soap opera

Told one minute at a time, micro dramas are soap operas designed to fit in your hand

9:00am March 19, 2025

Apps like ReelShort, FlickReels and DramaBox offer short clips that add up to movie-length stories. Plus, they're filmed vertically, so you can follow the twisty plotlines without turning your phone.

National

Who's in charge of DOGE? (It's not these women. Or the owl.) Find out in the quiz

5:00am February 28, 2025

Which stores closed and which shows were canceled? Who (or what) was reborn after being hit by a Cybertruck? And is that asteroid going to hit us or what?

'Beyond the Gates' is the 1st hour-long network daytime soap centering a Black family

4:11am February 24, 2025

by Eric Deggans

The CBS soap opera debuts on Monday, focusing on a family living in a wealthy D.C. suburb. "This is not your grandmother's soap opera," says star Tamara Tunie.

Queue Listen Now

CBS is developing its first Black daytime soap opera in 35 years

3:17pm March 08, 2024

by Jonathan Franklin

The series, currently titled The Gates, will follow the lives of a wealthy Black family in a posh, gated community. There's no word yet about when the show will air or who will star in it.

A scene from the popular Ethiopian soap opera Yegna, which sends messages about health and well-being to its teen viewers. Topics range from child marriage to menstrual pads.

She writes for a hit Ethiopian soap opera. This year, the plot turns on child marriage

3:35pm June 04, 2023

by Veronique Mistiaen

The show is Yegna. Its goal (besides entertainment) is to tackle issues affecting teen girls (and boys, too), from a lack of menstrual pads to why betting is unwise. We talk to one of the writers.

The idea behind "Musekeweya", or the New Dawn, is to do the opposite of what the government's notorious "hate radio" did 20 years ago as it stoked ethnic hatred during the genocide carried out by Hutu extremists.

World News

Romeo & Juliet In Kigali: How A Soap Opera Sought To Change Behavior In Rwanda

11:06pm April 16, 2018

How do you convince a generation of people who once slaughtered each other to reconcile? In Rwanda, a team of psychologists, writers and policymakers came up with an unusual idea: a radio soap opera.

Queue Listen Now

Christopher Scott served over a decade in prison, and while in the middle of the sentence, he developed a passion for soap operas.

Arts

'General Hospital' Was 'The Dope' In Prison — And Kept Him Out Of Trouble

11:37am November 16, 2017

by Dave Blanchard

Christopher Scott served over a decade in prison, and there he developed a passion for soap operas. Now free, he still keeps his appointment with General Hospital.

Queue Listen Now

Agnes Nixon, 'Queen Of Modern Daytime Drama,' Dies at 93

8:47pm September 28, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

Soap opera pioneer Agnes Nixon created All My Children and One Life to Live. She was known for exploring challenging and taboo social issues through daytime television.

High school students in Tanzania gather in a Mental Health Listening Club — first comes the soap opera, then the chance to ask questions about topics like depression.

Health & Safety

This Radio Soap Opera Isn't Your Typical Tearjerker

7:00am April 17, 2016

by Joanne Silberner

It sounds like another melodramatic show: pregnant teen heroine with a boyfriend who's a substance abuser. But there's a lot more to this soap.