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What was your favorite soap opera daytime or night.. My favorite was the Guiding light. What was yours.? (Original Post) debm55 Jun 21 OP
Dark Shadows Fiendish Thingy Jun 21 #1
Loved Dark Shadows. FalloutShelter Jun 21 #2
Thank you very much Fiendish Thingy. debm55 Jun 21 #3
I was going to write that also. Sequoia Jun 21 #50
Hear Hear! OldBaldy1701E Jun 23 #100
I never watched any of the daytime soaps Glorfindel Jun 21 #4
Thank you very much Glorifindel. I will edit my OP. debm55 Jun 21 #5
Mine is markodochartaigh Jun 21 #6
Thank you very much, markodochartaigh. debm55 Jun 21 #7
Days Of Our Lives. Watched for years. Srkdqltr Jun 21 #8
Same here, TexasTowelie Jun 21 #36
My bro in law's company crud Jun 21 #43
Dark Shadows! murielm99 Jun 21 #9
Thank you very much Murielm99 for your choices. debm55 Jun 21 #22
Teen daughters liked All My Children, so I taped SheltieLover Jun 21 #10
Thank you very much, SheltieLover. debm55 Jun 21 #12
The only one I ever watched was General Hospital The Blue Flower Jun 21 #11
Thank you very much The Blue Flower debm55 Jun 21 #13
All My Children Ritabert Jun 21 #14
Thank you Ritabert for your choice of All My Children. I was a watcher too debm55 Jun 21 #15
I also watched "One Life to Live" Ritabert Jun 21 #34
Thank you Ritabert debm55 Jun 22 #65
+1 Went home from work for lunch and caught most of it each day. n/t rzemanfl Jun 21 #31
I only saw it during the summer when I was a teacher Ritabert Jun 21 #33
Same here Ritabert. But whe had all summer to watch. debm55 Jun 22 #68
Great. Thank you very much rzemanfl debm55 Jun 22 #69
Same here -- but with the original no_hypocrisy Jun 23 #102
Mine was Guiding Light but man that was also 3, 4 decades ago. LizBeth Jun 21 #16
Me too. I remember watching starting as a kid. It has been of the air for a long time. Thank you LizBeth. debm55 Jun 21 #21
I watched Guiding Light in high school in the early 80s. Dulcinea Jun 21 #53
HAHHAHAHHAH, Thank you very much Dulcinea. debm55 Jun 22 #64
General Hospital! FloridaBlues Jun 21 #17
Thank you very much FloridaBlues. I watched it from the beginning and stopped while in college. debm55 Jun 21 #20
The Young and the Restless. . . Stargleamer Jun 21 #18
HAHAHAHAHAHHa. Thank you very much. I would watch the Young and the Restless. Eric has been on there forever. debm55 Jun 21 #19
General Hospital (in the 80's) Mad_Dem_X Jun 21 #23
HAHAHAHAHhAhaH. Thank you very much Mad_Dem_X debm55 Jun 21 #24
Dark shadows was my introduction Ferryboat Jun 21 #25
Thank you very much Ferryboat, debm55 Jun 22 #66
I liked Santa Barbara. The frenemy "Mason" was handsome/adorable. applegrove Jun 21 #26
Thank you very much. applegrove. That is funny debm55 Jun 22 #67
Another World wryter2000 Jun 21 #27
Thank you very much, wryter2000.for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 22 #70
I never got into it, but my grandmother watched. "As the World Turns". Religiously every day ,wouldn't miss it Walleye Jun 21 #28
Same here with my mother and grandmother. Thank you very much Walleye. debm55 Jun 22 #71
All My Children LoisB Jun 21 #29
Me too. I was bummed when they took it off. Thank you very much LoisB debm55 Jun 22 #72
Just the distraction I needed today! maspaha Jun 21 #30
I remember rushing back to my dorm, heading to the basement where the tv was and watching Days with everyone oregonjen Jun 21 #37
That's funny. thank you very much oregonjen. debm55 Jun 22 #77
Thank you maspaha. I so lucked out after college that the VCR came out and we didn't have to miss and episode. debm55 Jun 21 #46
Thank you maspaha. I agree. debm55 Jun 22 #76
