Pre-Emption Alert: No Soap Operas Due To Presidential Inauguration Wednesday

While soap operas were originally on CBS and ABC network schedules for Wednesday, January 20, 2021, it appears there’s been a change of plans.

Soap Operas Pre-Empted

Days of our Lives was always scheduled to be pre-empted, but now The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful, and General Hospital will not be airing new episodes due to network coverage of the Inauguration of Joseph R. Biden and Kamala Harris as the new president and vice president of The United States.

However, if the festivities are over by the time GH would usually air on the West Coast, an encore episode from December featuring Julian’s last stand will air.

The inauguration is constitutionally set to take place at exactly 12 noon EST when President Donald J. Trump’s term will officially end no matter who takes the oath of office in his place. When the soaps would be airing, there will also be a virtual inauguration parade, as well as other festivities covered by the networks, cable news stations, and television stations across the globe.

What do you think? Post a comment!

However, you still won’t have to miss a moment of the soapy drama because anything originally scheduled to air on Wednesday will now air on Thursday.

More on Soap Opera History

Soap opera began in the early 1900s, as radio broadcasts. Soap companies were behind the conception of the daytime dramas because they wanted to sell soaps to stay-at-home-moms. They did their job and also launched a lifelong programming format, the soap operas.

Spanning more than five decades, American sudsers have seen the rise and fall of daytime soaps. In the heyday of soaps in the early 1980s, there were up to 13 different soap operas broadcasted. However, over the years, the number has declined. Currently, there are only four American soap operas on the air.

Bringing the Drama

The four remaining soap operas currently on the air include Days of our Lives, The Young and the Restless (YR), General Hospital (GH), and The Bold and the Beautiful (BB). Check your local listings for air times.