1980s Soap TV Shows

The everyday lives of working-class residents of Albert Square, a traditional Victorian square of terrace houses surrounding a park in the East End of London's Walford borough.

Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives.

Home and Away is set in the fictional town of Summer Bay, a coastal town in New South Wales, and follows the personal and professional lives of the people living in the area. The show initially focused on the Fletcher family, Pippa and Tom Fletcher and their five foster children Frank Morgan, Carly Morris, Steven Matheson, Lynn Davenport and Sally Keating, who would go on to become one of the show's longest-running characters. The show also originally and currently focuses on the Stewart family. Home and Away had proved popular when it premiered in 1988 and had risen to become a hit in Australia, and after only a few weeks, the show tackled its first major and disturbing storyline, the rape of Carly Morris; it was one of the first shows to feature such storylines during the early timeslot. H&A has tackled many adult-themed and controversial storylines; something rarely found in its restricted timeslot.

The ground-breaking soap set in a housing estate on the outskirts of Liverpool.

Falcon Crest is an American primetime television soap opera which aired on the CBS network for nine seasons, from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. A total of 227 episodes were produced. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the Californian wine industry. Jane Wyman starred as Angela Channing, the tyrannical matriarch of the Falcon Crest Winery, alongside Robert Foxworth as Chase Gioberti, Angela's nephew who returns to Falcon Crest following the death of his father. The series was set in the fictitious Tuscany Valley northeast of San Francisco.

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The saga of a wealthy Denver family in the oil business: Blake Carrington, the patriarch; Krystle, his former secretary and wife; his children: Adam, lost in childhood after a kidnapping; Fallon, pampered and spoiled; Steven, openly gay; and Amanda, hidden from him by his ex-wife, the conniving Alexis. Most of the show features the conflict between 2 large corporations, Blake's Denver Carrington and Alexis' ColbyCo.

Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera. The show's storylines concern the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in Erinsborough, a fictional suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. The series primarily centres around the residents of Ramsay Street, a short cul-de-sac, and its neighbouring areas, the Lassiters complex, which includes a bar, hotel, cafe, news office and park. Neighbours began with three families created by Watson – the Ramsays, the Robinsons and the Clarkes. Watson said that he wanted to show three families who are friends living in a small street. The Robinsons and the Ramsays had a long history and were involved in an ongoing rivalry.

Based on the 1966 Argentine telenovela *Jacinta Pichimahuida, la maestra que no se olvida*, the story centers on a group of second-grade students at the Mundial School. Together, they discover the ups and downs of life and seek to resolve their problems with joy and a lighthearted attitude, always with the help and affection of Teacher Helena, who was like a second mother to them.

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An Australian television soap opera, set in a tough fictional inner-city district called Westside. The stories revolve around the local community there. Created by Forrest Redlich and produced by Network Ten from 24 January 1989 to 13 May 1993.

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The spoiled and insensitive Estrella de Rossi comes across a humble girl, Virginia, who is her spitting image; almost immediately she comes up with a game and, as a bit of mischief, she pays the girl to impersonate her. When she pulls this off successfully and no one notices the change, Estrella goes further and decides to take a year off to go out and live her life. She forces her double to accept this pact and the young village girl is left to assume the role of a rich and married woman, with a husband who is not really hers but who she ends up falling in love with. She will also face an alcoholic mother-in-law, stepchildren in need of attention and love, a company teetering on bankruptcy and above all, the eminent danger of being discovered.

A Country Practice was an Australian television drama series. At its inception, one of the longest-running of its kind, produced by James Davern of JNP Productions, who had wrote the pilot episode and entered a script contest for the network in 1979, coming third and winning a merit award. It ran on the Seven Network for 1,058 episodes from 18 November 1981 to 22 November 1993. It was produced in ATN-7's production facility at Epping, Sydney. After its lengthy run on the seven network it was picked up by network ten with a mainly new cast from April to November 1994 for 30 episodes, although the ten series was not as successful as its predecessor . The Channel Seven series was also filmed on location in Pitt Town, while, the Channel Ten series was filmed on location in Emerald, Victoria.

Hotel is an American prime time drama series which aired on ABC from September 21, 1983 to May 5, 1988 in the timeslot following Dynasty. Based on Arthur Hailey's 1965 novel of the same name, the series was produced by Aaron Spelling and set in the elegant and fictitious St. Gregory Hotel in San Francisco. Establishing shots of the hotel were filmed in front of The Fairmont San Francisco atop the Nob Hill neighborhood. Episodes followed the activities of passing guests, as well as the personal and professional lives of the hotel staff.

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In 1886, in the small town of Araruna, Little Missy rejects the actions of her father—the slave-owning Colonel Ferreira—alongside Rodolfo, an active abolitionist republican with whom she falls in love.

Capitol is an American soap opera which aired on CBS from March 29, 1982 to March 20, 1987 for 1,270 episodes. As its name suggests, the storyline usually revolves around the political intrigues of people whose lives intertwined in Washington, D.C.

