- Title Pages
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Daytime Budget Cuts
- Agnes Nixon and Soap Opera “Chemistry Tests”
- Giving Soaps a Good Scrub
- The Way We Were
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Growing Old Together
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Of Soap Operas, Space Operas, and Television’s Rocky Romance with the Feminine Form
- The Ironic and Convoluted Relationship Between Daytime and Primetime Soap Operas
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Preserving Soap History
- Did the 2007 Writers Strike Save Daytime’s Highest-Rated Drama?
- “The Rhetoric of the Camera in Television Soap Opera” Revisited
- It’s Not All Talk
- Guiding Light
- The Evolution of the Production Process of Soap Operas Today
- From Daytime to <i>Night Shift</i>
- “What the Hell Does TIIC Mean?”
- The Evolution of the Fan Video and the Influence of YouTube on the Creative Decision-Making Process for Fans
- Soaps for Tomorrow
- Soap Opera Critics and Criticism
- Hanging on by a Common Thread
- Perspective
- The Role of “The Audience” in the Writing Process
- The “Missing Years”
- <i>As the World Turns’</i> Luke and Noah and Fan Activism
- Constructing the Older Audience
- References
- Index
Introduction
Introduction
The Crisis of Daytime Drama and What It Means for the Future of Television
- Chapter:
- (p.3) Introduction
- Source:
- The Survival of Soap Opera
- Author(s):
Sam Ford
Abigail De Kosnik
C. Lee Harrington
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
This introductory chapter provides an overview of the main themes covered in this book. Daytime soap operas are currently struggling with declining ratings as well as uncertainty over who is actually watching, how to attract and retain new viewers while not losing long-term fans, and how best to capitalize on the deep histories of narratives that have been airing for decades. Indeed, soaps are facing many questions that trouble all television production today as it transitions from broadcast to digital media. The chapter discusses the reason why the soap genre warrants consideration; the cultural significance of soaps; different viewer reception and interaction stimulated by serial primetime shows and daytime dramas; and principles that distinguish daytime soaps from other television genres and storytelling forms.
Keywords: soap operas, television programs, ratings
University Press of Mississippi requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
- Title Pages
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Daytime Budget Cuts
- Agnes Nixon and Soap Opera “Chemistry Tests”
- Giving Soaps a Good Scrub
- The Way We Were
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Growing Old Together
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Of Soap Operas, Space Operas, and Television’s Rocky Romance with the Feminine Form
- The Ironic and Convoluted Relationship Between Daytime and Primetime Soap Operas
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Preserving Soap History
- Did the 2007 Writers Strike Save Daytime’s Highest-Rated Drama?
- “The Rhetoric of the Camera in Television Soap Opera” Revisited
- It’s Not All Talk
- Guiding Light
- The Evolution of the Production Process of Soap Operas Today
- From Daytime to <i>Night Shift</i>
- “What the Hell Does TIIC Mean?”
- The Evolution of the Fan Video and the Influence of YouTube on the Creative Decision-Making Process for Fans
- Soaps for Tomorrow
- Soap Opera Critics and Criticism
- Hanging on by a Common Thread
- Perspective
- The Role of “The Audience” in the Writing Process
- The “Missing Years”
- <i>As the World Turns’</i> Luke and Noah and Fan Activism
- Constructing the Older Audience
- References
- Index
