The following is a list of television Nielsen ratings and rankings for American daytime soap operas from 1950 to the present, as compiled by Nielsen Media Research . The numbers provided represent the percentage of TV households in the United States watching that particular show in a year. Before 1996, the season average included only ratings from late September through mid-April. Since 1996, the numbers represent full-year ratings, from September through September.
Erica Kane is a long-running fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children. Following the retirement of Dr. Joe Martin to Florida, she is the only original character remaining since the series' premiere episode. The character has been portrayed by actress Susan Lucci since the show's debut in January 1970. Erica is considered to be the most popular character in soap opera history. TV Guide calls her "unequivocally the most famous soap opera character in the history of...