They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and nobody adheres to that theory better than soap scribes.
The group has been admiring and applauding their contemporaries for decades by repeating tried and true plots over and over again. It’s hard to blame them, considering how well the storylines do and how popular they are with viewers, no matter how many times they’re told.
Here’s a list of the most overused soap plots that we can’t get enough of.
I Hate You, I Love You
When two characters loathe each other at first sight, the storyline recipe is usually the same. Eventually, they’ll share a passionate kiss and fall hopelessly in love.
Think General Hospital’s Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Carly (Laura Wright) and the relationship that’s brewing between Abby (Melissa Ordway) and Scott (Daniel Hall) on The Young and the Restless.
Who’s Your Daddy?
We’ve seen it time and time again. On a break from a boyfriend or after a serious misunderstanding with a husband, a woman reaches out to an old love or gets drunk and falls into bed with a new man.
Six weeks later she’s having a baby, but whose? The ensuing drama and huge secret always explodes at the worst possible time ever — like when Daniel (Shawn Christian) found out about Chloe (Nadia Bjorlin) and Philip’s (Jay Kenneth Johnson) tryst at Parker’s christening.
Wedding Interruptus
This tried and true plot has been paying ratings dividends for decades. A bride on the rebound from the man she really loves agrees to marry another. But before the couple can exchange “I Do’s,” her true love bursts in and interrupts the nuptials.
One of daytimes all-time best was when Days of Our Lives’ Bo (Peter Reckell) kidnapped Hope (Kristian Alfonso) before she could walk down the aisle and marry Larry (Andrew Masset).
Resurrected and It Feels So Good
Is anyone ever really dead on soaps? Devoted fans have learned that a character buried one year, can easily be resurrected the next. And why not? Oft times, popular peeps are killed off because an actor chooses to leave the show.
General Hospital’s Kimberly McCullough (Robin) immediately comes to mind. When said actor agrees to a return, bringing them back from the dead is always a huge hit with fans. And more recently, Sheila (Kimberlin Brown) returned from the grave on The Bold and the Beautiful.
Forget Me Not
While most of us will never encounter anyone who’s suffered from amnesia in our lifetime, it’s a common soap ailment. Following an accident, someone forgets their past – specifically, the person they love.
It’s the perfect device to let someone new sweep in and wreak havoc or retell a supercouple story that had grown old and stagnant.
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