This ABC/PEOPLE television special highlights the impact of the soap opera. In today's shifting television landscape, "The Story of Soaps" traces how female creators migrated from radio to television to become the dominant force in daytime for more than three decades. Today, the legacy of the soap opera continues all over prime time and reality t.v. An extensive look is taken at this iconic, impactful genre.

Shelly Altman
as Self

John Aniston
as Self

Alec Baldwin
as Self

Maurice Benard
as Self

Lorraine Broderick
as Self

James H. Brown
as Self

Carol Burnett
as Self

Marc Cherry
as Self

Andy Cohen
as Self

Bryan Cranston
as Self