Soap

This is the story of two sisters: Jessica Tate, and Mary Campbell.
Jessica lives in a neighborhood known as Rich. Jessica likes life. The only thing she would change about life, if she could, is that she would set it all to music. The Tates have more secrets than they do money.
Mary, too, likes life. Unfortunately, life doesn't seem too crazy about her. As you can see, the Campbells don't have nearly as much money as the Tates. They do, however, have as many secrets...

—The Opening Narration

Soap was a late 1970s sitcom on ABC that both parodied and emulated the serial storytelling style of the Soap Opera. It was perhaps the first Sitcom to include a Story Arc of any significance, and as such is still a rarity even today.

Soap followed the misadventures of the wealthy Tate family, and the equally bizarre misadventures of their relatives, the far less wealthy Campbells. Over the course of a few years, they face adultery, a murder trial, abduction by aliens, demonic possession, cultists and mental illness (several times). The cast consisted of a large ensemble, including Richard Mulligan, Katherine Helmond, Robert Urich, Billy Crystal, and Robert Guillaume as Benson, the cynical housekeeper to the Tates, who would eventually be spun off into his own show (in which he would eventually become lieutenant governor of his state).

It is also notable for being one of the first major series to feature a homosexual major character. Also notable in that said character managed to survive relatively unscathed throughout the entire series.

Tropes used in Soap include:

Affectionate Parody: Of the Soap Opera genre.
Alien Abduction: Happens to Burt, but it takes him forever to get anyone to believe him.
Black Belt in Origami: Billy threatens his girlfriend's ex with Tai Chi.
Bolivian Army Ending: The last episode sees Burt, Jessica, Danny and Annie two seconds from being executed, all in separate events.
- A later Benson episode has Jessica appear in "ghost" form. However, she tells Benson that she's not dead, just in a coma in a South American hospital.
- Susan Harris has indicated that had the show gone to a fifth season, the rifles that shot Jessica would have had blanks in them.
Breakout Character: Benson.
Bungled Suicide: Chester's Played for Laughs suicide attempt at the end of Season One when Jessica is getting arrested for Peter's death and realizes that his life is ruined by multiple other things, but Burt keeps interrupting him, like taking the knives away to be sharpened. Eventually Chester's about to drop a heavy pot on his head but Burt comes in and proves how sharp the knives are by cutting the rope. Of course, he survives.
Bury Your Gays: An early and fairly spectacular aversion.
The Butler Did It: Discussed. During the murder investigation the Chief of Police puts Benson down as a suspect because "We all know, in many, many cases like this The Butler Did It."
But Not Too Black: Polly Dawson.
But Not Too Gay: Justified. The show was made in the 70s. The closest any homosexual relationships got was romance with hugging and subtext.
Camp Gay: Jodie was extremely camp at the very start of the show but after a few episodes this softens down a lot.
Catch Phrase: Benson's "You want me to get that?" in response to the doorbell.
- And Jessica's "If you don't mind" in response to Benson's catchphrase.
- Also Benson's "My my my..."
- Plus Jessica's reaction to anything someone says that she doesn't understand. "I see..."
Chick Magnet: Inverted with Jessica, who attracts a good collection of the men around her.
Cliff Hanger: Many, but arguably the voiceover at the end of the last episode of the first season was the most memorable. Just after Jessica is found guilty images of Chester, Burt, Corinne, Jodie and Benson appear on screen.

Voiceover: Jessica Tate did NOT kill Peter Campbell. One of these five people... DID. Who killed Peter Campbell?

