In my seven decades of soap watching, one refrain has remained constant among newer viewers: they wish they had been around to see legendary storylines that their friends and family have raved about; storylines that had aired before these newer audience members became acquainted with daytime dramas.

I was lucky to have witnessed, first-hand, some of the best material the genre has offered throughout my lifetime.

--Meta Bauer's murder trial, THE GUIDING LIGHT

--The Alice/Steve/Rachel triangle, ANOTHER WORLD

--The Mickey/Laura/Bill/Mike's paternity saga, DAYS OF OUR LIVES

--The Jonah Lockwood/Keith Whitney reign of terror, THE EDGE OF NIGHT

--Victoria Lord's murder trial/Karen Wolek's breakdown on the witness stand, ONE LIFE TO LIVE

--Chris Brooks' rape, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

--The Leslie/Brad/Lorie saga, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

--The Liz/Dan/Susan/later Kim story, AS THE WORLD TURNS

--The Julie/Doug/Addie tragedy, DAYS OF OUR LIVES

--BJ's Heart, GENERAL HOSPITAL (IMHO, the last time daytime gave us a real masterpiece)

I am curious, however, for people who are "newer" viewers, who began watching in the 1980s, 1900s, 2000s, what do you consider the best of the best; the most riveting material soaps have offered?

What are the masterpiece moments you have personally seen?

- Brooke takes over Forrester Creations, B&B

That is the one the comes immediately to mind for me. It's still by far the best storyline on B&B throughout its entire history. Twists and turns, unexpected surprises, and six years of animosity between Stephanie and Brooke exploding in a fiery confrontation. 

I think the last great proper story DAYS ever did was the baby switch/Evil Lexie saga. There have certainly been great, even fantastic, moments since then, but I don't know if I can say that about any subsequent story as a whole.

30 minutes ago, I Am A Swede said:

- Brooke takes over Forrester Creations, B&B

That is the one the comes immediately to mind for me. It's still by far the best storyline on B&B throughout its entire history. Twists and turns, unexpected surprises, and six years of animosity between Stephanie and Brooke exploding in a fiery confrontation. 

I never saw this story, although Susan Flannery always elevated any scene or plot in which she appeared. Her absence is a real loss for the show.

27 minutes ago, Bright Eyes said:

I think the last great proper story DAYS ever did was the baby switch/Evil Lexie saga. There have certainly been great, even fantastic, moments since then, but I don't know if I can say that about any subsequent story as a whole.

That's a good point: occasionally, I see well-done scenes or moments here and there, but as a whole, so many modern soap storylines fall flat and peter out.

Edited September 3Sep 3 by vetsoapfan

4 minutes ago, vetsoapfan said:

I never saw this story, although Susan Flannery always elevated any scene of plot in which she appeared. Her absence is a real loss for the show.

Susan was fantastic. I usually never liked Stephanie (being more of a Brooke-fan) but no one could deny Susan's qualities. Her departure was always going to be tough for the show to handle, but I don't think anyone realized just how tough. B&B has never been the same since she left. 

9 minutes ago, I Am A Swede said:

Susan was fantastic. I usually never liked Stephanie (being more of a Brooke-fan) but no one could deny Susan's qualities. Her departure was always going to be tough for the show to handle, but I don't think anyone realized just how tough. B&B has never been the same since she left. 

Being a longtime fan of Emmerdale, what would you say are its best stories during your tenure as a viewer? And when was the last year it was consistently good?

 

4 minutes ago, vetsoapfan said:

Being a longtime fan of Emmerdale, what would you say are its best stories during your tenure as a viewer? And when was the last year it was consistently good?

 

It's a bit hard to pick out best stories for Emmerdale, because during its golden years (the 1970s) there weren't really any longer stories. You had the core cast and followed their everyday lives, and then there were shorter stories with characters that came and went. Often these stories would last around 10-12 episodes. But that was what attracted me to Emmerdale Farm. That it was a more down to earth, "normal" show. That has become even more apparent since I've been able to watch almost the entire 1970s through Youtube. It's so refreshing to see a show without backstabbing, intrigues, bedhopping and far-fetched back-from-the-dead or previously-unknown-evil-twin stories, and a show where criminals aren't portrayed as heroes. It's the characters that keeps you watching, not any specific stories. 

It's easier to say which year was the last really good one: 1993. That was the year before the family from hell turned up. And also the last year before the plane crash. That story, while successful, set Emmerdale on a path from which it hasn't recovered. I still keep up with what's happening, because it's not easy to break a bond that is several decades old, but any lingering emotional attachment is dwindling rapidly. The Emmerdale I knew and loved is dead and buried.

