If it’s not for TV, then it must be for internet TV. This is the case for two canceled soap operas on ABC – All My Children and One Life to Live.
Hollywood producers Rich Frank formerly of Walt Disney TV and Jeff Kwatinetz, a talent manager, have taken the two old dramas online in the hope of gaining lifelong fans. Starting today, half-hour episodes will be shown via the free Hulu.com website and the paid service Hulu Plus from Monday to Thursday. The two apparently want to take advantage of the growing interest on TV series shown online pioneered by the House of Cards.
In reviving the old drama series, the two Hollywood veterans also aim to capture the younger and more internet-savvy audience through the use of modern music, contemporary actors and faster-paced storylines. At the same time, they still want to gain the attention of the older viewers with the same suspense and drama the series was known for. This move is considered to be a test for the oldies whether they will be enticed to migrate online.
The power of social media is also being tapped for the revival of the two shows. Each of these to soap operas have a Facebook page that has so far gained more than a million likes already. The stars are contributing as well by tweeting and giving questions through video chat. Promotions via print, TV and radio are also being done to create as much hype as possible for the two TV series.
The “One Life to Live” drama stars Jenni Farley of Jersey Shore as a bartender while rapper Snoop Dogg who’s now known as Snoop Lion wrote and sang the theme song. Snoop will also appear in some episodes like he did in the original drama shown before over ABC.
“All My Children,” on the other hand, still have Julia Barr (as Brooke) and David Canary (as Adam) as the anchor character. Others in the cast are Eric Nelsen and Denyse Tontz.