Cloudcuckoolander: Jessica.
- Burt could be considered one too.
- Major takes this Up to Eleven.
Coincidental Broadcast: Newspaper edition: Corinne is arrested for the murder of Peter Campbell in Connecticut. Her birth mother reads about the arrest in her local paper... in Ecuador.
Comedic Sociopathy: The lifeblood of the show.
Construction Zone Calamity: Burt owns a construction company and brings stepson Danny into the business. At one point they're up on the high iron talking and accidentally knock over a bucket full of rivets.
- In one episode, Danny accidentally drops an apple. The cop was okay.
- One of Burt's co-workers falls off a girder after seeing Burt sitting next to the alien that has been transformed to look exactly like him.
Creator Cameo: Susan Harris appears as a prostitute in episode 15.
Cut Short: Susan Harris had written out a five-season arc for the show, but the network pulled it after Season 4, resulting in a final episode that ended in several unresolved cliffhangers.
Dad the Veteran: The Major.
Dead Baby Comedy: Murder, suicide, racism, homophobia, and mental illness (among other things) are all fair game for jokes. That said, racists and homophobes were nearly always played as fools, if not the butt of the joke.
Dinner and a Show
Disguised in Drag: Danny meets Jodie in hospital disguised as a nurse (because the mob is after him).
Dramatically Missing the Point: Burt thinks a disease with no treatment means it will just go away.
Driven to Suicide: Chester, Jodie and Leslie. They all get better.
Easy Amnesia: Chester spends much of the second season with amnesia after botched brain surgery. He gets his memory back, then immediately loses it again to a bonk on the head.
Escalating Brawl: One of the several openings shows a brawl that starts with Burt trying to get in front of Chester for the family photo, but ends up involving all except the Major (who is too out of it to notice), Billy (who considers himself the Only Sane Man in his family, and sits watching amused by it all) and Benson who steps back and shakes his head disapprovingly as they fight.
Evil Twin: Burt and the space alien sent down to replace him.
Expy: Susan Harris tried to update the formula in the "Soap meets Dynasty" 90s sitcom Good And Evil.
Fictional Counterpart: The "Sunnies", a cult led by Reverend Sun, standing in for Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church (known colloquially as "Moonies").
Follow the Leader: Soap was a clear influence on Arrested Development.
- Soap itself was the prime-time answer to the previous season's hit Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, a daytime soap opera parody from Harris's former boss Norman Lear.
Food Fight: Fairly common in the first season, almost always involving Burt (although he rarely seemed to start them).
Funny Foreigner: Ingrid Swenson and Himmle, the German private detective.
Genre Shift: On occasion, the show would switch from goofy, over-the-top parody to genuinely poignant drama that put actual soaps to shame. Then, next scene, more wacky antics!
Great Escape: Chester is forced into one by Dutch.
Have I Mentioned I Am Gay?: Jodie. Though in all fairness, this was probably necessary, as he was seen with women just as often as he was seen with other men.
Heroic BSOD: After Burt runs away from the mental institution (to buy a newspaper) Mary demands he tell her what's the problem as he's keeping from her. They've been through a lot and they can deal with it, she says. He tells her he killed her first husband. Burt tries to speak to her after this but she's effectively frozen on the spot.
Historical Domain Character: Adolf Hitler is now apparently making a living as a waiter in South America.
Hot for Preacher: Corinne, towards Father Tim Flotsky. Tim's reciprocation of these feelings eventually becomes too much for him and he leaves the priesthood.
If I Can't Have You: After Billy turns Leslie down she first goes suicidal and then tries to kill him repeatedly. Played for Laughs as nobody notices.
Interrupted Suicide
- Played for Drama: Jodie's, after he takes a lot of pills after his boyfriend breaks up with him.
- Played for Laughs: Chester's, after Jessica is getting arrested for Peter's murder and his business is failing. He fails to write a note (not knowing how to spell "suicide" and presumes people would get the idea) Burt keeps interrupting him, not realizing what's happening, and takes away the knives he was about to use to sharpen. He comes back and accidentally sets off one of the later attempts which ultimately fails.
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: An odd variation. Alice chooses to leave Jodie when Carol's mother says she isn't comfortable with a lesbian being with her baby granddaughter. Alice refuses to let Jodie pick between his Platonic Life Partners and his daughter so she makes it simpler.
I Was Young and I Needed The Money: Sally had done a pornography film and this was how Ingrid was blackmailing her to break up Mary and Burt.
The Jailbait Wait: Billy and his teacher, Leslie, may date while he is still a minor, but don't actually sleep together until his 18th birthday and is no longer her student.
Jerkass: Bob (who is, after all, basically Chuck's id).
The Kindnapper: Jodie's daughter Wendy is kidnapped by her mother Carol. Whether for Rule of Drama or Hollywood Law, apparently the authorities can't do anything about it "because she's her mother" DESPITE the fact that Carol sued for custody and lost prior to the kidnapping.
Kissing Cousins: Corinne and Peter.
Lemony Narrator: Rod Roddy frequently poked fun at the melodrama during the "Previously On..." and "On the Next..." segments.
Long Bus Trip: The fate of Alice. She moves out after Carol's mother says she isn't happy with her granddaughter growing up with a lesbian, but she's never seen again.
Love Triangle: After Chester returns after his trip, Jessica has to choose between him and detective Donahue. She chooses Chester.
- Carol likes Jodie who is in an on-and-off relationship with Dennis.
