Forget American Soap Operas, British Soaps Trump Them Every Time

In America, melodramas like Guiding Light, The Young and the Restless, and Days of Our Lives (just to name a few) present the world as a salacious and exciting place, full of illicit affairs and mysterious murders with the sheen of obscene wealth and beauty. American soap operas are escapism at its finest, a way to remove oneself from the humdrum of our everyday lives for up to an hour a day—but they pale in comparison to their British counterparts.

In the UK, soap operas like Coronation Street, Eastenders, and Emmerdale take a different approach to drama. Instead of depicting the affluent, glamorous community, British soaps are focused strictly on the working class and the gritty, everyday trials and tribulations (and yes, scandals) that affect them. That’s not to say there isn’t drama; there certainly is, only it’s far more down-to-earth and realistic. I hesitate to call them “relatable” but in many ways, they are far more relatable than American daytime serials.

You certainly won’t find actors who could moonlight as supermodels on British soaps, dashing about in sequined gowns and clinking champagne glasses as they don freshly pressed tuxedos. Instead, the other side of the pond is faithful to the real world even in terms of its casting, leading to diverse groups of actors of all shapes, size, colors, and appearances that society might not deem TV-worthy back in the US. It’s refreshing to turn on the TV every evening, and that’s another difference: British soaps air in the evenings and are watched by a large majority of the population rather than the stay-at-home moms and retirees who make up much of the American viewership.

British soaps have another trump card over American ones: they use their platform to discuss and bring awareness to real-life issues in frank and compassionate ways. A recent Eastenders storyline dealt with date rape, and the confusion and shame victims often feel after sexual assault. On Emmerdale, the relationship between a mother and her transgender son is being explored with respect and authenticity, as is the reality of a child undergoing a heart transplant after her heart was weakened after repeated cancer treatments. Over on Coronation Street, recent narratives have included miscarriage, cervical cancer, and a lesbian couple embarking on the process of having a child together, just to name a few.

That’s not to say that there’s no over-the-top drama, of course. After all, TV series need viewers in order to be financially feasible, and no one wants to be depressed every time they turn on the TV. There are plotlines closer in tone to their American cousins: people running each other down with cars; over-the-top crime and subsequent framing plots; etc. Those add to the entertainment value, but for the most part audiences are tuning in because British soaps reflect the world around us, and not the other way around. 

There is value in America’s approach to daytime dramas. Much of the entertainment we partake in, we do so because it’s a respite from our stressful, exhausting normal lives. But for those of us who prefer a more rewarding watch, British soaps are where it’s at. Sure, you might not come away feeling any less stressed; but between the cotton candy fluff of your regular American soap opera are deep veins of powerful drama. Anyone else booking a flight to London?

Where to stream Eastenders