Remembering the Best Soap Opera Moments of All Time

Television is a great way to escape the real world. There is no greater television though than daytime soap operas. Soap operas are dramatic, over-the-top, and captivate the viewer in ways no other type of shows can. Their insane stories and shocking moments have helped win daytime soaps a huge legion of fans that keep coming back for more.

From zombie heiresses, medical marvels, and magical mishaps it’s no wonder that people get addicted to this kind of television. Soaps are known for their out-of-this-world plots and crazy characters, but some stories are so bizarre they topple everything else. These best moments left viewers in complete awe and shock, just like the writers and creators wanted. People were talking about these moments for months after they aired.

Here are the best soap opera moments of all time that left fans in complete shock.

Luke and Laura's Wedding, “General Hospital”

ABC

Luke and Laura's November 17, 1981 wedding brought in 30 million viewers and it remains the highest rated soap opera episode in American daytime television history. They are known as being the signature supercouple in the show and for bringing soap operas into the mainstream media. Despite having been raped by a drunken Luke, Laura falls in love with him. The unlikely pairing became popular in spite of Luke's past misdeed when the story shifted to focus on love and redemption. Viewers then watched their marriage through two decades. The marriage episode featured a cameo appearance from Elizabeth Taylor and champagne was sent by Princess Diana.

Marlena's Possession, “Days of Our Lives”

NBC

This storyline goes down as one of the greatest “Days of Our Lives” moments ever and with good reason. Marlena was on her way to Louisiana in search of John when she is captured by the criminal mastermind Stefano DiMera. John and Marlena escape, but Stefano follows them to Salem. He begins giving Marlena mind-altering drugs. Marlena completely switches personalities, and it is soon revealed that she has been possessed by the devil. John, who was a priest at the time, is forced to perform an emergency exorcism. Audiences were shocked by yellow eyes, menacing voice, levitating and evil powers that Marlena had.

Katherine's Facelift, “The Young and the Restless”

CBS

This moment shocked viewers everywhere, as it was actually happening off-screen. Actress Jeanne Cooper allowed “The Young and the Restless” produces to use her real life 1984 plastic surgery footage for her character Katherine in an episode. Katherine is shown going under the knife. Following the plastic surgery, Katherine — appearing to have just woken — gets her padding and bandages removed by the doctor, who explains the results. “Everything that happened in that storyline was first-hand, and you saw everything as I saw it” Cooper said in an interview with The Talk. Viewers everywhere were empowered by Cooper’s choice, and it sparked a new generation of people looking to get reconstructive surgery.

Erica's Abortion, “All My Children”

ABC

In 1973, "All My Children's" Erica Kane was the first TV character to have a legal abortion. It was the same year as the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade ruling, so it was a controversial storyline to say the least. "All My Children" protected themselves against the controversy by writing in that Erica mentally blocked the abortion, even thinking for a while that she miscarried. When Erica's husband discovered what she had done, he was furious. Of course being a soap opera, unbeknown to Erica the fetus was actually transplanted by the doctor into his wife and they raised the boy. The storyline was a huge political statement at the time, and left fans in complete shock.

Bert’s Diagnosis, “The Guiding Light”

CBS

While this isn’t a crazy moment, it is certainly one that defined the soap opera genre. In daytime’s first social-issue storyline, Springfield mom Bert Bauer contracted uterine cancer but found out in time thanks to an early pop smear. Public response to this was hugely positive, and proved that soaps didn’t just entrain but they could also educate (and possibly save lives.) The actress who played Bert claimed to have received thousands of letters from women who were motivated to request pap-smears from their doctors as a result of the story. Sometimes, the best TV moments are impactful on a large scale.

Adam’s Return From the Dead, “As the World Turns”

CBS

Adam was presumed dead after a serious blow to the head by Maddie with a tree limb while he was attempting to rape Gwen. In soap opera fashion, however, Adam was not dead at all and instead was in hiding, sending anonymous packages to Gwen. Adam finally revealed himself while Gwen and Maddie were trying to unwind in an old, secluded cabin. Adam retaliated and bashed Maddie in the head with a tree limb before trying to rape Gwen yet again. He was stopped by his brothers Will and Casey in the knick of time. It was a truly frightening scene that many could not forget, and it was questionable for a while if Adam was ever going to be stopped.

Return of Allison Perkins, “One Life to Live”

ABC/HULU

No one can forget the totally terrifying scream Natalie let loose when she found her kidnapper and all-around psycho Allison Perkins hovering over her father Clint in the Llanview hospital with a syringe. Laughing, Allison injects Clint’s arm as he gasps for air. This was the last time we got to see these characters, and felt it was leaving us on a chilling (and ear-piercing) note. Allison’s brother, Carl, had a vendetta against Clint and drugged him so he would have a violent public meltdown and be sent into the hospital. Crazy certainly runs in the family when it comes to soap opera shows.

Frankie’s Murder, “Another World”

NBC

Frankie’s murder in the soap “Another World” left fans feeling sick to their stomach, and some vowed to never watch the scenes again. Alice Barrett’s portrayal of events was utterly brilliant. The scene starts with a stalker who has entered Frankie’s home. Frankie escapes, but her car breaks down soon after due to the stalker tampering with it earlier in the episode. Frankie comes face to face with him, and after an altercation she escapes into the woods. Despite her best efforts, Frankie realizes she’s going to die so she attacks the killer and pulls his mask off. Frankie knows the killer, Fax, and begs him to let her live but he strangles and kills her. Frankie is able to give a clue before she dies by trying to write an F.

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