daytime serial

A daytime serial is a radio or television drama broadcast during afternoon hours, typically targeting stay-at-home audiences.

These programs run in ongoing episodes with continuous storylines, often featuring melodramatic plots centered on relationships, family conflicts, and emotional turmoil.

The term is largely synonymous with soap opera, so called because early sponsors were detergent manufacturers marketing to housewives.

She's been following that daytime serial for twenty years.