Although EastEnders, Coronation Street, and Emmerdale have long been mainstays on our TVs, are we seeing the end of soap operas as we know it?
Although EastEnders, Coronation Street, and Emmerdale have long been mainstays on our TVs, are we seeing the end of soap operas as we know it?
Most TV series, including their prequels and sequels, have never been on our screens for as long as soap operas like Emmerdale, Coronation Street, and EastEnders.
While Emmerdale commemorated its 50th year on screen in 2022, Coronation Street celebrated its 60th anniversary in the midst of the epidemic in 2020. A few months ago, EastEnders celebrated its 40th anniversary on television with an explosion at the Queen Vic and the passing of a beloved character who had been there from the beginning.
Grandparents, their children, and their children’s children have all loved soap operas, which are a mainstay of British television. However, with the proliferation of streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video, as well as the ongoing release of new TV shows, do soap operas as we know them have a future?
Following ITV’s shocking announcement earlier this year that things will be altering in 2026, fans may be afraid that’s the case. At the moment, Emmerdale airs for 30 minutes each day, with an hour-long show on Thursdays. The ITV soap operas will soon be airing a „power hour“—a half-hour episode of each weekday—instead of the current one-hour broadcast of Corrie on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.