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Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome
From a newborn to a kindergartner in just one season
Did you even notice the child characters from your favourite TV programs changing to the point of being unrecognisable? All of a sudden, they’re taller, older and more involved in adult storylines.
No, it’s not the passage of time.
No, it’s not puberty.
It’s not even poorly-edited scriptwriting.
These child TV characters have a mysterious condition known as Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome — SORAS.
What is SORAS?
SORAS occurs when a television character ages faster than real-world time.
The term was coined in the early 1990s by founding editor-in-chief of Soap Opera Weekly, Mimi Torchin.
SORAS mostly takes place in daytime soap operas, but it’s been known to occur in family sitcoms and other TV programs.
Like Google, SORAS can be used as a noun or a verb.
SORAS almost always involves recasting a child character. The character is sent away or kept offscreen and later returns, often at the start of a new season, played by an older actor.
A common technique is to send the child to boarding school. The child, and…