Love Dodecahedron: It gets extremely complicated by the end of the show.
Luke, I Am Your Father:
- Corinne's real parents are her uncle Rudolf and the ex-maid, Ingrid.
- In Season Four, Mary reveals that Danny's real father is Chester.
The Mad Hatter: Burt and the major.
The Mafia: Mary's first husband was secretly part of the mafia and, after his death, Danny joins. Burt spends the first part of the show convincing him to leave because it's dangerous. After Danny refuses to kill Burt at the mafia's order he "goes into hiding" (aka. he wears unusual clothes around the house). He's told he'll be forgiven for not obeying them if he marries The Don's daughter, Elaine.
- Mafia Princess: Elaine.
Mood Whiplash: After episode 7 or so, Jessica occasionally does this in the most heart-wrenching ways.
- This also happened with Jodie's suicide attempt when the family get told the next episode they're also being robbed and every other line flips between comedy with the robber and rushing to get to the hospital.
No Bisexuals: Jodie defines himself as gay, and experiences a minor crisis of identity after enjoying sex with a girl, unable to decide if he is gay or straight. Apparently there is no third option.
Noodle Incident: After Jodie tries to commit suicide, his friend and mother tell him that everybody has five stupid things that they do in their life that they can never tell anybody else, his suicide being his first. Mary tries to think of stupid things she's done but each time ends up laughing and saying she can't possibly tell him that.
Only One Name: It was wasn't revealed if Benson was his first or last name until the character had moved to his own Spin-Off, Benson (full name: Benson DuBois).
Only Sane Man: Billy Tate, and arguably Benson as well.
- To some extent, Mary and Jodie are this too.
Parental Incest: At the end of Season Four, Danny has a relationship with Annie, Chester's new wife (who turns out is actually his father).
Penultimate Outburst: This happens in the first season during Jessica's murder trial, since her entire family disturbs the court.
The Power of Love: Jessica Tate invokes this in a successful Hollywood Exorcism on Corinne's baby.
"Previously On...": "Confused? You won't be.... after this episode of Soap."
Quest for Identity: Chester goes on one after he loses his memories in Season Two.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: When Dutch, an escaped convict, is looking around the Tate house he comes across Eunice, who threatens him and says she can defend herself against a rapist. He's disgusted and says he's a murderer and talks about how everybody in prison looks down on rapists.
Rape Is Ok When It Is Female On Male: The first time they meet, Elaine pulls a gun on Danny and forces him to have sex with her. This is Played for Laughs.
Rooftop Confrontation: Mary's first wife decides to kill Burt, to kill the competition, on top of a skyscraper he was then building.
Rule of Three: Juan One, Juan Two, and Juan Three.
Servile Snarker: Benson.
Shell-Shocked Veteran: Major.
Shoot the Shaggy Dog: In one episode, when Burt is feeling down, he talks to his priest about how worried he is and tells him the story of a man who worked extremely hard in his life and survived a lot of health issues (multiple heart attacks, etc) who is eventually killed by a mugger in a park over a Schwinn (a type of bike). Burt says he's worried that his life will go the same way: loads of work and with no pay-off. The priest died while listening to his story.
Spiritual Successor: Arrested Development has almost too many similarities to Soap to be this by accident. Luckily Cracked already did all the legwork so we don't have to.
Story Arc
Surprise Incest: Learning that Peter is Burt's son means that Jessica has been sleeping with her nephew and Corinne has been sleeping with her cousin.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Saunders, another African-American Servile Snarker brought in to replace Benson as the Tates' butler.
Tap on the Head: Inverted and Played Straight, Chester remembers he's the one who killed Peter after his failed suicide attempt by dropping a really big pot on his head. Later he loses his whole memory to a huge knock to the head.
Teacher-Student Romance: Billy and his teacher.
- Mary's English Professor was extremely interested in her and eventually attacked her on the sofa. Burt was always worried she would leave him for somebody smarter and happened to walk in when the professor was all over his wife.
There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Peter Campbell's death - he was stabbed, shot, strangled, suffocated and bludgeoned.
Too Dumb to Live: Jessica, Danny, Burt
- The Major isn't exactly a bright bulb either.
Ventriloquism: Chuck and Bob.
What Happened to the Mouse?: In one episode, Jodie confronts Chuck about Bob (that is Chuck) sending him hate-mail. This is never mentioned again.
- This is most likely a leftover from the original plan of Chuck (and/or Bob) being Peter's murderer and showing a darker side.
Whole-Plot Reference: When Danny asks Burt how to deal with Elaine, Burt says they should follow the plot of an opera (the name of which he can't quite remember) which is an adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew. It works.
You Look Familiar: Ingrid Swenson would return as a different character for the show's Spin-Off Benson.
Your Cheating Heart:
- In Season One, Eunice was having an affair with a married Senator. He chose his wife when she threatened to ruin his career.
- Peter had affairs with every single one of his female tennis students (some of them being married as well).
- Chester was known for having multiple affairs with various women while still being married to Jessica and was getting blackmailed about it in Season One.
- Jessica (at the same time) was having an affair with Peter.
- Burt is framed into having an affair which he ends up thinking he did (he was very drunk at the time) because he walked in on what he thought was Mary and her English Professor having an affair.