Which soap had the most recurring characters?

[SoapAnon]

I thought this might be a fun trivia question. Which soap had the most recurring characters?

[All My Shadows]

I feel like Y&R had tons of minor characters on the recurring roster from the 80s to the 2000s.

[watson71]

In April 1982, Another World has 57 characters in the closing credits that were 3 minutes and 34 seconds long.  Credits would never be that long nowadays.  The credits were so long that they even use a different variation of the theme song.

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[P.J.]

It has to be Doug Marland's ATWT. *Cries for the days when hospitals had consistent specialists, more than one nurse, millionaires had actual staff, corporate heads had trusty (or in some cases, not so trusty) assistants, out of town family kept in touch and occasionally visited, etc, etc, etc.*

[David_Vickers]

GH has many today.  

[Chris B]

The Bell soaps were great at this back in they day and it added so much to the show. With them being studio bound, having those characters enhanced the richness for some characters and made up for what they couldn't show.

I've been watching B&B and am currently in 1992 and the recurring characters add so much to the show. Maria isn't a major presence, but the Forresters would have to have help, so it makes sense having her there. Then at Spectra, you have Darla and Saul who are both incredible. I also feel like by having these characters, you can expand them and give them story as needed, like what happened to Darla.

[DaytimeFan]

Yes, the Bell shows understood how minor/recurring characters added a sense of realism and layers to the atmosphere of the show. 

[AMCOLTLLover]

General Hospital Even in the early 80‘s. Not just today 

[Planet Soap]

Yes Y&R was the best with charachters like Lynn, Miguel, Carole, Phyllis's babysitter, John Silva, Esther and others.  Regularly seeing the same faces  as secretaries, lawyers or maids, adds another level of consistency to a show. 

I think that's why I find it so hard to follow old school ATWT, because there are so many characters that I know nothing about . The cast wasn't as segregated as Y&R, so everyone has some connection to everyone which gets hard to follow.

Way too many, who serve no purpose. At least on Y&R all of the recurrings has a set function. Esther was support for Katherine, Lynn was Paul's right hand, Phyllis's babysitter Joni served as her talk to as well as low level accomplice.  GH has a whole bunch of faces who are there either as stunt casts or people that get a storyline for a week which picks up again a month later.

Edited June 27, 2023 by Planet Soap