I started watching General Hospital when I was 12 years old. MIButterfly Jun 21 #32
Thank you very much, MIButterfly. for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 22 #78
Never watched any of them except Dark Shadows for a short time, and The Young And The Restless highplainsdem Jun 21 #35
Thank you very much for your honest opinion, highplainsdem. debm55 Jun 22 #79
Soap LogDog75 Jun 21 #38
Thank you very much LogDog75 debm55 Jun 22 #96
As the World Turns and Guiding Light ms liberty Jun 21 #39
Thank you very much, ms.liberty. for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 21 #45
Original Dark Shadows. area51 Jun 21 #40
Thank you very much for sharing with us., area51 debm55 Jun 21 #44
Good grief, I started in with General Hospital in the mid 50s. Biophilic Jun 21 #41
Thank you very much Biophilic for sharing with us. Your right about that, But my favorite stopped production-The Guiding debm55 Jun 21 #42
Yeah I remember when the soaps started to disappear. Biophilic Jun 21 #49
Yes, Dr. Hardy, Lucille and Jessica. debm55 Jun 22 #75
Ah, the good times... Biophilic Jun 22 #93
a parody of soaps , fresno AllaN01Bear Jun 21 #47
Yes! Satire and comedy. Man I LOVED... some_of_us_are_sane Jun 21 #48
Hahahahahahhah. I have never seen that. Thank you for sharing it with us. debm55 Jun 21 #51
Thank you Bear. I love parodies debm55 Jun 22 #97
Guiding Light YorkRd Jun 21 #52
Guilding Light---I started watching it when I was young as that is what my grandmother and mother watched. I liked the debm55 Jun 22 #73
Secret Storm Katinfl Jun 21 #54
I remember the Secret Storm at my grandmothers. when I was very young. Thank you Katinfl debm55 Jun 22 #63
Dark Shadows displacedvermoter Jun 21 #55
Thank you displacedvermoter. I have never seen Dark Shadows as Guiding Light was on at the same time, different station. debm55 Jun 22 #62
Forgot Rebl2 Jun 22 #87
DS 4 Ever! Mike Nelson Jun 21 #56
HAHAHA Thank you very much Mike Nelson. debm55 Jun 22 #61
That was great! Never seen it before FoxNewsSucks Jun 22 #98
It didn't last long. Morbius Jun 21 #57
Thank you very much Morbius. debm55 Jun 22 #60
I didn't have one, boonecreek Jun 21 #58
Thank you very much boonecreek. debm55 Jun 22 #59
All Rebl2 Jun 22 #74
Same here. When my son was a baby and toddler, I didn;t have time to sit and watch. I still know how it ended. Thank you debm55 Jun 22 #84
All My Children maptap22 Jun 22 #80
Like sands through the hourglass if..fish..had..wings Jun 22 #81
Thank you very much if..fish..had..wings. Hahahahhaha debm55 Jun 22 #85
The Doctors and Edge of Night macwriter Jun 22 #82
Thank you very much. macwriter. Did you appear on a local Pittsburgh show once a week to tell what happened and was debm55 Jun 22 #92
Linda Hersch macwriter Jun 22 #94
Thank you, macwriter. Now the name clicks. That you for bringing bac that memory. debm55 Jun 22 #95
As The World Turns MuseRider Jun 22 #83
Thank you MuseRider. Yes, I remember the 15 min, Soaps, the Guilding Light was one of those, Shared the half hour with debm55 Jun 22 #88
Days of our Lives radical noodle Jun 22 #86
Thank you radical noodle. Same thing happened with the Guilding Light. Reva kept come back from death. I got tired of it debm55 Jun 22 #90
I watched Guiding Light toward the end of its run. YodaMom2 Jun 22 #89
I watched Guilding Light starting at 5. I stopped watching when the Reva/Josh started. Reva was dead then she wasn't debm55 Jun 22 #91
Dark Shadows and All My Children FoxNewsSucks Jun 22 #99
Wow that was a find. Thank you FoxNewsSucks. debm55 Jun 23 #104
Amigas y Rivales purple_haze Jun 23 #101
Thank you very much, purple_haze. Friends(F) and Enemies? debm55 Jun 23 #103

