Do you hate yourself for watching soaps?
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Anonymous
| I watch one and I feel ashamed. Why is that? There are prime time shows that are every bit as soapy. |
Anonymous
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OP, here's my theory:
Before the proliferation of cable channels and reality TV, daytime soaps were the junk programming and primetime was full of good quality sitcoms and dramas (Mary Tyler Moore, M*A*S*H*, NYPD Blue, Cosby Show, etc.) Daytime soaps earned their reputation during that era and the reputation remains. Now, though, the regular and non-premium cable networks are full of junk programming, too, but only daytime soaps are still stigmatized. HBO and Showtime make most of the really good programs. (Damages, on FX, is outstanding, though.) Enjoy your soap, OP! It's only hypocrisy that treats your pleasure as a guilty one. BTW, I loved soaps growing up, in college, and grad school, too. I had stopped watching them but was still sad when my two favorites from years ago went off the air: Another World and Guiding Light. |
Anonymous
| I don't exactly advertise to others the fact that I watch a soap (and have been a fan since I was a teen), but to me it is a mindless escape from everyday stresses. I agree, some of the nighttime shows are just as soapy. |
Anonymous
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Come on, posters, what soaps do you watch? I don't watch now, but growing up, I watched Santa Barbara and sometimes All My Children, One Life to Live, General Hospital and Days of Our Lives. (Not all at once... you don't have to watch much to keep up to date.) They were a lot of fun.
A few years back I revisited DOOL for about a year. But I've been Soap free for about a decade now. |
Anonymous
| I was an ABC girl, although I loved watching Young & the Restless with my grandmother. My favorite was General Hospital. I still have the odd fantasy starring Sonny or Jax every now and again. |
Anonymous
| OK I'll admit it...when I was on maternity leave earlier this year I got hooked on One Life to Live (Todd was coming back!). I haven't watched it since the mid-90's when I was in high school. Yes, it is my shameful secret I don't admit to anyone. I know, the quality of the show is awful, but all it took was a couple of episodes for it to become my daily ritual. Here it is 4 months after I've returned to work and I still find myself catching it on Soapnet in the evenings. Fortunately, it will be cancelled in a few months and that'll kick my habit. |
Anonymous
| I watched DOOL in my 20s and gave it up for a good 10 years. Now I watch it again. Wish I didn't, because it is such a time waster. |
Anonymous
| I think the prime time shows are just as "soapy", but it isn't an hour investment every day. I think that is a lot of the stigma, too. |
Anonymous
GH girl again. OMG I wish I had known! I LOVED Todd. I was obsessed with him and Blair. |
Anonymous
| Y&R for 35 years (I am 41). My mom got me started. Lately I've stopped watching cause the stories suck but I'll watch again. No shame in my game. |
Anonymous
| Are they still on?! |
Anonymous
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I am third generation Y&R. I'll never stop! No guilt!
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Anonymous
| Y&R is my soap of choice; I have watched it many, many years. |
Anonymous
| Y&R for 28 years . . . and I am 34. Before the DVR, I scheduled my classes around Y&R and The Bold and the Beautiful! |
Anonymous
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When I was a teen during the summers I would watch As the World Turns, Guiding Light, Bold and the Beautiful also. My mom let me come home early from school the day Luke & Laura got married (we didnt have a VCR). Y&R is the only one from my youth that I still watch, though lately I have fallen off a bit. It's much easier to watch now with a DVR. As long as Y&R is still on the air, I'll be keeping up with what is going on in Genoa City.
My husband watches too (not daily) but once a week he asks me what's going on. My parents still watch Y&R and B&B....if anything big happens we call each other to discuss. |