20 Greatest Primetime Soap Operas of All Time
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- CreatorDavid JacobsStarsLarry HagmanKen KerchevalPatrick DuffyJ.R. Ewing, a Texas oil baron, uses manipulation and blackmail to achieve his ambitions, both business and personal. He often comes into conflict with his brother Bobby, his arch-enemy Cliff Barnes and his long-suffering wife Sue Ellen.
- CreatorEsther ShapiroRichard Alan ShapiroStarsJohn ForsytheLinda EvansJoan CollinsThe trials and tribulations of two feuding families, the Carringtons and the Colbys, both oil rich families in Denver, Colorado.
- CreatorDavid JacobsStarsMichele LeeTed ShackelfordJoan Van ArkThe residents of Knots Landing, a coastal suburb of Los Angeles, deal with various issues such as infidelity, health scares, rape, murder, kidnapping, assassinations, drug smuggling, corporate intrigue and criminal investigations.
- CreatorDarren StarStarsJason PriestleyShannen DohertyLuke PerryA group of friends living in Beverly Hills, California make their way through life from their school days into adulthood.
- CreatorDarren StarStarsHeather LocklearAndrew ShueCourtney Thorne-SmithClassic serial drama around a group of friends living in Melrose Place, California.
- CreatorEarl Hamner Jr.StarsJane WymanLorenzo LamasChao Li ChiSet in the vineyards of California, this prime-time soap opera presented the conflict in the powerful Gioberti family, owners of the vast Falcon Crest Winery.
- CreatorPaul MonashIrna PhillipsStarsEd NelsonBarbara ParkinsWarner AndersonPeople married and divorced, loved and lost. Murder, illicit passion, insanity, and secrets were the staples of Peyton Place.
- CreatorMarc CherryStarsTeri HatcherFelicity HuffmanMarcia CrossSecrets and truths unfold through the lives of female friends in one suburban neighborhood after the mysterious suicide of a neighbor.
- CreatorLee DanielsDanny StrongStarsTerrence HowardTaraji P. HensonJussie SmollettA hip-hop mogul must choose a successor among his three sons who are battling for control over his multi-million dollar company, while his ex-wife schemes to reclaim what is hers.
- CreatorRoberto Aguirre-SacasaStarsLili ReinhartCamila MendesCole SprouseWhile navigating the troubled waters of romance, school and family, Archie and his gang become entangled in dark Riverdale mysteries.
- CreatorMark FrostDavid LynchStarsKyle MacLachlanMichael OntkeanMädchen AmickAn idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks.
- CreatorKevin WilliamsonStarsJames Van Der BeekKatie HolmesMichelle WilliamsTwo childhood best friends, Dawson and Joey, go through different stages of adolescence together. Their friendship is later tested when they both start a relationship with different people.
- CreatorJennie Snyder UrmanStarsGina RodriguezAndrea NavedoYael GrobglasA young, devout Catholic woman discovers that she was accidentally artificially inseminated.
- CreatorJosh SchwartzStarsMischa BartonAdam BrodyPeter GallagherA troubled youth becomes embroiled in the lives of a close-knit group of people in the wealthy, upper-class neighborhood of Newport Beach, Orange County, California.
- CreatorMark SchwahnStarsChad Michael MurrayJames LaffertyHilarie Burton MorganHalf-brothers Lucas and Nathan Scott trade between kinship and rivalry both on the basketball court and in the hearts of their friends in the small, but not so quiet town of Tree Hill, North Carolina.
- CreatorRita LakinStarsJohn BeckWoody BrownHoward DuffThe lives and trials of the residents of Truro, Florida.
- CreatorWilliam BastPaul HusonEileen PollockStarsCharlton HestonJohn JamesKatharine RossThis spin-off of Dynasty (1981) featured the adventures of Jeff and Fallon Colby and Jeff's other wealthy relatives in California.
- CreatorJohn FuriaBarry OringerStarsJames BrolinConnie SelleccaNathan CookThe misadventures of the staff and guests of the St. Gregory Hotel.
- CreatorTyler PerryStarsTika SumpterCrystal FoxJohn SchneiderCenters on the rich Cryer and Harrington families (the haves) and the poor Young family (the have nots) whose lives intertwine when Hanna Young starts working for the Cryers.
- CreatorTyler PerryStarsEdwina FindleyHeather HemmensApril Parker JonesFollows the lives and relationships of a group of five husbands and wives who live on the same street in the fictional community of Maxine.