The Top Soaps of 2008

There has been much focus on what is wrong in the soap world this year, particularly the daytime dramas, but there is also plenty that is right. Here are my picks for the top soap opera of 2008.

THE BEST OF THE BEST

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
This show can make you laugh and cry and care like no other. It is truly a masterpiece of subtlety and grace. The marriage of Eric and Tami Taylor is the most realistic portrayal of a married couple I have ever seen on screen. This season, Tami becoming the principal of Dillon High was an interesting twist as was the addition of the young hot-shot QB J.D. McCoy. The four episode send-offs for Smash and Street were superbly written. Smash's final episode may have been the best hour of television this entire year. With only two episodes left in season three, here's hoping for a fourth season for this amazing show.

GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT
I was not a huge fan of the first season of NIGHT SHIFT but the second season won me over instantly. Robin and Patrick's romance, the return of Jagger and Scorpio's cancer were just a few of the stories that were hitting on all cylinders this year. Add in wonderful guest turns by Kathleen Noone and Chad Allen and top-notch writing from Sri Rao and I was wishing this version of GH was the one that aired five days a week. There were times this summer when NIGHT SHIFT was better than anything on daytime.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
Some people thought that moving five years into the future was going to be a jumping the shark moment for DH, but instead it reinvigorated the series. There has not been a better villain on TV this year than Dave Williams, who has touched the lives of every character on the canvas. Shining brightest has been the marriage of Gabrielle and Carlos Solis. Through all their shenanigans, they truly love each other and have shared some of the most tender moments I have seen in a long, long time.

RUNNERS-UP

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
If only the second half of the year were judged, Y&R would be considered as one of the best, but judging on the entire year, I put it in the runner-up category. The show has deserved its number one ranking the past few months and Katherine's funeral was one of my favorite arcs on the show in ages. What a treat to have so many faces from the past visit to pay their respects. Even when mistakes were made (the casting of Eden), they are now fixed quickly. Maria Arena Bell apparently knows what she's doing and 2009 looks very bright.

ONE LIFE TO LIVE
I thought the wheels came off around 40th anniversary time and then when the Todd/Marty "rapemance" started, I was ready to jump ship. I had high expectations for the return of Andrea Evans and her story fell flat. But since Marty learned the truth about Todd, the show has been back on track. There have been so many powerful scenes in the past month that OLTL has become head and shoulders better than the other two ABC soaps and hopefully the ratings will start to reflect the current level of quality. Special kudos to Melissa Fumero for becoming a breakout star during the first half of the year.