Why are soap operas a "danger zone"? People love soap operas. Books like Twilight and 50 Shades, shows like 90210, Melrose Place, Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, etc are incredibly successful and are all considered soap operas. Romantic comedies are the most popular movies with women and female-skewed radio stations will almost always be very celebrity gossip driven - the "real life" soap operas of our day.
People love soap operas! It's a popular genre, hardly a "danger zone" for anyone who hopes to be successful to be in it - in my opinion, anyway.