Soaps In Depth is a series of magazines created in 1997 by Bauer Publications to give American soap opera viewers more variety in their soap-related magazine purchases. Instead of buying a magazine like Soap Opera Digest, in which all soap operas are covered, Soaps In Depth gave the soap viewer and potential shopper three choices: ABC Soaps In Depth, CBS Soaps In Depth, and NBC Soaps In Depth. Each magazine is devoted to only the shows on the network the edition covers and is published biweekly.
Contents
- CBS Soaps In Depth
- ABC Soaps In Depth
- NBC Soaps In Depth
- Not specific to a given show
- Specific to a given show
- References
The NBC edition was discontinued after only two years in 1999 after NBC cancelled Another World and Sunset Beach, making it superfluous to cover only two programs, while the ABC and CBS editions continue to be sold.
CBS Soaps In Depth
First published in early 1997, this magazine focuses only on the CBS soaps The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless. Previously "Guiding Light" and "As The World Turns" were covered as well, before their cancellation. Each issue also includes brief news coverage, previews, and recaps for the ABC soaps, as well as Days of our Lives. When the CBS edition debuted, each issue cost $2.99. Currently, the CBS edition costs $3.99 American and $4.50 Canadian.
ABC Soaps In Depth
First published in February 1997, this magazine focused on the ABC soaps at that time (All My Children, The City, General Hospital, and One Life to Live). A few months later, The City was cancelled, and coverage began on the new soap, Port Charles. PC was cancelled in 2003, and coverage continued on the other three soaps. The ABC edition also includes news coverage, previews, and recaps for the CBS soaps and Days of our Lives. Its initial start up cost was $2.99 an issue, with an occasional $1.00 issue. Beginning in 2003, each issue costs $3.99. After the cancellations of AMC and OLTL in 2011 and 2012, respectively, with GH being the only ABC daytime soap to still air to this day, the ABC edition now alternately covers its NBC soap Days of Our Lives and the CBS soaps.
NBC Soaps In Depth
The NBC edition is now defunct. When it was first published, coverage focused on NBC Daytime's soap line-up, which was Another World, Days of Our Lives, and Sunset Beach. In 1999, NBC cancelled the long running AW, as well as Sunset Beach. Passions took over one time slot, but with this drastic move in NBC Daytime, the need for its own magazine was no longer there. NBC's last remaining serial, Days of our Lives, still holds brief news coverage, previews, and recaps in the ABC and CBS editions. It receives more coverage in the ABC edition, as ABC itself only has one soap opera remaining on the air (General Hospital).
Not specific to a given show
Each issue consists of several recurring columns not dedicated to a specific soap:
After each soap is featured, there are several additional articles. These include:
Specific to a given show
All three soaps in both the CBS edition and ABC edition have their own special sections, mostly scoops from cast members, writers, or executive producers. These include:
There are also several special articles for each show. These include: