By soap memory, what storyline do you remember first seeing on your soaps ?

 

GH I remember Laura being stalked in the early 80s. YR I remember someone having a face veil, but I dunno who it was. For some reason it always makes me think of Katherine lol 

My first soap opera memory happened in December 1985 with two particular events on GL:  Reva's jump off the bridge attempting to kill herself and Lujack dying in Beth's arms.

My first primetime soap opera memory was Pam opening the shower door revealing Bobby taking a shower.  I only recall that memory because my parents spent the whole summer fighting over if this was really Bobby or a lookalike with my dad guessing that it was going to be revealed that Pam dreamt Bobby's death and my mom saying only a moron would do that story.

 

Edited June 19Jun 19 by Soaplovers

Sometime in the 1980s, sneak watching Y&R on a school break. I loved The Price is Right growing up so that naturally made me curious about the show that came on after.

My 1980s school break memories of Y&R are mostly of the summer social issue storylines, cringy Danny concerts, and Cricket eating the show.

My earliest soap memory would have to be the season 13th finale of Knots Landing. My mom was a loyal watcher of it, so I have many memories of her watching it while I played and tore up her house lol. That cliffhanger of Meg disappearing from the school playground always stood in the back of my mind. Once I got to watch Knots for myself, I instantly recognized the scene. 

Y&R- Jazz, Amy, Tyrone Story, Lauren being buried alive, and Who shot Jill?

 

My first memories of daytime soaps dates back to the early 1990s when General Hospital aired here for a while. My viewing was a bit sporadic at first since I was still in school, but I have vague memories of Tanya's death and Jake/Bobbie/Lucy, but the story that really got me hooked was Grant Putnam kidnapping Anna. (We were a few years behind the U.S. The episodes that aired here were from roughly 1986 to 1989)

My very first soap memories of any kind go back to the late 1970s when I used to watch Emmerdale Farm with my mother. It was her favourite show on tv, and I got to stay up while she watched it before going to bed. I can't remember any specific stories, but the characters stayed with me through the years, Annie, Amos, Henry, Dolly, Matt....    Re-watching those episodes now is such a treat and brings me right back to those days when I was 4-5 years old.

Edited June 20Jun 20 by I Am A Swede

21 hours ago, dragonflies said:

YR I remember someone having a face veil, but I dunno who it was. For some reason it always makes me think of Katherine lol 

Vanessa Prentiss, Lance and Lucas' mother.

 

The first storyline I remember is Morgan/Kelly/Nola, Guiding Light. Nola was so damn mean. When Kelly finally read her for filth, that scene I swear went on for fifteen minutes as Nola tried to wriggle out of everything.

22 hours ago, Contessa Donatella said:

My first memories, as a teen, 15 which was an awful age if you ask me, but, anyway, were of AW and of DAYS. But, AW is vague but DAYS is sharp. 1966, Susan Hunter (Denise Alexander) and Julie #3 (whoever?) were best friends. Julie was dating, or courting or secretly engaged to David Martin (also whoever?), who was 3-5 years older than she & Susan. They were high school age. He was college age. Julie, as we probably all know, was living with her grandparents, Tom & Alice. Tom thought that David was too old for Julie. I believe he also thought they were too serious about each other & his suspicions were dead on. But, he made the mistake of forbidding Julie to see him. Right, as headstrong as she was?!!! So, he just drove their relationship into secrecy, creating lies & a heightened sense of "us against the world" since they had to sneak around to see each other. This also meant there were too many times when in the evening David would be alone & Julie would be stuck at home, also alone. David & Julie were actively planning to run off & get married. I think they had a fight. David went out & got very drunk. Susan had had a falling out with her parents & also was getting very drunk at the same bar. OF COURSE, the two of them fell into conversation, which led to them hooking up, which led to her being pregnant. (Bill Bell wrote this.) The 3 of them decided together that Susan &  David would marry so the child would be legitimate & after the child was born, they'd divorce & Julie & David would get back on track to get married. Susan gave birth to a boy, who she named Richard after her father. He was called Dickie. There was an argument over a swing set that David got, with Susan saying the boy was far too young & too small. One day David was supposed to be watching the baby who he had out on this disputed swing & he wasn't paying attention briefly & the baby fell off the swing & broke  his neck & died. 

