Shows

The following contains a list of currently airing, as well as previously airing daytime soap operas.

U.S. daytime soap operas (and some famous UK offerings that have been shown in the US) that are currently on the air[]

• All My Secrets: Created by Bridget and Robert Warren, All My Secrets focuses upon the trials and tribulations of the residents of Arlington, New Mexico. This series has aired weekdays on the BGC network since April 1, 1963.

• The Bold and the Beautiful: Created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell​ and starring John McCook; Katherine Kelly Lang; Thorsten Kaye; Don Diamont, Heather Tom, Kimberlin Brown, and Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, The Bold and the Beautiful focuses upon the lives of the Forrester family and their fashion house, Forrester Creations, in a fictional incarnation of Los Angeles, California. The series has aired weekdays on the CBS network since March 23, 1987, and currently holds the distinction of being the only soap opera still in production that still has a thirty minute runtime.

• Coronation Street: Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street has been running on the ITV network in the UK since December 9, 1960. The series, starring William Roache; Helen Worth; Kate Ford; Violet Carson; Doris Speed; Julie Goodyear; Betty Alberge; Barbara Knox; Eileen Derbyshire; and Patricia Phoenix, centers on the lives of the many and varied families (notably, the Ogdens, Tanners; Barlows; Grimshaws and Platts) that live on the eponymous street in the community of Weatherfield, a fictional suburb of Manchester. Corrie is the longest running TV soap on UK television.

• Days of Our Lives: Created by Ted Corday and Betty Corday, Days of Our Lives focuses upon the trials and tribulations of the Horton and Brady families, all residents of Salem, USA. This series, which starred MacDonald Carey and Frances Reid (and currently starring Deidre Hall), has aired weekdays on the NBC network since November 8, 1965, and it held the distinction of being the sole soap opera on NBC . As of September 12, 2022 it now airs in the US only on Peacock streaming app.

• EastEnders: Created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland, EastEnders has been airing on the BBC network in the UK since February 19th, 1985, and is still airing today. Starring Adam Woodyatt; Letitia Dean; Gillian Taylforth; Barbara Windsor; Steve McFadden; Ross Kemp; Wendy Richard; Kellie Bright; Danny Dyer and Pam St. Clement, the series focuses on the lives of the various families (notably, the Fowlers, Beales, Mitchells and Slaters) that live in Albert Square in a fictional borough in the East End of London.

• General Hospital: Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, General Hospital focuses on the complicated day to day lives of the Hardy, Quartermaine, Corinthos and Cassadine families and other various residents of Port Charles, New York. The show stars Leslie Charleson; Sonya Eddy; Constance Towers; Anthony Geary; Genie Francis; Ilene Kristen, Denise Alexander; Maurice Benard; John Beradino, Emily McLaughlin; Rachel Ames; Lucille Wall; Stuart Damon; Anna Lee; John Ingle; Jane Elliot; Robin Mattson; John Reilly; Sharon Wyatt and Laura Wright, and having aired weekdays on the ABC network since April 1, 1963. It is currently the only soap opera still airing on ABC and currently holds the distinction of being the longest running soap still running on US television.

• The Young and the Restless: Created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, The Young and the Restless focuses on the up's and down's of the Abbott, Chancellor, Brooks, Foster, Winters, Fenmore and Newman families, who are all or had been residents of Genoa City, Wisconsin (the real Genoa City is a very small hamlet in Walworth County while this incarnation is a large city of the size of Chicago). Starring Robert Colbert, Dorothy Green, Jaime Lyn Bauer, Victoria Mallory, Janice Lynde, Trish Stewart, Brenda Dickson, Deborah Adair, David Hassellhoff, Terry Lester, Doug Davidson; Eric Braeden, Jerry Douglas, Jeanne Cooper; Melody Thomas Scott; Peter Bergman; Beth Maitland; Christel Khalil; Tracey Bregman; Michael Damian, Marla Adams; Jess Walton and Eileen Davidson, and having aired weekdays on the CBS network since March 26, 1973, the series currently has held the distinction of being the most watched daytime soap opera since 1988.

U.S. daytime soap operas (and a few foreign imports) that are no longer in production[]

• All My Children: Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children aired weekdays on the ABC network from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011, and then aired on TOLN from April 29 to September 2, 2013. The series starred Susan Lucci; Jill Larson; Walt Willey; David Canary; Eden Riegel; Taylor Miller; Francesca James; Eileen Herlie; Ray McDonnell; Mary Fickett; Julia Barr; Frances Heflin; Hugh Franklin and Ruth Warrick. It focused upon the many and varied interactions of the Tyler, Martin, Kane, Cortlandt, Marick; Montgomery and Chandler families, all residents of Pine Valley, Pennsylvania.

