Rethinking Daytime Part 3: Diversity - Integration vS. Isolation

Representation in American daytime dramas differs significantly from that in British nighttime soap operas. In several ways, American soaps have made significant strides towards representation. However, most soap operas in the United States tend to assign characters of color to sidekick roles rather than key players in the narrative. On the other hand, primetime soap operas in the United Kingdom have historically represented their characters of color as well-rounded, three-dimensional characters with depth. British soaps consistently embed characters of color into family networks, romantic arcs, and community conflicts without sensationalizing their presence or “othering” their characters of color.

United States: Excluding Beyond the Gates, the majority of daytime television dramas in America fall short of properly representing characters of color. Several characters of color in American soaps are given supporting roles, or are introduced as important characters and slowly fade into the background. This is a disservice to audiences because they are not seeing themselves represented.

One example of this trend is ABC’s General Hospital’s Terry Randolph (Cassandra James). Randolph was introduced as a recurring character in June 2018 as a childhood friend of Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and, arguably, hasn’t had a significant storyline since. If anything, the character was more important before she came to Port Charles. Before her arrival, Randolph was referred to by Webber with male pronouns, but arrives on her childhood friend’s doorstep as a woman comfortable in her skin. Randolph’s most significant arc to date was the revelation that she is trans, which sensationalizes her gender identity and strips the character of her layers.

Meanwhile, diversity is also lacking on CBS’s The Bold and the Beautiful. For the majority of 2025, the main villain, Luna Nozawa (Lisa Yamada), took over daytime television with her schemes before departing the soap in November. However, with her departure, the soap, which was already lacking representation, falls even more behind. Her mother, Poppy Nozawa (Romy Park), hasn’t appeared on screen since November. The soap only has six actors of color in its cast, and only half of these actors appear on The Bold and the Beautiful in a given month.

United Kingdom: Conversely, British primetime soaps consistently portray characters of color as realistic people. They are presented as three-dimensional characters who have flaws, insecurities, secrets, and layers, just like the average person. Similarly, families of color have a strong and steady presence on primetime soaps such as ITV’s Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, and BBC One’s EastEnders.

An early example of meaningful representation on British soap operas came in 1992 with the introduction of Fiona Middleton (Angela Griffin) on Coronation Street. During her six years on the soap, Middleton became integral to the canvas as one of Weatherfield’s most sought-after Bachelorettes. She was initially involved with Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson), and later got engaged to police detective Alan McKenna (Glenn Hugill) before having a one-night stand with Steve's dad, Jim (Charles Lawson). Middleton left in 1998 to start a new life in Australia. She returned in 2019 and was revealed to be the mother of Weatherfield newcomer Emma Booker (Alexandra Mardell), with former lover McDonald being Booker’s father.

Al Chapman (Michael Wildman) was introduced to Emmerdale in 2019 and has since become a formidable villain. After initially masquerading as an investor, it was later revealed that Chapman was the father of Jessie Dingle's (Sandra Marvin) son Ellis Chapman (Aaron Anthony). Chapman was killed off in November 2022, after being shot by Kyle Winchester (Huey Quinn), who was trying to protect his father, Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley).

On Hollyoaks, Felix Westwood (Richard Blackwood) was introduced in 2020 as an old foe of resident villain Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas). In classic soap opera fashion, a plot twist revealed Westwood as the father of triplets Mitchell Devereux (Imran Adams), Toby Faroe (Bobby Gordon), and Celeste Faroe (Andrea Ali), positioning him as a key player on the canvas. Westwood departs Hollyoaks in early 2024 when he moves to the United States.

The Panesar family of EastEnders is one of the most significant families of color in soap opera history. In particular, the character of Suki Panesar-Unwin has made a significant impact on the canvas since she arrived in Walford in 2020. Panesar came to terms with her bisexuality through her secret relationship and eventual marriage to Eve Panesar-Unwin (Heather Peace) while dealing with the return of her abusive ex-husband, Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry). Panesar-Unwin’s relationship with kids was another major storyline on EastEnders. Before becoming involved with Unwin, Panesar was estranged from her daughter, Ash Panesar (Gurlaine Kaur Garcha), for not accepting her sexuality, as a result of her internalized homophobia.

Conclusion: Representation on American daytime dramas vs. British primetime soap operas looks very different. The majority of soap operas in the United States fall short of writing well-developed, three-dimensional characters of color. Several of these characters are given major storylines at the beginning of their runs before becoming supporting characters. Meanwhile, primetime soap operas in the United Kingdom consistently depict characters of color as major players on the canvas. British soaps embed characters of color into the canvas through family connections and romantic arcs without sensationalizing their presence or “othering” minority characters.