Today in Soap Opera History (January 17)

1975: The Doctor's Carolee made a decision.
1980: Dee and Ian arrived in Italy on As the World Turns.
1988: Australian soap opera Home and Away premiered.
2007: General Hospital's Elizabeth made a confession.

"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1958: On The Edge of Night, Mike Karr (John Larkin) called Willy and asked him to put two investigators on Toni for protection.

1966: Charles Baxter debuted as attorney Fred Douglas on Another World.

1967: On Peyton Place, Lee Webber (Stephen Oliver) taunted Chris (Gary Haynes) at Ada's tavern. Later, Chris stole a gun.

Soap of the Week Results (October 8-12, 2018): 'Days of our Lives' the Favorite for 13th Week in a Row

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for October 8-12, 2018. NBC's Days of our Lives was voted favorite soap opera for the 13th consecutive week.

ABC's General Hospital came in second, followed by CBS' The Young and the Restless.

The Favorite Couple this week was Days' Will & Sonny. Days' Chandler Massey (Will) and GH's Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	Days of our Lives (NBC)	1	424
2	General Hospital (ABC)	2	327
3	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	4	189
4	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	3	171

Soap of the Week Results (September 10-14, 2018): 'Days of our Lives' the Favorite for 12th Week in a Row

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for September 10-14, 2018. NBC's Days of our Lives was voted favorite soap opera for the 12th consecutive week.

ABC's General Hospital came in second, followed by CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful.

The Favorite Couple this week was Days' Will & Sonny. Days' Chandler Massey (Will) and GH's Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	Days of our Lives (NBC)	1	423
2	General Hospital (ABC)	2	326
3	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	3	171
4	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	4	188

Soap of the Week Results (September 3-7, 2018): 'Days of our Lives' the Favorite for 11th Week in a Row

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for September 3-7, 2018. NBC's Days of our Lives was voted favorite soap opera for the 11th consecutive week.

ABC's General Hospital came in second, followed by CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful.

The Favorite Couple this week was Days' Will & Sonny. GH's Steve Burton (Jason) and Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	Days of our Lives (NBC)	1	422
2	General Hospital (ABC)	2	325
3	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	4	170
4	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	3	188

Soap of the Week Results (August 20-24, 2018): 'Days of our Lives' Extends Winning Streak to 10

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for August 20-24, 2018. NBC's Days of our Lives was voted favorite soap opera for the 10th consecutive week.

ABC's General Hospital came in second, followed by CBS' The Young and the Restless.

The Favorite Couple this week was Days' Will & Sonny. Days' Robert Scott Wilson (Ben) and GH's Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	Days of our Lives (NBC)	1	421
2	General Hospital (ABC)	2	324
3	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	4	188
4	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	3	169

Soap of the Week Results (August 6-10, 2018): 'Days of our Lives' Tops Poll for 9th Straight Week

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for August 6-10, 2018. NBC's Days of our Lives was voted favorite soap opera for the ninth consecutive week.

ABC's General Hospital came in second, followed by CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful.

The Favorite Couple this week was Days' Will & Sonny. GH's Steve Burton (Jason) and Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	Days of our Lives (NBC)	1	420
2	General Hospital (ABC)	2	323
3	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	3	169
4	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	4	187

Soap of the Week Results (July 23-27, 2018): 'Days of our Lives' Tops Poll for 8th Straight Week

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for July 23-27, 2018. NBC's Days of our Lives was voted favorite soap opera for the eighth consecutive week.

ABC's General Hospital came in second, followed by CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful.

The Favorite Couple this week was Days' Will & Sonny. GH's Steve Burton (Jason) and Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	Days of our Lives (NBC)	1	419
2	General Hospital (ABC)	2	322
3	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	3	168
4	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	4	187

Soap of the Week Results (July 16-20, 2018): 'Days of our Lives' Tops Poll for 7th Week in a Row

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for July 16-20, 2018. NBC's Days of our Lives was voted favorite soap opera for the seventh consecutive week.

ABC's General Hospital came in second, followed by CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful.

The Favorite Couple this week was Days' Will & Sonny. GH's Steve Burton (Jason) and Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	Days of our Lives (NBC)	1	418
2	General Hospital (ABC)	2	321
3	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	3	167
4	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	4	187

Soap of the Week Results (July 9-13, 2018): 'Days of our Lives' Winning Streak Extends to 6 Weeks

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for July 9-13, 2018. NBC's Days of our Lives was voted favorite soap opera for the sixth week in a row.

ABC's General Hospital came in second, followed by CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful.

The Favorite Couple this week was Days' Will & Sonny. Days' Robert Scott Wilson (Ben) and GH's Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	Days of our Lives (NBC)	1	417
2	General Hospital (ABC)	2	320
3	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	4	166
4	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	3	187

Soap of the Week Results (July 2-6, 2018): 'Days of our Lives' Tops Poll for 5th Week in a Row

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for July 2-6, 2018. NBC's Days of our Lives was voted favorite soap opera for the fifth week in a row.

ABC's General Hospital came in second, followed by CBS' The Young and the Restless.

The Favorite Couple this week was Days' Will & Sonny. Days' Freddie Smith (Sonny) and Camila Banus (Gabi) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	Days of our Lives (NBC)	1	416
2	General Hospital (ABC)	2	319
3	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	4	187
4	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	3	165

Soap of the Week Results (June 25-29, 2018): 'Days of our Lives' Tops Poll for Fourth Week in a Row

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for June 25-29, 2018. NBC's Days of our Lives was voted favorite soap opera for the fourth week in a row.

