It seems like just yesterday that the world was ready to nail the lid on the coffin of daytime soap operas. Ratings were low across the board, and a slew of sudsers — “Guiding Light,” “As the World Turns,” “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” — were cancelled, leaving only “Days of our Lives,” “General Hospital,” “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “The Young and the Restless” on the air. But to the surprise of critics and many soap fans, 2013 saw a drastic turnaround: All four remaining soap operas saw a significant increase in ratings, and “The Young and the Restless” once again made a list of the top 10 most-searched television programs of the year, among popular series like “Breaking Bad” and “The Walking Dead.” So why the complete 180 in daytime soap popularity?

As previously reported, HBO is providing its viewers with a new series detailing relationship woes, roommate drama, reaching a certain age and much more, when it premieres “Looking” tonight at 10:30 PM ET/9:30 PM CT. The series seeks to provide viewers with a different perspective on daily life for gay men in San Francisco.

As we previously reported, season two of “Tyler Perry’s The Haves and the Have Nots” starring former “One Life to Live” actress Tika Sumpter (ex-Layla Williamson) premieres tonight — and it looks like it’s going to be hot, hot, hot!

The wait is finally over for the launch of Sonia Blangiardo’s “Taint Dreams: The Series,” which features Alicia Minshew (“All My Children”), Terri Ivens (“AMC”), Grant Aleksander (“Guiding Light”), Kelley Menighan Hensley (“As the World Turns“), Walt Willey (“AMC”), Natalia Livingston (“GH“), Marnie Schulenburg (“ATWT”), Michael Lowry (“AMC,” “One Life to Live“), Nathan Purdee (“OLTL”), Austin Peck (“ATWT,” “Days of our Lives“, “OLTL”), Colleen Zenk (“ATWT”), Larkin Malloy (“The Edge of Knight,” “AMC”) Dina Manzo (“Dina’s Party” and “The Real Housewives of New Jersey”), Anthony Wilkinson (“My Big Gay Italian Wedding” and the new “My Big Gay Italian Funeral”), Lisa Marie Varon (“IMPACT WRESTLING”) and “Mr. PEC-Tacular” Jessie Godderz (“IMPACT WRESTLING” and “Big Brother”), Bobbie Eakes (“AMC,” “The Bold and the Beautiful“), Ilene Kristen (“OLTL,” “Ryan’s Hope”), James DePaiva ( “OLTL”) and Tonja Walker (“OLTL”), along with a host of newcomers, as viewers are treated to a behind the scenes look at the daytime soap “Painted Dreams.”

Wonder whatever happened to “Guiding Light’s” Justin Klosky (ex-Joey Lupo)? Well the actor is now a professional celebrity organizer and author of the new book, “Organize & Create Discipline: An A-to-Z Guide to an Organized Existence,” which was released yesterday.

According to Soap Opera Digest, Daniel Cosgrove has joined the cast of NBC’s “Days of our Lives” in the newly created role of Aiden. “This is the first time that I’ve ever played a daytime character that wasn’t played by someone else,” said the actor to the magazine of his previous roles as Scott Chandler (“All My Children”), Chris Hughes (“As The World Turns”) and Bill Lewis (“Guiding Light”), all played by several actors prior to his portrayal.

Set to the tune “Too Darn Hot (RAC Mix)” by Ella Fitzgerald, OWN has released a new teaser trailer for season 2 of “Tyler Parry’s The Haves and the Have Nots,” starring former “One Life to Live” actress Tika Sumpter (ex-Layla Williamson). Set to premiere Tuesday, January 7, 2014, the addictive primetime soap opera brings viewers back to Savannah, Georgia and the complicated dynamics between the rich and powerful Cryer family and the friends and enemies they surround themselves by. The series also stars John Schneider, Renee Lawless, Crystal Fox, Eva Tamargo (ex-Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald, “Passions”), Angela Robinson, Peter Parros (ex-Ben Harris, “As The World Turns”; ex-Ben Price, “One Life to Live”), Gavin Houston (ex-Remy Boudreau, “Guiding Light”; ex-Sly Thomas, “General Hospital”), Aaron O’Connell, Tyler Lepley and Jaclyn Betham.

Just when you thought you’d seen soap star Crystal Hunt in the most outlandish situations ever (in her roles as stripper Stacy Morasco on “One Life to Live” and bratty diva Lizzie Spaulding on “Guiding Light”), she goes and pulls a real-life stunt that outshines any of her previous onscreen shenanigans: She smashed glass in a woman’s face during a soap-topping bar brawl!

TVGN is proving why it’s now the “the new way to watch soaps.” With the network already picking up encore airing rights to “The Young and the Restless” this past summer, and “The Bold and the Beautiful” earlier this month, the network plans to provide soap fans with even more “soap” for their viewing pleasure courtesy of the new documentary, “Who Shot the Daytime Soap?” Airing Monday, December 16 at 8:00 PM ET/PT, preceded by airings of “B&B” at 6:30 PM ET/PT and “Y&R” at 7:00 PM ET/PT, the documentary tackles the history of daytime soap operas as told by those who were there during the good times, the bad times and the new times.

