Passions (1999–2008)

I never watch soap operas. Every time I was home from school and tried to watch one, I was always mystified by the seemingly intricate plots. Besides, soaps seemed aimed at adult women and homemakers.

Not the case with Passions. Before I came back to college, I caught fifteen minutes of one episode and was hooked on what I saw. It wasn't good by conventional standards; the characters weren't deep or intriguing and the acting was relatively mediocre.

Yet the actresses were cute. All of them. And they were all relatively young. The youth factor just seemed like a big break from the typical soap operas I had seen in passing before, and that alone was enough for me to be interested. I disagree with the previous commenter who feels that Passions is for "little ones." I don't think many high schoolers would catch this show on TV, since it plays at 1 PM here, but it could really succeed because it appeals to the niche market of college students, who are willing to watch almost any kind of television. For example, my two housemates now watch Passions with me after they previously mocked me incessantly. The only show we used to watch together on a regular basis was Sportscenter.

The subplots are all fairly interesting, and as others have noted, kind of different than one would expect for a soap. The characters of Timmy and Tabitha are definitely a change. After he first opened his mouth, I wanted to beat up Timmy, or as he would say, "Dubs wants to punch Timmy in the face," but even he has grown on me. I can't wait to catch up with the show tomorrow.