List of radio soap operas

Radio daytime drama serials were broadcast for decades, and some expanded to television. These dramas are often referred to as "soaps", a shortening from "soap opera". That term stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, and Lever Brothers as sponsors [1] and producers.[2] These early radio serials were broadcast in weekday daytime slots when mostly housewives would be able to listen; thus the shows were aimed at and consumed by a predominantly female audience.[1]

Show	Region/country	Began	Ended	Creator	Ref.
Adopted Daughter	United States	1939	1941	Jettabee Anne Hopkins
The Affairs of Dr Gentry		1957	1959		[3]
Against the Storm	United States	1939	1952	Sandra Michael	[3]
Amanda of Honeymoon Hill	United States	1940	1946	Frank and Anne Hummert	[3]
The Archers	United Kingdom	1951	present	Godfrey Baseley
Arnold Grimm's Daughter	United States	1937	1942	Margaret Sangster	[4]
Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories	United States	1937	1955		[4]
Aunt Mary	United States	1942	1951	Leigh and Virginia Crosby & Gil South	[3]
Bachelor's Children	United States	1935	1946	Bess Flynn	[3]
Backstage Wife	United States	1935	1959	Frank and Anne Hummert	[3]
Barry Cameron		1945	1946	Richard, Leonard, and Peggy Blake
Betty and Bob	United States	1932	1940	Frank and Anne Hummert	[3]
Big Sister	United States	1936	1952	Julian Funt, Carl Bixby, Bob Newman and Bill Sweets	[3]
Blue Hills	Australia	1949	1976	Gwen Meredith
Bob and Victoria		1947	1947	Lee and Virginia Crosby & Gil South	[4]
Brave Tomorrow	United States	1943	1944	Ruth Adams Knight	[4]
Brenda Curtis	United States	1939	1940	Ken Roberts	[4]
Bright Horizon	United States	1941	1945	James and Elizabeth Hart, John M. Young, Ted Maxwell, Stuart Hawkins, and Kathleen Norris	[3]
The Brighter Day	United States	1948	1956	Irna Phillips	[3]
The Carters of Elm Street	United States	1939	1940	Mona Kent	[4]
Central City	United States	1938	1941	Frank and Anne Hummert	[3]
The Colcloughs	United Kingdom	1991 2016	1993 present	Mike Hopwood
Citizens	United Kingdom	1987	1991	BBC
City Soap	United Kingdom	2005	2008	Preston Fm
Clara, Lu, and Em	United States	1930	1942	Louise Starkey, Isobel Carothers and Helen King	[3]
College Road	Ireland	2009	2009	MightyStudent	[3]
Dan Harding's Wife	United States	1936	1938	Ken Robinson	[3]
David Harum	United States	1936	1950	Frank and Anne Hummert	[3]
Doc Barclay's Daughters	United States	1939	1940	Frank and Anne Hummert	[3]
The Doctor's Wife	United States	1952	1956	Manya Starr
Family Skeleton	United States	1953	1954	Carlton E. Morse
Front Line Family	United Kingdom / Canada	1941	1948
Front Page Farrell	United States	1941	1954	Frank and Anne Hummert	[3]
Girl Alone	United States	1935	1941	Fayette Krum	[3]
The Goldbergs	United States	1929	1950	Gertrude Berg	[4]
The Guiding Light	United States	1937	1956 [5]	Irna Phillips	[3]
Helpmate	United States	1941	1944	Frank and Anne Hummert	[3]
Her Honor, Nancy James		1938	1939		[4]
Hilltop House		1937, 1948	1941, 1957	Edward Wolf	[4][6]
Home of the Brave	United States	1941	1941		[4]: 326-327
Into the Light		1941	1942	Larry Bearson	[4]
Jane Arden	United States	1938	1939		[4]
John's Other Wife		1936	1942	Frank and Anne Hummert	[4]
Joyce Jordan, M.D.	United States	1938	1956		[3]
Judy and Jane	United States	1932	1935	Frank and Anne Hummert	[4]
Just Plain Bill	United States	1932	1955	Frank and Anne Hummert	[4]
Kate Hopkins, Angel of Mercy		1940	1942	Gertrude Berg and Chester McCracken	[4]
Kitty Foyle	United States	1942	1944		[3]
Kitty Keene, Incorporated	United States	1937	1941	Day Keene and Lester Huntly
The Life and Love of Dr. Susan		1939	1939	Edith Meiser	[4]
Life Begins		1940	1941		[4]
Life Can Be Beautiful	United States	1938	1954	Don Becker and Carl Bixby	[4]
Life of Mary Sothern		1934	1938	Don Becker	[4]
The Light of the World	United States	1940	1950		[3]
Linda's First Love		1939	ca. 1950		[4]
Lone Journey		1940	1952	Sandra Michael	[4]
