Fall and Rise of Soaps - "The P@ssionate & the Privileged"

Last time we spoke of the demise of the ABC soap opera "All My Children", which has moved on to an uncertain future as an online production. From five days a week on a major television network to the wild, woolly world of the Internet, it must be a huge step down, right? Not necessarily. This week we'll be speaking to the creator of what is not only a new online soap opera, but also the vanguard in an experiment that could potentially change the role production companies and audiences play in series development. "The P@ssionate and the Privileged" contains many of the classic tropes familiar to soap fans - wealthy families at war, conniving outsiders, surprise twin siblings, unhappy marriages, forbidden affairs, power games, and true love. But it also explores subject material which was only explored by soaps like "AMC" and "Guiding Light" in the last decade. It's not uncommon in soaps for members of rival families to begin a romance that defies old hostilities, but it IS when we're talking about lead female characters Brynn Logan and Simone Randolph. Their undeniable attraction towards each other has only grown as Season Two approaches its conclusion.  Tonight I'll be talking with Hope Royaltey, who left her role as director and executive producer on the webseries "Venice" to create "P&P", as well as its home site FlagshipTV, an interactive entertainment webpage designed to make viewers involved in a show's development as well as its success or failure. We'll discuss P&P, FlagshipTV, the current state of soap operas on both TV and the Internet, and what impact she believes she can have on the entertainment industry.