correction the munsters were not a relief of melodramtic soap operas such as dark shadows as the later series did not debut until a d the only suspense soap opera that could have come close was the edge of night rather it was more a tongue in cheek send up to the low budget horror moviess perliferating in the fifties and sixties the characters themselves bore this out obviously with sister themed show the addams family and competitive sit coms bewitched and i dream of jeannie this formula became a winning mantra that departed from the typical family situation comedies and droll western series veryverser