Soaps
Top 23 Soap Opera Romances of All-Time, Ranked
Romance is the hallmark of daytime dramas. Fans fall in love with characters and families — but most of all, the romantic couples we see torn apart time and time again. Viewers hang in there to see lovebirds beat the odds as they make it to reconciliation and, ultimately, the altar.
You may have started watching soaps as a youngster with your grandmother or picked them up when your college roommate got you hooked on either All My Children, Days of our Lives, General Hospital, or The Young and the Restless!
Swooon is taking a look back at 23 of the all-time greatest romances on soaps. Check out to see if your favorite made the list. If not, let us know who your top couple is in the comments section!
23. Jeff and Penny, As the World Turns
If you think soaps didn’t have supercouples until the 1970s and 1980s, you never met Jeff Baker and Penny Hughes, played by Mark Rydell and Rosemary Prinz on As the World Turns. Most young loves, like Jeff and Penny’s, have at least one disapproving parent. In Jeff and Penny’s case, the wet blanket was Nancy Hughes (Helen Wagner), who disapproved of the relationship. Penny felt her mom was too wrapped up in the memory of her dead sister, Susan, to care about her and Jeff.
After Jeff and Penny eloped, Nancy wanted the union to be annulled. Jeff and Penny split up and reunited a few times. Ironically, they got their parents’ blessings, but their happiness was short-lived. Jeff and Penny were in a car accident, which killed Jeff and left Penny comatose. When she woke up, she had amnesia. Penny recovered her memory and dealt with Jeff’s passing, later marrying Dr. Neil Wade.
22. Laura and Scotty, General Hospital
The young romance of Laura Webber (Genie Francis) and Scotty Baldwin (Kin Shriner) was instrumental in saving General Hospital from cancellation in the late 1970s. Scotty stood by Laura as she faced a multitude of perils – being seduced by an older lover, going on the run, being lured into prostitution in New York by a pimp named Fish (Robert Davi). Their greatest obstacle was Bobbie Spencer (Jacklyn Zeman) who wanted Scotty all for herself! Laura and Scotty’s 1979 summer marriage may not have garnered 30 million viewers like her next wedding did, but it had everything romance lovers wanted to see. Surrounded by family and friends, Laura and Scotty recited Elizabeth Barrett Browning poetry and were married in the park. They tried a second stab at marriage years later but realized they were better off as friends. Good friends.
21. Bo and Nora, One Life to Live
Robert S. Woods’ Bo Buchanan had a lot of love interests, but when he met lawyer Nora Hanen Gannon (Hillary B. Smith), he knew that he’d met his partner for life. The couple had Moonlighting type banter down from day one when Bo shamelessly flirted with Nora, who was new to Llanview. They went through numerous travails, but when the show ended in early 2012, Bo and Nora were by each other’s side.
20. Greg and Jenny, All My Children
Laurence Lau’s Greg Nelson and Kim Delaney’s Jenny Gardner remain the gold standard for young love on soaps. The All My Children couple had rooting value through the roof! Greg came from a well-to-do family. And Jenny? Well, she was poor. Her birth father was Ray Gardner (Gil Rogers), the man who raped Ruth Martin (Mary Fickett). Needless to say, Greg’s mother Enid Nelson didn’t approve of Jenny. Obsessive Tony Barclay (Brent Barrett) was all set to marry Jenny when Greg burst into the chapel and told Jenny that he never got her letter! Greg decked Tony and married Jenny. Alas, their happiness was short-lived as Tony rigged a jet ski to explode on Greg and Jenny’s honeymoon. His target was Greg, but it was Jenny who died.
19. Steve and Alice, Another World
Steve Frame (George Reinholt) and Alice Matthews (Jacqueline Courtney) were one of soaps’ first supercouples. The pair’s happiness was derailed by ambitious Rachel Davis (Robin Strasser; Victoria Wyndham). Rachel announced to Alice at her engagement party that she was pregnant with Steve’s child! The feud continued for years until Steve and Alice finally wed in 1975. Their happiness was short-lived as Steve was presumed dead in a helicopter crash in Australia. He died later — for real — in a car crash after returning to Bay City. Rachel found happiness with Mac Cory (Douglass Watson) that lasted until his death in 1989. Rachel and Alice’s put their past behind them and parted on a cordial note in their last scene together following Mac’s memorial.
18. Bob and Kim, As the World Turns
Bob Hughes (Don Hastings) was separated from his wife Jennifer (Gillian Spencer) when he had a fling with her sister, Kim Reynolds (Kathryn Hays). After Jennifer’s death, Bob and Kim moved on to other romances. He fell for drug runner Miranda Marlow (Elaine Princi), while Kim wed Dan Stewart (John Colenback), and later, Nick Andropoulos (Michael Forest).
In the mid-1980s, the writers decided what viewers had known all along – Bob and Kim needed to be together! They married at dawn surrounded by family and friends. Their wedding brought Nancy (Helen Wagner), Bob’s mother, back to the canvas, and it introduced Julianne Moore as Bob and Jennifer’s daughter, Frannie.
Bob and Kim faced many travails over the course of their marriage, including his brief affair with Kim’s rival Susan Stewart (Marie Masters), and Kim neglecting her marriage to deal with her son Andy’s (Scott DeFreitas) alcoholism. As the show concluded in 2010, Bob and Kim moved to Arizona after he retired from Memorial Hospital.
17. Patch and Kayla, Days of our Lives
The classic story of bad boy meets beautiful nice girl has never been done more romantically on soaps than Steve “Patch” Johnson (Stephen Nichols) and Kayla Brady (Mary Beth Evans). No matter what nefarious things Patch would do in his early years on the show, he’d put Kayla aka “Sweetness” first. The couple’s 1988 wedding skyrocketed Days of our Lives to the No. 1 spot in the ratings. Days of our Lives let viewers know that their romance wasn’t over despite Steve’s passing when his coffin was curiously switched following his “death.” It took several years for both characters to be reunited in Salem, but it was worth the wait. While they were each away from DAYS, the two were paired together on General Hospital as Stefan Cassadine and Katherine Bell.
16. Thorne and Macy, The Bold and the Beautiful
Romantic love songs and music are key to any soap opera supercouple and nobody – nobody – performed love duets better than Thorne Forrester (Jeff Trachta) and Macy Alexander (Bobbie Eakes) on daytime drama. The B&B couple serenaded each other with such songs as “When I Fall in Love” and “Open Arms.” Ironically, music tore these two apart when Thorne left town in 1996 to appear on Broadway revival of Grease, produced by Tommy Tune. The show opted to recast the part of Thorne with Winsor Harmon later that year. Thorne and Macy were torn apart by her two deaths, but hopefully, they’ll be reunited again as off-camera passings on soaps usually led to resurrections.
15. Olivia and Natalia, Guiding Light
Olivia Spencer (Crystal Chappell) and Natalia Rivera (Jessica Leccia) opted to share a dwelling to save expenses on Guiding Light. The two friends grew closer and were surprised when deeper feelings began to emerge. They weren’t always on the same page. At different times, one or the other wanted to explore their relationship while the other hesitated. A pregnant Natalia opted to marry her baby’s father, Frank Cooper (Frank Dicopoulos), but decided at the last minute she couldn’t go through it. Why? She loved Olivia. The two women faced challenges, including societal acceptance, but when the show went off the air in 2009, Olivia and Natalia were happy and together. Love wins!
14. Sonny and Brenda, General Hospital
Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) has had numerous love interests (see our ranking here!) over the years – his late wife Lily (Lilly Melgar), Carly (Sarah Brown, Tamara Braun, Jennifer Branson, Laura Wright), and Nina (Cynthia Watros) – but his greatest love, many fans feel, is Brenda Barrett (Vanessa Marcil). She simply needs to say “Sonny,” and he (and the viewers) will melt.
We never thought that Sonny would be able to move past Brenda wearing a wire to incriminate him in some legal activities, but he did. Sonny did the right thing by marrying a pregnant Lily. As she was tragically killed in a car bomb meant to send Sonny to that great soap in the sky, Brenda was getting married to Jax (Ingo Rademacher). It’s been over a decade since Sonny and Brenda shared the screen together, but diehard fans of the couple still hold out hope for a reunion.
13. Beth and Phillip, Guiding Light
Phillip Spaulding (Grant Aleksander) and Beth Raines (Judi Evans) were high school sweethearts that beat the odds to be together. The couple ran off to New York to escape Beth’s abusive stepfather Bradley (James Rebhorn). Alas, Phillip had a pre-wedding fling with his ex, Mindy (Krista Tesreau), and impregnated her, which called off his and Beth’s marriage. Later, Mindy miscarried, but at this point, Beth had fallen in love with Lujack (Vincent Irizarry). After Lujack’s untimely death, Phillip and Beth reunited – but she was soon believed dead.
This couple couldn’t catch a break until nearly three years later when Beth turned up alive. Phillip extricated himself from a marriage to a lying Blake (Sherry Stringfield), paving the way for Phillip and Beth (now Beth Chamberlin) to get married. At the couple’s reception, an instrumental version of their high school prom tune – Lionel Richie’s “Truly” – played as the couple danced. When the show went off the air in 2009, Beth and Phillip were happy together living in the Spaulding mansion.
12. Barnabas and Josette, Dark Shadows
In 1795, Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) was set to marry his fiancée, Josette du Pres (Kathryn Leigh Scott). Alas, Josette’s aid, Angelique Bouchard (Lara Parker), had her sights set on Barnabas, with whom she’d had a fling. Was Barnabas a willing partner in his tryst with Angelique, or had she used her powers as a witch to seduce him? Determined to make Barnabas pay for not loving her, Angelique, after being shot by Barnabas, summoned a bat to bite the man she professed to love in the neck, turning him into a vampire.
Josette, horrified by Barnabas becoming a creature of the night, ran from him and plunged to her death off Widows’ Hill. Nearly 200 years later, Barnabas became obsessed with Josette’s modern-day doppelganger, Maggie Evans (also played by Leigh Scott), and later, Victoria Winters (Alexandra Moltke). Dr. Julia Hoffman (Grayson Hall) felt the greatest case of unrequited love in the history of soap operas as she had a massive crush on Barnabas, but he did not return her feelings.
Mary O’Leary, who directed Dark Shadows and Beyond – The Jonathan Frid Story, concurs that Barnabas’ greatest love was indeed Josette. “He did have sex with Angelique, but it was before he knew Josette had romantic feelings for him,” O’Leary tells Swooon. “When Josette finally expresses her love for him, Barnabas feels deep and genuine love for her, which is why he rejected Angelique when she tries to pursue him romantically.”
11. Neil and Dru, The Young and the Restless
Neil Winters (the late, great Kristoff St. John) was a rising star at Jabot Cosmetics when he and Drucilla Barber (Victoria Rowell), who was working in the mailroom, first met. The couple’s chemistry shot off the screen, and they quickly emerged as one of the show’s most popular couples. The duo had lots of conflict – Dru lied about wanting to have another baby and didn’t tell Neil she was on the pill. She also wanted to continue her modeling career uninterrupted. The couple divorced and then remarried in Japan in 2003.
Trouble loomed ahead when the secret of their daughter Lily’s true parentage was finally revealed. Malcolm Winters (Shemar Moore), Neil’s half-brother, turned out to be Lily’s dad. Malcolm and Dru had a miscommunication when she was zonked out on cold medicine and invited him into her bed, thinking he was Neil.
Still, Neil and Dru’s relationship endured. It ended tragically when Drucilla accidentally fell to her (presumed) death off a cliff while she was fighting with BFF Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) and rival Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford). Neil’s death was written into the show in 2019 after St. John’s untimely passing.
10. Sky and Raven, The Edge of Night
Raven Alexander (Sharon Gabet) was impulsive, self-centered, and embraced the finer things in life. She fell for millionaire Sky Whitney (Larkin Malloy). The two married in the Whitney mansion, but the honeymoon was brief. Raven figured out that “Sky” wasn’t Sky at all; he was Sky’s pal Jefferson Brown, who’d undergone plastic surgery to make himself look like Sky after the real deal was presumed dead in a plane crash. Sky/Jefferson realized he couldn’t afford to let Raven live, so he tried to kill her not once but twice. First, he hired hitman Romeo Slade (Martin Kove) to kill her, but then Sky had a change of heart and saved Raven at the last second. He then tried to kill her while they were vacationing in Switzerland. A mysterious hitman killed Sky before he could throw Raven to her death. Back in Monticello, Raven was living as the merry widow – until the real Sky turned up alive! He and Raven fell in love and were married. Appropriately, Edge ended in 1984 with a closing shot on this fan favorite duo as they embarked on a new mystery.
11. Will and Sonny, Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives’ Sonny Kiriakis (Freddie Smith; later, Zach Tinker) came to terms with his sexual orientation (he’s gay) relatively early in life as a young man. Will Horton (Chandler Massey; Guy Wilson) faced a different path. He grappled with his feelings and even impregnated Gabriela “Gabi” Hernandez (previously Camila Banus; now Cherie Jimenez) in an effort to fit in with society. With support from family and friends, Will grew to accept and love himself. He and Sonny married in a ceremony, surrounded by loved ones. Will’s great grandmother Caroline Brady (the late, great Peggy McCay) spoke at the couple’s ceremony. Sonny and Will have a lasting love. Like many Salem residents, Will even cheated death so he could continue his and Sonny’s love story.
8. Josh and Reva, Guiding Light
Josh Lewis (Robert Newman) and Reva Shayne (Kim Zimmer) were childhood sweethearts on Guiding Light. When Josh went away to college, Reva opted to marry his older brother Billy, whose wife had died. Reva acted as stepmother to Mindy (Krista Tesreau), but the marriage didn’t last long. Reva and Josh were, at times, equally volatile in their relationship. When Reva thought that their relationship was over forever, she impulsively wed H.B. (Larry Gates), Josh and Billy’s daddy, rationalizing that H.B. “accepts me for who I am.” After miscarrying H.B.’s baby, Reva fell in love with Kyle Sampson (Larkin Malloy). The following year, Josh returned to Springfield. He and Reva were wed in 1989, and a few more times. They rode off into the sunset together and “always” in the show’s finale in 2009.
7. John and Marlena, Days of our Lives
First, Days of our Lives’ Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) thought that the enigmatic John Black (Drake Hogestyn) was her beloved Roman Brady (Wayne Northrop) back from the dead. About five years later, she learned that Roman and John were two different men! Marlena returned to Roman, but she couldn’t deny her attraction to John. The two conceived a child together, Belle (Martha Madison). They were torn apart by others many times – Kristen (then, Eileen Davidson), Stefano (Joe Mascolo), and others. No matter what the obstacle – even when many thought Marlena was a killer, her and John’s love endured. Sadly, Hogestyn died this year from pancreatic cancer. The show will address John’s passing in upcoming episodes.
6. Robert and Holly, General Hospital
GH’s Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer) struck gold with Emma Samms (Holly Sutton) in 1982 as the show attempted to find him a new leading lady following the departure of Genie Francis (Laura). When Luke was presumed dead in an avalanche, his buddy Robert Scorpio (Tristan Rogers) stepped up and offered to marry a pregnant Holly, who was at risk of being deported. Reluctantly, Holly agreed. She later miscarried the baby but she and Robert stayed together.
The original plan may have been for Holly and Luke to reunite after his return from the dead, but a funny thing happened along the way – Robert and Holly received tremendous rooting value from the show’s viewers. (The actors dated in real-life, too.) Holly and Robert were separated over the years. Both have also been presumed dead. However, last year, the two reunited in Port Charles and left town together. Their love lives on in their daughter Sasha Gilmore Corbin (Sofia Mattsson).
5. Ridge and Brooke, The Bold and the Beautiful
Look up “destiny” in the dictionary and you’re likely to find a photo of Ridge Forrester (Thorsten Kaye) and Brooke Logan (Katherine Kelly Lang). The B&B heroine has battled many obstacles to win Ridge’s love. It took years and years, but Brooke finally convinced Stephanie (Susan Flannery), Ridge’s mother, that she was worthy of her son’s love. Other romantic obstacles have come between Ridge and Brooke. Most notably, Dr. Taylor Hayes (Rebecca Budig), Ridge’s ex, who is once again back in his life. Brooke and Ridge are at odds over her daughter, Hope Logan (Annika Noelle), taking over Ridge’s family company, Forrester Creations. Brooke has had it with Ridge – he isn’t seeing her side of the story! But will Ridge and Brooke find their way back to each other? Our prediction is yes!
4. Jason and Liz, General Hospital
When Elizabeth Webber’s (Rebecca Herbst) love Lucky (Jonathan Jackson) was presumed dead in a fire in 1999, she was devastated. She found comfort in the arms of Quartermaine heir turned mob enforcer Jason Morgan (Steve Burton). Viewers weren’t expecting to see Liz have chemistry with anyone so quickly after Lucky “died” (actually, he came back), but they quickly embraced Stone Cold’s (Jason’s nickname) protective nature towards Liz, who’d been through so much.
Recently, Jason’s other great love, Sam (Kelly Monaco), went to that great soap in the sky. Lucky has come back into Liz’s life, and they do share a son together. But Jason and Liz have a child in common, too. They’re on different paths once again – Jason is pretending to be the father of Sasha’s (Sofia Mattsson) unborn child. Liz is sharing screen time with both Lucky and (another ex) Ric (Rick Hearst). Still, we can’t help wonder if someday Liz and Jason – affectionately referred to as “Liason” by their loyal fanbase – will find their way back together.
3. Doug and Julie, Days of our Lives
The character of Doug Williams (the late, great Bill Hayes) was initially intended to be paired with some other leading ladies on Days of our Lives. But when the show’s creative team saw the chemistry between Hayes and Susan Seaforth (Julie Olson), a decision was made to pair these two together. The couple wed in real-life in 1974 but didn’t tie the knot on screen until 1976.
Over the years, Doug and Julie combated Lee DuMonde (Brenda Benet), a woman obsessed with Doug, who he mistakenly wed after Julie divorced him after she’d been scarred in a fire, Doug’s “death” at the hands of the Salem Serial Killer, a plane crash, and the devil himself! Hayes’ real-life death was written into the show last year, but Doug and Julie’s love remains eternal.
2. Victor and Nikki, The Young and the Restless
The pairing between the mustached mogul and the stripper from the Bayou seemed unlikely, but there was no denying the chemistry between Eric Braeden’s Victor and Melody Thomas Scott’s Nikki. The couple has had more angst and drama in their lives than most people have in 10 lifetimes! Their challenges include Nikki being shot by her deranged maid, Victor being presumed dead and falling in love with another woman, Hope (Signy Coleman), as well as Nikki’s dynamic with Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) and Victor’s fascination with Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson).
Last fall, Victor had his and Nikki’s beloved ranch set rebuilt on a different parcel of land on the Newman estate. It’s nearly identical to the home they shared for many years. No matter where they live, Victor and Nikki share the most important thing of all – love.
1. Bo and Hope, Days of our Lives
No dad wants his daughter to fall in love with a motorcycle-riding, leather jacket wearing rebel. But even Doug Williams (Bill Hayes) came around to the fact that his beautiful baby girl, Hope Williams (Kristian Alfonso), was in love with Bo Brady (Peter Reckell), a former Merchant Marine, who played by his own set of rules. DAYS arguably does romance better than any other soap, and the show has a list of supercouples to back that up. Bo and Hope’s story stands out given the chemistry between Reckell and Alfonso.
The couple’s most iconic moment took place over 40 years ago when Bo burst into the bride’s room at the church so he could stop her from marrying ambitious Larry Welch (Andrew Masset). Hope’s grandmother, Alice (Frances Reid), helped stall the wedding so that Bo and Hope could make their escape. They took off on a “borrowed” policeman’s motorcycle, bickering all the way. Later, Bo explained to Hope that he only walked away from her to help his brother, Roman (Wayne Northrop). Slowly, Hope believed Bo and their love affair was back on. Both characters have cheated death. Most recently, Bo’s been in a coma off-screen. However, the couple’s love story will continue when both performers are back on the soap in June.
