Personally, I see the big picture and what they are attempting to accomplish by joining the new platform of the online arena. I think the web will not only save our soaps, but also the arts as a whole.
If Jeff Kwatinez and Rich Frank do it right, they could end up being our soap saviors. I am a huge fan of many of the best web series shows out there, and the advantage Prospect Park has is they will have money, as well as a studio to produce them whereas most web serials do not.
The web is exploding with veteran and new talent that haa embraced this new way of storytelling, which is growing at an unprecedented rate! The difference between web content vs. network is freedom! Online TV lounges are the "in thing" and I think once fans get used to the new format, this will be the answer to bringing other soaps back into production. This is a new venture that many people have quietly been working behind-the-scenes to make happen. Question is, will we get juicer stories and scenes since it will be on the Internet where no restrictions apply? I hope so!
The fact these soaps are indeed returning to production is due to soap fans who continued to show their interest and proved if given something great, we'll watch it! General Hospital's increase in viewership clearly depicted this. The show ended the year with 3 million viewers, up 180% from 2010, with ratings that consistently soared.
ABC is once again the number one network for daytime programming, in large part thanks to the new regime at General Hospital. While some may not realize it, the fact GH rose significantly in ratings gave Kwatinez and Rich the argument that if you produce a good show, fans will flock to see it! Between elevated viewership and various campaigns throughout 2012 specifically geared to thanking sponsors, it became clear to executives soap fans would continue to support the genre.
While I really want these reboots to be a success, I still think fans should continue the fight for a dedicated soap channel on cable. This would be a great way to continue to see our soaps in syndication, but also could be a tool in growing the online audience by having a place the new episodes can be aired to a broader audience. This would help all online web shows across the board.
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Article comments
1 - ghfan4evr
"FAN"tastic article. Thank you for writing this article, Chrissy. So proud to be part of "history in the making", along side you and all of the Soap Fans who have fought so hard to have our Soap's returned to us. I have missed my Pine Valley and Llanview families so much and I don't think I could have gotten through this past 2 years without my fellow soap fans.
2 - Chrissy
Awww- glad you liked it! It's an exciting time and now I see how everyone's little part made a difference in the big picture! LOL :)
3 - Tom Beavin
This is America! Long live the genre!
This is America! Long live the genre!
This is America! Long live the genre!
This rant and rave has been brought to you by a soap fan who is also an admirer of all Harley-Davidson motorcycles, a Trekkie, one of Lady Gaga's "Little Monsters", and who still can't get enough of the Sesame Street martians who always go 'Yip yip yip yip yip' and 'No no no no no no no'. Just goes to show that there's more to soap fans than what meets the eye.
4 - annoymous
good for you soap opera loving jerks and i wish that this genre should be extinct (just call me heartless anyway)