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Defunct Soap Operas

American soap operas that ended or were axed

English
  • TheTVDB.com List ID 16167
  • Created By AnnieDouglaslovesBenEvans
  • List Type Custom
  • Genre Drama Romance Soap
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  • Created April 8, 2024 by
    AnnieDouglaslovesBenEvans
  • Modified April 8, 2024 by
    AnnieDouglaslovesBenEvans

All My Children

2001

The decades-old, risk-taking soap centers around Erica Kane and her long line of husbands.

Sunset Beach

1997

Sunset Beach was a short-running American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on January 6, 1997, and last airing on December 31, 1999. The show followed the loves and lives of the people living in a fictional coastal city named Sunset Beach, on the coast of California. The show was co-produced by NBC and Spelling Television. It aired in over 70 countries around the world. Sunset Beach won two Daytime Emmy Awards and was nominated another 11 times. The show also received 22 nominations for various other awards.

Santa Barbara

1984

Santa Barbara is an Emmy-winning American television soap opera that aired on NBC from July 30, 1984, to January 15, 1993. The show revolves around the eventful lives of the wealthy Capwell family of Santa Barbara, California. Other prominent families featured on the soap were the rival Lockridge family, and the more modest Andrade and Perkins families. Dominating the show's early years is the feud between the Capwell and Lockridge families, with the five-year-old murder of family scion Channing Capwell Jr. as a major recurring plot point. The show is best remembered for its witty dialogue and sometimes tongue-in-cheek situations that often seemed like an affectionate parody of the genre.

Beverly Hills, 90210

1990

This long-running drama dealt with the experiences of a group of young people in Beverly Hills, CA as they navigated high school, college and ultimately the real world. The series focused on their travails as they tried to maintain their friendship while dealing with romances, family and personal crises, tragedies and countless drug addictions.

Melrose Place

1992

The lives and loves of a group of young adults living in "Melrose Place" in California. Each with their own dreams and drives, the inevitable conflicts, conquests, and consummations ensue.

90210

2008

A Kansas family relocates to Beverly Hills, where their two children adapt to the infamous social drama of West Beverly Hills High.

Melrose Place (2009)

2009

In an elegant Spanish-style apartment building in the trendy Melrose neighborhood of Los Angeles, a diverse group of 20-somethings have formed a close-knit surrogate family. However, when a bloody body is found floating in the courtyard pool, the police soon discover that almost everyone had a reason to want the deceased out of the way.

Dynasty

1981

The saga of a wealthy Denver family in the oil business: Blake Carrington, the patriarch; Krystle, his former secretary and wife; his children: Adam, lost in childhood after a kidnapping; Fallon, pampered and spoiled; Steven, openly gay; and Amanda, hidden from him by his ex-wife, the conniving Alexis. Most of the show features the conflict between 2 large corporations, Blake's Denver Carrington and Alexis' ColbyCo.

The Colbys

1985

The Colbys was a spin off from the popular prime time soap opera Dynasty. Jeff Colby leaves Denver to be closer to his family in California. The series starred Charlton Heston as Jason Colby. Jeff was joined on the show by his on screen wife from Dynasty, Fallon Carrington Colby.

Dallas

1978

The world's first mega-soap, and one of the most popular ever produced, Dallas had it all. Beautiful women, expensive cars, and men playing Monopoly with real buildings. Famous for one of the best cliffhangers in TV history, as the world asked "Who shot J.R.?" A slow-burner to begin with, Dallas hit its stride in the 2nd season, with long storylines and expert character development. Dallas ruled the airwaves in the 1980's.

Knots Landing

1979

Hoping to ride the crest of its success with Dallas, CBS spun off this series featuring the black sheep of the Ewing Family, Gary Ewing. Gary was a weakened reformed alcoholic who had deserted his wife Valene Ewing, and then remarried her and moved to Southern California to escape the formidable nature of life with the Ewings in Dallas. All the equals in this series lived on the same cul-de-sac in the quiet little community of Knots Landing. In addition to being neighbors, their lives intertwined in other ways. Gary worked for Sid Fairgate, owner of Knots Landing Motors, the local classic car dealership. Sid and his wife Karen Fairgate had three teenage children: Eric Fairgate, Michael Fairgate, and Diana Fairgate. The other two couples on the cul-de-sac were young recording executive Kenny Ward and his attractive wife, Ginger, and Richard and Laura Avery.