusing to invite me between classes to hang out at their apartment over lunch and watch AMC which none ofthem "got"--but they all knew how much it meant to me).

I do find the sense of history genuinely appealing--and the type of stories that at their best soaps can tell in a way no other shows can. I admit, there's also genuinely just a sense of "comfort" food there--which is prob why when OLTL was canceled I moved on to GH so easily. I never had the history of mothers/grandmothers (or fathers) watching soaps--in fact it was kinda looked down upon by my family although once I became hooked on AMC when I was 11 one Summer vacation, I found out that my mom was a huge Edge of Night fan the year she was home with my brother as a baby in the 70s, and that my grandma had memories of listening to Ma Perkings, Guiding Light and Right to Happiness on the radio.

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Speaking of which, don't you find it more titilating when you see a soap hunk without a shirt on *because* of that fact that we see them day after day, year after year, as opposed to some random model with a perfect physique?

I love the continuing drama, and seeing the same characters year in and year out going through various tragedies and triumphs of life. I started watching serialized dramas at the age of 7 (Beverly Hills 90210, Sisters, then later Melrose Place, etc.) and the best payoff is watching a storyline that's well-planned and laid out and there is clearly an endpoint in mind, but you love watching the characters get to that point. I love the sense of history, and the characters and situations that came and went in the past... when I first started watching DAYS, I *loved* learning new things about the show's past... i.e. I was SHOCKED to learn that Marlena had a real-life twin sister and was SHOCKED that Marlena had been on the show for nearly 20 years, because I thought she was only in her late 30's, not pushing 50! I think that's part of the fun in getting into a soap that's new to you but been on for years, because you learn delicious new facts along the way.

I love my divas. There's very few leading men I watch for and always root for (like Peter Reckell's Bo and Robert Newman's Josh) but I have a laundry list full of favorite divas! smile.png

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Adding on to my rather eccentric answer: I know people say it a lot, but I love how soaps can go from generation to generation. ATWT and Y&R used to give me, a kid in high school, something to get into a deep discussion on with my 50-something-year-old great-aunt. We could talk for hours and hours about what was going in Oakdale and both be genuinely interested in them.

Also, the longevity. Soaps are the only scripted shows that can exist in the present day as a running, current program while still serving as a time capsule. Part of the fun of seeing old flashbacks was in being able to see the fashions/styles from a different era on characters (and sets) you know and love. It's like looking through your high school's yearbook -- from when your parents went there. With a primetime show, the characters and settings may go back five or so years, but with a soap, they can go back 50.

And of course, the fact that soaps can afford to have a ten-minute scene of nothing but two characters talking in one room. They don't really do that anymore, but I'm talking about stuff like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-NEWgCshRg

When done right, they can be the closest thing to real life.

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