Today in Soap Opera History (February 1)

1954: CBS daytime soap opera The Secret Storm premiered.
1980: CBS aired the final episode of Love of Life.
1980: The Edge of Night's Nola admitted she was Mrs. Corey.
1994: As the World Turns' Holden and Lily reunited in the bell tower.

"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent 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...

1954: The Secret Storm premiered on CBS. The daytime soap opera was created by Roy Winsor. Read "Remembering Woodbridge: A History of the Late, Great 'Secret Storm'" here.

After 20 years, CBS canceled the show with the final episode airing February 8, 1974. Listen to Joan Crawford's appearance on the show here.

The premiere episode from 1954 was not archived, sadly, but you can watch an episode from 1955 below.

Today in Soap Opera History (February 1)

1954: CBS daytime soap opera The Secret Storm premiered.
1980: CBS aired the final episode of Love of Life.
1980: The Edge of Night's Nola admitted she was Mrs. Corey.
1994: As the World Turns' Holden and Lily reunited.

"Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."
― Machiavelli

"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...

1954: The Secret Storm premiered on CBS. The daytime soap opera was created by Roy Winsor. Read "Remembering Woodbridge: A History of the Late, Great 'Secret Storm'" here.

After 20 years, CBS canceled the show with the final episode airing February 8, 1974. Listen to Joan Crawford's appearance on the show here.

The premiere episode from 1954 was not archived, sadly, but you can watch an episode from 1955 below.

Today in Soap Opera History (February 1)

1954: CBS daytime soap opera The Secret Storm premiered.
1980: CBS aired the final episode of Love of Life.
1980: The Edge of Night's Nola admitted she was Mrs. Corey.
1994: As the World Turns' Holden and Lily reunited.

"All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"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...

1954: The Secret Storm premiered on CBS. The daytime soap opera was created by Roy Winsor. Read "Remembering Woodbridge: A History of the Late, Great 'Secret Storm'" here.

After 20 years, CBS canceled the show with the final episode airing February 8, 1974. Listen to Joan Crawford's appearance on the show here.

The premiere episode from 1954 was not archived, sadly, but you can watch an episode from 1955 below.

Today in Soap Opera History (February 1)

1954: CBS daytime soap opera The Secret Storm premiered.
1980: CBS aired the final episode of Love of Life.
1980: The Edge of Night's Nola admitted she was Mrs. Corey.
1994: As the World Turns' Holden and Lily reunited.

"The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect is already in the cause."
― Henri Louis Bergson

"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...

1954: The Secret Storm premiered on CBS. The daytime soap opera was created by Roy Winsor. Read "Remembering Woodbridge: A History of the Late, Great 'Secret Storm'" here.

After 20 years, CBS canceled the show with the final episode airing February 8, 1974. Listen to Joan Crawford's appearance on the show here.

1968: On The Doctors, 12 year old Danny (Donnie Melvin) was hurt that Ruth Winters (Ann Whiteside) was intent on adopting a baby instead of him. Later, Ruth argued with her husband Bill (James Noble) about her erratic behavior. Meanwhile, in room 1208 of the seedy St. Mark's Hotel, a terrified Liz Wilson (Pamela Toll) fought off Joe Finch (Joel Fabiani) and escaped through a bathroom window.

Today in Soap Opera History (February 1)

1954: CBS daytime soap opera The Secret Storm premiered.
1980: CBS aired the final episode of Love of Life.
1980: The Edge of Night's Nola admitted she was Mrs. Corey.
1994: As the World Turns' Holden and Lily reunited.

"A page of history is worth a pound of logic."
― Oliver Wendell Holmes

"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...

1954: The Secret Storm premiered on CBS. The daytime soap opera was created by Roy Winsor . Gloria Monty was a longtime director on the series.

After 20 years, CBS canceled the show with the final episode airing February 8, 1974. Listen to Joan Crawford's appearance on the show here.

1968: On The Doctors, 12 year old Danny (Donnie Melvin) was hurt that Ruth Winters (Ann Whiteside) was intent on adopting a baby instead of him. Later, Ruth argued with her husband Bill (James Noble) about her erratic behavior. Meanwhile, in room 1208 of the seedy St. Mark's Hotel, a terrified Liz Wilson (Pamela Toll) fought off Joe Finch (Joel Fabiani) and escaped through a bathroom window.

Today in Soap Opera History (February 1)

1954: THE SECRET STORM premiered. 1980: LOVE OF LIFE
ended.  1980: EON's Nola admitted she was Mrs. Corey.
1994: ATWT's Holden and Lily reunited.

"Maybe if people started to listen, history would stop repeating itself."
- Lily Tomlin

"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...

1954: Daytime soap opera THE SECRET STORM premiered on CBS. Roy Winsor created the show and Gloria Monty was a longtime director.

After 20 years, CBS canceled the show with the final episode airing February 8, 1974. Listen to Joan Crawford's appearance on the show here.

