What do you consider the Golden Era for Daytime Serials?

[Susan Hunter]

I would offer that the 70s and Bill Bell's Y&R was the beginning of a focus on looks over talent. Even in Bill Bell's book it is stated that Bell believed in hiring pretty actors who would learn how to act on the job. John Conboy has also gone on record about his thoughts on hiring the young and the attractive over talent.

As for soaps youth obsession, young people have always driven soaps. Alice, Steve and Rachel weren't in the nursing home. Rachel was a young model. Alice was a nursing student. Steve was a young self made 'older' man of, what, 30? Tom Horton was the star of Days of our Lives, but he didn't drive story. He just gave advice and meddled in the stories involving the younger characters. Soaps didn't all of sudden stop focusing on older characters, because they never really did in the first place.

[Winchester91]

That's because every past generation would be defensive of "their" younger set and would be resistant to any new set.

I swear, if GH would be around in 30 years, there would be endless bitching about how Morgan and Molly are being pushed to the backburner for Sabrina and Patrick's round of brats.

[allmc2008]

I agree. Even during the radio years soaps had a lot of "30 something" people such as "The Romance of Helen Trent". BUT they were not always stuck on one age group. it wasn't until the 70's when teens became the focus.

I think the real issue is that 30 something people have been phased out. I think everyone can relate to 30 something people to some extent. There not in there mid-life so late-teenagers won't say "Eww! Gross! There as old as my parents" when they kiss. Yet people over 40 can relate to them because they have maturity and they won't say "Eww! Gross! There as young as my kids!" when they kiss.

[David V]

I wasn't so much saying that "youth obsession" is the problem, but more the notion of chasing a particular viewer demographic and feeding them increasingly dumbed down storylines. And it's not so much the attractiveness of the actors or not, but rather the increasingly sloppy approach to acting and writing standards I'm hitting at here.

[JNewt]

I think each soap had their own individual peak periods and eras but I think the 70s and 80s was the golden era for the soap b/c of the mainstream attention they got during those two decades especially during the height of the early-to-mid 80s when soaps were king of the entire television world. I think the Luke & Laura wedding was the height height of the soaps.

The soaps started their decline after the OJ Simpson stuff in the mid-90s and when more women started going to work and the 2000s ended up becoming a real mess.

Now finally after the genre was on its death bed here in 2013 seems like a new beginning for the genre, I think another soap boom period is coming, not that big but where the genre will bein a really good era.

[Gray Bunny]

I think the remaining 4 just might last longer than we all thought. With only 4 to choose from (and GH sometimes encompassing elements from other defunct ABC soaps), viewers who crave that continuing story of soap opera are attaching to what we have left. I'd say 2 are trying their damndest to stay afloat ( GH, B&B ), one is trying but their tactics may backfire (Y&R), and one is just praying people will continue their habit of watching (DAYS).

[jfung79]

DAYS is not just hoping people will keep their habit of watching ... It has become a well-written, realistic, character-driven style soap, but with cliffhangers galore, across days that flow well into each other, making waves with its storylines such as Kristen's and Will's.

It's not a show that's floundering or in decline, not a show that is changing direction every few months out of desperation. It's a show that's confident in itself right now, and should be.

I do agree the remaining 4 TV soaps will be on for a lot longer. Ratings are up year to year quite a few weeks now for all of the shows. The era of the decline of the soaps is over.

[KMan101]

I agree that DAYS is in much better shape now. It's probably the least of NBC's woes at this point.

[JackPeyton]

Days is very much back where it was in like 09ish in being basically a classic soap. Hopefully it can last and built instead of going back to sucking again.

Pretty soon Days will be higher rated than the primetime lineup. LOL.

[juniorz1]

IMO, the last soap to experience a true, long-lasting creative renaissance was ATWT. I just LOVED it from 2000-2006.

As for the golden era, it depends on the network when it comes to ABC/NBC. CBS it depends on who owned it.

For my money, ATWT would have been 1971-1993 and then once again from 2000-2006 and 2009-2010.

GL was never my cup of tea so I can't comment.

B&B 1993-2001 for shizzle.

Y&R 1986-2002

GH (again, not my cup of tea, but for arguments sake...) 1993-1998; 2013

AMC 1993-1998 and again from 2003-mid 2005

OLTL 1991-1996

LOVING 1986-1991

DAYS 1982-1986 and again from 1992-1997 and I'd also have to say 2008-2010. And NOW , of course

AW 1968-1979 and again from 1986-1993

SB 1985-1988 and again from 1990-1991