1) (The) Guiding Light
Years on Air: 1937-2009 (72 Years)
The plot: What started as a tale about a widowed reverend who kept a light on his desk as a sign of comfort evolved to include marital conflicts, class distinctions and feuding families. The TV show, which dropped the "The" from its name in the 1970s, is credited with being the longest-running American soap opera.
2) As The World Turns
Years on TV: 1956-2010 (54 Years)
Noteworthy characters and/or actors: Helen Wagner, Michael Park and Maura West. Park and West each won Daytime Emmys for their roles as Jack Snyder and Carly Tenney, respectively. Actors such as Marisa Tomei, Meg Ryan and James Earl Jones all had stints.
The plot: The daytime drama, which went off the air in 2010, followed the denizens of small town Oakdale, Ill. The show made families headed by legal and medical professionals standard fare for most soap operas. It was the first daytime drama that extended its length from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. The networks ultimately pulled the plug because the show wasn't making money.
3) General Hospital
Years on TV: 1963-Present (49 years)
Noteworthy characters: Possibly the most famous soap opera lovebirds of all time: Luke and Laura Spencer (Anthony Geary and Genie Francis)
The plot: What started as a story about a nurse named Jessie (Emily McLaughlin) who worked with good-looking do-gooder Dr. Steve Hardy (John Beradino) and was trapped in a troublesome marriage has included several romantic trysts, broken marriages and backstabbing before soap opera super couple Luke and Laura Spencer tied the knot in 1981. The show has also conquered serious issues like HIV and AIDS.
4) Days of our Lives
Years on TV: 1965-Present (47 years)
Noteworthy characters and/or actors: Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall), Kate Roberts (Lauren Koslow), Lucas Roberts (Bryan Dattilo), Roman Brady (Josh Taylor), Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney), Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston), Lexie Carver (Renée Jones) and Bo Brady (Peter Reckell) have each been in more than 1,000 episodes. "Days" stars Kristian Alfonso (Hope Brady) and Reckell are pictured.
The plot: "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives." Set in the fictional town of Salem, the core families involved in the usual romance, adventure, mystery, comedy and drama of the "Days" world are the Bradys, the Hortons and the DiMeras. The patriarchal Victor is one of the most popular soap characters and has been known to stir up the town.
5) One Life to Live
Years on TV:1968-2012 (43 Years)
Noteworthy characters and/or actors: Victoria "Viki" Lord (played by Gillian Spencer and later Erika Slezak) has survived breast cancer, stroke, divorce, rape and even an identity disorder. Viki lives on today, thanks to a heart provided by her dying husband.
The plot: Set just outside of Philadelphia in the city of Llanview, the show follows the comings and goings of several local families, including the Lords, Siegels, Rileys and Woleks. Story lines touched on rape, illegal adoption rings, homophobia and a broad range of social issues, with plenty of scandal and tragedy woven in.
6) All My Children
Years on TV: 1970-2011 (41 Years)
Noteworthy characters and/or actors: Erica Kane, played by Susan Lucci (shown here), is an aggressive socialite with Cinderella beginnings who helped define the diva archetype in the world of soaps. Erica has tied the knot 10 times (12 if you count invalid marriages), and Lucci has been nominated for 21 Daytime Emmys.
The plot: For decades the story, set in the fictional suburb Pine Valley, wove around prima donna Erica Kane and her string of husbands. The show took some risks, tackling subjects like war and homosexuality; in 1973, it was the first to air a legal abortion when Erica decided her pregnancy would damage her modeling career, and in the 2000s, Erica's daughter Bianca revealed she was a lesbian.
7) The Young and the Restless
Years on TV: 1973-Present (39 years)
Channel: CBS
Noteworthy characters and/or actors: If they aren't meddling with each other's love lives, Jill Foster Abbott (played by Brenda Dickson, Bond Gideon, Deborah Adair, Melinda Fee, Judith Chapman and Jess Walton over the years) and Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper) are trying to kill each other. This feud just won't quit.