Fiendish Thingy

(19,980 posts)
1. Dark Shadows
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 09:46 AM
Jun 21

Of course,, being a young boomer boy, it was the only soap that captured my interest.

OldBaldy1701E

(8,339 posts)
100. Hear Hear!
Mon Jun 23, 2025, 07:37 AM
Jun 23

It used to come on in my neck of the woods every day right when I got home from school. You'd see all of these pre-teen boys running home as fast as they could to make sure and not miss a moment of it!

Later on, a bunch of us got hooked on the entire 'Luke and Laura' story on 'General Hospital'. That was a wild time.

Glorfindel

(10,136 posts)
4. I never watched any of the daytime soaps
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 09:52 AM
Jun 21

but I loved the prime time ones: Dynasty, Dallas, Falcon Crest.

crud

(1,019 posts)
43. My bro in law's company
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 03:00 PM
Jun 21

did the cue cards for "Days" and when I first moved to CA in 1979 I got to work on the show. I just printed cards and didn't hold them. We were in a storage room sized room with stacks of cardboard, ink markers and scripts. Never went on the set.

The Blue Flower

(6,009 posts)
11. The only one I ever watched was General Hospital
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 10:07 AM
Jun 21

That was when it first began, when I was in high school.

debm55

(48,204 posts)
21. Me too. I remember watching starting as a kid. It has been of the air for a long time. Thank you LizBeth.
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 11:26 AM
Jun 21

Dulcinea

(8,739 posts)
53. I watched Guiding Light in high school in the early 80s.
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 06:53 PM
Jun 21

I also watched Dallas around that same time period. Who shot J.R.??

debm55

(48,204 posts)
20. Thank you very much FloridaBlues. I watched it from the beginning and stopped while in college.
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 11:23 AM
Jun 21

Stargleamer

(2,455 posts)
18. The Young and the Restless. . .
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 10:57 AM
Jun 21

I was hooked right away by its opening theme. Another plus: Eric Braeden who plays Victor hates Trump.

debm55

(48,204 posts)
19. HAHAHAHAHAHHa. Thank you very much. I would watch the Young and the Restless. Eric has been on there forever.
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 11:22 AM
Jun 21

applegrove

(126,770 posts)
26. I liked Santa Barbara. The frenemy "Mason" was handsome/adorable.
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 12:34 PM
Jun 21

I hated him at first and then realized the actor playing the snobby character made it a joke it was so campy.

Walleye

(41,387 posts)
28. I never got into it, but my grandmother watched. "As the World Turns". Religiously every day ,wouldn't miss it
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 12:52 PM
Jun 21

maspaha

(557 posts)
30. Just the distraction I needed today!
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 12:57 PM
Jun 21

SOAPS!!

I scheduled my college classes around “Days of Our Lives”, “All my Children”, and “The Guiding Light”!

After becoming gainfully employed and unable to watch live, the technology Gods created the “VCR” just so I could record and watch later!

Thank you debm55 for the smile on my face right now

oregonjen

(3,563 posts)
37. I remember rushing back to my dorm, heading to the basement where the tv was and watching Days with everyone
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 01:21 PM
Jun 21

Fun times!

debm55

(48,204 posts)
46. Thank you maspaha. I so lucked out after college that the VCR came out and we didn't have to miss and episode.
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 03:08 PM
Jun 21

MIButterfly

(815 posts)
32. I started watching General Hospital when I was 12 years old.
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 01:02 PM
Jun 21

Along came All My Children and One Life to Live and I watched them too. As an adult, I worked nights so my days were free to watch TV. All my coworkers watched General Hospital too; it was during the Luke and Laura years, which was huge. I eventually decided three hours a day was too much so I cut it down to one - All My Children. I don’t remember why, maybe they had a more interesting story line at the time. I eventually went back to school; got a degree; and started working in the day and gave up all soaps. So, to answer the question, Dark Shadows.

highplainsdem

(57,306 posts)
35. Never watched any of them except Dark Shadows for a short time, and The Young And The Restless
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 01:10 PM
Jun 21

occasionally - so very occasionally that I usually discovered at least one character new to me. And I watched YR only because I thought Eric Braeden was so beautiful - something I'd first noticed when he was on Rat Patrol and his name was still Hans Gudegast. Very good actor, too. But I don't like soap operas.

LogDog75

(626 posts)
38. Soap
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 01:25 PM
Jun 21

It was a nighttime, prime time parody of soap operas with over the top situations. Richard Mulligan was great as Bur.t

Biophilic

(5,873 posts)
41. Good grief, I started in with General Hospital in the mid 50s.
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 01:48 PM
Jun 21

Obviously when I was sick or had school off, but it wasn’t hard to follow the story. I went through a lot with those folks. Finally gave it up after the early Luke and Laura years. Had a crush on the secret agent from Australia or New Zealand. Can’t remember which, but I understand he’s still around occasionally. I have a friend who still watches religiously. Thank heavens for all the new stuff over the years that let us keep up.

debm55

(48,204 posts)
42. Thank you very much Biophilic for sharing with us. Your right about that, But my favorite stopped production-The Guiding
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 02:56 PM
Jun 21

Light.

Biophilic

(5,873 posts)
49. Yeah I remember when the soaps started to disappear.
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 05:46 PM
Jun 21

General hospital was the first, I believe and now the last. Dr. Steve Hardy would be proud.