42 minutes ago, I Am A Swede said:

It's a bit hard to pick out best stories for Emmerdale, because during its golden years (the 1970s) there weren't really any longer stories. You had the core cast and followed their everyday lives, and then there were shorter stories with characters that came and went. Often these stories would last around 10-12 episodes. But that was what attracted me to Emmerdale Farm. That it was a more down to earth, "normal" show. That has become even more apparent since I've been able to watch almost the entire 1970s through Youtube. It's so refreshing to see a show without backstabbing, intrigues, bedhopping and far-fetched back-from-the-dead or previously-unknown-evil-twin stories, and a show where criminals aren't portrayed as heroes. It's the characters that keeps you watching, not any specific stories. 

Character-driven soaps, grounded in the realm of reality, are what I like best too. That's why the 1950s-1970s were the halcyon years of the genre for me (and why I find many radio soaps so satisfying).

42 minutes ago, I Am A Swede said:

It's easier to say which year was the last really good one: 1993. That was the year before the family from hell turned up. And also the last year before the plane crash. That story, while successful, set Emmerdale on a path from which it hasn't recovered. I still keep up with what's happening, because it's not easy to break a bond that is several decades old, but any lingering emotional attachment is dwindling rapidly. The Emmerdale I knew and loved is dead and buried.

I understand the difficulty in severing decades-long emotional attachments. With several vets on ATWT and a few tattered remnants of the Bauer family remaining on TGL, I forced myself to monitor those soaps until the bitter end, even though I had not enjoyed them in a few decades before they were put out of their misery.

I'm almost relieved that I don't have access to Emmerdale any more. I'd be tempted to watch, even it its current incarnation annoyed me, LOL. I was interested/pleased TPTB introduced a new blood Sugden into the mix, but was aghast when I heard they turned him into a killer. Idiots. Writing a could-be-important character into an irredeemable corner like that  boggles the mind.

4 hours ago, I Am A Swede said:

- Brooke takes over Forrester Creations, B&B

That is the one the comes immediately to mind for me. It's still by far the best storyline on B&B throughout its entire history. Twists and turns, unexpected surprises, and six years of animosity between Stephanie and Brooke exploding in a fiery confrontation. 

YES. YES. YES. I came in to write this, but you already did. 

The 3-4 months leading up to Brooke's takeover and the month or two that followed it...  are my ultimate soap opera favorite masterpiece.

There are so many great moments. Just a few examples. There are many more. 

 

Edited September 3Sep 3 by Maxim

6 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

I am curious, however, for people who are "newer" viewers, who began watching in the 1980s, 1900s, 2000s, what do you consider the best of the best; the most riveting material soaps have offered?

What are the masterpiece moments you have personally seen?

Guiding Light 1991 Alexandra exposes Roger at the country club. The culmination of the Robert Calhoun era and a master class in acting by Beverlee McKinsey.

6 hours ago, I Am A Swede said:

- Brooke takes over Forrester Creations, B&B

That is the one the comes immediately to mind for me. It's still by far the best storyline on B&B throughout its entire history. Twists and turns, unexpected surprises, and six years of animosity between Stephanie and Brooke exploding in a fiery confrontation. 

Bill Bell's last hurrah before he passed the reigns to Bradley.

2 hours ago, kalbir said:

Guiding Light 1991 Alexandra exposes Roger at the country club. The culmination of the Robert Calhoun era and a master class in acting by Beverlee McKinsey.

Yes, that period ended up being TGL's last hurrah.

2 hours ago, kalbir said:

Bill Bell's last hurrah before he passed the reigns to Bradley.

I don't think Bradley's contribution to the show has ever been highly praised by critics or fans.

1 hour ago, vetsoapfan said:

I don't think Bradley's contribution to the show has ever been highly praised by critics or fans.

I say this all the time but it bears repeating whenever the opportunity presents itself. Bradley did not inherit his father's talent.

1 hour ago, kalbir said:

I say this all the time but it bears repeating whenever the opportunity presents itself. Bradley did not inherit his father's talent.

I agree. While he's not the single worst soap opera scribe in history, his show only works at all when he has dialogue writers who can work wonders with the drivel they are given.

It's sad to realize how many soap opera masterpieces no longer exist and are not available for viewing 😥

I was fortunate enough to see the Kay/Jill battles following Phillip's death on Y&R and Pat Falken Smith's return to Day in 81-the Salem Strangler and introduction of the DiMeras.