The plot: Dramatic twists and turns originally focused on the rich Brooks family and the poor Fosters, before introducing a slew of new characters. Plot lines involving themes like premarital sex, incest and rape continue to play a big part in the development of the story.
Channel: CBS
Noteworthy characters and/or actors: If they aren't meddling with each other's love lives, Jill Foster Abbott (played by Brenda Dickson, Bond Gideon, Deborah Adair, Melinda Fee, Judith Chapman and Jess Walton over the years) and Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper) are trying to kill each other. This feud just won't quit.
The plot: Dramatic twists and turns originally focused on the rich Brooks family and the poor Fosters, before introducing a slew of new characters. Plot lines involving themes like premarital sex, incest and rape continue to play a big part in the development of the story.
8) Another World
Years on TV: 1964-1999 (35 Years)
Noteworthy characters: The show made headlines in 1964 when teen character Pat Matthews (played by Susan Trustman) had an abortion -- a procedure that was illegal at the time. This left the character sterile and led her to shoot her ex-boyfriend.
Noteworthy actors: Lindsay Lohan, Jane Krakowski, Luke Perry, Julian McMahon, Ray Liotta, Ed O'Neill and Christopher Knight have the show on their resume.
The plot: This melodramatic soap starts during the aftermath of wealthy patriarch William Matthews' death, and much is made of the family drama between his rich widow Liz (Audra Lindley, then Irene Dailey) and his lower-class brother Jim (Shepperd Strudwick, then Hugh Marlowe). Aside from the abortion issue and its subsequent story lines, the show also dealt with class struggles, warring families and -- perhaps most popular with viewers -- love triangles.
Years on TV: 1951-1986 (35 Years)
Noteworthy characters and/or actors: Joanne Gardner Barron, later Joanne Tourneur, played by Mary Stuart (pictured) and her neighbor and best friend Stu Bergman, played by Larry Haines. Barbara Babcock, Kevin Bacon, Jill Clayburgh, Sandy Duncan, Morgan Fairchild, Kevin Kline, Hal Linden, Don Knotts and Susan Sarandon were among the actors who got their start on the soap.
The plot: Focusing on Joanne in Henderson, U.S.A., the series evolved with real-life women as they moved into the workplace and became more assertive. Initially, Joanne ran a rooming house, cooking and making beds for her boarders. She wore dresses a size too large, aprons and her hair in a bun. As she aged, she became more glamorous and accomplished, working as a librarian, personnel director, owner and operator of her own inn and a city councilwoman. She learned to play the guitar and often entertained friends and guests.
10) Love of Life
Years on TV: 1951-1980 (29 Years)
Noteworthy characters and/or actors: Christopher Reeve got an early start on the show playing Ben Harper, a villainous schemer married to two women in the same town at the same time. Talk about scandalous!
The plot: Good versus evil made up the racy stories in "Love of Life," with the primary focus on Barrowsville sisters Vanessa (Peggy McCay, Bonnie Bartlett and Audrey Peters) and Meg Dale (Jean McBride and Tudi Wiggins). While Vanessa played the "good girl" and disapproving sister, Megan (Ben Harper is Meg's son) was always looking for trouble.
The Edge of Night
(28 Years)
It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network until November 28, 1975; the series then moved to ABC, where it aired from December 1, 1975, until December 28, 1984. There were 7,420 episodes, with some 1,800 available for syndication.
The show's central protagonist was Mike Karr, tireless crime-fighter, introduced as a cop finishing law school. This character evolved from the earlier Perry Mason character on radio. He then progressed to the District Attorney's office as an ADA, hung his own shingle as a defence attorney for several years, then became DA of Monticello. Karr was portrayed by three actors: John Larkin (radio's Perry Mason), Laurence Hugo, and Forrest Compton. Later main characters included socialite Geraldine Whitney Saxon (Lois Kibbee); Mike's wife, newspaper journalist Nancy Karr (played the longest by Ann Flood), who Mike married on April 22, 1963; Schuyler Whitney (Larkin Malloy) and his scheming wife Raven (played the longest by Sharon Gabet).
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