• Angels and Devils: Created by Agnes Dixon, Angels and Devils aired weekdays on the BGC Network from September 21, 1992 to September 19, 2008 and focused on the residents of Tennyson, New Jersey.

• Another Life: Created by Roy Winsor and Bob Aarons, Another Life aired weekdays on the former CBN cable channel from 1981 to 1984. The show, starring Mary Jean Feton, Dorothy Stinnette; Tom Urich, Edye Byrde and Ginger Burgett, focused on the lives of the Davidson, Redlon and Carpenter families, all residents of the community of Kingsley, Virginia.

• Another World: Created by Irna Phillips and William J. Bell, Another World aired weekdays on the NBC network from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. Starring Hugh Marlowe, Irene Dailey, Virginia Dwyer; Jacqueline Courtney; Douglass Watson and Victoria Wyndham, the show focused upon the lives of the Matthews, Cory, Hutchins, and Love families, who are all residents of Bay City, Illinois.

• As the World Turns: Created by Irna Phillips, As the World Turns aired weekdays on the CBS network from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Starring Bob Hastings, Kathryn Hays; Marie Masters; Elizabeth Hubbard; Kathleen Widdoes; Conard Fowkes; Don McLaughlin; Rosemary Prinz; Helen Wagner and Eileen Fulton, the show focused upon the lives of the Hughes, Lowell, Stewart, Snyder and Walsh families who are all residents of Oakdale, Illinois.

• The Brighter Day: Created by Irna Phillips, The Brighter Day aired weekdays on the CBS network. The show, which featured Lois Nettleton; Mona Bruns; Blair Davies; Bennye Gatteys; Patty Duke and Hal Holbrook over the years, focused on the Reverend Richard Dennis, his widowed sister, Emily and his family in the town of New Hope (later moved to the college city of Columbus).

• Capitol: Created by Stephen and Elinor Karpf, Capitol aired weekdays on the CBS network from March 1982 to March 1987. Starring such venerable show-business personalities as Constance Towers, Ed Nelson; Rory Calhoun; Richard Egan, Carolyn Jones; Kimberly Beck; Marj Dusay and Julie Adams, as well as newcomers like Leslie Graves; David Mason Daniels; Dane Witherspoon; Christopher Durham and Tonja Walker, this Romeo-and-Juliet style story focused upon the interactions between two powerful Governmental families who are feuding and the romance between Tyler McCandless and Julie Clegg, the children of the two feuding families. They are all residents of fictionalized neighborhoods in and around the area of Washington, DC, most notably the fictional suburb of Jeffersonia, Virginia.

• The City: Created by Agnes Nixon, Barbara Esensten, and James Harmon Brown, as a continuation of Loving, The City aired weekdays on the ABC network from November 13, 1995 to March 28, 1997. The show focused on the interactions of various people in New York City (those few who survived the Corinth killings), and starred Morgan Fairchild as media mogul Sydney Chase; and later, Jane Elliot as her General Hospital character of Tracy Quartermaine.

• Dark Shadows: Created by Dan Curtis, Dark Shadows aired weekdays on the ABC television network from June 27th, 1966 to April 2, 1971.  One of the more unusual soaps of its time, the show, which starred Joan Bennett; Louis Edmunds; Kathryn Leigh Scott; Alexandra Moltke and Jonathan Frid, focused on the supernatural situations that befell the powerful and quite macabre Collins family as well as the other residents of Collinsport, Maine. 

• The Doctors: Created by Orin Tovrov, The Doctors aired weekdays on the NBC network from April 1, 1963 to December 31, 1982. The show, which featured future As The World Turns stalwart Elizabeth Hubbard, focused upon the lives of Matt Powers, played by James Pritchett, and the other residents of the New England town of Madison and the staff of the town's hospital, Hope Memorial Hospital (which Matt is Chief of Staff). The show didn't begin as a soap, but rather as an anthology series, but became a soap a few months into its run. It is currently being shown in repeats on the Retro Television Network, being seen for the first time since it was cancelled. 

