Daytime drama scholar Elana Levine likes to talk soap. Back in 2017, I met Levine at her office at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, where she teaches media studies. In that first episode about soap operas, we examined how story arcs pushed boundaries and introduced groundbreaking story lines. Social change and feminism evolved as a daily story about interracial relationships, birth control, HIV and mental health unfolded.

Since 2017, Levine and I have discussed how women writers and producers changed daytime television’s power. Growing up, I was a big fan of Ryan’s Hope, which was helmed by Claire Labine and launched many careers. The Ryan family and Ryan’s bar offered 30 minutes of Irish Catholic family conflict, villains, medical maladies and glimpses of New York. My other series over the years were All My Children and Guiding Light. All three exposed me to situations and personalities that may have been a bit over the top, but helped me navigate life.

Daytime drama scholar Elana Levine shared insights from her extensive research in 2017 and has since published her book, Her Stories: Daytime Soap Operas and US Television History.

Of course we followed up once the book was published!