why are tv soaps known as soaps?

Question

probably a very easy explanation, but why do we refer to certain tv programmes as 'soaps'?

Answer 1

Because the content is so dirty that you feal like you need to take a shower after they are over... DUHHH


The true reason is daytime TV was originaly designed for the stay at home moms so all the commercials were designed for them. EG soaps and cleaning supplies...

Answer 2

Good question - Back in the late 50s and early 60s, the big American detergent companies - Proctor and Gamble, Lever Bros - needed to find someway to communicate with the daytime female television audience. They decided that they would create programmes that specifically appealed to women - and they then used it as a promotion/advertising vehicle. They needed a day by day show, and so they started afternoon programmes such as The Guiding Light, General Hospital and The Young and the Restless. Each episode has little mini dramas in it, but generally, you can tune in at any time and still have a pretty clear idea of what's going on. Because they were there to promote soap powders and other household goods, they became known as 'soap operas'. The name has now become a generic title for many of the episodic dramas that focus on day-to-day story lines of love, betrayal etc..

Answer 3

Back in the late 50s and early 60s, the big American detergent companies - Proctor and Gamble, Lever Bros - needed to find someway to communicate with the daytime female television audience.

They decided that they would create programmes that specifically appealed to women - and they then used it as a promotion/advertising vehicle. They needed a day by day show, and so they started afternoon programmes such as The Guiding Light, General Hospital and The Young and the Restless. Each episode has little mini dramas in it, but generally, you can tune in at any time and still have a pretty clear idea of what's going on. Because they were there to promote soap powders and other household goods, they became known as 'soap operas'. The name has now become a generic title for many of the episodic dramas that focus on day-to-day storylines of love, betrayal etc..

Answer 4

A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction, usually broadcast on television or radio. This genre of TV and radio entertainment has existed long enough for audiences to recognize them simply by the term soap. What differentiates a soap from other television drama programs is their open-ended nature. Plots run concurrently, intersect, and lead into further developments. An individual episode of a soap opera will generally switch between several different concurrent story threads that may at times interconnect and affect one another, or may run entirely independent of each other. Each episode may feature some of the show's current storylines but not always all of them. There is some rotation of both storylines and actors so any given storyline or actor will appear in some but usually not all of a week's worth of episodes. Soap operas rarely "wrap things up" storywise, and generally avoid bringing all the current storylines to a conclusion at the same time. When one storyline ends there are always several other story threads at differing stages of development. Soap opera episodes invariably end on some sort of cliffhanger.

Answer 5

The term "soap opera" originated from the fact that when these serial dramas were aired on daytime radio, the commercials aired during the shows were largely aimed at housewives. Many of the products sold during these commercials were laundry and cleaning items, and included a jingle praising the product. This specific type of radio drama came to be associated with these particular commercials, and this gave rise to the term "soap opera" — a melodramatic story that aired commercials for soap products. Though soap operas are still sponsored by companies such as Procter & Gamble, the diverse demographic groups that soap operas attract have caused other advertisements for such things as acne medication and birth control, appealing to a much younger audience.


A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction, usually broadcast on television or radio. This genre of TV and radio entertainment has existed long enough for audiences to recognize them simply by the term soap. What differentiates a soap from other television drama programs is their open-ended nature. Plots run concurrently, intersect, and lead into further developments. An individual episode of a soap opera will generally switch between several different concurrent story threads that may at times interconnect and affect one another, or may run entirely independent of each other. Each episode may feature some of the show's current storylines but not always all of them. There is some rotation of both storylines and actors so any given storyline or actor will appear in some but usually not all of a week's worth of episodes. Soap operas rarely "wrap things up" storywise, and generally avoid bringing all the current storylines to a conclusion at the same time. When one storyline ends there are always several other story threads at differing stages of development. Soap opera episodes invariably end on some sort of cliffhanger.

Evening soap operas sometimes differ from this general format and are more likely to feature the entire cast in each episode, and to represent all current storylines in each episode. Additionally evening soaps and other serials that run for only part of the year tend to bring things to a dramatic end of season cliffhanger. Some of the larger, disaster cliffhangers that affect a large proportion of the cast sometimes serve to bring all current storylines together.

Answer 6

The word Soap in reference to TV programs is derived from the name of a sit-com (situation commedy) that ran from 1977-1981, called 'Soap', which set new standards in programming, and spawned many series that were the inspiration for modern soaps. It was about two sisters and their respective dysfunctional families. Although nowadays it would not be classed as a soap, modern soaps can trace their lineage back to it.

Answer 7

It comes from the days before TV, when soap companies used to sponsor musical shows. They became known as "soap operas".

Answer 8

i'm uncertain what you're searching for for...yet right this is a few information. -they're the muse of all television. -The oldest television application ever is GL, and has been on for seventy two years. -they're addicting :) -Plot lines are loopy. in spite of the shown fact that, in a fashion, all of them revolve around love. -human beings wreck up however the "supercouples" often come back at the same time. -cleansing soap Operas ARE drama..and are probable the main suitable element on television. -Many contain wordly subject concerns into their storylines. -they're elementary to persist with, and pass alongside lots slower using fact they're on 5 days a week.

Answer 9

Because the earliest (1920's) radio 'soap operas' were originally sponsored by soap companies.

Answer 10

I think its cos many years ago in the USA, they had the first "domestic dramas" and cos they appealed mainly to women the main advertisers/sponsors for those progs were companies that produced detergents. They thinking they were hitting the audience that would most be interested in their products at the time.