by Kathy Trower

Created on: October 26, 2010

Soap operas are slowly fading from the television set. The old dramas are being replaced with more reality "talk" shows.

The soap opera genre actually killed itself. The plots were repetitious. If you heard it on one soap opera, in another month, the other would be running the same plot. When dream sequences became reality in lieu of killing off a good actor, the soap opera medium began to lose its audience.

The stars are familiar faces, but have been for many years. How many times has Jack Abbot been married on Young and Restless?  His wives are getting younger, as he ages.  The young stars are given story plots that have been replayed many times. College students, who lived for the next episode, are watching reality shows instead.

Controversy is now alive in reality shows, such as Jerry Springer, Judge Judy, Judge Joe Brown,  and others. These are real live dramas that might even be happening in your neighborhood. 

Soaps were even broadcast in the evening. Dynasty, Dallas, and Knots Landing were onprime time slots. Their following waited for the next week's episode. They were the talk at the grocery store, dry cleaner, and even at lunch.  Today they would not garner many votes to stay on television.

Has today's audience gotten smarter and wants more for their television dollar?  That lies in the eye of the beholder. Today's audience has changed. They want to see people competing in The Great Race, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, and even shows like Jerry Springer. The "real" life factor is in demand on television screens.

The choices are many in the broadcast world, with cable and satellite viewers. The reality genre has taken over the soap operas. The made up lives of people from Genova City, Bay City, and other fictional towns have been replaced with the everyday drama of people from Detroit, Atlanta, and Los Angeles in reality shows. Although situations on these shows seem unbelievable, they are real life drama. The confessions of reality stars in their own environment are believable. 

As soap fans bid adieu to their favorites, a new tear jerker is appearing on the television scene. The tears flow, along with the angry words, and the disappointments that are experienced in reality television. Is reality television here to stay?  It is, if the audience has anything to do with it. Life happens and reality television shows how it happens.

Learn more about this author, Kathy Trower.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.