Take a trip down memory by binge watching classic daytime drama shows

There are only 4 soap opera’s that remain on daytime television. Some people say this a dying breed and daytime actors are not afforded the same respect as those on prime time or who have been in movies. Many popular actors, however, got their start on daytime including Morgan Freeman, John Stamos, and Brad Pitt. Three of the 4 soaps that remain are doing something unique during this season of social distancing and sheltering in place that might interest you. If you’ve never watched love in the afternoon, or strayed away from the soaps, now would be the perfect time to start watching or resume enjoying the world of daytime drama. Neilson indicates ratings are climbing for daytime television even as Forbes suggested that the final nails are being placed in the coffin of afternoon soaps The millions who continue to watch ignore the negativity and continue enjoying their favorite programs.

If you can’t sit down in the afternoon and enjoy these programs you can tape current episodes and then binge watch them later. Days of Our Lives on NBC recently announced they have enough original episodes to run through mid August, but General Hospital on ABC and The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless on CBS have already halted programming. These 3 soaps came up with a plan to remain on the air until new episodes begin taping. They are now are airing classic episodes and fans seem to love it. This initially began with Flashback Friday, where Monday-Thursday original programming aired and classic episodes were shown on the last day of each week. The CBS soaps began airing older episodes in April and have been offering fans a specific theme each week.

On The Young and the Restless, there was one week dedicated to the late Jeanne Cooper who portrayed Katherine Chancellor. The following week was focused on older episodes revolving around Victor and Nikki Newman and featured two of their 5 weddings. If you were a fan of Y&R during the 80s and 90s you will enjoy this walk down memory lane and seeing characters you have not thought about in decades. The Bold and the Beautiful featured episodes where there was a fashion show in Monte Carlo and continues to bring forth amazing blasts from the past with Ridge, Brooke and others. Some people say the days of the Soap Opera are over but these episodes are really interesting and will hold your attention, keeping you coming back for more.

About 6 years ago I was in a motel for 3 weeks because a leaking water heater shorted the ground wire in our home and resulted in no electricity. One Friday night I became so discouraged I began flipping channels on the motel room TV in the middle of the night. I found a show called Psych that caught my attention and watched it again on Saturday night. Once my life was settled again I found out this show was on the USA network and there were reruns on ION. I began binge twatching and let me tell you this funny program drew me in and took my mind off of everything. Someone might find that binge watching older soap opera episodes does the same for them. A few months ago I found on YouTube that soap fans have spliced together episodes of favorite couples like Luke and Laura from General Hosputal and Bo and Hope from days of our lives.

You enjoy their scenes only and this will be fun for diehard fans. I spent an entire week watching Luke and Laura. This is why I am suggesting taking advantage of the classic flashback episodes. It’s a wonderful way to be entertained and will challenge your mimicry if past events if you are a devotee of the show. You might have once been an avid soap fan but are not able to maneuver through all the new characters, the flash backs may be able to fill in the blanks and bring you up to speed. General Hospital on ABC will begin airing weekly classics on Monday May 24. This entire first week will be re- broadcasts of episodes about the iconic Nurses Ball. If you enjoy drama, mystery, murder, cat fights and people returning from the dead, then tune in to view classic episodes of this annual gala.

The classic soap opera’s are great escapism and will definitely keep you entertained. It’s fun to look at the styles that have changed such as the big hair of the 1980’s. The dialog and scenery will draw you into the past and it’s fun. The Young and the Restless airs weekday afternoons on CBS at 12:30 PM. EST. It is followed by The Bold and the Beautiful at 1:30. General Hospital can be seen each weekday afternoon on ABC at 2:00 PM EST. Tune in each day, set your DVR or binge watch by looking up programs online. You will be so glad that you did. Several dozen daytime drama programs have fallen by the wayside but the remaining shows have proven to have staying power. Watch them to find out the reason why devoted fans continue to support them.

There are pros and cons to binge watching A 2018 study indicated that young adults were more likely to partake than older adults. They study pointed out that there was a risk of sleep deprivation, blood clots and obiesity. These were in rare extreme cases, but it’s worth noting. Setting a time to shut off the TV, standing up and walking around a few moments each hour and choosing healthy snacks are ways to prevent these issues. Moderation is always the key in everything and now that you know that go have some fun. Make like Andy in Toy Story and grab some popcorn and a few friends and take the plunge.