15 Best Soap Operas, Ranked

There may be only four soap operas currently on the air—Bold and the Beautiful, Days of our Lives, General Hospital, and Young and the Restless—but, in many respects, the genre has never been more popular. Mainstream outlets are reporting on breaking news in the soap opera world on a regular basis! Why is that? Perhaps it’s because fans have lifelong commitments to the shows and characters that they love—even after those programs exit the airwaves. When a performer you used to watch every day makes the news, you feel like you’re getting an update on a long-lost friend or family member you don’t see as often as you’d like.

You likely got started watching serials (or “stories) via your mother or grandmother, which is appropriate as soaps are all about family. Fans also tune in to see romance, adventure, social issues explored, and conflict. It’s been said that daytime dramas are like family heirlooms—they’re handed down from one generation to the next.

In honor of the soaps that are still with us and the ones who have left the airwaves, TV Insider has composed a list of the Top 15 soap operas that forever have a place in our hearts.