Why are Soap Operas so popular?

• soaps are easy viewing for their fans due to the low level of concentration needed in comprehending each episode, as illustrated here; "..a person who has been a fan of a particular show hasn't seen the show for years, only to catch up for the missed years by watching only one or two episodes" (Brown 1994).

• Soap Operas story lines are of everyday life and everyday problems which means the audience is drawn to watch it as they can relate to it. Whereas American soaps such as Dallas and Dynasty are often thought of as a form of 'fantasy' by some viewers, British soaps, and indeed Australian soaps, are generally referred to as being, 'realistic' in that they focus on the domestic and personal, and on everyday concerns and problematic issues such as death, friendship, marriage, romance and divorce.

• The theme tune of a soap draws in the audience, The familiar theme tune played on the piano reminds us of London where EastEnders is set, and likewise the nostalgic sound of the cornet playing the Coronation Street theme reminds us of the famous brass bands we associate with the North of England.

• They are popular due to its continuity, regularity and familiarity. Soap opera has been labelled as a 'ritual pleasure' which offers reassurance in its familiarity and longevity, its predictable familiarity of life being the main force which pulls us in.

• As Soap Operas are shown on TV repetitively the audience gain a relationship with these characters and feel like they know them "When I sit down to watch, I belong to the family in a way...I can enter into all the characters because they're so familiar" (Ang 1985) this results in the audience caring for these characters and seeing the show as being real life. 

• As Soap Operas have realistic story lines it is clear that viewers use the behaviour of the character in order to justify there actions in a similar situation, meaning that through the problems we see on Soaps the audience are able to learn and sometimes take the same approach.

• The audience gain pleasure from identifying them self as a certain character, they see the character has a similar personality or traits to them so can relate to them. This point applies more to British and Australian soaps more than American soaps due to the realism.

• Soaps being solely based in one place geographically, and portraying the lives of the same characters in each episode, we can be assured of familiarity and continuity. Additionally, in certain soaps, the viewer is aware of where a character is, or what he or she is doing if absent from a particular episode.

• In the British soaps, script writers bring in humour to make it more pleasable to watch.