Soap Operas and The Black People They Need

In the mid 90s daytime soap operas did something miraculous, it began to tell rich diverse stories about communities I recognized. The Wards were introduced on General Hospital, Brenda and Sonny became the supercouple we adored, and Tea Delgado became to romantic lead that we yearned for. Black and Latino families became a mainstay on daytime television. The trend in daytime coincided with the increased presence of Brown/Black people on prime time television. New York Undercover and Living Single helped establish Fox as a network. The Wayans Brothers were happy, singing, and colored on The WB. Even the daytime programming on Saturdays represented some aspect of me, (Hi City Guys). Those diverse changes in programming from the mid to late 90s eventually became a part of a fad practiced by networks before they truly established their networks. But in daytime television those rules do not apply. Once a family is introduced they become a part of the fabric of the story, if the family stays more than five years they are not easily forgotten. Family is a through line of any story regarding a place or space.

The Wards were one of those families that could not quite become untangled from the General Hospital tapestry. The remaining members of the family floated in and out of the cast into the 2010s.  Justus Ward was unceremoniously killed when I was in high school. The death of Justus was the end of storytelling for middle class Black families in Port Charles. Maya Ward popped back into town for a couple of years only to be regaled to a forgotten side chick in the end. The Young and the Restless was one of my favorite soap operas simply because of the Barber/ Winters clan. Victoria Rowell brought such a familiarity to Drucilla that I felt I knew her. I definitely knew a version of Neil in my father who struggled with substance abuse and fostered children with his wife. The Winters were grounded in something familiar, in most ways they were Black on purpose. As an adult I realized this was due to the work of the actors. Kristoff St John and Victoria Rowell elevated the work they were given. Despite the popularity of these Black families and the abundant talent of their portrayers, soap operas have failed to hire Black writers to run the shows that are propped up by a large Black audience. Why are the same 7 white writers rotating through these shows as their man voices?

The Aging Woman and the Death of the Matriarchal Family

When One Life to Live was still on air one of its great draws was the Cramer Women. The Cramer Women were a matriarchal family centered in the soap opera headed by the indomitable Dorian Lord. The Cramer Women may have bickered amongst themselves but they closed ranks when outside forces attacked on their own. There was no doubt they loved each other. The Lord family had a matriarch of their own in the form of Victoria Lord, after years of being ruled by the abusive and hateful Victor Lord.. Vicki Lord was a welcomed change. She was loving but firm. Katherine Chancellor led not only her family, but also the family company.  Matriarchal families dominated the landscape of soap opera for a couple of reasons. Soap Operas made their bread and butter on showcasing the talent of older female actresses at a time when showcasing the humanity of women over the age of 35 on television seemed abnormal.
Frances Reid started work on Days of Our Lives at the age of 41. She became the mother to the core family in Salem (the Hortons). The job was significant because it allowed Frances, a experienced stage actor, to work consistently until the end of her life in television.
After the death of Frances Reid, Suzanne Rogers (Maggie Horton) took over the role of "guiding grandma" within the Horton family.
Part of the brilliance in telling an intergenerational story is the ability to showcase/ display the roles of the women within their families. As a society we often disregard the emotional labor women provide to their families, but  soap operas in their prime celebrated the complex inner lives of women. They dramatized the daily struggle of acting as an emotional backbone of a large interconnected family and it  served as the basis for an engrossing drama.
I revered the women in soap operas. Lainey from General Hospital was the therapist I aimed to be. She was capable, self assured, and competent. Robin held her dignity so close to her chest I thought it would crumble, but instead it constantly grew. It grew as she was challenged by her professional and personal relationships.
When I started writing this, soap operas seemed to have strayed from honoring the complex inner lives of women, then the story of Victoria and JT took hold on Young and the Restless and reminded me that soap operas can never stray too far from the women the built it.