This has already gotten too long.

Cutting to the chase. Susan went nuts & killed David. "Uncle Mickey" was her lawyer. He used temporary insanity & it worked, he got her off. 

The two who had been the very best of friends now were the bitterest of enemies. And, of course, by this time, Julie (#4 now, SSH) was pregnant by David with another boy child. They were set for years of nemesis-level hatred. 

(In May 1970 Susan introduced Doug Williams to Julie, with the evilest of intents but it backfired.)

Edit to Add: The camera panned to that swing, bare & barely moving over & over & over.  That dam*ed swing drove me crazy. I cried. Bill Bell SWORE he would never kill another infant. Apparently he got a lot of mail.

The way I audibly gasped several times while reading this. Oh, now that's soap. 

On Y&R, Sheila holding Lauren and Molly at the farmhouse and shooting Molly's TV.

1 hour ago, GLATWT88 said:

The way I audibly gasped several times while reading this. Oh, now that's soap. 

As much as I go on about wishing to see the Lemay years of AW. That is also true of the Bill Bell DAYS years!!  Peacock, we implore you, stream those episodes!!! You won't be sorry!

 

I remember just vaguely that ridge and Taylor got married. My mom watched Days, B&B with me when I was a younging and I don’t remember much of what we saw of Days but I remember the bold and the beautiful.

Ridge and Taylor got married and were like always in bed and so deep in love.

i remember I was like 3-5 and Taylor was the most beautiful woman i ever saw. I was so fascinated and intrigued and her chemistry with ridge really got me hooked. That’s why I will always be team Tridge

Back in preschool days ATWT must have been on at 12:30. My Mom LOVED ATWT (she stopped watching when "they got rid of the old people" and Wagner quit for a time) and she loved to hate Lisa..."Let's see what THAT Lisa is up today!" (cementing my love of bad girls with a heart who stirred [!@#$%^&*] up..)  I ate lunch at Noon and 12:30 was "nap" time though I never slept, she would rock me while watching "her show" or "world turns." So my earliest memories are Nancy, Chris and Grandpa sitting and discussing events and the voices of Wagner, Hastings and Fulton immediately brought back feeling comfortable well into the last day of ATWT. 

My earliest memory of actually watching soaps on my own is Dark Shadows, I was so jealous of that David kid who got to live in a house with vampires, ghosts, portals, and vengeful sexy witches!!!

My earliest soap memories are of ATWT and Y&R. I'd watch with my grandparents and those are the two that stuck with me at a very young age. Y&R what drew me in were the Black characters and Victor. On ATWT it was Kathryn Hayes. I remember Y&R was easier for me to understand but my grandpa knew all of the ATWT history and would always fill me in on who was related to who and what was going on.

AW 1977

- Burt McGowan arriving at Ada’s house to tell her Gil had died.

AW 1977-78

- I have flashes of the Sven Peterson story. He killed Rocky Olsen and I believe young Denis and Jamie found his body.  Maybe in the boathouse. Sven then kidnapped Rachel and kept her captive in a building on the Cory property I think.  I was 5 years old and the story was terrifying. The next time I saw Roberts Blossom (Sven) onscreen was as Kevin ‘s scary neighbour in Home Alone.  He played scary very well.

Edited June 21Jun 21 by Efulton

On 6/19/2025 at 4:19 PM, DRW50 said:

For primetime, probably something from Dallas or Falcon Crest. I remember being horrified by Maggie's drowning. 

I absolutely concur that Maggie's drowning on Falcon Crest was horrifying!!!! Not a first for me, for anything, but perhaps a worst!

i was in diapers when guiding light began on television and my mother started watching. back then kids in grammer school came home for lunch. my sister and i remember well having lunch with the bauer brothers.