Did anyone's grandma or mom watch soap operas when y'all were growing up?

Question

My grandma would call them her "Stories". I always thought as a kid soap operas was singing bars of soap, but turns out it was shows sponsored by soap companies (Procter and Gamble)

NamerOfStars · Accepted Answer

... You know, I'd never thought to wonder why they were called "soap operas". And that's very strange; normally that's the type of thing I'd look into. Anyway, while I'm not aware of my kinswomen watching them, I DID, at one point, get into one of them.

I was out and about, going through my day, when a bus passed me, and the ad on the side was all black, save for one word: REVENGE. I wondered who was advertising the idea of revenge, and why, but then I saw "ABC" and a date, and figured it was a show. It turned out to be a modern soapification of Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, a book I quite enjoyed. It got pretty schlocky as the seasons went on, but it started out sharp, and is also amusingly notable, because I got into a bitter argument on a fan site about which of the two male leads was cuter with what turned out to be the only other straight guy on the forum.

I'm also a big fan of Paradox Interactive's Crusader Kings 2, a game about taking control of a medieval Eurasian dynasty and guiding it to glory, and on the forums there, had recommended to me a Turkish show called Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Magnificent century), a soaped-up telling of the life of Suleiman the magnificent, usually seen as the greatest of the Ottoman sultans. I watched the first episode, and was impressed: the production values were good, the writing and characterization opened up some very interesting possibilities, and the subtitling was easy to follow (it had been HUGELY popular in Turkey, and indeed many former Ottoman countries, and translated appropriately; it also, in a more general sense, showed a picture of what Turkish folks idealized and valued, offering some backhanded insights into their culture, and I'm all for better cross-cultural understanding). I was enthused to watch more- only to find out that the English translation only covered the first episode. Now, translation isn't easy, even if it is just subtitling, but if you can go from Turkish to CHINESE, you can go to English. A few years later, I happened to catch that someone was doing a translation for an American TV network. "Score!", I thought. The network in question? Telemundo Fox. SO close!

AviatorTom · Accepted Answer

Oh yeah. My mother and grandmother spent most of each weekday afternoon watching soaps. I'd come home from school and find them staring at the TV. Sometimes, I'd watch with them, though I rarely understood what was going on. I did realize that soaps were not reality... in one soap, a boy went from birth to being a teenager in just 6 months... I always wondered if I was the only one who noticed that, or if others just didn't care.

beebella · Accepted Answer

I don't think my grandma did, but I did get into General Hospital because of my mom. I'm not sure how long she had been watching it prior to that moment that I first saw it, but I know she definitely watched it in the 80s. Anyway, I got into it when I was around 11-12 and I finally started losing interest a couple years ago. I was getting into other shows and I didn't really care to keep up with it anymore. Plus, I was getting tired of them killing all of Maxie's good relationships.

wheresmrcunnunglis · Accepted Answer

Yes, Days of our lives was on constant replay in my household. To the point that it even got me invested in it but then again I was poor and could only watch the free channels so ehhh.

concerned4u · Answer

That is so cool, I had no idea why they called them that until now and I'm in my 40s, lol! My grandmother was highly opposed to them but the woman who sat my disabled uncle/grandma's son, watched them all the time. So, I guess every grandma is quite unique, and honestly, soap operas were the most 'edgy' thing that existed back in the 80s, and early 90s, then... came MTV, and by the end of the 90's, an explosion of crazy reality shows, any cartoon you can imagine at any time (great for kids), etc... They weren't my cup of tea, per se, but I appreciate the quiet pace of someone who loves to just get excited over the relationships in the soap operas and remembering the important facts from even 20 episodes back (soap operas are like a skill).

MrtoddsWildRide · Answer

My parents were the first people any of us knew to get a VCR and mom faithfully recorded her soaps every day. There was one week when she had so many recorded that she had not watched she found an old tape to record over what was on it and didn't look to see what it was.
It was a cruise that our family had taken and Dad brought along the video camera for because Mom had asked to bring it so we could have the memory.
When Dad found out, that was a tense night at the house.

Crazycookie23 · Answer

Omg yes both my mom and grandma love Bold and the Beautiful, Young and The Restless, and General Hospital

Emilymaybebabys · Answer

No but my grandma watches black and white cowboy movies

Máiiréad · Answer

Price is Right, Wheel of Fortune, Golden Girls, and Days of our Lives.

