---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Soap opera seems to be a dirty word, but…"
description: "\"Soap opera seems to be a dirty word, but actually they are the most popular shows we have.\" — Dan Stevens"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/913/dan-stevens-10391_dirty_soap-opera-seems-to-be-a-dirty-word-but_551012.jpg"
---

#  Soap opera seems to be a dirty word, but actually they are…

![“Soap opera seems to be a dirty word, but actually they are the most popular shows we have.” quote by Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/913/dan-stevens-10391_dirty_soap-opera-seems-to-be-a-dirty-word-but_551012.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/913/dan-stevens-10391_dirty_soap-opera-seems-to-be-a-dirty-word-but_551012.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/913/dan-stevens-10391_dirty_soap-opera-seems-to-be-a-dirty-word-but_551012.jpg)

> “Soap opera seems to be a dirty word, but actually they are the most popular shows we have.”

[Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Soap operas are often dismissed as lowbrow, yet they dominate viewership and cultural conversation.

**In simple terms:** People love soap operas despite the stigma.

Key Takeaway

Recognize popularity beyond prejudice.

Themes

media perception pop culture stigma

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

media commentary cultural critique

When to use this quote

- family viewing
- media criticism
- marketing strategies

Key Concepts

television studies audience analysis

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do audiences stay loyal to soap operas?
- How does stigma affect viewership?

A Different Perspective

Popularity may mask formulaic storytelling.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Opera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opera/) [Soap opera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soap-opera/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/)

## Related quotes

> [Soap opera seems to be a dirty word, but actually they are the most popular shows we have. People want to know what happens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/soap-opera-seems-to-be-a-dirty-word-but-actually-they-are-the-most/)

[Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/)

> [We're actually more popular in the U.K.; they really get us, and in Australia. In the non-English speaking countries, they don't really get it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-gass/we-re-actually-more-popular-in-the-u-k-they-really-get-us-and-in/)

[Kyle Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-gass/)

> [I've always wanted to be on a soap opera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-willard/i-ve-always-wanted-to-be-on-a-soap-opera/)

[Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/)

> [Politics in a democratic society should not be treated like a baseball game, a game show or a soap opera. The times are too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/politics-in-a-democratic-society-should-not-be-treated-like-a/)

[Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/)

> [You could probably prove, by judicious use of logarithms and congruent triangles, that real life is a lot more like soap opera than most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/you-could-probably-prove-by-judicious-use-of-logarithms-and-congruent/)

[Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/)

> [Political reporting is too often trivialised, treated as a soap opera based in Westminster, rather than placed in a broader social or economic context.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-jones/political-reporting-is-too-often-trivialised-treated-as-a-soap-opera/)

[Owen Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-jones/)

> [I am a living soap opera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-graham/i-am-a-living-soap-opera/)

[Virginia Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-graham/)

> [Think 'Game of Thrones.' In the old days, this sort of show might be considered bad writing. It doesn't really seem to be moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/think-game-of-thrones-in-the-old-days-this-sort-of-show-might-be/)

[Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/)

> [Man's deliberate destruction of his own habitat -- planet Earth -- could serve as a mighty theme for a mighty book worthy of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/man-s-deliberate-destruction-of-his-own-habitat-planet-earth-could/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Many years ago I was in another soap opera called The Newcomers which was on twice a week for three years. I really don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bulloch/many-years-ago-i-was-in-another-soap-opera-called-the-newcomers-which/)

[Jeremy Bulloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bulloch/)

> [There's no better training than working on a soap opera because of the amount of hours, the amount of pages you do a day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniela-ruah/there-s-no-better-training-than-working-on-a-soap-opera-because-of/)

[Daniela Ruah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniela-ruah/)

> [During the 1970s and 1980s, the popular television soap opera As The World Turns portrayed sunrise during the opening credits and sunset during the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/during-the-1970s-and-1980s-the-popular-television-soap-opera-as-the/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Life beats down and crushes our souls and theatre reminds us that we have one. At least the type of theatre that I'm interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanford-meisner/life-beats-down-and-crushes-our-souls-and-theatre-reminds-us-that-we/)

[Sanford Meisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanford-meisner/)

> [The only way to stave off boredom, in a complex domesticated primate like humankind, is to increase one's intelligence. This is not appealing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/the-only-way-to-stave-off-boredom-in-a-complex-domesticated-primate/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [All My Children taught me a great work ethic; you work so hard on a soap opera! It is a good way to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-larue/all-my-children-taught-me-a-great-work-ethic-you-work-so-hard-on-a/)

[Eva LaRue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-larue/)

## More by Dan Stevens

> [At the age of 11 I was about 6 ft. tall and my voice had completely broken. That caused problems. I was this gangly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/at-the-age-of-11-i-was-about-6-ft-tall-and-my-voice-had-completely/)

[Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/)

> [I've been exploring a lot of different avenues with a number of very different and very, very exciting filmmakers and writers. That's been the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/i-ve-been-exploring-a-lot-of-different-avenues-with-a-number-of-very/)

[Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/)

> [Soap opera seems to be a dirty word, but actually they are the most popular shows we have. People want to know what happens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/soap-opera-seems-to-be-a-dirty-word-but-actually-they-are-the-most/)

[Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/)

> [I'm shocked at being recognized. You go to places you don't think you would be and still, you are. Taxi drivers often recognise me...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/i-m-shocked-at-being-recognized-you-go-to-places-you-don-t-think-you/)

[Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/)

> [I've always enjoyed family movies anyway. And I grew up loving actors who could hop around and play in something very family friendly, big,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/i-ve-always-enjoyed-family-movies-anyway-and-i-grew-up-loving-actors/)

[Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/)

> [I don't think there's ever a right time to have kids. I'm actually pretty glad it's happened quite young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/i-don-t-think-there-s-ever-a-right-time-to-have-kids-i-m-actually/)

[Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/)

> [In the 21st century, I think it's fair to say, homosexuality is more accepted in Britain and it's wonderful that my generation has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/in-the-21st-century-i-think-it-s-fair-to-say-homosexuality-is-more/)

[Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/)

> [It's the challenge of trying to evoke any kind of sympathy for a role that ordinarily we would say, "Oh, this is a bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/it-s-the-challenge-of-trying-to-evoke-any-kind-of-sympathy-for-a-role/)

[Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/)

> [I don't think many people get to play big emotions in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/i-don-t-think-many-people-get-to-play-big-emotions-in-life/)

[Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/)

> ["I've never see you do something like this before and I'd love to see you try." For a young actor, that's about the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/i-ve-never-see-you-do-something-like-this-before-and-i-d-love-to-see/)

[Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/)

> [I've never tried to find my real parents. I'm very grateful to my mum and dad for adopting me - they're completely incredible people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/i-ve-never-tried-to-find-my-real-parents-i-m-very-grateful-to-my-mum/)

[Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/)

> [It's great when somebody is able to communicate an actual shot sequence to you and you know the world you're inhabiting with that. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/it-s-great-when-somebody-is-able-to-communicate-an-actual-shot/)

[Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/)

> [As long as I am given the opportunity to keep performing and keep exploring in whatever medium, I'll be happy. As long as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/as-long-as-i-am-given-the-opportunity-to-keep-performing-and-keep/)

[Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/)

> [People look at me, they know I've appeared in costume dramas and they automatically assume I must be a Tory, I must be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/people-look-at-me-they-know-i-ve-appeared-in-costume-dramas-and-they/)

[Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/)

> [I'm shocked at being recognized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/i-m-shocked-at-being-recognized/)

[Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/)

[Explore all 66 Dan Stevens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/)

## More Dirty quotes

> [“If any woman opens her legs for you, don't feel so lucky to be fed with nonsense, she has been a bitch for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/if-any-woman-opens-her-legs-for-you-don-t-feel-so-lucky-to-be-fed/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [I'm a film guy. I love it. When I read the screenplay, I knew that there would be no HD camera that could achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-taylor/i-m-a-film-guy-i-love-it-when-i-read-the-screenplay-i-knew-that-there/)

Deon Taylor

> [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/)

[Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/)

> [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Dont ever wrestle with a pig u'll both get dirty but the pig will enj0y it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/udechukwu-d0navan/dont-ever-wrestle-with-a-pig-u-ll-both-get-dirty-but-the-pig-will/)

Udechukwu D0navan

> [I remember being a kid and seeing the 'National Inquirer' at the grocery store checkout line. When somebody actually picked up a copy, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-jones/i-remember-being-a-kid-and-seeing-the-national-inquirer-at-the/)

[Rashida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-jones/)

> [Love is only a dirty trick played on us to achieve continuation of the species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/love-is-only-a-dirty-trick-played-on-us-to-achieve-continuation-of/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [Staring at the blank page before you, Open up the dirty window, Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-bedingfield/staring-at-the-blank-page-before-you-open-up-the-dirty-window-let-the/)

[Natasha Bedingfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-bedingfield/)

> [I'm supportive of women, absolutely, and it's so gratifying to have girls come up and say, 'I'm really inspired by your guitar playing.' I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-vincent/i-m-supportive-of-women-absolutely-and-it-s-so-gratifying-to-have/)

[St. Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-vincent/)

> [“She's not the enemy. She's just a dirty fighter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/she-s-not-the-enemy-she-s-just-a-dirty-fighter/)

[Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/)

> [Mr. Bumpy from Bump in the Night was this funky little guy who lived under the bed and thought eating dust bunnies was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/mr-bumpy-from-bump-in-the-night-was-this-funky-little-guy-who-lived/)

[Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/)

> [My hair is naturally blond and thin, so I like to give it some texture. Sexy, dirty bedhead is good for blonds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malin-akerman/my-hair-is-naturally-blond-and-thin-so-i-like-to-give-it-some-texture/)

[Malin Akerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malin-akerman/)

> [Good guys need to be a little dirty otherwise they're just boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-cassel/good-guys-need-to-be-a-little-dirty-otherwise-they-re-just-boring/)

[Vincent Cassel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-cassel/)

> [People are in denial all the time, hiding things. If I tell you a racist or dirty joke and you laugh, you're telling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/people-are-in-denial-all-the-time-hiding-things-if-i-tell-you-a/)

[Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/)

Browse all 1,999 Dirty quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Soap opera seems to be a dirty word, but actually they are the most popular shows we have.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dan Stevens"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/soap-opera-seems-to-be-a-dirty-word-but-actually-they-are-the-most-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dirty"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/soap-opera-seems-to-be-a-dirty-word-but-actually-they-are-the-most-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/913/dan-stevens-10391_dirty_soap-opera-seems-to-be-a-dirty-word-but_551012.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/913/dan-stevens-10391_dirty_soap-opera-seems-to-be-a-dirty-word-but_551012.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/913/dan-stevens-10391_dirty_soap-opera-seems-to-be-a-dirty-word-but_551012.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Soap opera seems to be a dirty word, but actually they are the most popular shows we have.” — Dan Stevens",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Dan Stevens",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Soap opera seems to be a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/soap-opera-seems-to-be-a-dirty-word-but-actually-they-are-the-most-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/soap-opera-seems-to-be-a-dirty-word-but-actually-they-are-the-most-2/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