Lonely Women	United States	1942	1943	Irna Phillips
Lora Lawton	United States	1943	1950		[3]
Lorenzo Jones	United States	1937	1955		[3]
Ma Perkins	United States	1933	1960	Frank and Anne Hummert	[3]
Matysiakowie	Poland	1956	present	Jerzy Janicki
Mrs Dale's Diary	United Kingdom	1948	1969	Jonqil Antony
My True Story	United States	1943	1956	Margaret Sangster	[3]
Myrt and Marge	United States	1931	1942	Myrtle Vail	[3]
Newarkers	United Kingdom	2013	2013	Radio Newark
The O'Neills	United States	1935	1943		[3]
One Man's Family	United States	1932	1959	Carlton E. Morse	[3]
Our Gal Sunday	United States	1936	1959		[3]
Painted Dreams	United States	1930	1943	Irna Phillips	[7]
Penny For Your Thoughts	United Kingdom	2018	present	Marion Hartley (Script) Brian Curtis (Producer) on Vectis Radio (104.6FM & www.vectisradio.com)
Pepper Young's Family	United States	1932	1959	Elaine Sterne Carrington	[3]
Perry Mason	United States	1943	1955	Erle Stanley Gardner	[3]
Portia Faces Life	United States	1940	1952		[3]
Pretty Kitty Kelly	United States	1937	1940		[3]
The Right to Happiness	United States	1939	1960	Irna Phillips	[3]
The Road of Life	United States	1937	1959	Irna Phillips	[3]
The Romance of Helen Trent	United States	1933	1960	Frank and Anne Hummert	[4]
Rosemary	United States	1944	1955	Elaine Sterne Carrington	[3]
The Second Mrs. Burton	United States	1946	1960		[3]
Silver Street	United Kingdom	2004	2010
Sounds of the City	United States	1973	1975	Shauneille Perry	[8]
Staying Well in Camberwell	United States	2011	2011	Cheryl L. Davis [9]	[10][11]
Stella Dallas	United States	1937	1955		[3]
The Story of Mary Marlin	United States	1935	1952		[3]
The Strange Romance of Evelyn Winters	United States	1944	1952		[3]
This Is Nora Drake	United States	1947	1959		[3]
Today's Children	United States	1933	1938	Irna Phillips	[3]
Today's Children (second series)	United States	1943	1950	Irna Phillips (Dialogue by Virginia Cooke)	[3]
Valiant Lady	United States	1938	1952		[3]
Waggoners' Walk	United Kingdom	1969	1980
We Love and Learn	United States	1942	1956		[3]
Wendy Warren and the News	United States	1947	1958		[3]
Westway	United Kingdom	1997	2005
When a Girl Marries	United States	1939	1957	Elaine Sterne Carrington	[3]
The Woman in My House	United States	1951	1959		[3]
Woman in White	United States	1938	1948		[3]
A Woman of America	United States	1943	1945		[3]
You Me Now	New Zealand	2010	2012	Radio New Zealand and All The Way Home Productions	[3]
Young Doctor Malone	United States	1939	1960	Irna Phillips	[3]
Young Widder Brown	United States	1938	1956	Frank Hummert and Anne Hummert	[3]
Your Family and Mine	United States	1938	1940		[4]

References

1. Bowles, p. 118
2. "PGP". proctergambleproductions.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
3. Lackmann, Ronald W. (2000). The Encyclopedia of American Radio: An A-Z Guide to Radio from Jack Benny to Howard Stern. Facts On File. ISBN 0-8160-4137-7.
4. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-time Radio. United States: Oxford University Press. pp. 14, 17. ISBN 0-19-507678-8.
5. The radio show The Guiding Light was dropped in 1956 in favor of the television version, which premiered in 1952 and ended in 2009.
6. Thurber, James (June 12, 1948). "Soapland III - Sculptors in Ivory". The New Yorker. pp. 48–58. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
7. Cox, Jim (2003). Frank and Anne Hummert's radio factory: the programs and personalities of broadcasting's most prolific producers. McFarland.
8. Bellafante, Ginia (October 24, 2021). "He Set the Template for Black Media". The New York Times.
9. "Cheryl L. Davis". cldplay.com. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
10. "Staying Well in Camberwell". Staying Well in Camberwell. Archived from the original on February 27, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
11. "Local radio soap operas address Alabama's health problems in true soapy fashion". AL.com. Retrieved February 27, 2015.