Heather Morris, Mark Salling, Amber Riley & Harry Shum, Jr. Will Not Be GLEE Series Regulars For Season 5

GLEE original castmembers Heather Morris (Brittany), Mark Salling (Puck), Amber Riley (Mercedes) and Harry Shum, Jr. (Mike) will not be returning to the Fox musical soap as series regulars, TVLine is reporting.

Dianna Agron (Quinn) — who was only seen in a handful of episodes last season — is not slated to be back, save for a possible guest appearance here and there.

Morris, Salling, Riley and Shum may also return as occasional guest stars.

GLEE Season 5 premieres on Thursday, September 19.

NEWS: Jack Wagner Talks GH, Daytime Emmys Will Showcase Past 40 Years, GLEE's Heather Morris Is Pregnant

GENERAL HOSPITAL's Jack Wagner on golf, soaps — and his surprise daughter
Wagner says that if “Twitter is a way to measure fan reaction, it’s been pretty crazy. The 50th anniversary has been a pretty big deal, to have a show that runs 50 years, first of all. And to have everyone back on the show has had such a massive impact.”

The reunion has been leading up to this week’s Nurses Ball, which was an annual event on the show in its heyday. Wagner’s Frisco Jones will play the event, but he says he’s also had fun exploring “the tracks of the character, who really did abandon his family, which we got into. He wasn’t trying to justify what he did, but he reconnected with his daughter, which was very emotional and deep, which was important. That humanizes the character, as someone who’s not without sensitivity or awareness.”

Today in Soap Opera History (February 1)

On this date in...

1954: Daytime soap opera THE SECRET STORM premiered on CBS. Roy Winsor created the show and Gloria Monty was a longtime director. After 20 years, CBS canceled the show and the final episode was aired February 8, 1974. Listen to Joan Crawford's appearance on the show here.

1972: On ANOTHER WORLD, Alice and Steve shared their concern about Lenore with Russ and Paula.

1980: After a run of more than 29 years, CBS aired the final episode daytime soap opera LOVE OF LIFE, created by Roy Winsor. The original story was the tale of two sisters, Vanessa Dale (Peggy McCay) and Meg Dale (Jean McBride). Watch the final episode below:

Today in Soap Opera History (February 1)

On this date in...

1954: Daytime soap opera THE SECRET STORM premiered on CBS. Roy Winsor created the show and Gloria Monty was a longtime director. After 20 years, CBS canceled the show and the final episode was aired February 8, 1974. Listen to Joan Crawford's appearance on the show here.

1972: On ANOTHER WORLD, Alice and Steve shared their concern about Lenore with Russ and Paula.

1980: After a run of more than 29 years, CBS daytime soap LOVE OF LIFE, created by Roy Winsor, aired its final episode. The original story was the tale of two sisters, Vanessa Dale (Peggy McCay) and Meg Dale (Jean McBride.

The Best (& Sometimes Worst) of TV 2011: Shout-Outs and Take-Downs for OLTL, GLEE, REVENGE, Frons, Storms, Kirkendall and Many, Many More

We Love Soaps has made our choices for the best television of 2011. The best of the web will be honored at the 3rd Annual Indie Soap Awards on February 21. Unlike the Awards, this list is totally unscientific, but if you happen to disagree with our "winners," we do hope that you will tell us why in the Comments section, below.

First, some general observations. It was an up and down year for every daytime soap, and for some, it was mostly down. ONE LIFE TO LIVE was the most consistently good all year long (although it remained addicted to writing blunders), and it's enduring watchablity only exacerbates the pain of its impending departure. ALL MY CHILDREN became good again at the end, although it's hard not to be frustrated forever by the unresolved cliffhanger of the last episode. Jonathan Jackson kept us riveted on GENERAL HOSPITAL, although the writing continues to frustrate. On THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, we think there was too much of Steffy/Liam/Hope/Thomas. As for DAYS OF OUR LIVES, we're glad it improved and rebooted, but it needs to become "must see" more frequently; can we pick up pace just a little? And then there's THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, which was off the rails for much of the year.

But as long as our daytime faves are on the air, there's always a chance stories will improve. We've seen this ebb and flow for decades. As committed fans, we offer constructive criticism out of love and dedication, knowing that shows can always get better, if only they have a chance. It is very, very sad that ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE no longer have that chance.

What about primetime? The big paradox of 2012 was that while daytime soap operas were suffering, serialized dramas were exploding all over the evening broadcasts. In fact, many producers actually cited daytime soaps, as well as primetime favorites like KNOTS LANDING or DALLAS, as inspirations. Even as the number of daytime TV soap operas continued to dwindle, their legacy and influence were felt more then ever.

Below are our picks for the best (and sometimes worst) of the year. Who did we miss? Please feel to honor them (or call them out) in the Comments section, below!