How do Soap Operas work

Question

So i just read that General Hospital has over 60 seasons and the longest airing show ever is Guiding Light at 72 seasons.

So like are each season consistent with the last? Do they reference something that happened 10seasons ago? Do they use the same actor/actress for all seasons? Is soap operas just a dramatized version of real life?

In: Other

Answer 1

While characters come and go, the core cast stays the same for years or even decades.

Every once in a while a character is recast, but usually if an actor departs, the character dies or moves away.

Key conflicts may play out over years or even decades.