History Main / Soaperizing

->''"[[SymbolSwearing @#$%!]] Teenagers! What the heck is wrong with them?! Just when you're about to [[RuleOfFun get a good snowball fight going]], they have to ruin it by talking about '''[[RomanticPlotTumor relationships!]]'''"''

* ''RozenMaiden''. Given that this is pretty much a {{Moe}} series, it's not surprising.

->''"[[SymbolSwearing @#$%!]] Teenagers! What the heck is wrong with them?! Just when you're about to get a good snowball fight going, they have to ruin it by talking about '''relationships!'''"''

* Pokemon fanfic 'OlivineRomance'. The usual Pokemon and Pokemon battles are relegated to subplot status while the human's drama and romances take center stage.

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* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles''.
* ''Film/SkyHigh''.

* ''Literature/SoonIWillBeInvincible''.
* ''WildCards'', in places.

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* While ''TheTick'' was more of a sitcom-type than a soap-type, it rarely showed the superheroes fighting, instead throwing them in plots like "meeting new heroes in an abusive relationship" or "suing the magazine that displayed [[FetishFuel naked pictures of Captain Liberty]]".
* ''[[Series/TwentyFour 24]]''. Whenever there's a couple real-time minutes to fill between Jack's latest action scene or torture technique? You can bet someone in either CTU in the White House be interrupting all their important business to talk about a coworker's feelings.

* ''HarpersIsland'' uses this as a sort of {{Padding}}. Remember, your average slasher film is only about 90 minutes long; this one has some ''13 hours'' to fill!

* The complaint of soaperization was frequently levied at the US version of ''TheOffice'', especially during season four and early season five (what with the drama over Jim and Pam and the Dwight-Angela-Andy LoveTriangle).

* CaptainAmerica tends to get all angsty about young sidekicks (particularly regarding Rick Jones) because Bucky "died" (Winter Soldier is a long story for another time) while his sidekick. This also explains his early animosity towards the YoungAvengers. Similarly, Cap's own comic book made commentary on '40s vs. "modern" (whatever time period we're in) American values.

* ''Series/LoisAndClark: The New Adventures of {{Superman}}'' caught a lot of flack in its day for being more like "''{{Moonlighting}}'' with superheroes" than other Superman shows, which were traditionally more action-oriented.
** Though ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' has always focused on interpersonal drama to a bit higher degree than, say, ''SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', in later seasons the story-to-sitting-around-{{wangst}}ing balance was tipped ''far'' in the wrong direction, even after [[RomanticPlotTumor Lana]] was PutOnABus.

* ''SoonIWillBeInvincible''.

* ''{{Soap}}'' of course.

* While ''TheTick'' was more of a sitcom-type then a soap-type, it rarely showed the superheroes fighting, instead throwing them in plots like "meeting new heroes in an abusive relationship" or "suing the magazine that displayed [[FetishFuel naked pictures of Captain Liberty]]".

** Some would say yes. ''Anime/EurekaSeven'''s first half certainly thinks so, and the middle section of ''RahXephon'' also has these traits.

* ''{{Preacher}}'' had long stretches where the story took a break from the overall RageAgainstTheHeavens plot to focus on the relationships between the three main characters. This is most evident in the arcs later collected in ''Dixie Fried'' and ''All Hell's a-Comin'''.

** ''Harper's Island'' producer Jill Blotevogel would later become showrunner for MTV's ''[[Series/ScreamTVSeries Scream'' which got criticized for employing the same trope.

** ''Harper's Island'' producer Jill Blotevogel would later become showrunner for MTV's ''ScreamTVSeries'' which got criticized for employing the same trope.

* ''Comicbook/{{Empowered}}'' and ''Ultra'' come to mind.
* ''NobleCauses'' is a SoapOpera where the characters just happen to have super powers.

* ''{{Gundam SEED}}''; to the point where it was practically formulaic to have one episode with action followed by an episode with nothing but soap.

* The LoveTriangle plots that are a staple of the ''{{Macross}}'' franchise.

* ''LoisAndClark: The New Adventures of {{Superman}}'' caught a lot of flack in its day for being more like "''{{Moonlighting}}'' with superheroes" than other Superman shows, which were traditionally more action-oriented.
** Though ''{{Smallville}}'' has always focused on interpersonal drama to a bit higher degree than, say, ''SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', in later seasons the story-to-sitting-around-{{wangst}}ing balance was tipped ''far'' in the wrong direction, even after [[RomanticPlotTumor Lana]] was PutOnABus.

* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}'': Half of its plots revolve around interpersonal relationships, [[ExecutiveMeddling though they went overboard with it in the latter half of season two and third quarter of season three.]] They pulled a few superb conclusions to those seasons to make up for the dip in form luckily enough, and the show was at its best mixing genres and usually had the balance right.

* ''Series/StargateUniverse'' is sometimes accused of this (and, tellingly, is also accused at times of being a ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}'' ripoff).

** Some would say yes. ''EurekaSeven's'' first half certainly thinks so, and the middle section of ''RahXephon'' also has these traits.