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Scott D. Pierce: 'Defying Gravity' is soap opera in space

MarkS | 9:03 p.m. July 27, 2009

So will "Defying Gravity" from Wicked be the theme song for the show?

Bubbles | 3:41 p.m. Sept. 15, 2009

Just because the show actually has real characters with real character development, that does not make it a "soap opera". If that were the case, any serial drama could be considered a soap opera, and that's clearly not the case.

A "real" soap opera is typified by the flattened presentation of a typical daytime drama (e.g., General Hospital), where the emphasis is on morality plays presented as story arcs, and for which the background environment is essentially irrelevant (which is why most soap operas are set in the present day, so as to not present a distraction for the viewer).

"Defying Gravity" is presented in the form of a closed serial drama, but it clearly is more in the vein of "standard" science fiction, where specific concepts and ideas (which could be about science, technology, society, or even personal experience) are expounded upon using the context of the story universe and characters.

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