Television series

Passions

Name: Passions
Genre: Drama, Romance, Supernatural
Released: 1999
Cast: Lindsay Hartley, Travis Schuldt, Eric Martsolf, Natalie Zea, Liza Huber

Passions is a supernatural soap opera that takes the melodrama formula—secret babies, evil twins, decades-long feuds—and adds literal witchcraft, demonic possession, and time travel. It's campy, earnest, and wildly unpredictable; a show that commits completely to its absurdity without winking at the camera. For viewers who want their emotion big and their plots genuinely weird.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love daytime soap operas that go all in on melodrama, where a resident witch and feuding families make the absurdity its own pleasure.

Skip it if you want a tight, self-contained story, since this runs over two thousand episodes and its pace is leisurely, with plots that sprawl across generations and rarely stop for breath.

What it asks of you: Hour-long episodes, nine seasons and a slow, sprawling build: you settle into families and their long-running grudges rather than chasing a single plot.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Days of Our Lives1965

The gold standard soap opera that Passions learned from: sweeping romance, family intrigue, and a willingness to embrace sci-fi and supernatural elements without losing emotional stakes. Decades of interlocking stories.

But The glacial pacing can feel exhausting if you're not committing to daily viewing; plot repetition is built into the format.

The Young and the Restless1973

Another soap giant with extraordinary longevity, mixing passionate romance with genuine social commentary. The character work is superb and the emotional beats land hard even when the plots get baroque.

But It requires patience and the willingness to accept that nothing resolves quickly. New viewers will feel lost without serious catch-up.

Dark Shadows1966

The original template for soap opera meets supernatural horror. Gothic atmosphere, a vampire protagonist, time travel, and genuine suspense wrapped in melodrama. Campy and creepy in equal measure, wildly entertaining.

But The acting is uneven and deliberately theatrical; the pacing reflects its low budget. Some episodes drag while others compress plot impossibly.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Passions

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Carnivàle2003

Both treat the supernatural as genuinely woven into everyday life rather than a gimmick; both build entire worlds on the assumption that magic, destiny, and the demonic are as real as bills and family dinner.

A supernatural prestige drama set during the Great Depression, following a mysterious carnival and a preacher's son bound together by fate. Gothic, gorgeous, and genuinely unsettling. It has Passions' spiritual DNA but wielded by novelists.

But Cancelled after two seasons on an unresolved cliffhanger. The pacing is deliberately slow and cryptic; it demands active attention and rewards patience unevenly.

All My Children1970

Soap opera at peak cultural relevance, with genuinely groundbreaking storytelling around race, class, and identity alongside the romantic turbulence. The ensemble work is stellar and the writing sharp.

But The sheer volume of characters and decades of history makes entry difficult. Tone can veer between serious social drama and melodrama in ways that feel jarring.

General Hospital1963

The longest-running American soap still on air, famous for its willingness to pivot toward action, crime, and supernatural storylines. Luke and Laura became cultural icons; the show earned that reputation.

But It's massive and daunting, with multiple generations of storylines intersecting. Quality has fluctuated wildly over the decades.

Santa Barbara1984

A soap with genuine style and ambition, mixing Hitchcockian suspense with romance. The writing is clever, the production values were notably high for the format, and it doesn't take itself too seriously.

But It's been off the air for decades, so accessing it requires effort. The '80s aesthetic and pacing will feel foreign to modern viewers.

Port Charles1997

A General Hospital spin-off that leaned harder into the supernatural and sci-fi, with vampires, time travel, and genuinely wild premises. Less bound by soap convention, more willing to experiment.

But Shorter run means less narrative depth. The tone wobbles between horror and romance in ways that don't always click.

Guiding Light1952

The longest-running drama in television history, with legendary writing and performances. Its influence on every soap that followed is absolute; watching it is watching the form at its most confident.

But The early episodes are extremely slow by modern standards. Its length (72 years) is intimidating; where do you even start?

The Bold and the Beautiful1987

A soap built on high fashion, glamour, and genuinely twisted family dynamics. It's glossy and it moves faster than many soaps; the melodrama is consistent and the production design is lush.

But The repetition of core conflicts can feel exhausting over time. Fashion industry intrigue isn't everyone's gateway to emotional investment.

Twin Peaks1990

Both anchor their supernatural weirdness in the emotional lives of ordinary people in a closed community; both understand that soap opera and horror share the same DNA.

A small town with impossible secrets, a mythology that deepens as you watch, and a willingness to shift between soap opera rhythm and genuine horror. It's emotionally grounded even when the plot goes completely unhinged.

But It actively resists plot resolution for long stretches; some viewers find the mix of genres incoherent. The 2017 revival is extremely challenging.

American Horror Story2011

Both feature witches as central figures navigating family, romance, and morality in a world where magic is real. Both find dark comedy in the collision of supernatural power and human pettiness.

A season about witches, power, and legacy featuring Jessica Lange at her absolute best. It's visually sumptuous, narratively dense, and genuinely funny. The melodrama is intentional and the stakes feel real even as they escalate wildly.

But Extremely graphic violence and sexual content. The tone shifts between campy and brutal, which works but requires tolerance for tonal whiplash.