It is a common misconception that there are no good TV shows on in the summer. Sure the Emmy-contending, “quality” shows usually go on hiatus from May to September, but there are still mob murders, illicit affairs, deathly diseases and much, much worse airing all through the summer, five days a week (twice a day if you get Soapnet).
However, soap operas, to put it delicately, are an acquired taste. The best first reaction from a new viewer would probably be judgmental giggling and minor eye rolling. But the seasoned watcher knows a few tricks to following the often-dismissed shows.
To start watching soaps, one important note is to just pick one. If you try to keep up with “All My Children,” “General Hospital” and “Days of Our Lives,” you’ll become disillusioned with the genre because you’ll notice that most shows have very similar characters and very similar stories.
Another good thing to know about watching soap operas is not to watch it every day. Unlike weekly dramas, crucial plot twists take weeks to unfold and months, or even years, to resolve ““ and some feuds are just ongoing ““ so not much happens in a single episode, making it only necessary to watch it every day in order to follow what is going on. Especially big plots, like train crashes and fires can last months. I seriously stopped watching “General Hospital” for a quarter and when I tuned back in, the characters were still reeling from being held hostage in a hotel, which began months before.
The best days to watch are Tuesdays and Fridays. On Tuesdays, the main story line is usually set up for the week. Some character will happen upon a secret conversation or a lawyer will begin questioning in a trial. The rest of the week will follow these beginnings as they unfold. There may a twist or big revelation on Thursday; the eavesdropper is discovered or the lawyer forces a tough answer from a witness. The week’s plots come together on cliff-hanger Friday, where the consequences of Thursday’s confrontation are realized and you are left wondering what will happen next week.
Soap operas are not known for being subtle; cheesy music and dialogue like “I can’t believe you cheated on me with your wife!” will make it very clear what is happening in case you’ve been away from the sofa. Another strong point of these shows is that they don’t try to dress cheap thrills up as intricate, emotional entertainment; you know exactly what you are getting when you flip on daytime TV. Because you can catch an episode whenever you want, soap operas are a little dose of drama for that rare cloudy day in summer.
If you have other tips for watching soap operas, e-mail Crocker at acrocker@media.ucla.edu.