ABC's General Hospital came in second, followed by CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful.

The Favorite Couple this week was Days' Will & Sonny. Days' Freddie Smith (Sonny) and Camila Banus (Gabi) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	Days of our Lives (NBC)	1	415
2	General Hospital (ABC)	2	318
3	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	4	165
4	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	3	186

Soap of the Week Results (June 18-22, 2018): 'Days of our Lives' Winning Streak Extends to 3

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for June 18-22, 2018. NBC's Days of our Lives was voted favorite soap opera for the third week in a row.

ABC's General Hospital came in second, followed by CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful.

The Favorite Couple this week was Days' Will & Sonny. Days' Chandler Massey (Will) and Camila Banus (Gabi) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	Days of our Lives (NBC)	1	415
2	General Hospital (ABC)	2	318
3	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	4	165
4	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	3	186

Soap of the Week Results (April 23-27, 2018): 'Days of our Lives' Remains on Top

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for April 23-27, 2018. NBC's Days of our Lives was voted favorite soap opera for the second week in a row.

ABC's General Hospital came in second, followed by CBS' The Young and the Restless.

The Favorite Couple this week was Days' Will & Sonny. GH's Steve Burton (Jason) and Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	Days of our Lives (NBC)	1	414
2	General Hospital (ABC)	2	317
3	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	3	186
4	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	4	164

Soap of the Week Results (April 16-20, 2018): 'Days of our Lives' Takes the Top Spot

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for April 16-20, 2018. NBC's Days of our Lives was voted favorite soap opera for the week.

ABC's General Hospital came in second, followed by CBS' The Young and the Restless.

The Favorite Couple this week was Days' Will & Sonny. GH's Steve Burton (Jason) and Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	Days of our Lives (NBC)	2	413
2	General Hospital (ABC)	1	316
3	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	4	185
4	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	3	163

Soap of the Week Results (March 12-16, 2018): 'General Hospital' Tops Poll for Fourth Week

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for March 12-16, 2018. ABC's General Hospital was voted favorite soap opera for the fourth week in a row.

NBC's Days of our Lives came in second, followed by CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful.

The Favorite Couple this week was Days' Will & Sonny. GH's Steve Burton (Jason) and Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	General Hospital (ABC)	1	315
2	Days of our Lives (NBC)	2	412
3	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	3	163
4	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	4	184

Soap of the Week Results (February 26-March 2, 2018): 'General Hospital' Tops Poll for Third Week

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for February 26-March 2, 2018. ABC's General Hospital was voted favorite soap opera for the third week in a row.

NBC's Days of our Lives came in second, followed by CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful.

The Favorite Couple this week was Days' Will & Sonny. GH's Steve Burton (Jason) and Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	General Hospital (ABC)	1	314
2	Days of our Lives (NBC)	2	411
3	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	3	162
4	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	4	183

Soap of the Week Results (February 19-23, 2018): 'General Hospital' on Top Again

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for February 19-23, 2018. ABC's General Hospital was voted favorite soap opera for the second week in a row.

NBC's Days of our Lives came in second, followed by CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful.

The Favorite Couple this week was Days' Will & Sonny. GH's Steve Burton (Jason) and Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	General Hospital (ABC)	1	313
2	Days of our Lives (NBC)	2	410
3	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	3	161
4	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	4	183

Soap of the Week Results (February 12-16, 2018): 'General Hospital' Edges 'Days of our Lives' for Top Spot

GH's Franco & Liz were voted favorite couple.  They are played by
favorite actor and actress, Roger Howarth and Rebecca Herbst.
Photo Credit: ABC

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for February 12-16, 2018. ABC's General Hospital edged NBC's Days of our Lives to take over the top spot as favorite soap opera.

CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful was third.

The Favorite Couple this week was General Hospital's Elizabeth & Jason. GH's Roger Howarth (Franco) and Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	General Hospital (ABC)	2	312
2	Days of our Lives (NBC)	1	409
3	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	4	160
4	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	3	182

Soap of the Week Results (January 29-February 2, 2018): 'Days of our Lives' Tops Poll for Third Week in a Row

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for January 29-February 2, 2018. NBC's Days of our Lives was voted favorite soap opera by our readers for the third week in a row.

ABC's General Hospital was second, followed by CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful.

The Favorite Couple this week was General Hospital's Elizabeth & Jason. GH's Roger Howarth (Franco) and Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	Days of our Lives (NBC)	1	408
2	General Hospital (ABC)	2	311
3	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	4	159
4	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	3	182

Soap of the Week Results (January 15-19, 2018): 'Days of our Lives' Stays on Top

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Soap of the Week" poll for January 15-19, 2018. NBC's Days of our Lives was voted favorite soap opera by our readers for the second week in a row.

ABC's General Hospital was second, followed by CBS' The Young and the Restless.

The Favorite Couple this week was General Hospital's Elizabeth & Jason. GH's Steve Burton (Jason) and Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) were Favorite Actor and Favorite Actress.

Check out the complete show rankings below as well as the Top 15 favorite couples, actors and actresses.

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	Days of our Lives (NBC)	1	407
2	General Hospital (ABC)	2	310
3	The Young and the Restless (CBS)	3	182
4	The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)	4	158