soap-opera
Serialized domestic drama
A soap opera is a serialized drama, originally on radio and now typically on television, characterized by ongoing storylines, melodramatic plots, and focus on the tangled personal relationships of recurring characters.
The name comes from the soap manufacturers who sponsored these daytime programs aimed at housewives.
The term often carries connotations of exaggerated emotion and unlikely plot twists, so calling something a soap opera suggests it's overly dramatic: Their divorce turned into a real soap opera.
Serialized content unit
- seriesOrdered set of related items
- seasonYearly division or series
- arcCurved line segment
- daytimeSunlit portion of day
broadcast · network · syndication · ratings · premiere · finale · pilot · cliffhanger
Breaking of trust
- romanceLove and its excitement
- jealousyResentful desire for another's advantages
- affairRomantic entanglement outside commitment
- secretsConcealed information
passion · heartache · infidelity · revenge · reconciliation · longing · resentment · tears
Rotating motion or surprise
- amnesiaPathological loss of recall
- resurrectionRevival from death
- comaUnwakeable unconsciousness
- kidnappingUnlawful seizure of person
pregnancy · paternity · blackmail · imposter · doppelgänger · disappearance · frame-up
Male head of family
- matriarchFemale family leader
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
- legacyWhat's passed down
- feudBitter ongoing rivalry
mansion · wealth · heiress · illegitimate · twin · long-lost · will · disinheritance
Excessive theatrical performance
- tearjerkerEmotionally manipulative entertainment
- hammyExcessively theatrical in style
- theatricalExaggeratedly emotional for effect
- histrionicExaggeratedly emotional in behavior
exaggerated · sentimental · schmaltzy · overwrought · pathos · sensational · dramatic · gasps
episode
Serialized content unit
daytime · broadcast · network · syndication · ratings · premiere · finale · pilot · cliffhanger · storyline
betrayal
Breaking of trust
- romanceLove and its excitement
- jealousyResentful desire for another's advantages
- affairRomantic entanglement outside commitment
secrets · passion · heartache · infidelity · revenge · reconciliation · longing · resentment · tears · unrequited
twist
Rotating motion or surprise
- amnesiaPathological loss of recall
- resurrectionRevival from death
- comaUnwakeable unconsciousness
kidnapping · pregnancy · paternity · blackmail · imposter · doppelgänger · disappearance · frame-up
patriarch
Male head of family
- matriarchFemale family leader
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
- legacyWhat's passed down
feud · mansion · wealth · heiress · illegitimate · twin · long-lost · will · disinheritance · bloodline
overacting
Excessive theatrical performance
- tearjerkerEmotionally manipulative entertainment
- hammyExcessively theatrical in style
- theatricalExaggeratedly emotional for effect
histrionic · exaggerated · sentimental · schmaltzy · overwrought · pathos · sensational · dramatic · gasps · fainting
soap-operaminiseries
Finite-episode TV narrative
limited series · anthology series · feature film · one-off · procedural
soap-operareality
What actually exists
documentary · news program · nonfiction · reality television · cinéma vérité
soap, opera, soapy, soaps, soaped, soaping, operas, operatic, soapiest