• Downton Abbey: Created and written by Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey initially aired on ITV in England and was later aired on PBS's Masterpiece Classics from 2011-2016. The show, inspired by the series, Upstairs, Downstairs and a movie called Gosford Park, starred Dame Maggie Smith; Penelope Wilton; Michelle Dockery; Laura Carmichael; Allen Leech; Jim Carter; Phyllis Logan; Lesley Nicol; Sophie McShera; Rob James-Collier; Elizabeth McGovern and Hugh Bonneville. The series focused on the lives of the large Crawley family and their varied servants at a large manor house called Downton Abbey in Yorkshire, England. The highly successful franchise has also spawned two highly successful feature films..  

• The Edge of Night: Created by Irving Vendig, The Edge of Night aired weekdays on the CBS network from April 2, 1956 to November 1975; then moved to the ABC network, where it aired from December 1975 to December 1984. The show, starring Forrest Compton, Ann Flood; Donald May; Larkin Malloy; Maeve McGuire; Walter Greaza; Peggy Allenby; Fran Sharon; Dixie Carter; Johanna Leister; Lois Kibbee and Sharon Gabet, was unique in that it was more of a mystery story than a regular soap opera, and it focused upon the adventures of lawyer Mike Karr, his wife, journalist, Nancy Pollock Karr and the other residents of the Midwestern town of Monticello.

• Fraternity Row: Created by Agnes Dixon, Fraternity Row aired weekdays on the BGC network from January 6, 1969 to January 20, 2012, and focused upon the residents of Billingsley, Pennsylvania.

• Generations: Created by Sally Sussman Morina, Generations aired weekdays on the NBC network from 1989 to 1991. Starring Taurean Blaque; Joan Pringle, Barbara Rhoades; Patricia Crowley; Lynn Hamilton; Kristoff St. John and Jonelle Allen, the series focused upon the lives of the Whitmore and Marshall families, who are all residents of fictional incarnations of neighborhoods in and near the area of Chicago, Illinois.

• Guiding Light: Created by Irna Phillips, Guiding Light aired weekdays on the CBS network from June 30, 1952 to September 18, 2009, having evolved from a radio incarnation which ran from January 25, 1937 to June 29, 1956. The series, starring Peter Simon; Don Stewart; Kim Zimmer; Robert Newman; Beth Chamberlain; Maureen Garrett; Michael Zaslow; Ron Raines; Tina Sloan; Justin Deas; Grant Aleksander; Maeve Kinkead; Mary Stuart (in her final soap role); Theo Goetz and Charita Bauer, focused upon the lives of the Bauer, Chamberlain; Lewis; Spaulding and Shayne families who are all residents of Springfield, Illinois (after previously focusing on communities called Five Points, then Selby Flats, California). The series had held the distinction of being the longest running program in broadcasting history.

• High Hopes: Produced by Glenn-Warren Productions for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and seen on various US television stations in Syndication, in 1978. The series, starring Bruce Gray, Jayne Eastwood, Nuala Fitzgerald; Candace O'Connor; Vivian Reis; Nehemiah Persoff and Dorothy Malone, focused on the trials of Neal Chapman, a family counselor, his immediate family and the other residents of the Canadian communities of Cambridge and its across the river suburb, Cambridgeport. A pre-Dynasty Gordon Thomson had a featured role as a college student.

• Love is a Many Splendored Thing: Developed for television by Irna Phillips, Love is a Many Splendored Thing aired weekdays on the CBS television network from September 1967 to March 1973. Originally a sequel to the classic 1955 movie of the same name which starred William Holden and Jennifer Jones, the series, which featured a pre-General Hospital Leslie Charleson and a pre-Knots Landing Donna Mills, focused on the Elliott, Donnelly, Garrison and Chernak families, all residents of a fictional incarnation of San Francisco, California.

• Love of Life: Created by Roy Winsor, Love of Life aired weekdays on the CBS network from 1951 to 1980. The series starred Peggy McCay, Bonnie Bartlett; Audrey Peters; Jean McBride and Tudi Wiggins and was a morality tale that was focused upon the lives of two very different sisters. The always good and kind Vanessa Dale (McCay, Bartlett and Peters) and evil money-mad and spiteful Meg Harper (McBride and Wiggins), whose family was the residents of 2 locales, the first one was a town called Barrowsville, and the second one was Rosehill, New York.

• Lovers and Friends: Created by Harding Lemay and Paul Rauch, Lovers and Friends (later renamed For Richer, For Poorer) ran on the NBC television network from 1977-1978 as a sort of spin-off of Another World. The series, starring Nancy Marchand, Margaret Barker; Ron Randell; Patricia Englund; Patricia Estrin and Rod Arrants, focused on the Cushing and Saxton families, who are next door neighbors and residents of Point Clair, Illinois, a fictional suburb of Chicago.

