What elements make a soap opera and what are examples?

A soap opera is typically a long-running show that follows a family. Audiences associate the following key elements with the genre. Most notably, there is family drama regarding the struggle for power over a position.

There’s also sibling rivalry, sometimes in the form of a love triangle. For example, the same woman is the love interest of two brothers. Soap operas are also known for a character’s unidentified paternity, also known as “Who’s the Daddy?” or WTD storyline. Such a plot point typically arises from the previously mentioned love triangle.

Another element soap operas are best known for is soap opera rapid aging syndrome (SORAS), in which a child character is not seen on-screen for a long period of time so that the character is rapidly aged so that they may now participate in adult storylines.

The final element that characterizes a soap opera is a secret relative that seemingly appears out of nowhere, usually to challenge a main character for power.

The best known examples of soap operas are shows on daytime television such as General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, and The Young & the Restless. However, soap operas can also include primetime shows such as Grey’s Anatomy and even blockbuster movies such as Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which exhibit many elements that allow for these works to be considered soap operas.