SOAP LAUGHS

@DreamerofSoaps made the mistake of asking, on Twitter, whether anyone had ever heard of the television show, Soap.

It just so happens that Soap, which ran on ABC from 1977-1980 is my favorite show of all time. My brother and I can quote long, long stretches of dialogue (much to the dismay of our respective significant others).

After raving about Soap on Twitter, I boiled it down to the following: Soap was able to take traditional daytime drama tropes, make them funny and make you care about the characters. They weren't just mocking the conventions, they were honoring them in a highly entertaining way. (Personally, I always thought traditional soaps could stand to have more humor. You can have drama along with chuckles. It's why characters like ATWT's Henry, DOOL's Vivian, GH's Diane and B&B's Sally tend to become so popular. We want to cry and laugh.)

Below is a perfect example of what Soap did best. It took a traditional serial situation: Corrine (Diana Canova) recently learned that Jessica (Katherine Helmond) is her adoptive mother, while the abrasive Inga (Ingrid Swenson) is her biological one. Corrine rejects Jessica and moves in with Ingrid. But, Jessica isn't about to walk away...

Enjoy, and let us know your thoughts: Is there a place in daytime for more laughs?