• Loving: Created by Agnes Nixon and Douglas Marland, Loving aired weekdays on the ABC network from June 26, 1983 to November 10, 1995, after a premiere movie which also starred Lloyd Bridges and Geraldine Page. The regular serial, which started the next day, starred Wesley Addy, Augusta Dabney; Bryan Cranston; Pamela Blair; Tom Ligon; Susan Walters; Lauren-Marie Taylor; Perry Stephens; John Shearin; Shannon Eubanks; Patricia Kalember; James Kiberd, Marilyn McIntyre; Teri Keane; John Cunningham and Ann Williams (in what would be her final soap role), and focused upon the interconnected lives of the Alden, Forbes, Donovan and Slater families, all residents of the university town of Corinth, Pennsylvania. The series was continued as The City.

• One Life to Live: Created by Agnes Nixon, One Life to Live aired weekdays on the ABC network from July 15, 1968 to January 13, 2012, and then aired on TOLN from April 29 to August 19, 2013. The series, which starred Erika Slezak; Robert S. Woods; Jerry VerDorn; Farah Fath; John-Paul Lavoisier; Ilene Kristen; Kassie DePaiva; Phil Carey and Robin Strasser, focused upon the lives of the Lord, Buchanan, Cramer, Vega and Manning families, all residents of Llanview, Pennsylvania.

• One Line to Cross: Created by Marc Harvard, One Line to Cross focused upon the residents of Billingsley, Pennsylvania. The series aired on BGC from June 17, 2013 to September 22, 2023, and was a spinoff of Fraternity Row, and a replacement of Our Screams Can Last.

• Our Screams Can Last: Created by Agnes Dixon, Our Screams Can Last aired weekdays on the BGC network from March 25, 1963 to September 7, 2012, and focused upon the residents of Lexington, Pennsylvania.

• Passionate Dreams: Created by Irna Phillips, Passionate Dreams aired weekdays on the BGC network from June 25, 1951 to December 21, 2012, having evolved from a radio incarnation which ran from January 15, 1940 to June 22, 1951. The series focused upon the residents of Bellwood, Illinois.

• Passions: Created by James E. Reilly as a replacement for Another World, Passions aired on the NBC network from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007, when it was cancelled by NBC. DirecTV's 101 Network picked up the series for an additional season, which aired from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008, at which point it ceased production altogether. The show, which starred Juliet Mills, Lindsay Korman; Liza Huber, Eric Martsolf; Eva Tamargo and Kim Johnston Ulrich focused on the lives of the Crane, Bennett, Russell and Lopez-Fitzgerald families, as well as other residents (of the mortal and supernatural variety) of the quirky New England community of Harmony.

• Port Charles: Created by Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton and Wendy Riche as a spin-off of General Hospital, Port Charles aired weekdays on the ABC network from June 2, 1997 to October 3, 2003. Unique to American soap operas, Port Charles introduced the concept of thirteen week story arcs in 2000, and retained this model until the end of the series.

• Rainbow Stories: Created by Marc Harvard, Rainbow Stories focused upon the residents of Bellwood, Illinois. The series aired on BGC from March 16, 2015 to September 22, 2023 and is a spinoff of Passionate Dreams.

• Rituals: Created by Gene Palumbo, Ken Corday and Charlene Keel, Rituals was a syndicated soap opera that ran from 1984-1985 The show starred Kin Shriner; Philece Sampler; Kevin Spirtas; Greg Mullavey; Mary Beth Evans; Dennis Patrick, Tina Louise and Jo Ann Pflug and focused on the lives of the Chapin, Gallagher, and Robertson families, all residents of Wingfield, Virginia

• Ryan's Hope: Created by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, Ryan's Hope aired weekdays on the ABC network from July 1975 to January 1989. The show, starring Bernard Barrow; Kate Mulgrew; Ilene Kristen; Malcolm Groome; Earl Hindman and Helen Gallagher, focused upon the lives of the Ryan family, who own and operate a bar and grill and other residents of a fictional incarnation of the Riverside neighborhood, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, in New York City.

• Santa Barbara: Created by Bridget Dobson and Jerome Dobson, Santa Barbara aired weekdays on the NBC network from July 30, 1984 to January 15, 1993. Starring Dame Judith Anderson, Jed Allan, Valorie Armstrong, A. Martinez; Marcy Walker; Nicolas Coster and Louise Sorel, this show, which combined soap drama with some rather sophisticated black comedy, focused upon the intertwined lives of the Capwell, Lockridge, Andrade and Perkins family, all residents of a fictional incarnation of Santa Barbara, California.

