Soap opera

A soap opera, soapie, or soap is a serial drama on television or radio which features related story lines about the lives of many characters. The stories usually focus on emotional relationships to the point of melodrama. The term soap opera originated from such dramas being typically sponsored by soap manufacturers in the past.

Origin of the genre

The first series considered to be a "soap opera" was Painted Dreams, which debuted on October 20, 1930 on Chicago radio station WGN. Early radio series such as Painted Dreams were broadcast in weekday daytime slots, usually five days a week, when most of the listeners would be housewives; thus, the shows were aimed at and consumed by a predominantly female audience. In the name, "soap" refers to the soap and detergent commercials originally broadcast during the shows, which were aimed at women who were cleaning their houses at the time of listening or viewing, and "opera" refers to the melodramatic character of the shows.

The first nationally broadcast radio soap opera was Clara, Lu, and Em, which aired on the NBC Blue Network at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time on January 27, 1931.

Soap Opera (2014 film)

Soap Opera is a 2014 Italian comedy film written and directed by Alessandro Genovesi. It opened the 2014 Rome Film Festival.

Cast

References

External links

Soap opera (disambiguation)

A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction presented in serial format on television, radio, or other mediums.

Soap opera may also refer to:

In print

In other uses

Tamil television soap opera

Tamil television soap opera or Tamil serials (Tamil: தமிழ் மெகாதொடர்கள்) Soap operas are a popular genre of Tamil television. They are usually shown Day Time on Tamil television channels and start at 11:00 to 15:30, Early Fringe start at 18:00 to 19:30 and every night at primetime start at 20:00 to 23:00. A series will run for about three or four years. It may air five or six episodes a week, the pattern usually being Monday through Friday or Monday through Saturday.

A channel will air five to sixteen Soap operas simultaneously at any given time. Because they attract the most viewers, each channel competes for the most popular stars.

Format

Tamil television serials are usually helmed by one director,one written by one screenwriter, thus having a distinct directing style and language, unlike American television series, where often several directors and writers work together. Series are likely to have only one season, with 1–500 or 1-1000 episodes. Mini series may be longer, with 100 to 200 episodes, but they also run for only one season.