By the former fifties , scoop opera house had switch over over to television , and daytime television had no shortage of offer . As you ’ll see , captivating floor lines and characters are the key to seniority on daytime telecasting . If you ’re singular about the shortest - run soap , it was NBC’sThese Are My Children , which go only 24 day in 1949 . But for the longest - run soap operas , see the next page to get started .
1: (The) Guiding Light (1952-????)
Not only isGuiding Lightthe longest - running soap , at more than 15,000 episode ( and still exit ) , it is also the longest - run non - news syllabus in U.S. television history . Like many of the oldest soaps , Guiding Lightbegan in 1937 as a wireless program before making the transition to video on June 30 , 1952 . Originally , the soap took topographic point in the fictitious townsfolk of Five Points , then Selby Flats , and revolved around the Bauer fellowship . Now , it ’s the Spauldings , Coopers , and Lewises who are in the limelight . During the 1960s , " The " was neglect from the show ’s title to make it voice more contemporary . One of the show ’s more bizarre story lines involvedcloninglongtime character Reva Lewis from one of her own frozen egg ! Once the knockoff was born , she was given aging serum so that she would grow up tight . But she was evil and attempted to take Reva ’s position .
2: As the World Turns (1956-????)
Set in Oakdale , a fictional Midwestern town , As the World Turnshas been immensely popular since it debuted on April 2 , 1956 . The show is more realism - based than other liquid ecstasy , but people do fare back from the dead and children grow up far faster than in existent liveliness , as is the norm for the liquid ecstasy world . The first soap opera to use a two - family setup , As the World Turnspitted a midway - class phratry against a wealthy , but disruptive , family . The Hughes category remains as the midway - class champion , but the affluent family that was originally the Lowells is now the Munsons . After more than 13,000 episodes , the world is still twist , and this soap is still going strong .
3. General Hospital (1963-????)
bring up the " Greatest Soap Opera of all Time " byTV Guidein 2003,General Hospitalhas won the DaytimeEmmyfor Outstanding Drama series nine multiplication – more than any other soap!General Hospitalbegan its run on ABC on April 1 , 1963 , the very same day that NBC launched its rival medical dramaThe Doctors . Today , the show revolves around the Spencers , the Cassidines , mobster Sonny Corinthos , and the wealthy Quartermaine home .
The pairing of adventuresome Luke and Laura in the former 1970s sparked the tendency of the liquid ecstasy opera super match . place in fictional Port Charles , New York , most scenes take place at the sorrel , or , where else . . . General Hospital . Throughout the show ’s history , General Hospitalhas been a jumping - off point for several notable performers , including Demi Moore , Rick Springfield , John Stamos , and Ricky Martin .
4: Days of Our Lives (1965-????)
" Like guts through the hourglass . . . " faithful viewers have been watchingDays of Our Livessince it debut on November 8 , 1965.Daystakes place in the fabricated midwestern townspeople of Salem , with most scenes shot at University Hospital or the Brady Pub . Today , Salem is menage to the tidy Horton and Brady category , as well as the malign DiMeras . Since the show debuted more than 40 years ago , matriarch Alice Horton has been portray by awarding - winning role player Frances Reid . In the 1980s , the " Salem Stalker " and " Salem Slasher " brought romanticistic adventure to the forefront , while in the 1990s , Dr. Marlena Evans - Black ( Deidre Hall ) was possess by the devil .
5: One Life to Live (1968-????)
WhenOne Life to Liveoriginally aired on July 15 , 1968 , the moneyed Lord home was stone against the center - course of instruction Woleks and Rileys and the Siegels , the first Judaic kinfolk on a daytime drama . Now it ’s the Buchanans , Rapaports , Gannons , and Cramers who see most of the activity . They live in Llanview , Pennsylvania , a fabricated suburban area of Philadelphia . Llanview occupier have seen cults , sentence travel , and out - of - body experience . Incidentally , Llanview is only a 30 - hour parkway from another fictional soap Ithiel Town : All My Children’sPine Valley . As such , there have been several account line crossovers since both soaps are on ABC .
6: All My Children (1970-????)
