Soap operas dominate daytime TV Monday through Friday. They usually feature scandalous plot lines involving death, sex, and betrayal and the stories are often unbelievable. They cover everything from cheating, lying and dating family members to death of family members or friends, divorce, and psychological problems. I often wonder, who actually watches these programs?
Unfortunately, I know the answer to my own question. My mom is an avid watcher of the “soap” The Young and the Restless. She has watched it ever since I can remember. I asked her how long she has been watching the show and she replied, “Well, before you were born.” My mom records every episode of the show, just in case she is not home to watch it. Before she retired, she remembers sitting in the break room at her work with about ten other middle aged women eating lunch and watching The Young and the Restless. She took her lunch at 11 0’clock so she could watch the show and chat about it with coworkers.
I also wonder why people are so interested in soap operas. My mom comments on understanding the “unrealistic” aspects of the show. “I know they are stupid, it’s not like I think life is actually like this.” This makes me think that most viewers of soap operas enjoy the escape from their “boring” lives and love to see drama playing out full fledge in someone else’s life. My mom also comments on how the shows are almost addicting. “They never get through things quick. They can spend a month hyping something up, and you have to keep watching to see what actually happens, you have to.”
Soap operas have become a topic in social situations as well. My mom has a few girlfriends who also watch The Young and the Restless and when they get together they often ask if everyone is caught up on the show. “We talk about the characters, what stupid things they have done and mostly how Victor (the star character on the show who has been around forever) is such a prick!”
Soap operas are not only watched by middle aged women. I have some friends that also watch soaps and I hate to say this, but I know my 84 year old grandpa will watch one every once in a while as well. I guess I have a hard time understanding the appeal to these shows, but there obviously is one. I think as long as people understand these shows are not replicas of the real world there is really no danger in watching them.
It’s funny to look at the socio economic status of the characters on soap operas. They are always beautiful people who seem to have a lot of power. They also, almost always, are rich. They wear fashionable clothing, have perfect bodies, adorable children, and of course, housekeepers. I think I would be more interested to watch a soap opera that reflected the real world, instead of this representation of really rich powerful people.
After looking around at some websites it was easy to see that people love soaps. I did a Google search and found many websites dedicated to soap operas. One in particular was called Soap Central. This particular website featured daily summaries of what is going on in the soap each day. If fans miss an episode, they can surely catch up here. This website also has a Young and the Restless Fan Club. The fan club costs $18.00, and for that price you receive color pictures of the cast, a lunch tote, a deal on events involving the show and a “special surprise from the cast on your birthday” (I can’t imagine what that might be).
I also found it interesting that CBS, which is the channel the show airs on, features full episodes that fans can watch online. Because of the popularity of soap operas is so high, CBS offers them online to viewers. Does CBS really want to show these kinds programs instead of something more valuable, such as news programs?
Overall, I found that soap operas are popular. They have many fans who are regular followers of the shows. My mom is a prime example of someone who has been "hooked" by the show and I know there are many others just like her. I have to admit, I have watched a few episodes and they did leave me hanging, wondering, what will happen next?!
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Hey Lindsey! Cool topic for your blog this week! I have watched a few episodes of a soap here and there, but I am definitely not an avid watcher. However, a lot of my aunts are!
ReplyDeleteYou talk a lot about the appeal of soaps, how they are unrealistic, and how they showcase people who "have it all" when it comes to money, good looks, and the "ideal" lifestyle. I think that these three things are weaved together into a perfect formula for addicting television. Like you say, perhaps we watch soaps because--despite their being unrealistic--they serve as sort of an escape. We like the juicy-ness of the plotline, even if we know it probably would never happen. Perhaps we like to momentarily escape by watching the drama unfold in someone else's life, because at the end of the show we can simply click off the tv and return to our own less dramatic lives.
Also, I think we like watching this type of tv because we like to compare ourselves with the character. Perhaps you do not want to be just like a soap character. But, perhaps you like their sex appeal, their confidence, their assertiveness, their socioeconomic status, whatever. I think it’s almost the same thing with the relatively recent blow-up of reality television. We like to watch "The Hills" or "Jon and Kate" because of the drama and the fact that they have money and a glamorized lifestyle. We like to watch "The Real World" or "Real Chance at Love", for example, because we compare ourselves to the tv personas and even sometimes think "I am better than them because xxxx" Unfortunately, it’s schadenfreude at its finest—taking satisfaction in someone else’s misfortune. We like to look at Kate and Jon and think, “wow, at least my marriage is not that crazy.” Or, we like to look at soaps and think “Wow. My love life is complex, but at least its not that over-the-top!”
So whether we watch dramatic tv to momentarily "elevate" ourselves into their glamorized lives, or compare ourselves to tv personas, dramatic television has reeled us in. Good work Hollywood, you have us hooked.