From Stolen Babies to Evil Twins: 7 Soap Opera Tropes That Keep Us Hooked Day After Day
These TV tropes might be overdone, but they keep us coming back for more!
Soap operas have been providing us with endless entertainment for years. Some of the most beloved series have aired tens of thousands of episodes since their premieres and have amassed loyal fan bases that have stuck around for decades. From Luke and Laura’s iconic 1981 nuptials on General Hospital to the question of “Who shot J.R.?” on Dallas that shook the world, these beloved daytime dramas keep viewers coming back for more. While the storylines are certainly unique from series to series, there are a few that have managed to make their way into the soap rotation year after year. Here, take a look at seven of our favorite soap opera tropes—No matter how many times we’ve seen them, they get us every time.
It was alllllll a dream
Cop out? Maybe so! Either way, the popular television phenomenon of wiping the slate clean by making a messy storyline out to be nothing more than someone’s unfortunate nightmare is one we know all too well. Few shows have done this on the scale Dallas did, with the entirety of season nine being the sleepy imaginations of Pamela Barnes Ewing.
Soap opera rapid aging syndrome (SORAS, obviously)
SORAS, or soap opera rapid aging syndrome, is something we’ve seen over and over again. In the soap world, SORAS is when a character is aged up by replacing the actor with one a few years older. While the progression doesn’t always make for stellar continuity, it’s a soap staple.
There can never be too many evil twins
The evil twin storyline is certainly not soap-exclusive, but it’s one we’ve seen countless times. From General Hospital to All My Children to Another World to As the World Turns, we’ve loved seeing these instances of double duty.
Baby swaps galore!
Switching babies at birth and stealing ones that aren’t yours? Sounds about right when it comes to our favorite soaps! From Days of Our Lives to One Life to Live, if you find yourself in one of these fictional towns, hold on to your newborns tight.
Wedding bells are ringing!
For all the drama and chaos that our favorite soap operas bring us, there’s always a good dose of romance to bring us back down to earth. What better way to feel the love than with a wedding? Soap weddings have become integral parts of pop culture—just look at Luke and Laura from General Hospital! The episode drew in a whopping 30 million viewers when it aired!
Amnesia
Another classic soap trope, there’s nothing like a dramatic storyline becoming even more dramatic when one character has no recollection of what went on. We’ve seen it on Days of Our Lives, General Hospital and countless others over the years.
Back from the dead
We can’t lie—it gets us every time! Who can forget Stefano DiMero on Days of Our Lives, James Stenbeck in As the World Turns or Phillip Spaulding on Guiding Light? These epic returns still live in our heads rent-free!
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