Soap opera Soap opera A soap opera is an ongoing drama serial on television or radio, featuring the lives of many characters and their emotional relationships. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas being sponsored by soap manufacturers. BBC Radio's "The Archers", first broadcast in 1950, is the world’s longest-running radio soap opera; the world's longest-running television soap opera is "Coronation Street", first broadcast on ITV in 1960. The first serial considered to be a "soap opera" was "Painted Dreams", which debuted on October 20, 1930 on Chicago radio station WGN. Early radio series such as "Painted Dreams" were broadcast in
Soap opera each of the shows with cast reshuffles or spectacular disaster storylines had proved only temporarily successful. "The Young Doctors" and "The Sullivans" continued to be popular. November 1977 saw the launch of successful soap opera/police procedural series "Cop Shop" (1977–1984) produced by Crawford Productions for Channel Seven. In early December 1977 Channel Ten debuted the Reg Grundy Organisation produced "The Restless Years" (1977–1981), a more standard soap drama focusing on several young school leavers. The Seven Network, achieving success with "Cop Shop" produced by Crawford Productions, had Crawfords produce "Skyways", a series with a similar format but set in an