AllaN01Bear

(26,372 posts)
47. a parody of soaps , fresno
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 03:09 PM
Jun 21

this was a mini series aired in 1986 and a parody on all soaps . many comedic heavy hitters were in it. lots of :lol:

some_of_us_are_sane

(1,571 posts)
48. Yes! Satire and comedy. Man I LOVED...
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 04:34 PM
Jun 21
"MARY HARTMEN! MARY HARTMAN!" (I was crazy about that show!)

debm55

(48,204 posts)
73. Guilding Light---I started watching it when I was young as that is what my grandmother and mother watched. I liked the
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 10:43 AM
Jun 22

musical they would put on. Oh I forgot the characters name. She was married to Quint. Loved her. I lost interest when the Texas family came on and I lost interest. Thank you YorkRd

Katinfl

(410 posts)
54. Secret Storm
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 06:56 PM
Jun 21

OMG! I have not thought about that soap opera in ages. It goes way back, possibly before Guiding Light, which I also loved.

debm55

(48,204 posts)
63. I remember the Secret Storm at my grandmothers. when I was very young. Thank you Katinfl
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 10:15 AM
Jun 22

debm55

(48,204 posts)
62. Thank you displacedvermoter. I have never seen Dark Shadows as Guiding Light was on at the same time, different station.
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 10:12 AM
Jun 22

Thank you for sharing your like with us.

Morbius

(572 posts)
57. It didn't last long.
Sat Jun 21, 2025, 11:00 PM
Jun 21

Twin Peaks was a twisted horror soap opera, quite unlike anything else I've ever seen on television.

One day my log will have something to say about this.

Rebl2

(16,672 posts)
74. All
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 10:45 AM
Jun 22

My Children. Watched it from the beginning, but took a long break from it the last several years it was on. I did watch the last two weeks it was on.

debm55

(48,204 posts)
84. Same here. When my son was a baby and toddler, I didn;t have time to sit and watch. I still know how it ended. Thank you
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 11:01 AM
Jun 22

Rebl2

macwriter

(252 posts)
82. The Doctors and Edge of Night
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 10:58 AM
Jun 22

I worked in the soap opera industry for over 40 years. Did a syndicated newspaper column on it and was the editor of a soap opera magazine. But these shows were my personal favorite because I played an extra on both shows. The actors on soaps were and are the hardest working and most underestimated performers in entertainment.

debm55

(48,204 posts)
92. Thank you very much. macwriter. Did you appear on a local Pittsburgh show once a week to tell what happened and was
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 11:22 AM
Jun 22

going to happen? If so, I remember you.

macwriter

(252 posts)
94. Linda Hersch
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 03:47 PM
Jun 22

That was my colleague and fellow newspaper columnist Linda Hersch. I did similar appearances on a Philly TV station and a radio show over the phone for CHML Radio in Hamilton, Ontario.

Too bad that soaps were phased out by reality TV. At one point I was covering 13 soaps (daytime and primetime). Then came Courttv and OJ's trial and the World stopped Turning the sand ran out of hour glass for most of the industry. Sad

MuseRider

(34,810 posts)
83. As The World Turns
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 11:00 AM
Jun 22

It was only 15 minutes or 30 minutes long when I was a little kid but ended up a 30 minute show when I was still young then, of course, an hour.

debm55

(48,204 posts)
88. Thank you MuseRider. Yes, I remember the 15 min, Soaps, the Guilding Light was one of those, Shared the half hour with
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 11:08 AM
Jun 22

the Secret Storm.

radical noodle

(10,289 posts)
86. Days of our Lives
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 11:07 AM
Jun 22

I watched it from the first episode. I got caught up early on in the David/Julie romance and David's murder really sucked me in. But the show later went nuts with dead people reappearing and by the time I stopped watching, I didn't like it at all. (It was nice to have TV at work!)

debm55

(48,204 posts)
90. Thank you radical noodle. Same thing happened with the Guilding Light. Reva kept come back from death. I got tired of it
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 11:12 AM
Jun 22

and stopped watching.

YodaMom2

(94 posts)
89. I watched Guiding Light toward the end of its run.
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 11:10 AM
Jun 22

I was drawn to the unexpected, surprising (to both of them) love story of bad girl/man eater Olivia and devout Catholic single mother Natalia.

The show’s writers and producers, to no one’s surprise, tiptoed around actual depictions of physical intimacy. But to their credit, they (and the characters) made clear that the women didn’t just feel deep friendship but were very much IN love with each other. When the show ended, they were sharing a home and parenting responsibilities.

I know All My Children had a young lesbian character, but GL’s characters were grown women having a mature relationship. I appreciated that.

debm55

(48,204 posts)
91. I watched Guilding Light starting at 5. I stopped watching when the Reva/Josh started. Reva was dead then she wasn't
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 11:19 AM
Jun 22

dead. I stopped at that point.I wanted more storyline and character development. Which I wasn't getting.

FoxNewsSucks

(11,196 posts)
99. Dark Shadows and All My Children
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 10:40 PM
Jun 22

I found the DVD set in a thrift store, it has all 1220 episodes and extras. The box is a coffin containing all the discs, which have Barnabas picture on them.

I watched AMC from the early 80's to about two years before it was cancelled. And I have an Erica Kane Barbie doll in its original box. Must be worth several tens of dollars by now . . . .

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