While there are many components to a soap opera, fans tend to become particularly invested in their favorite characters’ romantic relationships. especially when there’s a good old love triangle!
Soap operas are famous for giving viewers love in the afternoon, and sometimes they do it best in triangle form.
Love triangles are an age-old soap opera plot in which one character alternates between two other characters who both believe they are meant to be together.
From the well-remembered Jack/Nikki/Victor on Young and the Restless to the frustrating Carly/Sonny/Jack on General Hospital to the most famous love triangle in soap history from Bold and the Beautiful, some soap love triangles are so memorable (and ongoing) that they end up being a mainstay of the show.
There is nothing like a good novel to engage a soap opera audience. However, until they reach their dream happy ending, certain unforgettable couples on the small screen have to overcome many obstacles along the way.
This is what happens, for example, when a character finds himself torn between two passions and needs to choose who he will live in great love with.
Take a look at the 7 love triangles from soap operas that fans love the most.
1. Grant, Sharon and Phil (EastEnders)
It’s surely the most famous love triangle in soap’s history, so reminiscing over Sharongate never gets old. Back in the ’90s, Phil brought a whole new meaning to “keeping it in the family” when he seduced Grant’s missus Sharon after-hours in the Queen Vic.
The duplicitous duo thought their secret was safe, but Sharon made the fatal mistake of confessing all on tape to BFF Michelle.
The cassette made its way into Grant’s hands, and we all know what happened next. The revelation led to the end of Sharon and Grant’s volatile marriage, but she’s clearly got a thing for those Mitchell men, as she reunited with Phil years later, and despite all the odds, they’re still together.
2. Izzy, Karl, and Susan (Neighbors)
That Doctor K was a right dirty dog in his day! Not satisfied with sleeping with secretary Sarah behind his loving wife Susan’s back, Karl later started an affair with local maneater Izzy Hoyland.
She then claimed he’d gotten her up the duff, although the unborn child wasn’t his. Sus was devastated when her estranged husband announced he was going to be a dad again, leading to one of the most heartbreaking showdowns ever seen on Ramsay Street.
But it was not to be because Izzy miscarried, and their relationship began to falter as foolishness. Karl realized he had made a huge mistake.
Karl and Susan eventually reconciled and married again on a boat in London, only for a heavily pregnant Izzy to interrupt the ceremony and give birth to Karl’s child (this time his) on deck.
3. Maria, Aidan and Eva (Coronation Street)
Life must be tough for Aidan right now – torn between two beautiful women, and not knowing which one to pick. Our hearts bleed for him.
Not. We are, however, completely hooked by his affair with Maria, which seems to be picking up pace nicely, just in time for the explosive reveal we’ve been promised this summer.
We’ve been watching Aidan and Maria play oblivious Eva for a fool for months now, but as thrilling as it’s been, we wouldn’t want to be in either of their shoes when Eva finds out her bestie has been having it off with her fella.
It will be the last time either of them mugs her off. Be afraid, Aidan and Maria, be very afraid.
4. Charity, Cain and Moira (Emmerdale)
There was a time when we all thought Charity was the only woman for Cain, but then he got with Moira, and we changed our minds.
Their relationship was fiery and passionate, but Moira somehow managed to tame the village bad boy and even get him down the aisle.
We had high hopes it was for keeps, but then Charity decided she still loved Cain and vowed to win him back.
Her perseverance paid off, and when his marriage to Moira hit the skids, Cain predictably sought comfort in his cousin’s arms.
Social media erupted, with the fans divided into two camps – team Coira and team Chain! Ultimately, neither won, as Moira divorced Cain and Charity found herself dumped. Cain is currently dating Harriet, but we are still hoping for a Coira reunion.
5. Max, Stacey and Bradley (EastEnders)
You’d be hard-pushed to find any ‘Enders fan who didn’t rate Max and Stacey’s forbidden fling. Tension had been building between the characters for weeks before Max made a move on his son’s girlfriend, and after that first kiss, there was no stopping them.
Insatiable Stace quickly fell for Max and began piling on the pressure for him to leave Tanya. Max found it equally difficult to resist, even shamelessly snogging Stacey on her wedding day with Bradley.
That infamous kiss was caught on a hidden cam, and was later played at the Slater and Brannings’ Christmas Day festivities in 2007.
The huge reveal tore the two families apart, and ten years later, it is still one of the best bombshells ever to have been dropped.
6. Brendan, Ste and Doug (Hollyoaks)
Cute Ste’s never been short of male attention, and if you cast your minds back around five years ago, he was caught between two very different blokes – mustached madman Brendan and dependable Doug.
In the war of Stug vs Stendan, some fans loved the danger of Ste and Brendan’s affair, while others wanted him to settle down and have a happy family with American student Doug.
Fickle Ste was torn too and did a fair amount of bed-hopping as he tried to make his mind up. He even married Doug for just five minutes.
Ultimately, both romances failed, and with Brendan banged up behind bars (is he in the same prison as Ste?!) and Doug six feet under, we think Ste’s okay sticking with Harry.
7. Shelley, Peter and Lucy (Coronation Street)
Peter Barlow is a man who takes his two-timing very seriously. Remember when he married two women, but neither of them knew?
Peter met florist Lucy when he popped into her shop to buy a bouquet for his girlfriend Shelley (how’s that for a cliché?), and found himself in her bed within a matter of days. When Lucy got pregnant (with Simon), Peter popped the question, and they got hitched without Shelley suspecting a thing.
It was Lucy who rumbled the bigamist Barlow first, and after laying low for a while, she rocked up in Weatherfield to show Shelley (who was now also married to Peter by this time) her wedding photo. Yikes!
When Peter returned to the Rovers, he appeared to have seen a ghost. His two wives were waiting for him. We think that’s what you call busted!
Read Also – Soap Opera Super Couples: A Look Back at the Most Beloved Romances
