Natalie Y. Moore

1 week ago | wbez.org | Natalie Y. Moore

Without soaps, we wouldn’t have melodramas or reality shows. Without soaps, we wouldn’t have many of the TV tropes and shows we love to stream and binge-watch. Cliffhangers, serials, vixens — in television storytelling, all come from soaps. Network television would not exist if not for the financial success of soap operas, according to Elana Levine, author of Her Stories: Daytime Soap Opera and US Television History. During the 1970s, Levine said soaps brought in 75% of the networks’ revenue.

2 weeks ago | wbez.org | Natalie Y. Moore

Before the mainstreaming of Ellen and the hit show Will and Grace, soaps did their best to bring tenderness to LGBTQ+ storylines. That’s the nature of the form: It gives room for anyone and everyone to be complex, fleshed out, loved and hated all at once. From supporting roles to legacy characters to complex depictions in their full humanity, from respectability politics to sometimes making missteps, soaps have found ways to evolve their depictions of queer life.

2 weeks ago | wbez.org | Natalie Y. Moore

Public transportation is as essential to me as Harold’s fried chicken or Stony Island Avenue, singing the Andriana Furs jingle or memories of Marshall Field’s on State Street. I grew up taking Chicago Transit Authority buses and trains. Still do. We are a CTA family whether going to work, festivals, airports, museums or for croissants in Old Town. My brother uses Pace buses weekly. Trekking to summer Ravinia concerts via Metra is easier than driving.

2 weeks ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Natalie Y. Moore

Public transportation is as essential to me as Harold’s fried chicken or Stony Island Avenue, singing the Andriana Furs jingle or memories of Marshall Field’s on State Street. I grew up taking Chicago Transit Authority buses and trains. Still do. We are a CTA family whether going to work, festivals, airports, museums or for croissants in Old Town. My brother uses Pace buses weekly. Trekking to summer Ravinia concerts via Metra is easier than driving.

3 weeks ago | wbez.org | Natalie Y. Moore

According to an executive at CBS, Black women overindex as soap watchers, which has led to the first new daytime soap in decades. Beyond the Gates debuted with a core Black family in February 2025. It’s an exciting time to be a Black soap fan. Even though there’s been Black representation, Black writers and actors have often had to push to be more than sidekicks, according to soap writer Shannon Peace. “You see the faces; they’re there,” Peace said. “But what are the storylines?