A celebration of the quirks, intricacies, and hallmarks of a beloved but culturally undervalued art form: the American soap opera.



Adored by battalions of devotees and maligned by others for melodramatic twists and turns, soap operas have had an outsized impact on American culture, prefiguring the rise of today's reality television and character-driven prestige dramas. In Love in the Afternoon . . . and Evening, cultural critics Charlotte Druckman and Mayukh Sen salute the stories and talent that have sustained the industry since its radio days. Featured are smart yet dishy interviews with soap icons like Susan Lucci (All My Children's Erica Kane) and Erika Slezak (One Life to Live's Victoria Lord); deep dives into the genre's infamous tropes and archetypes (long-lost daughters and evil twins); and considered takes on the industry's treatment of race, reproductive rights, and queerness. Part cultural analysis, part backstage tour, and all love letter to an oft-misunderstood art form, Love in the Afternoon . . . and Evening will make you want to bust out your shoulder pads and binge your favorite show all over again.