Soap opera

Radio or TV serial This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) The examples and perspectives in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. (January 2026) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: "Soap opera" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2026) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Publicity photo of married couple Nick Davis (Larry Keith) and Anne Tyler Davis Martin (Joanna Miles) in the American soap opera All My Children (1970) A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term soap opera originated from radio dramas' original sponsorship by soap manufacturers. The