DarkCarousel · Answer

My mother did when I was a kid. I’m not sure if my grandmother did or not. I think it was right around my nap time when I was little because they always trigger a yawn.

Lliam · Answer

My mom sure did. She didn't just sit on her ass and watch them, but they were on the TV when she was doing housework, etc. I didn't like them but I remember the theme songs and intros to a lot of those from when I was a young kid in the late 50s and through the mid 60s. As the World Turns, Days of Our Lives, Guiding Light. I kind of liked Dark Shadows.

I'm not sure if my grandmother watched them, but I assume she did.

Siren777 · Answer

LOL... Sometimes not always. Telenovelas just so I can act out all those dramatic parts and be a drama queen and we end up laughing. We would watch it in other languages and this improved language proficiency.

DermalPunch · Answer

My grandfather was a die-hard Young & The Restless watcher. Victor was his homie. My Dad was a huge Coronation Street fan until, his words, they started putting "good-looking" people on the show and ruined the British authenticity of it.

Static_In_The_Attic · Answer

Soap opera were like crack to my mother & sisters & when the cable went out I laughed all the way.

exitseven · Answer

My mother used to watch AS The World Turns. I used to call it "AS The Stomach Turns". I was a clever little kid.

TacosRAwesome · Answer

Ooh yes. The Bold and the Beautiful. The social incest in that show is impressive.

sheikalana · Answer

My grandma used to and I also used to watch with her when I was a kid. I think she still does.

Jamie05rhs · Answer

Yes! My grandma used to watch "The Young And The Restless."

mrkdvsn · Answer

As far as I know, my mom and Grandmothers never really watched soaps. I, on the other hand, got sorta addicted to them at around 15 years old, until 16 and a half.

Flower7 · Answer

Yes, my mom still loves “The Young and the Restless”. I think she’s been watching it since before I was born.

zoe2187 · Answer

Yes! My mom did. As I got older cheesy but tolerable.

Likes2drive · Answer

My aunt did every day, that’s why I know what happened to Luke and Laura on General Hospital back in the 80s

innerman · Answer

I watched a lot of soaps with mum while growing up. We usually urged about the endings... i dnt know if she remembers those days.

lrina · Answer

no, but my mom used to watch some boring fashion shows instead.

Jadethedream · Answer

Yes mine was brookside, Eastenders and Family Affairs and as years went by Home and Away. Don’t really watch any now

douride2 · Answer

Yes my grandmother wouldn't even answer the phone if her show was on.

MTC29 · Answer

General Hospital and As the World Turns.  It was many decades ago, but I still remember them. At night, it was The Lawrence Welk Show.

alice55 · Answer

They never did, my mother don't watch tv she don't like it (she dislike nearly everything) and my grandmother like thriller tv show

mulugies623gmailcom · Answer

My mum watched soaps but when l was akid l also thought they meant bars of soap

NathanDavis · Answer

they still do... sometimes, lol "novelas"

legalboxers · Answer

Ryans Hope, Loving, All My Children, One Life to Live, General Hospital (Port Charles) I use to watch too.. Now General Hospital now and again..

Tiptoetamm · Answer

My mother watched Days of our lives

EnglishEuropean · Answer

My parents were opposed to soaps on religious grounds. I don't remember my grandparents ever watching TV.

Jay3344 · Answer

My mom watched ER but not really soaps. My grandma watched murder she wrote with Angela Lansbury

DGravez6 · Answer

My grandma watched one show and she watched it religiously. The Price is Right.

TrillXHippy · Answer

Yeah she used to watch all my children, one life to live, general hospital

GoodGuyBreakingBad · Answer

Yes, my late mom and late maternal grandma

TwinkleLily5 · Answer

Lol interesting “Fun Fact”, soap operas 😝🤣

MasonAlucardthethird · Answer

Yeah. Grandma always had young and restless on

coolbreeze · Answer

It never happened to me.

AvaOneLasTime · Answer

Grandma, of course.

JesseJayNeak · Answer

The Nanny and Happy Days

Desconhecida · Answer

Yeah! This this day!

BogeyMulligan · Answer

Yup novelas

Heygirl124 · Answer

Yes!!!

msc545 · Answer

Mine did not

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