Radio daytime drama serials were broadcast for decades, and some expanded to television. These dramas are often referred to as "soaps", a shortening from "soap opera". That term stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, and Lever Brothers as sponsors and producers.[1] These early radio serials were broadcast in weekday daytime slots when mostly housewives would be able to listen; thus the shows were aimed at and consumed by a predominantly female audience.[2]
| Show | Region/country | Began | Ended | Creator | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adopted Daughter | United States | 1939 | 1941 | Jettabee Anne Hopkins | ||
| The Affairs of Dr Gentry | 1957 | 1959 | [3] | |||
| Against the Storm | United States | 1939 | 1952 | Sandra Michael | ||
| Amanda of Honeymoon Hill | United States | 1940 | 1946 | |||
| The Archers | United Kingdom | 1951 | present | Godfrey Baseley | ||
| Arnold Grimm's Daughter | United States | 1937 | 1942 | |||
| Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories | United States | 1937 | 1955 | |||
| Aunt Mary | United States | 1942 | 1951 | Leigh and Virginia Crosby & Gil South | ||
| Bachelor's Children | United States | 1935 | 1946 | Bess Flynn | ||
| Backstage Wife | United States | 1935 | 1959 | Frank and Anne Hummert | ||
| Barry Cameron | 1945 | 1946 | Richard, Leonard, and Peggy Blake | |||
| Betty and Bob | United States | 1932 | 1940 | Frank and Anne Hummert | ||
| Big Sister | United States | 1936 | 1952 | Julian Funt, Carl Bixby, Bob Newman and Bill Sweets | ||
| Blue Hills | Australia | 1949 | 1976 | |||
| Bob and Victoria | 1947 | 1947 | Lee and Virginia Crosby & Gil South | |||
| Brave Tomorrow | United States | 1943 | 1944 | Ruth Adams Knight | ||
| Brenda Curtis | United States | 1939 | 1940 | |||
| Bright Horizon | United States | 1941 | 1945 | James and Elizabeth Hart, John M. Young, Ted Maxwell, Stuart Hawkins, and Kathleen Norris | ||
| The Brighter Day | United States | 1948 | 1956 | |||
| The Carters of Elm Street | United States | 1939 | 1940 | Mona Kent | ||
| Central City | United States | 1938 | 1941 | Frank and Anne Hummert | ||
| The Colcloughs | United Kingdom | 1991 2016 | 1993 present | Mike Hopwood | ||
| Citizens | United Kingdom | 1987 | 1991 | BBC | ||
| City Soap | United Kingdom | 2005 | 2008 | Preston Fm | ||
| Clara, Lu, and Em | United States | 1930 | 1942 | Louise Starkey, Isobel Carothers and Helen King | ||
| College Road | Ireland | 2009 | 2009 | MightyStudent | ||
| Dan Harding's Wife | United States | 1936 | 1938 | Ken Robinson | ||
| David Harum | United States | 1936 | 1950 | Frank and Anne Hummert | ||
| Doc Barclay's Daughters | United States | 1939 | 1940 | Frank and Anne Hummert | ||
| The Doctor's Wife | United States | 1952 | 1956 | Manya Starr | ||
| Family Skeleton | United States | 1953 | 1954 | |||
| Front Line Family | United Kingdom / Canada | 1941 | 1948 | |||
| Front Page Farrell | United States | 1941 | 1954 | Frank and Anne Hummert | ||
| Girl Alone | United States | 1935 | 1941 | Fayette Krum | ||
| The Goldbergs | United States | 1929 | 1950 | |||
| The Guiding Light | United States | 1937 | 1956 [4] | Irna Phillips | ||
| Helpmate | United States | 1941 | 1944 | Frank and Anne Hummert | ||
| Her Honor, Nancy James | 1938 | 1939 | ||||
| Hilltop House | 1937, 1948 | 1941, 1957 | Edward Wolf | [5] [6] | ||
| Home of the Brave | United States | 1941 | 1941 | |||
| Into the Light | 1941 | 1942 | Larry Bearson | |||
| Jane Arden | United States | 1938 | 1939 | |||
| John's Other Wife | 1936 | 1942 | Frank and Anne Hummert | |||
| Joyce Jordan, M.D. | United States | 1938 | 1956 | |||
| Judy and Jane | United States | 1932 | 1935 | Frank and Anne Hummert | ||
