TV Drama: Soaps

All TV Drama Soaps share similar codes and conventions. 

There's the character types... 

'Tart with a Heart'
such as... Jacqui McQueen, Kat Moon and Becky McDonald

'The Bitch'
such as... Janine Malloy, Mercedes Fisher and Tracy Barlow

'The Cheeky Chap'
such as... Alfie Moon, Graham and Lee  (?)


'The Male Villian'
such as... Cain Dingle, Phil Mitchell and Warren Fox

'The Matriarch'
such as... Peggy Mitchell, Liz McDonald, Lisa Dingle and Myra McQueen

All of the character types in TV Soaps are based on stereotypes, so that the viewer can instantly recognise each type of person.

Most TV Soaps are shown in the late afternoon / evening, when people get home from work and want to relax. They are viewed mainly by woman, hence the vast amount of male characters with their tops off.

Characters in a TV Soap don't have leading rolls. Characters have specific episodes aimed at them, in turns. TV Soap Drama also has no one storyline. There are always many stories happening at the same time, to keep it interesting and real, as many stories happening at once creates a sense of realism. This is a key code and convention of any TV Soap Drama.

Oh, and there's also the cliffhanger. Especially noticeable on Eastenders, with the sudden theme tune.

Popular Plots

If you watch Soap Opera, you're most likely to notice at least some of the most popular plots below:

• The love triangle,
• Murders,
• Illness,
• Pregnancy,
• Cheating,
• Fights,
• Money.

Everything in a soap opera is obviously far more likely to happen, than it is in real life.