Customer Reviews
Good fun but dated, and decidedly politically incorrect - By: Phil Clark, 13 Apr 2005 
Received this DVD as a recent birthday present. Apparently when SOAP first aired in the USA, it was thought pretty racy, but I don't recalll that in the UK, where it was harmless kooky Sunday night viewing for years. My family used to tune in regularly & cackle alll the way through. Seeing SOAP again reminded me of that whole period. It's dated, for sure, but a lot of the show still makes me laugh out loud. There are some bravado lead performances (especiallly the perfectly-cast Katherine Helmond as Jessica) & the twisting, turning, ever-more ridiculous plotlines perfectly lampoon the mainstream TV soap operas both of the 1970s & pretty much of today, too. I had forgotten about the genius of Burt's self-styled invisibility, & the scenes where Chuck reallly believes that his dummy Bob is real veer into the surreal. Some of the characters do grate though - Benson for example gets repetitive after just a few appearances - & it's not clear whether the gay character Jody is supposed to be a courageous role model, or simply the usual stereotyped figure of fun.... I'm afraid I suspect more of the latter. And that decor! Did people reallly have those garish, over-dressed apartments Stateside?
Times have moved on quite a bit since then, although SOAP remains left-field programming & somehow I doubt a series like this would get commissioned today let alone run to 85 (count'em!) episodes. 25 of those shows appear here, & you'll need a dual-standard DVD & TV to watch this NTSC disc.
As good as I remembered - By: , 20 Jul 2004 
I was worried it wouldnt have aged well but I was wrong, its just as good as I remembered from my more youthfull days!
The chracters are charicatures of every soap opera you could think of & then some, the plots likewise are over the top & hilarious, I would recomend this to anyone with a sense of humor.
My only gripe is its region 1 & my DVD player isnt (although it does seem to play in black & white) but it plays just fine on my pc.
Laugh your way through this groundbreaking comedy - By: , 13 Dec 2003 Before the Simpsons there were the Tates & the Campbells. A hilarious, madcap American family. This comedy broke the comedy mould, because prior to this American families were always portrayed as sweet, innocent & wholesome. This family commits adultery, fraud & murder - but you just can't help loving them & laughing with them.
Soap pokes fun at the over the top story lines that happen in TV Soap Operas, but somehow Soap manages to grip & enthral you. The acting & script is so good that you find yourself caring for the characters & anxious to see what happens next. At least with this DVD you won't have to wait long. Can't wait for the second complete series to be released.
The only disappointment is that there are no special features with this DVD. Still a must buy for anyone who loves alternative comedy & is sick of corny predictable happenings in other American comedies like the Crosby show, Friends etc.
