Serial (radio and television) usually ran from Monday through Friday at exactly the same time every day. A show called The Smith Family which ran only one night a week on WENR in Chicago during the early 1930s was credited as the "great-granddaddy of the soap operas" by radio historian Francis Chase, Jr. One of the other shows that helped pioneer the daytime soap opera/serial was "The Guiding Light", which debuted on NBC radio in 1937, and then switched to CBS Television in 1952. "The Guiding Light" final episode aired on September 18, 2009, having a total of 15,762 episodes air on CBS. Some
London Bridge (TV series) London Bridge (TV series) London Bridge is a British television drama/soap opera made by Carlton for ITV and shown in the London region. It ran from 15 February 1996 to 31 March 1999. It featured many actors who have gone on to star in bigger TV shows, including "Bad Girls" actresses Simone Lahbib and Mandana Jones and "No Angels " star Sunetra Sarker. "London Bridge" revolved around a restaurant, SE1, and the neighbouring block of flats. It started out as a late-night drama which ran for 26 episodes in 1996, before returning as a twice-weekly soap opera later that year.