Groundbreaking Soap Opera Storylines Of All Time
Published on March 13, 2018. Updated April 14, 2022Soap operas offer a source of viewing entertainment to their fans, which allows them to escape their daily grind and dive into romance, adventure, and drama. However, as these shows have evolved over the years, they have not only provided entertaining storylines but thought-provoking ones that dive into social issues as well. Below are groundbreaking soap opera storylines we have all enjoyed over the years.
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12. First Real-Life Baby Bump – Search for Tomorrow
Let’s start with an oldie! A rather tame entry at the bottom of the list, but a groundbreaking storyline nonetheless. In 1956, Mary Stuart, the actress who played Joanne Gardner on Search for Tomorrow, became the first actress in soap history to have her real-life baby bump written into the show. When Stuart gave birth to her son, producers of the show filmed her in the hospital. Nowadays, it isn’t uncommon for expecting soap opera actresses to work their baby bumps into storylines, as seen by Bold and the Beautiful‘s Jacqueline MacInnes Wood.
© Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
11. Jennifer Brooks Has Breast Cancer – Young and the Restless
Mother to four very different girls and wife to Stuart, Jennifer Brooks found out she had breast cancer in the 1970s and became the first daytime drama character to have a mastectomy. The good news was that Brooks fully recovered and the story helped raise awareness about breast cancer and prevention strategies. The bad news? Despite recovering from breast cancer, the character ended up passing away in 1977 due to a heart condition. Still, that’s how things roll sometimes on soaps. At the very least, her diagnosis paved the way for many other physical and mental challenges to crop up on the soap in the decades to come.
© Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
10. Cyber Bullying – One Life to Live
Perhaps One Life to Life was a show well before its time, as it aired an online bullying storyline in 2011 that could help raise awareness in today’s time where social media and bullying go hand in hand. Teen Jack Manning was being harassed online by fellow classmate Shane Morasco, which led him to have suicidal thoughts. Thankfully he never went through with killing himself due to the support of his friends and ended up going to therapy to help deal with his cyber-bullying harassment.
©George De Sota/jpistudios.com
9. Sonny’s Bipolar Condition – General Hospital
Mental health issues have been done on soap operas a lot over the years, but most times characters who do suffer from these illnesses are portrayed as way over the top. General Hospital tackled a realistic view of mental health when it was revealed that mobster Sonny Corinthos suffered from bipolar disorder in 2006, and then years later when it was revealed that son Morgan also had the condition.
©Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
8. Kay Gets A Facelift – Young and the Restless
Jeanne Cooper was all set to get a facelift in 1984 and thought that showing the process on daytime television, via Katherine Chancellor, would be an interesting watch for Young and the Restless audiences. She was right. No other soap opera had attempted anything like this before and viewers got to see everything Jeanne went through thanks to Kay’s facelift storyline first-hand. While some fans thought it was an interesting watch, others weren’t so sold on the idea.
©Brian Lowe/JPI
7. African-American Actors as Regulars – Guiding Light
Guiding Light had always been at the forefront to feature a diverse set of characters that truly reflect what a typical American community looks like. In the mid-60s, they were one of the first soaps to have African American actors/actress play prominent roles within the show. In 2007, the daytime drama would feature Cicely Tyson and Billy Dee Williams as series regulars, marking it as the first soap to do so.
6. First Interracial Couple – Days of Our Lives
Soap opera’s first interracial couple hit the daytime airwaves in the late 1970s when Days of Our Lives character Dr. Valerie Grant fell in love with David Banning. Sadly, their relationship did not last the long course, and while they were slated to get married at first, writers changed up the storyline in the end. Valerie would be written off the show in 1977 only to return in recent years. But they paved the way for many interracial soap opera couples who now date without anyone batting an eyelash!
© XJJohnson/jpistudios.com
5. First Lesbian Fling – Young and the Restless
Speaking of 1977, digging into The Young and the Restless history vault and a groundbreaking storyline emerges in Genoa City. Joann Curtis and Kay Chancellor were good friends. So much so, Curtis moved in with Katherine after her separation and oddly enough, Kay started becoming possessive over her. It seemed that she was growing feelings for Joan, and this could have been due to the loneliness she was feeling after her hubby passed away. Regardless, there would be a point where Chancellor touched her friend’s hand and the two shared a kiss. Although nothing more really happened between them, this was a huge moment for soap operas, especially for its time.
©sean smith/jpistudios.com
4. Robin Gets HIV – General Hospital
This storyline rocked General Hospital fans in the mid-90s. While at that point in time, society was learning more and more about HIV/AIDS, and soap operas were integrating the condition within storylines, this was the first time a major heterosexual soap opera character contracted the disease. This would shed a tremendous amount of light on HIV/AIDS and increased awareness around the illness. While at the time it would seem like the end for Robin, the character would move on over the years to live a full and vibrant life.
©Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
3. First Legal Same-Sex Wedding – All My Children
The same-sex relationship between Bianca Montgomery and Reese Williams on All My Children was quite groundbreaking in the soap opera world. The couple marked the first same-sex proposal, first same-sex marriage, and first same-sex parents on a daytime drama. Fans everywhere were truly blown away by all the milestones these two women tore through during their 2008-2009 relationship.
© Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
2. First Male-Male Kiss – As the World Turns
While As the World Turns would make soap opera history when they introduced soap opera’s first-ever male same-sex oriented character (Hank Elliot) in 1988, it wouldn’t be until 2007 when the show would mark another first. Characters Luke and Noah would be the first male-male kiss to hit the soap opera world, and the two locking lips would create a huge buzz in the daytime drama industry.
©John Paschal/jpistudios.com
1. Maya Avant’s Transgender Secret – Bold and the Beautiful
More recently, the Bold and the Beautiful created some waves in 2015, with the reveal of a transgender woman character. Apparently, Maya Avant had been hiding a secret all this time and the truth was she was a transgender. In fact, the actress who plays Avant, Karla Mosley, approached GLAAD before moving forward with scenes so that she could better understand how to portray the character in order to promote understanding and mainstream acceptance for Maya.
© John Paschal/jpistudios.com