In fact, original 'soap operas' were the kind of way-over-the-top dramas that are so easy to parody - probably Dynasty and Dallas are the nearest we ever got. The essence of a 'soap' was that there was always loads of drama, but nothing actually ever happened.
In that sense, it is a misnomer to call shows like 'The Bill' and 'Corrie' soaps, as the TV companies rather sniffily renamed them - they are 'Continuing Dramas'.
'East Enders' is of course a soap, where people seem to have no job of work to do, they constantly sleep with and fight with each other, and no-one ever seems to have the fiinnancial support for their constant absences, when they always vanish with just a small case or bag.