THE STORY OF SOAPS: ABC Sets Special Documentary Honoring the Genre

ABC and People Magazine have teamed up for a new two-hour documentary, THE STORY OF SOAPS. The special will air Tuesday, May 19 at 8/7c. (UPDATE: The special will now air at 9/8c.)

According to ABC, the doc “explores how no genre of television has laid deeper roots into our cultural consciousness and serialized storytelling than the soap opera. In today’s shifting television landscape, “The Story of Soaps” traces how female creators migrated from radio to television to become the dominant force in daytime for more than three decades. Today, that legacy is alive and well all over prime time and reality, and much of what propels modern television traces its roots back to those first sprawling, steamy storylines. “The Story of Soaps” takes an extensive look at this iconic, impactful genre and the cultural phenomenon its massive impact has had on the world at large.”

Here’s the talent who appears in the documentary…

• Abigail De Kosnik, author
• Agnes Nixon, creator of “All My Children”
• Alec Baldwin, actor
• Allan Sugarman, co-founder of Soap Opera Festivals Inc.
• Andy Cohen, creator
• Angela Shapiro-Mathes, executive
• Brad Bell, executive director
• Bryan Cranston, actor
• Carol Burnett, actor
• Chandra Wilson, actor
• Chris Van Etten, writer
• David Jacobs, creator
• Deidre Hall, actor
• Denise Richards, actor
• Donna Mills, actor
• Drake Hogestyn, actor
• Eddie Mills, actor
• Eileen Davidson, actor and reality star
• Erika Jayne, “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”
• Erika Slezak, actor
• Finola Hughes , actor
• Genie Francis, actor
• Greg Vaughan , actor
• James H. Brown, writer
• Jill Farren Phelps, executive producer
• John Aniston, actor
• John McCook, actor
• John Stamos, actor
• Jon Hamm, actor
• Jonathan Murray, executive producer
• Joyce Becker, co-founder of Soap Opera Festivals Inc.
• Kate Coyne, editorial director, entertainment, PEOPLE
• Ken Olin, executive producer
• Krista Smith, consultant
• Laura Wright, actor
• Lorraine Broderick, head writer
• Marc Samuel, actor
• Marc Cherry, creator
• Mark Teschner, casting director
• Mary Crosby, actor
• Maurice Benard, actor
• Melody Thomas Scott, actor
• Shelly Altman, head writer
• Susan Lucci, actor
• Susan Sullivan , actor
• Vivica A. Fox, actor
• Yhane Smith, creator of “Harlem Queen”

And watch a teaser for the new special:

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