The 30 Best Daytime Soaps of All Time
A list celebrating daytime soap operas from the past and present.
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- CreatorIrna PhillipsAgnes NixonThomas J. BornkampStarsKim ZimmerBeth ChamberlinMaureen GarrettThis show took place in the fictional Midwestern town of Springfield and centered on the middle class Bauer family.Beginning on radio in 1937, the show chronicled the many lives and loves of the Bauers, the Lewis, the Spauldings, the Coopers and their friends and neighbors in Springfield.
- CreatorIrna PhillipsStarsElizabeth HubbardJon HensleyEllen DolanThe focus in on the upper class Hughes and Stewart families plus their tribulations in Midwest Oakdale. The Stewarts fade away eventually to be replaced by the rural Snyders and wealthy Lucinda Walsh with her many intrigues.This soap ran from 1956 to 2010 and centered on the Hughes, Stewarts, Snyders, and other residents of Oakdale.
- CreatorIrna PhillipsWilliam J. BellStarsVictoria WyndhamConstance FordHugh MarloweThe life in the Midwestern town of Bay City, and the love, loss, trials, and triumph of its residents, who come from different backgrounds and social circles.The long-running series about the trials and tribulations of the Matthews, Frame and Cory families in Bay City.
- CreatorAgnes NixonStarsSusan LucciDavid CanaryMichael E. KnightSet in the fictional East Coast suburb Pine Valley, this show is the decades-old, risk-taking soap that centers around Erica Kane and her long line of husbands.Following the everyday problems of Erica Kane and other residents in the fictional city of Pine Valley, Pennsylvania.
- CreatorDoris HursleyFrank HursleyStarsMaurice BenardJohn BeradinoRachel AmesFamilies, friends, enemies, and lovers experience life-changing events in the large upstate city of Port Charles, New York, which has a busy hospital, upscale hotel, cozy diner, and dangerous waterfront frequented by the criminal underworld.Initially, the action centered on the doctors and nurses at a fictional hospital in Port Charles, New York. Nowadays, it's all about the mob.
- CreatorIrna PhillipsTed CordayAllan ChaseStarsDeidre HallKristian AlfonsoDrake HogestynA chronicle of the lives, loves, trials and tribulations of the citizens of the fictional city of Salem.This soap, set in Salem, begins with this famous introduction: "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives."
- CreatorLee Phillip BellWilliam J. BellStarsEric BraedenDoug DavidsonPeter BergmanSet in Genoa City, this is the long-running soap that tells the story of the struggle behind the business, and sex-savvy Abbott and Newman clans.This number-one-rated soap focused on the ups and downs in Genoa City, Wisconsin.
- CreatorWilliam J. BellLee Phillip BellStarsKatherine Kelly LangRonn MossJohn McCookThe saga of high fashion glamour, honor, romance, passion, and most importantly, family.The many loves and lives of the always fashionable Forresters and their friends in L.A.
- CreatorDan CurtisStarsJonathan FridGrayson HallAlexandra IslesThe rich Collins family of Collinsport, Maine is tormented by strange occurrences.Before Edward Cullen, there was Barnabas Collins.
- CreatorAgnes NixonStarsErika SlezakMichael StormMichael EastonOne Life to Live centres takes place in the fictional town of Llanview, PA.around the wealthy Lord family, and the middle-class Woleks and Rileys.The first socially-relevant soap on television, it centers around the lives of the Lords, Buchanans, Cramers, and other residents of Llanview, Pennsylvania.
- CreatorClaire LabinePaul Avila MayerStarsHelen GallagherBernard BarrowNancy AddisonThe trials and tribulations of the Ryans, an Irish-American family in New York City.Following the many struggles and triumphs of a close-knit Irish-Catholic family as they run a bar in Manhattan.
- CreatorRoy WinsorAgnes NixonStarsMary StuartLarry HainesDwight WeistJo Gardner lived in Henderson where she wed many times. She was a motel owner, librarian, then a B&B owner with best pal Stu Bergman. Jo's daughter Patti and Janet Bergman were good friends. Stu married first Marge, then Ellie.Set in a fictional town called Henderson, it starred the late Mary Stuart as Joanne "Jo" Gardner.
- CreatorIrving VendigStarsAnn FloodForrest ComptonDonald MayAttorney Mike Karr and his colleagues are involved in solving crimes and intrigue which touch the lives of many citizens.The original crime soap set in fictitious Monticello.
