Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to The Story Behind Soap Operas

The history of the daytime serial drama

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. The Story Behind Soap Operas launched in 2017; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Serial Podcast▲177

   From This American Life, follow 1 story over a whole season

   2014 · nytimes.com · its alternatives →

2. 2RT
   Read The Count of Monte Cristo and others in installments in your email▲220

   2020 · serialliterature.com · its alternatives →

3. 3
   HOME: Stories From L.A. -- Episode 1, The House On The Hill▲52

   A story about the Golden Age of Hollywood, and after.

   2015 · homestoriesla.net · its alternatives →

4. 4
   The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood▲67

   Where the big ideas of the modern era came from

   2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Lawyers, Liars, and the Art of Storytelling▲68

   Using stories to advocate, influence, and persuade

   2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   Archive 81 - Episode 3 - A Story in Cycles▲54

   It's about exploitation, stories, and an ouroboros

   2016 · podcasts.apple.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   The Story Behind▲5

   A short-form, narrative history podcast

   2017 · its alternatives →

8. 8
   The History of the Web▲115

   The web's best stories, delivered each week.

   2017 · thehistoryoftheweb.com · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Brothers▲71

   The hidden history of the Kennedy years

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Dark Money▲67

    The hidden history of the billionaires behind...

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Reminiscences of a Stock Operator: With New Commentary and Insights on the Life and Times of Jesse Livermore▲55

    The fictionalized biography of Jesse Livermore

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Serial▲69

    Creators of This American Life. One story. Told week by week

    2014 · nytimes.com · its alternatives →

13. 13
    ARRVLS - Norman's House▲53

    Three friends, a disease, and the opera

    2016 · its alternatives →

14. 14
    The Last Love Song▲117

    A biography of Joan Didion

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Daily Source Code - 1▲45

    Podcast history

    2015 · soundcloud.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything▲64

    The hilarious behind-the-scenes story of Seinfeld

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Understanding Media▲70

    The Extensions of Man

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Story▲83

    The classic guide to the fundamentals of storytelling

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

19. 19
    StarTalk - Time Lords: The Science of Keeping Time with Chris Hardwick▲62

    "take a mind-bending journey into the science of time"

    2016 · startalkmedia.com · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Serializd▲64

    The ultimate app for TV fans

    2023 · serializd.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Storytelling with Data▲64

    A data visualization guide for business professionals

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

22. 22
    License to Pawn▲70

    The story behind the Pawn Stars main star

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    Making a Murderer - Behind the scenes of the new Netflix documentary▲130

    A true crime story more interesting than Serial

    2016 · traffic.libsyn.com · its alternatives →

24. 24IB
    I built a website that lets you read classic books as email newsletters▲39

    2023 · modernserial.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →