How to Watch Soap Operas Online

Soap operas generally run during the daytime, so if you work a day job or have other responsibilities at that time, you probably miss most of the episodes that air on television. One way to watch your favorite soaps on your own time and at your own pace is to stream them online, so here are seven of the most popular soaps and where to watch them.

1. The Young and the Restless on cbs.com
   Keep up with the Newmans and the Abbotts simply by going to the CBS website, where you can watch five full episodes for free on their site or on the app. If you would like to have access to every single episode, you can purchase a subscription to CBS All Access for only $5.99 per month, and you can try it for free for seven days. 
2. Days of Our Lives on nbc.com
   This is one of the longest-running soap operas on television, so it will be difficult finding all 12,683 episodes online. One place you can start is NBC’s website, where they will let you view the five latest episodes for free without having to provide your cable or satellite provider’s information. 
3. The Bold and the Beautiful on cbs.com
   Set in the uppity Los Angeles fashion scene, this popular soap opera that follows the day-to-day lives of a wealthy family can be found on the CBS website. If you don’t want to pay for episodes, you can watch up to 10 recent episodes for free, or if you purchase CBS All Access ($5.99 a month), you can enjoy all 925 episodes. 
4. Cedar Cove on YouTube or Amazon Instant Video
   This Hallmark Channel soap opera can be found in several locations, including Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Instant Video. Netflix requires a monthly subscription, but you can watch the episodes for free on YouTube or pay a nominal fee for each episode on Amazon Instant Video. 
5. General Hospital on abc.com
   Follow the wealthy Quartermaine family by catching up with their latest season on the ABC website. Right now, you can watch their 10 latest episodes on their website plus additional clips from previous episodes and highlights from current ones.
6. All My Children on Hulu
   This soap stopped releasing new episodes in 2011, so you can watch the entire story unfold on Hulu without weeks of waiting. You can watch all 10,755 episodes with a Hulu Plus account for $7.99 a month, but you can also sign up for a month-long free trial. 
7. Guiding Light on YouTube
   Guiding Light still holds the record for the longest-running drama on television with a staggering 18,262 episodes. YouTube is home to many of those episodes, so if you don’t mind potentially searching for each individual episode, you’re likely to find them all here.