- CreatorOrvin TovrovStarsJames PritchettDavid O'BrienLydia BruceDr. Matt Powers is chief of Hope Memorial Hospital in the city of Madison, and he cares about the lives of staff and patients.Following the trials and tribulations of a group of doctors at the fictional Hope Memorial Hospital in Madison.
- CreatorJosh GriffithRobert Guza Jr.Charles Pratt Jr.StarsLesley-Anne DownSam BehrensSusan WardAfter discovering her fiancé Tim Truman kissing another woman, Meg Cummings leaves her home in Kansas on their wedding day to start a new life in Sunset Beach, California.The late-90's cult soap featured a then-unknown Eddie Cibrian as Cole Deschanel.
- CreatorSally SussmanStarsKelly RutherfordKristoff St. JohnJoan PringleSoap opera about two families, one black and one white.The story of two rich families, one black, and the other white, in Chicago.
- CreatorRoy WinsorStarsAudrey PetersRon TommePeggy McCayContrasting sisters Vanessa and Meg Dale's lives unfold in Barrowsville. After Meg departs, Vanessa settles with Bruce Sterling in Rosehill amid drama. In 1974, Meg's return reignites their tumultuous bond.The long-running soap centered on sisters Vanessa and Meg Dale as they deal with their never-ending troubles in Rosehill, New York.
- CreatorJames E. ReillyStarsLindsay HartleyMcKenzie WestmoreGalen GeringIn the world of power and money, the wealthy and powerful Crane family rule the town of Harmony from their mansion on Raven Hill.The craziest of all the soaps, this series focused on the supernatural lives of the many residents of a small New England town called Harmony.
- CreatorCarolyn CullitonRichard CullitonWendy RicheStarsJulie PinsonJon LindstromLynn HerringResidents at the hospital, doctors, friends and their families are constantly threatened by Dr. Greg Cooper who may be the Homicide killer, avenging on all of them because he was dropped from the hospital's intern program.The ever-popular GH spin-off.
- CreatorAgnes NixonDouglas MarlandStarsLisa PelusoLaura WrightLauren-Marie Taylor"Loving" takes place in the fictional town of Corinth, Pennsylvania and centers on the lives of the wealthy Alden family. Love, betrayal, and the struggle for power form the focus of this long-running drama.This show lasted 12 years and chronicled the everyday trials and tribulations of the citizens of Corinth, Pennsylvania, a small, fictitious college town.
- CreatorElinor KarpfStephen KarpfStarsConstance TowersDebrah FarentinoRory CalhounFollow the political struggles for power and personal machinations between two conflicting families, the wealthy Cleggs and the middle-class McCandlesses.The six-year story of two rival political families in Washington, D.C.
- CreatorRoy WinsorStarsJada RowlandPeter HobbsLori MarchTells the story of the long-suffering Ames family and their seemingly endless domestic tragedies.Aired on CBS from 1954 to 1974, it focused on the many lives, loves, and heartbreaks of the Ames family of Woodbridge, New York.
- CreatorRobert CenadellaStarsGeorgann JohnsonPaul SparerSusan MacDonaldSomerset debuted as a daytime drama, revolving around the powerful conglomerate Delaney Brands and its effect on the fictional community of Somerset, Illinois. Two years into its run, the serial was transformed into a crime-laden melodrama similar to CBS's "The Edge of Night". For the next four years, newspaper publisher Julian Cannell took center stage as Somerset was besieged by arson, blackmail, extortion, and murder.The first of two AW spin-offs.
- CreatorPaul RauchStarsCarla BorelliBeverlee McKinseyJerry LanningDaytime Drama, spun off from "Another World," which followed Iris Carrington from Bay City as she rediscovered Alex Wheeler, a former love, and moved to the Houston area. The stories centered around the daily lives of the wealthy Wheelers and Bellmans and the middle-class Marshalls and their ranching and oil interests. Beverlee McKinsey, as Iris, was the first daytime performer to be given starring credit.The second AW spin-off.
- CreatorAgnes NixonJames H. BrownBarbara EsenstenStarsGeorge PalermoLaura WrightTed King"The City" picks up where "Loving" left off. After a rash of serial killings, several of Corinth, Pennsylvania's residents move to an apartment building in SoHo to start a brand-new life. While doing so, they encounter several difficult situations, including another psychopath killer, bombings, and organized crime.This short-lived soap followed many of the characters from "Loving" as they moved to NYC.
