Best soaps of the 90s, 00s and 10s?

[ArchieLucasCarringtonEwing1989]

How can anyone forget DAWSON'S CREEK?

A six year run from 1997-2003, so its both a 90s and a 00s soap, it kinda bridges the generation that grew up with 90210 and the generation that would go on to grow up with OTH, its been years since I watched it, and it pretty much launched the careers of
Michelle Williams who arguably has had the best post Creek career, followed closely by Joshua Jackson, who has also had a number of excellent roles in the years since.

Another soap from the 00s that I tried to like but couldn't was
THE OC, again I think the whole rich teen scenario was what turned me off, I mean Marissa Cooper goes through more hardship in just three years, than Kelly Taylor did during the ten years she was on 90201.

 

[MarkSinacori]

I would say the 1990s had two, with 90210 and Melrose Place pretty much tying

The 2000s had a lot of soaps that were canned like Titans, North Shore and Cane, neither of these lasted more than a season. Desperate Housewives is as CLOSE a soap opera that I'd say was for the 2000s although it has a slightly different feel than those 3 other shows that were more soap opera type and only lasted 1 season. Greys Anatomy, although a hospital show, would pretty much tie here, maybe even beat DH as the soap of the 2000s and even 2010s and again, it's different than what were considered soaps in the 1980s and even 1990s.


The 1980s had 4. Dallas, Knots Landing, Dynasty and Falcon Crest.


Since the 2000s it's not really about location anymore. Mostly business. Sometimes location. Like all those cop shows that are now almost all gone on CBS but CBS keeps making more! Enough with the cop shows! NCIS/CSI/Criminal Minds...plus all these other cop shows and detective shows. That takes away from soaps.

 

[Gabriel Maxwell]

My friend and I just re-watched the pilot of Desperate Housewives - the last time we saw it must have been 10 years ago - and we were reminded, dare I say blown away by, what a competent (setting the stories and characters up), beautifully-executed and incredibly appealing hour of television that was.

It's easy to forget it as the show, like most soaps, veered off into quite a bit of silliness in its latter years (there's a noticeable dip in the second season already, as I recall). In fact, the show got so over-exposed and tired, I began to feel almost embarrassed to list it among the favorites.

But the strong first season most certainly deserves its rightful place among the best soaps ever.

 

[Willie Oleson]

It's funny that Lynette, the career woman, was the most believable as "housewife".
I wonder what it would have been like if the show had focussed on characters like Martha and Felicia.
Katherine's first story was also very intriguing imo.

 

[tommie]

Desperate Housewives was an incredible show and set-up. I actually watched the original pilot because I'm a fan of Marcia Cross and I loved it. Didn't like how it tonally changed from Sheryl Lee to Brenda Strong. Sheryl was much more somber and Brenda was "chirpier". But that's what they wanted so oh well.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I loved the Christmas crash.

 

[Gabriel Maxwell]

I loved the Christmas crash.

That was already a bit over the top for me. But I remember I enjoyed very much the aftermath of that episode. And by enjoy I mean I cried my eyes out.

As I recall, Lynette lost one of her twin babies and came to terms with it by dreaming of her unborn son (whom she imagined as a disabled boy) at different stages of his life.

 

[Willie Oleson]

That was already a bit over the top for me

I think a plane crash is always over the top, you can't have a "nice, quiet plane crash".

Some of the comedy worked for me, like when Susan accidentally set Edie's curtains on fire, but Bree was cartoonish from the start.
She was supposed to be the Perfect Housewife, but instead of letting the audience laugh at her, they made her say and do all those funny/bitchy/quirky things. Which was completely unnecessary because it's already funny to watch a neurotic perfectionist.
Pity, because she was the character with the most potential.

 

[Gabriel Maxwell]

I think a plane crash is always over the top, you can't have a "nice, quiet plane crash".

But you don't have to have it crash right in the middle of Wisteria Lane and right during the Christmas event when everyone is outside. Obviously, they did it this way for maximum impact story-wise, but it's that overtly-dramatic 80s style cliffhanger that loses touch with reality.

Especially when it happens at the same point every season. The fall finale disaster became an unnecessary yet mandatory annual tradition after the season 4 tornado which destroyed Wisteria Lane.

I think soaps work best when they remain at least to some extent grounded in reality and in most cases those happen to be earlier seasons. In the fall finale of the marvelous first season all they had to do was give Rex heart attack while having sex with his hooker which led to Bree learning about his infidelity. It was sufficient for great drama.

 

[Willie Oleson]

after the season 4 tornado which destroyed Wisteria Lane.

Oh yes, that was much better.

But what I really liked about that crash is not that the plane crashed in Wysteria Lane, but in a Christmas Wysteria Lane - there was something Toontown about it, and that made for an interesting contrast.
What I didn't like was the completely redundant narration at the end of the episode, because I didn't need anyone to tell me how horrible it was.
But I guess they didn't want to miss the opportunity to make an "ironic" reference to Wham's "Last Christmas". Corny!