SoapNet: Love it and Loathe it

I must admit SoapNet is one of the stations I TiVo the most, but it doesn't mean that I think it serves the soap viewing audience. I've had the channel over eight years, so I've seen it evolve from a station many replays of current episodes and a huge amount of 80s and early 90s dramas to one with less replays, reality shows and some prime time series from the last ten years.

Truth be told, I can't criticize the prime time programs SoapNet now airs during the day and on weekends as my DVD collection consists of Gilmore Girls, The O.C. and One Tree Hill. I prefer watching them at my leisure on disk, but I can't say those shows aren't of a serialized nature. Beverly Hills:90210 is an obvious fit for a soap channel even if I am not a devotee.

The contracts SoapNet had with shows like Hotel, Sisters, Knots Landing, Dallas and Dynasty have lapsed, so they aren't part of the programming day anymore. At the time they aired, DVDs were not available for all of the shows, and not all of them had been syndicated or on other cable channels for years. Ryan’s Hope reruns got a featured place on the line up too and ran with little commercial interruption. Depending on the age group, SoapNet is trying to draw these shows skew older as it is doubtful a 22 year old has strong memories of any of these series, unless they discovered them in reruns. The movies they show on SoapNet, I find more troubling as unless a major character is played by soap alum, there is no connection. The station may get flip thru viewers and they may be cheap to purchase, but I don't see it as good for corporate branding.

A program like Southern Belles is exactly the kind of programming that could get someone who would never deign to watch daytime to turn on SoapNet. So while, I don't care for shows like Southern Belles, I can understand why they would include such a show on the schedule. I'm amazed that there has never been a celebreality show on SoapNet other than One Day with... which while interesting didn't have the typical cliffhangers and strife that some like to watch on these kinds of programs.

There are reality show concepts SoapNet could create that would mesh with the soap audience, but how could they be marketed. Would anyone who doesn't watch soaps be interested? Since some viewers will watch reality shows where the people being featured are unknown, the fact someone may not know the performer from soaps may not be an issue. If they picked the right person, they could segue into reality show stardom and increase daytime or SoapNet ratings, as people may want to see their fictional character too. SoapNet having a successful reality show may seem counterintuitive, but if the money made there was used to give us more soaps I would be okay with it.

My preference is typically for competitive reality shows over so-called candid ones, but other than Soapstar there aren't really any competitive reality concepts that I've seen that scream SoapNet, then again on MTV most of their reality shows have little or nothing to do with music beyond having a soundtrack. Of course, do we want SoapNet to be the next MTV where it is a music channel in name only?

If it wasn't for SoapNet, I wouldn't be able to keep up with as many shows as I do. It is a convenient. I appreciate that, and I am glad for the channel. I don't think it is perfect or should be praised for regularly honoring the history of the genre. I doubt SoapNet will ever get an Inside the Actor's Studio type program, though I bet a lot of us would love that. As we've seen with other channels, if you try to expand outside a niche sometimes you alienate your base.

The biggest conflict or issue I have with SoapNet is the expectation of those of us in the audience who wish to have a soap opera network that respects the history of the genre, showing us the past, the present and moving into the future. As a moneymaking venture this seems to be improbable. With daytime soaps being canceled, in a few years it is possible that a SoapNet, which shows same day episodes won’t be needed. Will SoapNet undergo a re-branding like SyFy or disappear? That’s a question no one can really answer.

If they did more specials like how they aired the first episode of Days of Our Lives, and other series, I would be thrilled. Since SoapNet isn't filling that gap, hopefully new media will. On-line soaps with new continuing stories, which respect the "basic" tenets of the shows, are a welcome evolution. I just wish that they were available to everyone and SoapNet would choose to air them, as it is doubtful the rights would be that expensive.

Regardless of what happens with SoapNet or even daytime television, programs with continuing narratives will remain one of the mainstays of television as even reality shows employ them.