Web-A What?

Web-a what?

So you heard the news that Mary Beth Evans has been cast in a new web series called “The Bay”, but you have no idea what a “web series” is. Is it like a real soap, on five days a week? Is it like a nighttime soap that is only on one day a week? What are the production values? Can I watch it on my TV? Do I have to “pay” for it? You may have so many questions running through your head right now. But the most important one is, is this good for Mary Beth? In my humble opinion; yes, it is!

First you should get an understanding of what a web series is, or as some are calling them, “independent soaps” or “indies“. Web series are quickly becoming all the rage right now considering so many network shows are falling to the wayside. Actors/writers/producers are trying to find a way to ‘stay in the game‘, so to speak. As roles in what we see as the mainstream media dry up, they need another outlet to showcase their work. The internet is providing that outlet. While I don’t really see them thinking these web soaps are “money makers”, who knows what the exposure of one of these shows can do for the talent that produces them? No one is going to make a million (or even a thousand) dollars on these shows, but that is not looking at the bigger picture. For a lot of people that work in the entertainment industry, yes, making money is a good thing, but it’s more about the work that they produce. It’s about expanding and going with the trends. I am glad to see that Mary Beth is willing to take that leap into the “web” and explore such a cutting-edge medium.

Many soap stars in the last year or so have made the leap into the web series genre. Some have produced good results, and some, not so much. There is an excellent graph on the ‘We Love the Soaps’ web site that breaks down all the web soaps for interested viewers. This graph shows just how many web series there are that are currently available. Some you may be familiar with, others you may not. The first one I remember watching was produced out of the writers’ strike of 2007. It was called “Life in General,” and stared Arianne Zucker, JoBeth Williams, and John Ingle, among others. This was on a site specifically designed for writers out on strike and was appropriately called, striketv.com. It was a great show. I loved it and was hoping to see many more like it.

The most recognizable of the current web soaps is probably Venice, which is produced by Crystal Chappell. While this series received a lot of publicity before the actual launch of the show, I thought that after the show began, the publicity waned. I thought the production quality (I am a geek when it comes to production) of Venice was exceptional. But, after the first “free” episode aired, it failed to grasp my attention like I had hoped. Thus, I was hesitant to pay for it. That might have had to do with the length of the first episode (a mere 6 min.), or that I was not a jilted “Otilia” fan that just wanted to see more of what could have been done with the relationship between two women. While I will say that I did eventually get to see the rest of the series, I didn’t seek it out. But production wise, it was very well done considering their budget.

Then there is Steamboat, which chooses to take the satire approach at soaps. This is the description of the show: The Office” meets “All My Children” in this behind-the-scenes look at the desperate, dying days of a daytime soap opera. This series is from Michael O’Leary, and stars the likes of Kim Zimmer, Justin Deas, and Beth Chamberland among others. Heck, this one even has a guy wearing a patch on it! I really like this one because it makes me laugh, something network soaps have failed to do for me, well at least intentionally. It’s just fun. But again, one of the downfalls is that they only average 5-8 min. per episode.

Gotham was another web series that garnered a lot of attention. I really like this one, and again, mainly for the production value. Gotham is produced by and stars Martha Byrne of ATWT fame. Kin Shriner, Michael Park, and Anna Stuart also star in Gotham. I also enjoy the fact that the Gotham episodes are of greater length.

With names like Drake Hogestyn, Tristen Rogers, Tonja Walker, and Martha Madison attached to the yet to be filmed web show, “Reality Bytes” also promises to be a good one.

For me personally, web shows fit my lifestyle. I admit it; I am a web-based person. I do like my TV. Heck, I will go as far as to say I LOVE my TV. But, in reality, I spend more time logged on my computer than I do in front of a TV set. Yes, I do have a state of the art monitor that, for me, makes it enticing to watch all forms of media at my computer. I know that there will be those out there who will say, “Well, I just can’t watch on my monitor.” Just remember, if you can watch YouTube on your monitor, then watching a web series should not be a problem.

I like that, with web soaps, they can take chances on things they can’t (or won’t) do on network television. It’s all about the creative freedom on the web. There is no one there saying, “Oh no, you can’t do that,” or “You can’t touch that subject.” The web offers more reign to be able to produce some interesting stuff we wouldn’t normally see on a network televised soap.

As for the downside to web soaps, one is the length of the episodes. They are, for the most part, under 10 minutes per episode. It’s hard to get into a story in only 10 minutes or less. The writing really has to be top notch to be able to grasp the attention of the viewer. It either has to really make me laugh or really make me cry, both of which will make me want to watch more. Also, the timing can be off on a web soap. A week apart? Two weeks? Who knows?

I think the MAIN thing that guarantees success for a web soap is found in its cast. You have to have a “name” to make people interested enough to tune in. This is something new; people will have to have a reason, other than the basis of a new show, to want to tune in. This is why I am so glad that Mary Beth got the leading role in ‘The Bay‘. She will pull people in, no doubt. I can’t even tell you how many times over the last twenty-four hours I have heard people say, “Well, I have no idea what a web soap is, but I will watch for Mary Beth”. Granted, I know a lot of Mary Beth fans, so that is a given. But, it also shows the loyalty of the fans out there. They are willing to try and explore something new for one of their favorites.

Mary Beth, back in 2001, did a little indie film called “American Coffee”. She had a very small role in it, but I thought it was brilliant because it was so out of the box for her. I am glad to see that she is still willing to take a chance and try something new. This gig should in no way hinder her opportunities in landing on another show, if she so opts. I seriously doubt that she will be under any kind of contract of any sorts for this. I really see no downside to her doing a web based soap. In my opinon, it’s a win-win situation.

What do you think? Will this ‘Web Soap thing’ take off? Are you excited to see Mary Beth explore this web soap opportunity?

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