I’m not voting. In my heart, “Santa Barbara” will always be the best soap opera ever.

“Days of Our Lives” is bound to win this. Fans of that show are rabid and obsessed like no other.

The favorite soaps are the ones that got cancelled! Shows how stupid the TV stations were for getting rid of them!

GH is far better than both AMC and OLTL; maybe a little backlash here at their cancellations??

If not GH, then Days should be the winner…it was the only soap to be featured on the cover of Time magazine…that alone should mean something…GL was the longest running serial that started on radio…AMC and OLTL had their moments too…hey, they are all winners!!!

Oooooh, this is going to be a tough one, but I voted for OLTL and DOOL. Not easily though. I loved AMC for years (until Ryan Lavery ate the show) and GL was a 70+ year iconic soap! I love OLTL & Days, but based on longevity I think the prize should rightfully go to GL in the end. Tune in tomorrow…

Who cares, parade magazine is read by the elderly clearly voting for soaps that are gone. How boring!

One Life to Live just edges out Guiding Light.

I hope GL or OLTL wins and the voting was fair for all.

Go OLTL!!!!

I have only watched ABC soaps.. but never cared much for AMC or OLTL. GH was and still is my all time favorite. they always have had the best looking men, story line were never really over the top. and they pretty much did real life issues. Bonus Dr. Noah Drake!!

Not surprised. AMC and either DAYS or GL for the win. Though, ATWT deserved it!

Again the best soap is the soap you enjoy/enjoyed watching– end of story.

I am soooooo maaaad that gh got KOd from this. I do see people pulling together to get their fave soap to win. I think oltl will win. One Life to Live was always up to date with things everyone enjoyed. And OLTL weighed heavly in pop culture.

No way was OLTL ever better than GH .
AMC was better than OLTL but neither were ever better than GH ..

OLTL for the win! Love those characters

What happened to Another World?

I’m voting for OLTL all the way. IMO BEST SOAP EVER!!!

For my money, OLTL always was and always will be the best. I’ve watched soaps since childhood and remember Guiding Light, Search for Tomorrow, Love of Life, The Doctors, and dozens of other short lived shows like Never Too Young. Yes, I’m old. I watched GH from the day one until 2005. And I watched AMC during the last 70s and early 80s. Besides the stellar cast, I love OLTL because the way the stories always kept up with current cultural issues. I never felt like OLTL was about making super stars. They certainly have the cast for it. Story telling, drama, character development, and keeping the viewer interested was more important. And the characters – Viki, Dorian, Asa, Clint, Bo, Nora, Cassie, Herb, David (Rinaldi and Vickers), Marco, Karen, Larry, Jenny, Katrina, Wanda and Vinnie, Blair, Max, Todd, Tea, Mitch, Allison, Alex, Carlo, Tina, Cord, Lindsey, Gabrielle, Jessica, Natalie, John, Marty, I could go on and on.

How I miss OLTL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don’t believe it! GH is the best bar none!!!

Well, I have to go with my favorite soap of all time — ONE LIFE TO LIVE. If they win, will that bring them back. I highly doubt it, but I’ll continue to remain hopefully.
Over the years, I have watched many of the soaps listed: OLTL, GH, RH, AW, GL, and Days. As stated before, each soap had its moments of brillance. Each of them richly deserving. Although its interesting how 3 of the last 4 are no longer on network tv. Oh well, good luck OLTL. I hope you are the winner.

OLTL will always be my favorite, I watch GH and like it but I love OLTL.

Looks like a stupid poll/contest. If you go by the soaps that have been ratings titans for extended periods of time, the best soaps of all time would be Guiding Light, As The World Turns, General Hospital and The Young & The Restless. Iconic soaps like AMC and OLTL, etc., have come and gone, BUT the four soaps I mentioned are the titans of the genre. Please let me know, fellow fans, if I missed any long-running #1’s, but I think I caught them all. I know DAYS and Another World were number one at times in the 1970’s, but neither had a long run.

OLTL was and always will be my choice for best soap.

I am still pissed off at ABC for canceling OLTL. I barely watch that network anymore and once Grey’s Anatomy comes to an end I’ll be watching them even less!

started with EDGE OF NIGHT on cbs — loved the murder mysteries– and went with it to abc which introduced me to DARK SHADOWS.

then I picked up AMC with chuck, tara, phil … and young erica. not sure why, but I just lost interest in it in the 70s when I went to college.

began GH around the same time DS was on, and can recall when audry’s babysitter was killed and she hid the gun in the toilet, kept up with it for decades, but gave up when sonny and the mob crowded out every other story line. and then they fired ana lee (really classy, firing a woman who was almost 90), leaving left the show without the one character essential to every successful soap: a gentle, wise character with a heart of pure gold.

like vikk on OLTL. watched it since day one — before erika slezak, daytime’s meryl streep, was even on — right up through the last episode. it was my one break from life. five days a week. no repeats. no pre-empts (until “news” car chases came into vogue). it was the one constant in my life since my days in grade school. those characters and plots saw me through my father’s death. my mother’s. my first love’s. a tornado. a flood. back surgery. the loss of a job. … still mourn its cancelation. put the tv in the garage on jan 13, 2012, and haven’t watched since.

OLTL is the champ, and abc is the horse’s ass.

All MY Children is, in my opinion, by far the best soap. The last few years were a bit rough with the constant changes in head writers and focus, but it had wonderful character development and groundbreaking storylines throughout the years. My second choice would be the Young and the Restless. Third choice is Ryan’s Hope. Unfortunately, I just went on Parade site to vote for AMC and it states that the semifinal voting is closed. OLTL just beat AMC for the finals by a small margin. So it will be DOOL v OLTL. Oh well.

My favorite of all time was Another World.

Of the ones that are left, Days is best.

None that remain truly are the “best” of all time.

You need to think critically, and of course use the Nielsen ratings to determine that.

Overall from the 50’s through today, both ATWT and YR would fit that category.

And yes there will always be fan favorites GH and Days, but neither has the longtime ratings bragging rights.

The poll is fun for the fans to be sure.

GH should have won. But I think everyone is trying to save OLTL. My vote would be OLTL. It was a very good show. Then AMC. Erica Cane was good but she didn’t win because she over acts.