by Kudzai Chinyadza

Created on: March 26, 2009

Why people get sucked into soap operas.

You may hate them or love them, but there is no denying that soap operas have held a special place in American entertainment for a very long time.

So, as cheesy as they may look, as juvenile as they may seem, why do millions of viewers tune in religiously every weekday to catch up with their favorite characters?

Like questions about many things, there is no simple answer. So what is it? Is it because of the hot young doctor who flaunts his six pack every chance that he gets?

Or maybe it is the perfect women with their perfect hair and makeup and perfect bodies living in perfect houses and wearing perfect clothing that people cannot seem to resist.

One thing is for sure. People do not tune in to appreciate the originality of the writing, because the same story line is recycled over and over again.

One reason that so many people get sucked into soaps is because of their regularity in episode airings. The average soap is shown five days a week! So if you missed it on Tuesday, you can definitely catch up on Wednesday or Thursday at the same place and time.

This regularity in airings can be likened to a song that is played over and over again on the radio. The more airplay it gets the more popular it becomes.

But we all know that regular airplay alone won't cut it, because after hearing that same song for the 150th time within a two day period, one would become more than just fed up with it.

Leading to the second factor that keeps many glued to their television sets at the same time everyday, which is by resorting to simple and entertaining storylines. Believe you me, it is no Matrix kind of storyline, but just a simple boy meets girl, boy likes girl, but is too shy to ask her out kind of story.

With a simple storyline, it is easy to follow the characters' journey, growth and transformation on the show. And if one were to take a hiatus from the show because they got married, had a baby and moved to another state, they would not have to worry because getting caught up in soaps is not like trying to get caught up in Biology after missing two weeks' worth of class.

Catching up is very simple and should only take about 2 episodes and reading the message board recaps from a month back.

But simple and regular will not get your attention for too long, so that is when the interesting factor comes along.

To keep it interesting, soaps borrowed a chapter from Mother Goose and added some fairytale to its storylines. With a dash of suspense, a hint of drama and a tablespoon of comedy one will surely get the perfect recipe to an addictive Soap opera.

The drama certainly gets everyone going, and reality television borrowed that chapter from soaps!

The final thing that gets people addicted to soaps is the cliffhanger they have at the end of every show.

At the climax of the episode when some dramatic event is about to take place they just cut you off, without any closure. Viewers get hooked, because they are both curious and desperate to see how the event turns out.

The name in itself is very fitting for it feels like being left on a cliff hanging. It is painful to be left hanging for 24hrs.

So what does one do during those 24hrs? Obsession over the possibilities is what happens until some sort of closure is received in the next episode.

And that is the secret of soaps! They give you simple and entertaining story lines to follow, throw in some attractive people wearing attractive clothes living in attractive houses, add a little drama and suspense, and not giving any closure at the end of every episode by having a cliff hanger.

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