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Season 1 of Studio City was nominated for 16 Daytime
Emmys, winning 3, including Outstanding Limited Drama Series. The show’s
writer, executive producer and star, Sean Kanan calls it “the little engine
that could” and we think that is an understatement, especially after seeing season
2 which recently dropped on Amazon Prime.
Kanan has assembled an all-star cast to give us a glimpse of the
future of soap operas and based on that glimpse, that future is bright. Sean
and his amazing cast and crew have found a way to pack more drama and
entertainment into episodes averaging just 16 minutes than most soaps pack into
an entire week. Their streamlined approach leaves you wanting more without
making you feel like you’re missing out on anything, and they have completely
eliminated one of the biggest complaints that soap fans have had for
generations, continuous repetition of dialogue. Their formula may be just what
this dying genre needs to get it off of life support and back to its glory
days.
In
the first season we were introduced to Sam Stevens, an aging soap heartthrob
who leads Hearts on Fire, America’s number 2 daytime drama as Dr. Pierce
Hartley and his cast mates including Christina, (Erin Michele Soto) who plays
his onscreen love interest Anastasia; Nick Cassidy (Philip Bruenn) who plays
Dr. Devyn Stryker, Sam’s rival both on and offscreen; Max Carter (Scott Turner
Schofield) a transgender man who plays Dr. Brantly and runs a transgender
support group; and Isabella (Melissa Riso) who is Sam’s real life fiancé and Hearts
On Fire’s newest cast member, Mia.
Hearts
on Fire is led by producer
Gloria Winton (Carolyn Hennesy) who butts heads with Sam over his new contract
and storylines on the show while running roughshod over her cast and crew and
especially, her assistant Jacob (Justin Torkildsen).
We
met Sam’s family including his domineering mother Violet (Patrick Darbo), his
ailing stepfather Doc (Tristan Rogers), half-sister Laurie (Sarah Joy Brown)
and possible daughter, Delilah (Juliet Vega).
As
the season progressed, we were also introduced to Sam’s friend and agent Bryan
Michaels (Michael James Lazar), casting director Jolene Hernandez (Anna Marie
Horsford), pr person Becky Pope (Lilly Melgar), Movie star Shelby Brock
(Natalie Burn) and Ronn Moss and Devin DeVasguez playing themselves in a
hysterical guest spot!
The
amazing season 1 brought us all these wonderful characters and immersed us in
their lives, giving us a real feel for them all. We followed Sam’s fight for
his future on Hearts on Fire as well as finally getting his big break
into movies, his entire family dealing with Doc’s illness and desire to stop
treatment, and his own conflict over what his mother revealed to him about his
own paternity and the possibility that he may have fathered Delilah. We saw
Max’s fears for his transgender support group and if he was the right leader
for them after tragedy struck and Christina’s fight to not just be a supporting
actress to leading men but to also lead her own stories on the show. All of
this and more was in the 11-episode first season which is available on Amazon
Prime.
As amazing as season 1 was, season 2 is even better. We didn’t
think it was possible but the little engine that could did it again. Much of
the original cast returned and a few new cast members were added, including
Will Roberts who is perfection as sleazy studio exec Denise and James Lott Jr. who
plays the mirror image of his real-life podcasting self in a way you have never
seen him before.
Sam Stevens finds himself fighting ageism in his industry as he
makes his dream jump to action films while also dealing with his ailing stepfather
Doc wanting to refuse treatment for his cancer as well as scheduling conflicts,
a new PR shadow that dislikes him and the still unanswered question of
Delilah’s paternity. Sean Kanan proves how underrated he is, once again, with
his incredibly layered performance throughout the entire season. He has taken
his decades of experience in daytime and turned it into something really
special. His chemistry with spitfire Lilly Melgar is off the charts and it will
be a true crime if these two are not explored in future seasons. Their back and
forth is as entertaining as it is realistic, a combination not often found in
the soap opera genre.
Gloria Winton is fighting both the studio and her power-hungry
nephew while doing everything she can to keeps Hearts on Fire on the air
and under her control. Carolyn Hennesy is sublime in every scene she graces and
her character’s passion for the genre is infectious. It was thrilling to see
Justin Torkildsen’s character more flushed out and going toe to toe with his
domineering aunt as he tries to carve out his place in their world.
The added subplot of sexism and harassment in the movie industry
is timely and superbly written and acted. Natalie Burn shows amazing
vulnerability as her character struggles to keep her career afloat while
maintaining some dignity and Will Roberts embodies everything you imagine a
sexual predator in Hollywood to be in an amazing show of acting prowess.
Erin Michele Soto and Philip Bruenn continue to delight in their
roles as they spar with one another and others on set to secure their spot in
the limelight. Juliet Vega’s Delilah is a unique gem in the mountain of them
this show has. Her quiet desperation to be a part of her presumed father’s life
is both heartbreaking and riveting to watch. Despite Sam’s reticence, the
audience is rooting for her to turn out to be his daughter and we are on the
edge of our seats for that reveal to finally happen.
After over 40 years in daytime, Tristan Rogers won his first
Daytime Emmy for season 1 of Studio City. The performance he turned in
deserved every accolade he could possibly be handed and as impossible as it
seems, he has surpassed that performance with his work in season 2. This man
should be on our screens so much more than he is on General Hospital.
The fact that he isn’t is the soap opera equivalent of malpractice.
All in all, the cast and crew of Studio City
continues to amaze and entertain in ways we have never seen before but hope to
see so much more of. All of the awards they received were more than earned and
they deserve even more recognition this time out. They have been moved to the
Primetime Emmys and we feel that not only can they compete at that level but
have more than what it takes to win. Anyone who hasn’t already checked out Studio
City shouldn’t wait another moment to do so. It is entertainment worth
seeing and you will not regret it. We give season 2 an A+ and send it to the
head of its class.
“Created by producer, actor, and author Sean Kanan
and Jason Antognoli, season two of STUDIO CITY is directed by Timothy
Woodward, Jr. and written by the husband and wife producing and writing team,
Michele and Sean Kanan along with Timothy Woodward, Jr. Sean Kanan,
Michele Kanan, and Timothy Woodward, Jr. serve as Executive Producers. Season
two consists of six episodes” and is available on Amazon Prime.
Look for our series of interviews with members of this amazing
cast coming soon!
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