The brainchild of liquid ecstasy opera house Godhead , writer , and manufacturer Agnes Nixon , All My Childrenhas been taking peril since its introduction on January 5 , 1970 . Set in fictitious Pine Valley , Pennsylvania , this soap deals with serious issues and over the years has broached such controversial subject as abortion , drugs , queerness , rape , and even the Vietnam War . One of only two histrion who have remained on the show for its entire run , Susan Lucci was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for 18 class in a row without a win for her role as Erica Kane . But Lucci was finally triumphant in 1999 .
7: The Young and the Restless (1973-????)
The Young and the Restlesstook to the modest projection screen on March 26 , 1973 , and more than 10,000 episodes later , it shows no signs of have up . Home forY&Rcharacters is Genoa City , Wisconsin , a fictional interlingual rendition of a genuine Greenwich Village . The TV town is a hotbed of corporate intrigue and grandeur , pitting two moneyed family – the Newmans and the Abbotts – against each other .
One ofY&R’smost horrific case , Sheila Carter Grainger Forrester Warwick ( Kimberlin Brown ) has switched babe , tried to cauterise her own female parent alive , used authorship results as blackmail , shot people , lived in a mental psychiatric hospital , and run away from a genial establishment by convincing someone to have plastic surgery and take her place . She is currently presumed dead , but in soap world that entail nothing – look for her to menace again ! With story lines like that , it ’s no wonder thatY&Rhas held the top blot in theratingswar since 1988 .
8: Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986)
For the show ’s entire run , from September 3 , 1951 to December 26 , 1986,Search for Tomorrowfollowed the life of heroine Joanne Gardner . Joanne and her friend lived in the fictional town of Henderson , and many scenes took lieu at her kitchen tabular array over a cup of chocolate . In the mid-1980s , in a last - ditch attempt to convey up military rank before cancellation , the integral town was wiped out in a flood , but even that did n’t do the trick . By 1986 , NBC decided that searching for tomorrow was n’t closely as exciting as juicy topics like governing scandals , so after 9,130 episodes , the max was ax in favour of a glitzy new show calledCapitol .
9: Another World (1964-1999)
The subject of abortion is n’t exactly unheard of today , but in 1964 , it was groundbreaking to say the least . During its first year on the air , Another Worldcame on strong with a sheer and risky floor line in which a teenager has an illegal miscarriage and terminate up a unimaginative , acquitted liquidator who marries her lawyer . In the early day , Another World , which is set in the fictional town of Bay City , started out pitting a center - class branch and an upper - family limb of the Matthews family against each other . afterwards , the Randolph , Cory , and Hudson mob became part of the show ’s fabric , but in 1999 , after 8,891 episodes , Another Worldwas canceled .
10: Love of Life (1951-1980)
WhenLove of Lifefirst aired on September 24 , 1951 , it did not take commercial breaks . The show was have by a company called American Home Products and certify to CBS , so there was no need to break for commercials . Goods from American Home Products were hawked either before or after the show .
The show was first lay out in fabricated Barrowsville , then it go to suburban Rosehill , New York . The show revolve around the relationship between the adept Vanessa Dale and her evil sister Meg Dale Harper . Christopher Reeve ’s first major function was that of Meg ’s Logos Ben Harper , from 1974 to 1976 . After ratings plummet , the show end abruptly with a cliffhanger on February 1 , 1980 , and since the show was cancel , fans were really left hanging . . . forever .
11: The Edge of Night (1956-1984)
From its unveiling on April 2 , 1956 , through the 1960s , The Edge of Nightwas consistently one of the top - ranking grievous bodily harm on tv set . make out for its well - staged action sequences shot on location rather than on set , most of the show ’s story lines take blank space in the fictional town of Monticello and center around Assistant District Attorney Mike Karr and his love interest Sarah Lane . In 1978,The Edge of Night’saudience was well-nigh 50 pct male person ! This is probably because the soap did n’t have a traditional passion and drama stem ; it was intended to be a daytime variant ofPerry Mason . After bouncing around different networks and time slots , the show was set off for good in December 1984 , after more than 7,400 episodes .
To learn more , check out the10 Longest - running TV Showsor take theClassic TV Quizto test your knowledge .
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:
Helen Davies , Marjorie Dorfman , Mary Fons , Deborah Hawkins , Martin Hintz , Linnea Lundgren , David Priess , Julia Clark Robinson , Paul Seaburn , Heidi Stevens , and Steve Theunissen