• Search for Tomorrow: Created by Roy Winsor, Search for Tomorrow aired weekdays on the CBS network from September 1951 to March 1982, then moved to the NBC network, where it aired from March 1982 to December 26, 1986. Starring Mary Stuart, Larry Haines, John Aniston, Maree Cheatham; Cynthia Gibb; Lisa Peluso; Louise Shaffer; Louan Gideon, Rod Arrants; Morgan Fairchild; Marcia McCabe, Ann Williams; Joel Higgins, Michael Nouri; Anne Wyndham and Sherry Mathis, the series focused upon the travails of widowed businesswoman Joanne Gardner and the Bergman, Wyatt, Sentell, and McCleary families, all residents of the Midwestern community of Henderson.

• The Secret Storm: Created by Roy Winsor, The Secret Storm aired weekdays on the CBS network from February 1954 to February 1974. Starring Jada Rowland, Haila Stoddard, Peter Hobbs; Nicolas Coster; Marjorie Gateson and Marla Adams, it focused on the lives of the residents (most notably the beleaguered Ames family) of the town of Woodbridge, New York.

• Somerset: Created by Robert Cenedella, Somerset aired weekdays on the NBC network from March 30, 1970 to December 1976 and was a spin-off of Another World. The series, starring Jordan Charney, Ann Wedgeworth, Dorothy Stinnette; Renne Jarrett; Richard Shoberg; Susan MacDonald; Georgann Johnson and Marie Wallace, focused upon the intertwined lives of the Lucas, Grant and Delaney families, all residents of the community of Somerset, Illinois (supposedly north of Another World's locale of Bay City).

• Sunset Beach: Created by Josh Griffith, Robert Guza, Jr., and Charles Pratt, Jr., Sunset Beach aired weekdays on the NBC network from January 16, 1997 to December 31, 1999. Starring Lesley-Anne Down, Kathleen Noone and Randy Spelling (and featuring famed country singer, Barbara Mandrell in a recurring role), the series focused upon the lives of the Deschanel and Richards families, all residents of Sunset Beach, California.

• Supportive Women: Created by Agnes Dixon, Supportive Women aired weekdays on the BGC network from June 30, 1986 to September 18, 1992, and focused upon the residents of Jupiter, New Jersey.

• Texas: Created by John William Corrington, Joyce Corrington, and Paul Rauch, Texas aired weekdays on the NBC network from August 4, 1980 to December 31, 1982. A spin-off from Another World, the show starred Beverlee McKinsey, Carla Borelli; Caryn Richmond; Virginia Graham, Elizabeth Allen, Donald May; Randy Hamilton; Sharon Acker; Josephine Nichols; Tina Johnson; Dianne Neil; Bert Kramer and Daniel Davis, and it focused upon the adventures of former Another World villainess, Iris Carrington, as well as her interactions with the Wheeler and Marshall families, all residents of a fictional incarnation of Houston, Texas.

• Universal Lives: Created by Marc Harvard, Universal Lives focused upon the residents of Lexington, Pennsylvania. This series aired on BGC since March 18, 2013 to September 22, 2023, and was a spinoff of Our Screams Can Last, and a replacement of Passionate Dreams.

• Upstairs, Downstairs: Created by Jean Marsh, Eileen Atkins, John Whitney and John Hawkesworth, Upstairs, Downstairs appeared on ITV in England and was a mainstay on PBS's acclaimed Masterpiece Theater. The series initially ran from 1971-1975 and a sequel from 2010-2012.  The series, starring Angela Baddeley; Gordon Jackson, David Langton, Rachel Gurney; Joan Benham; Simon Williams; Pauline Collins and creator Marsh, focused on the lives of a wealthy family (the Bellamy family at first and then the Holland family) and their servants at 165 Eaton Place, a townhouse in London's wealthy Belgravia neighborhood. The series would inspire the later (and highly successful) series Downton Abbey.

• Where the Heart is: Created by Lou Schofield and Margaret DePriest, and written by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, Where the Heart is aired weekdays on the CBS television network from September 8, 1969, until March 26, 1973.  The show, which starred James Mitchell, Louise Shaffer, Priscilla Pointer; Bibi Osterwald and Diana van der Vlis, focused on the lives of the wealthy but very troubled Hathaway family, who are residents of the town of Northcross, Connecticut.