| Just Plain Bill | United States | 1932 | 1955 | Frank and Anne Hummert | ||
| Kate Hopkins, Angel of Mercy | 1940 | 1942 | Gertrude Berg and Chester McCracken | |||
| Kitty Foyle | United States | 1942 | 1944 | |||
| Kitty Keene, Incorporated | United States | 1937 | 1941 | Day Keene and Lester Huntly | ||
| The Life and Love of Dr. Susan | 1939 | 1939 | ||||
| Life Begins | 1940 | 1941 | ||||
| Life Can Be Beautiful | United States | 1938 | 1954 | Don Becker and Carl Bixby | ||
| Life of Mary Sothern | 1934 | 1938 | Don Becker | |||
| The Light of the World | United States | 1940 | 1950 | |||
| Linda's First Love | 1939 | ca. 1950 | ||||
| Lone Journey | 1940 | 1952 | Sandra Michael | |||
| Lonely Women | United States | 1942 | 1943 | Irna Phillips | ||
| Lora Lawton | United States | 1943 | 1950 | |||
| Lorenzo Jones | United States | 1937 | 1955 | |||
| Ma Perkins | United States | 1933 | 1960 | Frank and Anne Hummert | ||
| Matysiakowie | Poland | 1956 | present | Jerzy Janicki | ||
| Mrs Dale's Diary | United Kingdom | 1948 | 1969 | Jonqil Antony | ||
| My True Story | United States | 1943 | 1956 | |||
| Myrt and Marge | United States | 1931 | 1942 | |||
| Newarkers | United Kingdom | 2013 | 2013 | Radio Newark | ||
| The O'Neills | United States | 1935 | 1943 | |||
| One Man's Family | United States | 1932 | 1959 | |||
| Our Gal Sunday | United States | 1936 | 1959 | |||
| Painted Dreams | United States | 1930 | 1943 | Irna Phillips | [7] | |
| Penny For Your Thoughts | United Kingdom | 2018 | present | Marion Hartley (Script) Brian Curtis (Producer) on Vectis Radio (104.6FM & www.vectisradio.com) | ||
| Pepper Young's Family | United States | 1932 | 1959 | |||
| Perry Mason | United States | 1943 | 1955 | |||
| Portia Faces Life | United States | 1940 | 1952 | |||
| Pretty Kitty Kelly | United States | 1937 | 1940 | |||
| The Right to Happiness | United States | 1939 | 1960 | Irna Phillips | ||
| The Road of Life | United States | 1937 | 1959 | Irna Phillips | ||
| The Romance of Helen Trent | United States | 1933 | 1960 | Frank and Anne Hummert | ||
| Rosemary | United States | 1944 | 1955 | Elaine Sterne Carrington | ||
| The Second Mrs. Burton | United States | 1946 | 1960 | |||
| Silver Street | United Kingdom | 2004 | 2010 | |||
| Sounds of the City | United States | 1973 | 1975 | [8] | ||
| Staying Well in Camberwell | United States | 2011 | 2011 | Cheryl L. Davis [9] | [10] [11] | |
| Stella Dallas | United States | 1937 | 1955 | |||
| The Story of Mary Marlin | United States | 1935 | 1952 | |||
| The Strange Romance of Evelyn Winters | United States | 1944 | 1952 | |||
| This Is Nora Drake | United States | 1947 | 1959 | |||
| Today's Children | United States | 1933 | 1938 | Irna Phillips | ||
| Today's Children (second series) | United States | 1943 | 1950 | Irna Phillips (Dialogue by Virginia Cooke) | ||
| Valiant Lady | United States | 1938 | 1952 | |||
| Waggoners' Walk | United Kingdom | 1969 | 1980 | |||
| We Love and Learn | United States | 1942 | 1956 | |||
| Wendy Warren and the News | United States | 1947 | 1958 | |||
| Westway | United Kingdom | 1997 | 2005 | |||
| When a Girl Marries | United States | 1939 | 1957 | Elaine Sterne Carrington | ||
| The Woman in My House | United States | 1951 | 1959 | |||
| Woman in White | United States | 1938 | 1948 | |||
| A Woman of America | United States | 1943 | 1945 | |||
| You Me Now | New Zealand | 2010 | 2012 | Radio New Zealand and All The Way Home Productions | ||
| Young Doctor Malone | United States | 1939 | 1960 | Irna Phillips | ||
| Young Widder Brown | United States | 1938 | 1956 | Frank Hummert and Anne Hummert | ||
| Your Family and Mine | United States | 1938 | 1940 |