A Brief History Of The Soap Opera Genre

Soap operas began in the early 1930s on American radio and continued on television from the early 1950s, initially being broadcasted during the day and aimed at housewives, episodes focused on middle-class family life, but by the 1970s the content had expanded to include a wider variety of characters and situations and a greater degree realism. In the 1980s with the introduction of such Soap Operas as Eastenders the genre became much grittier, aimed towards working class society. This style has transitioned into todays Soap Operas yet they still contain a feeling of melodrama.