Life-long series: 10 longest soap operas in the world
'16.12.2020'
Source: Twizz
The expression “life is short, art is eternal” fits a number of stories that have been living on television for more than half a century. Some of them have more than 15 episodes "in history"! Well, what series can boast the title of the longest in history, how many episodes it has, and how long it lasted? Twizz.
No, this is not Santa Barbara, as many viewers might assume. This series boasts only 2 episodes, while its "older comrades", first released on the blue screens in the 137s, continue to increase the number of episodes today.
A list of the top 10 longest TV series in the world is below in the review. We will go as the number of series increases.
- Another world (1964-1999)
Number of episodes: 8 891.
A distinctive feature of this series was the epigraph that opens each new episode until 1987. It sounded like this: "We live not only in this world, but also in a thousand other worlds." With this postulate, the creator Irna Phillips wanted to tell the viewer that in addition to reality that can be touched and tasted, people also have a world of dreams. And everything is different there.
The series tells not only about ordinary life collisions of ordinary people. The picture also tells about rather rare, almost exotic situations in which people of different social status and beliefs find themselves.
- In Search of Tomorrow (1951-1986)
Number of episodes: 9 130.
In September 1951, a series was released on television, which lasted nearly thirty-five years - until December 1986.
By the way, its sponsor was the world-famous Procter & Gamble company, as well as one of the leading manufacturers of vacuum cleaners and dishwashing detergents, so this television opera literally lived on soap money. Since 1967, the series has been shown in color.
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In fact, the series is a kind of digest, which contains a variety of stories about people. These are comedies, tragedies, unsuccessful marriages and ridiculous divorces, lost children, treason and betrayal. The picture is fully consistent with the title: the heroes are in an eternal search for themselves and tomorrow.
- Coronation Street (1960- ...)
Number of episodes: 9 995.
British TV epic, which received four national awards "for the best soap series", four British awards "for the most popular drama series and a number of" medals "and titles for the quality and urgency of the social problems raised in the film.
The first series appeared on the screen in the last century - at the end of 1960. In the fall of 2016, fans celebrated the broadcast of Episode 9000 of "The Street," the longest-running soap opera ever filmed in the United Kingdom.
The plot of the series is simple and complex at the same time, like life itself. These are stories about the fate of ordinary residents of Coronation Street in one of the English towns. Most of the heroes of the picture do not have big money and do not have a high origin, but that is why they are so close to most viewers. The series is filled with lively humor and real drama.
- All My Children (1970-2013)
Number of episodes: 10 712.
The film is set in a small suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Agnes Nixon was able to create not just an ordinary "soap" with a syrupy plot, she added humor, poignancy and real problems to the series.
For the first time in the history of "soap", a discussion of the Vietnam War is shown on the screen. The latter circumstance was a real breakthrough in the history of American TV series for housewives.
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The majority of viewers of this picture were men. In the very first year after its premiere, the series was ranked 17th out of 19 soap operas aired on TV. In 1972 All My Children won the first Emmy award.
- One life to live (1968-2012)
Number of episodes: 11 136.
The series first premiered in the summer of 1968 on ABC and was the first real drama to feature previously taboo topics. In particular, they considered racial conflicts, socio-economic issues, but most importantly, the problems of the LGBT community and drug addiction among young people.
In 2002, the series won an Emmy for Best Drama Series.
Curious fact: The set, which was built for the filming of the series in 1988, became the largest in the history of the creation of soap operas. Multilevel, it reached a height of ten meters. In the same year, the film crew needed a machine for drilling holes, which was also purchased. True, it was not actors who worked on it, but professional backup workers.
- Young and daring (1973- ...)
Number of episodes: 11 585.
On March 26, 1973, a soap opera was released, which takes place in the fictional city of Genoa City. The first seasons were mainly devoted to the ups and downs of the two families of Genoa: the millionaire Brooks and the poor Foster.
However, as a result of the permanent turnover of the acting staff, in the early 80s the attention of the creators focused on the families of Abbott and Newman, which were at war with each other. Between them, there is another passing storyline: Jill vs. Kay. This is the story of the hatred of an ordinary manicurist and her bossy boss.
- Days of Our Lives (1965- ...)
Number of episodes: 13 777.
Another long-lived series is the fourth longest running soap opera in the world. By 2003, the number of episodes in Days of Our Lives exceeded 12.
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Events are developing in a certain country, in the nonexistent city of Salem. But this is not required, because the saga tells about eternal values and problems that have existed at all times and on all continents. This is a choice between duty and feeling, worries about loved ones and the joy of victories - big and small.
- How the World Turns (1956-2010)
Number of episodes: 13 858.
This series was a kind of pioneer in the history of soap operas. For the first time in history, its duration was half an hour, while the duration of all previous stories did not exceed fifteen minutes.
The premiere took place on April 2, 1956. At first, the increase in the length of TV stories did not cause support from the viewer, but over time, people were drawn into watching, and this daytime series broke all records for popularity from 1958 to 1978.
The action takes place in a fictional town in one of the American states. At the center of events are families of lawyers, police officers, doctors, who every day have to solve a variety of everyday and everyday problems - both half a century ago and today. It was in this series in the early 1980s that the problem of abortion was emphasized for the first time in the history of soap operas.
- General Hospital (1963- ...)
Number of episodes: 14 318.
This painting takes the second place in duration and was awarded the honor of being included in the Guinness Book of Records. It premiered on ABC on April 1, 1963, and is the longest running television show in its history.
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The authors of the original idea are a married couple of screenwriters Hersley, who invented the nonexistent city of Port Charles, which has a hospital where all the main events take place.
The series took off in the early 80s, thanks to the incredible popularity of the main characters - Luke and Laura. Their wedding was attended by 30 million spectators as carts, and this is an absolute record.
In 2003, an American TV guide called the series "The Greatest Soap Opera of All Time."
- Guiding Light (1952-2009)
Number of episodes: 15 762.
It is this American soap opera that leads the list of the ten longest TV series in the entire history of their creation - "Guinness Light" is included in the Guinness Book of Records!
The premiere on television took place on June 20, 1952, and the radio broadcast even earlier - in January 1937. The last "forgive and goodbye" the authors of the series said to the audience only in September 2009.
The picture begins with the fact that the priest Rutland leaves a lighted lamp on his window so that travelers who are lost in the night and in life can find their way to the light - literally and figuratively.
