Editor’s Note: Event Producer Jason Spitzer founded Soap Opera Socialite Productions in 2011. SOSP focuses on bringing the fans closer to their favorite actors from daytime television at events throughout the country. He is on Twitter and Facebook.
On April 14 of last year, ABC made a huge announcement (and to some of us, a very devastating one) -- they were canceling "All My Children" AND "One Life to Live." With all the of rumors going around the Internet, we knew one of them would get canceled. But BOTH??? No way! It was a major shock to the viewers and even to most industry insiders. Two hours of our day were just taken away. Characters that we’ve grown to love and love to hate were just ripped out of our lives.
Honestly, anyone who’s ever been a soap fan knows we’ve been dealing with cancelations for a few decades now. Even before "AMC," "OLTL," "As the World Turns" and "Guiding Light" were canceled, we were dealing with the loss of popular soaps like "Search for Tomorrow," "Ryan’s Hope," "Santa Barbara," and "The Edge of Night." Back when the daytime dial was full of soap operas and games shows, one soap opera would be canceled and another would take its place. We all had someplace to go to get our "soap fix." Now with only four network soap operas left airing, you have to ask yourself, where do I get my "soap fix?"
Let me just offer a few solutions. A lot of you might think, "Hey -- I have two hours more in my day. I can accomplish more!" Before you go and do that, hear me out. For one, we start watching the shows that are left! At this point, we have to support one another and help keep the genre alive. We’ve got four fantastic soap operas still airing, so why not give them a try if you haven’t before. You may not know all the histories of the Spencers, Hortons, Bradys, Foresters, or the Newmans, but if you log into a chat room or a fan board, I’m sure you can get caught up in under an hour! I think that would be your best start.
If you don’t like that idea and your time is more valuable these days, may I suggest turning to the web and getting caught up on web soaps like Crystal Chappell’s "Venice" and Martha Byrne’s "Gotham." You can catch some of favorite actors on hits like "The Bay," "Empire," "The Cavanaughs," and "DeVanity." If you’re not familiar with web soaps, they’re shorter episodes (anywhere between seven and 15 minutes) and and run once a week or few times a month. And they’re always available to view, anytime. They’re funny, entertaining, and always serve up several doses of some classic soap opera drama.
Lastly, nighttime soap operas are back! With the arrival of first-season hits like "Revenge," "Smash," "Scandal," "Once Upon a Time," and the long awaited (exactly 21 years) return of "Dallas," I think there is plenty of "soap fix" to go around. I was on the edge of my seat at the end of every episode of "Revenge." If you don’t believe me, check out the first season runs of those above mentioned shows on Hulu.
Do you have an answer for your "soap fix"? What are you doing to get it? Do you have any suggestions for the millions of soap fans that are in the same boat as you?
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