A television genre best known for romantic storytelling, daytime soap operas have for decades spun tales of couples embroiled in passion, lust and adventure. Yet it was not until the early 1980s that star-crossed lovers became standard and the term "super couple" was coined by the media, marking a new era of experimentation and growth in daytime soaps. This book documents the phenomenon, tracing its history, legacy and impact on the soap opera industry and on popular culture at large.

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 139. Chapters: Bianca Montgomery and Maggie Stone, Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer, JR Chandler and Babe Carey, Jesse Hubbard and Angie Baxter, Luke and Laura, Jack Snyder and Carly Tenney, Todd Manning and Blair Cramer, Jack Deveraux and Jennifer Horton, Ridge Forrester, John Paul McQueen and Craig Dean, Tad Martin and Dixie Cooney, Patrick Drake and Robin Scorpio, Holden Snyder and Lily Walsh, Dimitri Marick and Erica Kane, Zach Slater and Kendall Hart, J.T. Hellstrom and Colleen Carlton, Steve Johnson and Kayla Brady, Rafe Kovich and Alison Barrington, Shawn Brady and Belle Black, Dante Falconeri and Lulu Spencer, Nash Brennan and Jessica Buchanan, Eden Capwell and Cruz Castillo, Lucas Roberts and Sami Brady, Victor Newman and Nikki Reed, Nicholas Newman and Sharon Collins, Steve Andropoulos and Betsy Stewart, Cliff Warner and Nina Cortlandt, Roger Thorpe and Holly Norris, Eric Forrester and Stephanie Douglas, Greg Nelson and Jenny Gardner, Craig Montgomery and Sierra Esteban, Frisco Jones and Felicia Cummings, John Black and Marlena Evans, Bo Brady and Hope Williams, Shane Donovan and Kimberly Brady, Tom Hughes and Margo Montgomery, Duke and Anna Lavery, Doug Williams and Julie Olson, Scott Robinson and Charlene Mitchell, Josh Lewis and Reva Shayne, Bob and Lisa Hughes. Excerpt: Bianca Montgomery and Maggie Stone are fictional characters and a supercouple from the American daytime drama All My Children. Bianca was portrayed by Eden Riegel, and Maggie was portrayed by Elizabeth Hendrickson. Lorraine Broderick created and introduced Bianca in 1988, and Agnes Nixon expanded on the character, scripting her as a lesbian and making her the first lead character on a major daytime drama to be a lesbian. Hendrickson was originally brought on as character Frankie Stone; the storyline revolved around the close relationship of Bianca and...

Everyone can name a couple made up of famous, rich, or powerful partners, who cultivate a joint media image which is stronger than either of their individual identities. Since the 1980s they have been known as "power couples". Yet while the term is recent, the concept is not. More than 2,000 years ago, Greeks and Romans became aware of the media potential of couples and used it as an instrument to reinforce political power. Notable examples are Philip II of Macedonia and Olympias, Cleopatra and Mark Antony, or the Emperor Augustus and his wife Livia. Power Couples in Antiquity brings together the reflections of ten specialists on Greek and Roman power couples from the fourth century BCE to the first century CE. It is focused on the birth and the development of the "ruling couple" in the Hellenistic Greek kingdoms and in Rome between the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire. By taking some emblematic cases, this book analyses the redistribution of public and private roles within these couples, examines the sentimental bonds or the relations of domination established between partners, explores how these relationships played out in private, and highlights the many common points between ancient and contemporary power couples. This book offers a fascinating insight into power dynamics in the ancient world, exploring not only the subtleties within these often complex relationships, but also their relationships with their subjects through the cultivation and manipulation of their joint public image.

One dimensional television characters are a thing of the past--today's popular shows feature intricate storylines and well developed characters. From the brooding Damon Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries to the tough-minded Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead, protagonists are not categorically good, antagonists often have relatable good sides, and heroes may act as antiheroes from one episode to the next. This collection of new essays examines the complex characters in Orange Is the New Black, Homeland, Key & Peele, Oz, Empire, Breaking Bad, House, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Since the debut of These Are My Children in 1949, the daytime television soap opera has been foundational to the history of the medium as an economic, creative, technological, social, and cultural institution. In Her Stories, Elana Levine draws on archival research and her experience as a longtime soap fan to provide an in-depth history of the daytime television soap opera as a uniquely gendered cultural form and a central force in the economic and social influence of network television. Closely observing the production, promotion, reception, and narrative strategies of the soaps, Levine examines two intersecting developments: the role soap operas have played in shaping cultural understandings of gender and the rise and fall of broadcast network television as a culture industry. In so doing, she foregrounds how soap operas have revealed changing conceptions of gender and femininity as imagined by and reflected on the television screen.

The soap opera, one of U.S. television's longest-running and most influential formats, is on the brink. Declining ratings have been attributed to an increasing number of women working outside the home and to an intensifying competition for viewers' attention from cable and the Internet. Yet, soaps' influence has expanded, with serial narratives becoming commonplace on most prime time TV programs. The Survival of Soap Opera investigates the causes of their dwindling popularity, describes their impact on TV and new media culture, and gleans lessons from their complex history for twenty-first-century media industries. The book contains contributions from established soap scholars such as Robert C. Allen, Louise Spence, Nancy Baym, and Horace Newcomb, along with essays and interviews by emerging scholars, fans and Web site moderators, and soap opera producers, writers, and actors from ABC's General Hospital, CBS's The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, and other shows. This diverse group of voices seeks to intervene in the discussion about the fate of soap operas at a critical juncture, and speaks to longtime soap viewers, television studies scholars, and media professionals alike.

Marlena & John have never been so close, and yet so far apart... Marlena's love, John, has been paralyzed for two years, and she is becoming desperate. Although her love for him has never waned, she must find a cure before they drift too far apart as man and wife. But John's illness may not be all that it seems, and the truth could tear them apart forever. On the winding roads leading to Monte Carlo... Charlotte Gaines, daughter of one of the world's richest men and one of the hottest fashion designers, discovers a hidden truth about her family that she never suspected. It sets her on a quest that will uncover long-buried secrets, hidden passions, and dangerous mysteries...all leading to a city called Salem, and a revelation that will change all of their lives forever. Sheri Anderson is a former head writer for Days of our Lives and is widely credited for co-creating some of the most memorable storylines and supercouples on American daytime television, including Luke and Laura, Bo and Hope, John and Marlena, Patch and Kayla, Shane and Kimberly, and Tony and Anna.

Provides a complete narrative covering story plots from the beginning of the series, an extensive bibliography, unique information on the actors and their fans, and, most interesting, of all, background on the early days of the soaps.