Natalie, a poor but beautiful girl from a humble neighborhood, falls in love with and wins the heart of Victor Afonso—her childhood friend and the son of the city's wealthiest family. Natalie lives with a cruel old woman who forces her to beg to support her, yet also foresees through fortune-telling cards that "The Beast"—as Natalie is known—will one day find happiness and wealth. Believing this fortune is linked to "The Greek," a wealthy man in love with Natalie, the old woman sells her to him—unaware that Natalie and Victor Afonso had secretly married before he left the country for his studies. When the young man's parents discover the truth, they annul the marriage, indifferent to the fact that "The Beast" is pregnant with his child. Supported by her friend—a cabaret performer known as "La Costeña"—and by The Greek himself, Natalie turns her life around and gives birth to twins; however, she has no idea that The Greek intends to exact a price for all his generosity.

It depicts the life of Topázio, a blind woman who falls in love with Jorge Luis, the son of the owners of a large estate; little did they know, however, that they had been switched at birth, as Topázio had been presumed dead. Topázio had a close friend, Sirilo, who suffered from mental health issues.

Continuing drama combining romance and intrigue set against the glittering backdrop of Beverly Hills and the American fashion industry.

Quinzinho and João Victor are identical twins separated at birth, unaware of each other's existence. The brothers eventually draw closer, guided by their instincts.

The BBC's answer to Dynasty, Howards' Way was launched in 1985 with an enormous 1 million pound budget. The main characters in the show were 'best boat designer in the world' Tom Howard, his boutique running wife Jan Howard, 'I'll have a drink' Jack Rolfe and a nasty man called Ken Masters. It starred Maurice Colbourne.

Maricruz and Beatriz are school friends; Beatriz comes from a well-to-do family, whereas Maricruz belongs to a lower socioeconomic stratum. Both are on the verge of turning fifteen and are preparing to leave childhood behind. Issues within their family and social environments affect them directly; for Beatriz, her parents' marital breakdown becomes the primary obstacle to overcome, compounded by a sexual awakening fraught with taboos and misinformation. Meanwhile, Maricruz must contend with her mother's overprotectiveness and prejudices, as well as the tension caused by a neighbor who is obsessed with her.

After an accident, Marcela arrives in São Paulo and decides to assume a new identity. Torn between love, she plunges into a world that is not her own.

El extraño retorno de Diana Salazar is a 1988 Mexican telenovela starring Lucía Méndez and Jorge Martinez. It is an unusual example of a telenovela which addresses supernatural topics.

Artemisa returns to Chile in search of the group of people who made her life miserable 20 years ago, as fate has prepared a real puppet show for them.

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Maria Eduarda "Duda" Pinheiro is a successful top model. After being hired to model Covery brand clothes, she meets the Kundera brothers, Alex and Gaspar, owners of the company. Gaspar, a former beatnik, is over 40 but still practices surfing, lives in a beach-side house and raises five children: Elvis (named after Elvis Presley), Ringo (Starr), Jane (Fonda), Olívia (Newton-John) and (John) Lennon, all from different mothers who left them with him. Anastácia "Naná" Passos, Duda's friend and mentor, loves him platonically, and rivalizes with Mariza Borges over him. Alex by contrast is a yuppie. He and their mother Morgana have a love-hate relationship and rivalry with his brother over Morgana's attention and the company. Alex begins to love Duda, however she falls in love with Lucas, a graffiti artist who is on the run from the São Paulo police due to his involvement in a crime there. He is also searching for his real father, and thinks it's either Alex or Gaspar.

The routine of the quiet town of Rio Belo changes with the arrival of Carina, a traveling actress determined to discover who her father is. At the same time, a mysterious crime involving the powerful Donana shakes the town.

Dulce Desafío is a Mexican telenovela starring Adela Noriega and Eduardo Yáñez.

Inspired on Jorge Amado's romance "Tieta do Agreste", the plot is set on the fictional city of Santana do Agreste, at Brazil's northwest, and has as main theme Tieta's life turnarounds. Twenty-five years after being chased out of town by her father Zé Esteves, she returns to her home town seeking revenge against everyone who mistreated her and laugh at her face in the past.

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In the tiny poor town of Asa Branca, in the middle of Brazilian Northeast, Roque Santeiro is worshiped as a saint. He was supposedly killed by a bandit, 18 years ago, trying to save the local church. After his disappearance, local leaderships such as landowner Sinhozinho Malta and mayor Florindo, took profit on that to control the humble population. They even make up a widow, Porcina, who should have married Roque secretly before his death. What they don't expect is that Roque is alive, and he's back to, allegedly, "save his people". Now Malta, Florindo, Porcina, and others must hold him down and explain the "truth" to their commoners, in a desperate attempt to save their own bottoms. Meanwhile, mysterious facts surround Asa Branca, such as a Werewolf, a film crew who are trying to shoot a movie about Roque's story, and violent murderers.

The cheerful and outgoing Jordana lived alongside Silas for 20 years, helping him become wealthy. Despite this, he abandons her to run away with the opportunistic Carla. After the separation, Jordana faces financial difficulties. She then meets Dona Mena, an eccentric and lonely old woman abandoned by her family. Jordana takes care of Dona Mena and, when she dies, inherits four bronze cupids containing a million dollars. The problem is that the cupids disappear without a trace. The cupids become the subject of a fight between Dona Mena's nephews, Loreta and Carlito. The two are the villains of the story. Jordana, however, ends up falling in love with Carlito. In the final chapters, Jordana manages to recover the cupids and rebuild her life. She has the help of her friend Vieira.

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Marina is raised by her father on an island after her mother's death. As a teenager, she moves to Rio de Janeiro to study and live with her godparents, where she ends up falling in love with Marcelo.