With nearly 24 minutes in total airtime between them, LANYentertainment released the first two installments of “The Bay: The Series” chapter 11 on the official “Bay” website yesterday. Fans of the series will not only get caught up in the happenings in Bay City, but they’ll also get their fill of drama, sex, drugs, romance, deception, murder, and much more.

On tonight’s episode of USA Network’s “White Collar,” starring Matt Bomer (ex-Ben Reade, “Guiding Light”), former “One Life to Live” star Tobias Truvillion (ex-Vincent Jones) will guest-star. “I play an ex-military type. He’s like a blackops. Him and his partner are on the black market looking for this particular intel chip,” shared Truvillion to Soap Opera Network of his appearance in the episode entitled “Quantico Closure,” which finds Neal (Bomer) delving further into the mystery of the Codex. Meanwhile, Peter (Tim DeKay) takes on a classified espionage case with a fellow FBI agent: his ex-girlfriend.

The Emmy-nominated online soap opera “The Bay” is back for its 11th chapter, and the sudser’s return is expected to be edgier, bigger and better than ever!

Detailing relationship woes, roommate drama, reaching a certain age and much more, “Looking” seeks to provide viewers with a different perspective on daily life for gay men in San Francisco when it premieres on Sunday, January 19, 2014 at 10:30 PM ET/9:30 PM CT on HBO. Starring former soap actors Jonathan Groff (ex-Henry, “One Life to Live;” Jesse St. James, “Glee”) and Murray Bartlett (ex-Cyrus Foley, “Guiding Light”), along with actor Frankie Alvarez (“Kitchen Confidential”), the series follows 29-year-old Patrick (Groff), a video game designer getting back into the dating world in the wake of his ex’s engagement, 39-year-old Dom (Bartlett), a longtime waiter who has yet to reach his romantic and professional dreams, and 31-year-old Agustín (Alvarez), an aspiring artist questioning the idea of monogamy amid a move to domesticate with his boyfriend. In preparation for the shows launch, HBO has released several trailers to entice viewership as well as providing audiences with a closer look into the behind the scenes world of “Looking” with cast interviews. To learn more about the series, read on.

In addition to casting Michael Graziadei (“The Young and the Restless”, “American Horror Story”) in the pilot for “The Lottery” (Lifetime Casts Former ‘Restless’ and ‘American Horror’ Star in Pilot), Lifetime has also cast former “Guiding Light” and “Days of our Lives” actor Wes Ramsey in its other new pilot, “Deliverance Creek,” from Nicholas Sparks Productions and Warner Horizon. The series revolves around Lauren Ambrose (“Torchwood”, “Six Feet Under”) in the role of Belle, who becomes an outlaw after trying to save her family’s land from the corrupt parties looking to take control over it.

Former “Guiding Light” star Cynthia Watros has been pulling double duty: Not only has the “Lost” alum been taping an upcoming three-day arc for “The Young and the Restless,” she’s also been gearing up to star in MTV’s pilot, “Finding Carter!”

It’s been a whopping 24 years since Elizabeth Dennehy graced the daytime stage as “Guiding Light’s” Christina ‘Blake’ Thorpe Marler, and she’s finally ready to get back into soap operas. But this time, she’s headed to “The Young and the Restless’” Genoa City!

The population of “The Young and the Restless’” Genoa City continues to rise, and the town’s latest resident is of definite quality: Former “Guiding Light” star Cynthia Watros!

The annual Tails N Tots event is set to take place on Saturday, October 12, and it looks like this year’s event, benefitting The Kids Wish Network, will be featuring not one but TWO former Jake Martins from “All My Children!”

Eileen Davidson may still be airing as “Days of our Lives’” Kristen DiMera, but that wasn’t a deal breaker for “The Young and the Restless,” which has signed the actress to return as Ashley Abbot later this year!

“Tainted Dreams” is truly turning out to be the dream of a soap opera as the new series has added “One Life to Live’s” Nathan Purdee to its cast. The actor joins the previously signed Alicia Minshew (“AMC”), Terri Ivens (“AMC”), Grant Aleksander (“Guiding Light”), Kelley Menighan Hensley (“As the World Turns“), Walt Willey (“AMC”), Natalia Livingston (“GH“), Marnie Schulenburg (“ATWT”), Michael Lowry (“AMC,” “One Life to Live“), Austin Peck (“ATWT,” “Days of our Lives“, “OLTL”), Colleen Zenk (“ATWT”), Larkin Malloy (“The Edge of Knight,” “All My Children”) Dina Manzo (“Dina’s Party” and “The Real Housewives of New Jersey”), Anthony Wilkinson (“My Big Gay Italian Wedding” and the new “My Big Gay Italian Funeral”), Lisa Marie Varon (“IMPACT WRESTLING”) and “Mr. PEC-Tacular” Jessie Godderz (“IMPACT WRESTLING” and “Big Brother”), Bobbie Eakes (“All My Children,” “The Bold and the Beautiful“), Ilene Kristen (“OLTL,” “Ryan’s Hope”), James DePaiva ( “OLTL”) and Tonja Walker (“OLTL”).