''The Cavanaughs'' is a 2010
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
web series
A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single i ...
following a group of friends who reunite after working on a failed
television pilot
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...
, and then come together to create a
television sitcom
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...
entitled ''The Cavanaughs''. Along the way, they find themselves creating a family of their own.
Production history
''The Cavanaughs'' was developed from a stage play-within-a-play comedy entitled ''The Seven Lessons of Life'', which ran in
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
during the summers of 2002 and 2003, featuring the character of sitcom actor and drag queen Noreen Cavanaugh. This was followed with a workshop sequel play ''A Night with the Cavanaughs'' in 2004, which included musical numbers. Toward the end of the
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, OAPCA Productions opted to bring these stage characters into a television form with the dramedy pilot ''The Cavanaughs''. The first story saw a group of offbeat
actors
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...
looking for money to run a theater in Hollywood while dealing with their own
neuroses
Neurosis is a class of functional mental disorders involving chronic distress, but neither delusions nor hallucinations. The term is no longer used by the professional psychiatric community in the United States, having been eliminated from th ...
. The pilot generated interest and filming went smoothly. Soap Actor
Thom Bierdz
Thom Bierdz (born March 25, 1962) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Phillip Chancellor III on the daytime drama ''The Young and the Restless''.
Career
He appeared on ''The Young and the Restless'', from 1986 to 1989, returnin ...
generously donated his personal artwork for several scenes. However, the project stalled for a year in post-production.
In the fall of 2009, creator
Adrian Morales decided to generate an audience via the internet. Twelve initial episodes were written. In a twist from the stage plays and the unsold pilot, the web series would follow newly created fictionalized actors reassembling for a new television sitcom ''The Cavanaughs'', retaining the
show within a show concept. Production commenced on February 20, 2010, after assembling the majority of the main cast from the 2008 production. Shooting only on weekends, ''The Cavanaughs'' completed the first six episodes on April 11, 2010. The next six were completed on September 5, 2010.
Presented in episodes eight to ten minutes in length, season one of ''The Cavanaughs'' premiered on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
on May 20, 2010. Season two premiered on YouTube on March 17, 2011.
Filming
The Cavanaughs is filmed on
Panasonic
formerly between 1935 and 2008 and the first incarnation of between 2008 and 2022, is a major Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Kadoma, Osaka P ...
HVX200 cameras. Private residences in
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
and
Silverlake, California
Silver Lake is a residential and commercial neighborhood in the east- central region of Los Angeles, California. Originally home to a small community called Ivanhoe in honor of Sir Walter Scott. In 1907, the Los Angeles Water Department built t ...
have served as the characters residences for Bryan, Maddie and Noreen. All nightclub and bar scenes were filmed at Alibi East in
Pomona, California
Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 151,713. The main campus of California State Polyte ...
. For episodes 7 and 12, the office scenes were filmed in the historic
Bradbury Building
The Bradbury Building is an architecture, architectural landmark in downtown Los Angeles, California, United States. Built in 1893, the five-story office building is best known for its extraordinary skylit atrium of access walkways, stairs and el ...
in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
Opening sequence
The opening sequence is a compilation of scenes from the series mixed with still photos, including various daytime shots of Santa Monica beach and day and evening shots of downtown Los Angeles buildings. The photo of
Deborah Estelle Phillips in the mocking stance of a mannequin was taken on set of the original sitcom pilot. Photos of
Amanda Broadwell being playfully tackled by a dog are featured in episodes one to seven and are replaced by other film clips of the ''Cavanaugh'' series.
Music
The piano instrumental opening theme is from the song "When Will Love Find Me" by Adrian Morales and Michael Upward. The song was originally performed in the stage play ''Only A Phone Call Away''. The theme is featured throughout the series applying to the storylines. An
abridged
An abridgement (or abridgment) is a condensing or reduction of a book or other creative work into a shorter form while maintaining the unity of the source. The abridgement can be true to the original work in terms of mood and tone, capturing the ...
version is sung in Episode 3 by Daniel Rhyder (Scott).
LA-based band The Wildcat and Joshua Gollish gave permission for the use of their music to be featured, blending in with the storylines. "The Gray Road Home" is heard over the montages in episodes two and seven. Also used are the songs "Take Me Away" (episodes five and eight) and "Something in Her Eyes" (episode eight).
Characters
* Noreen Cavanaugh (Ginger Snappz) – a colorful drag queen with a heart of gold who has had her own wildly successful television sitcom. She takes pride The Cavanaughs was written especially for her and becomes a den mother to the cast and crew.
* Bryan (Adrian Morales) – the writer. After two years, he returns to the project finding a new direction with his characters and must decide if he can move on with his life after the death of his lover, Shea.
* Maddie (Cwennen Corral) – Bryan's co-producing partner and sister of Shea. Head strong and confident, she has pushed love out of her life to watch over her friends in need. She's best friends with Charley.
* Charley (Deborah Estelle Phillips) – a chain-smoking actress about to be married to a man she is not in love with. She harbors a secret she feels will tear her family apart and goes to extreme lengths to conceal it.
* Mark (Grant Landry) – an outgoing, successfully working actor. He's very confident in his actions, though some see him as too cocky. While he has a love-hate relationship with his co-star Sarah, Mark has a stalker who follows his every move.
* Sarah (Amanda Broadwell) – a quirky actress who does her work via internet and commercials. Though she's attracted to Mark, she's envious of his success. Hit with cupid's arrow, Sarah must decide on how to act.
* Scott (Daniel Rhyder) – Sarah's best friend. A genuinely good person, he does what he can to watch over Sarah while trying to embark on his own singing career.
With
* Justin (
Kevin Makely
Kevin Makely (born August 29, 1973) is an American actor and producer.
Early life and education
Makely was a 1992 graduate of Roy C. Ketcham High School in Wappinger Falls in Dutchess County, New York State.
Career
In 2019 Makely produced and st ...
) – Maddie's ex-boyfriend and Charley's ex-roommate. After a twist of fate, he wishes Maddie was back in his life.
* Hope (Kimberly Fox) – a producer who promises to make The Cavanaughs happen with her own agenda.
* Dumas (Percy Rustomji) – Mark's stalker. He shares a past connection with his obsession.
* Chris (Patrick O'Sullivan - Season 1) – Charley's groom-to-be.
* Shea (Mikey Lamar- Season 1; Ryan Kibby - Season 2) – Byran's deceased lover and Maddie's brother.
* Zack (Matthew Trbovich- Season 2) – Sarah's beau who is an airhead model living in his own little bubble.
Notable guests
* Dina Martinez and Gregg Potter – LA-based talk show hosts from ''The Dina & Gregg Show''.
* Beverly Fairfax – LA-based drag queen personality
Trivia
* Grant Landry and Daniel Rhyder appear together in the dramatic indie feature ''Better Half''.
Episodes
Season 1
Season 2
Press
On May 4, 2010,
The Dina and Gregg Show released episode five, previewing the upcoming ''The Cavanaughs'' and an interview with Grant Landry. ''The Dina and Gregg Sho''w continual positive attitude toward the series prompted an invite for the hosts to appear as themselves on Episodes 7, 9 & 12.
On May 14, 2010, Soap News Website Daytime Confidential posted an article by Jamey Giddens, previewing The Cavanaughs as "Think
Sordid Lives
Sordid may refer to:
* Paul Sordid (20th century), English drummer
* Sordid (character), a fictional character in the ''Simon the Sorcerer'' series of video games
{{Disambig ...
meets
30 Rock
''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', takes ...
. The Cavanaughs looks like a lot of fun!". Jamey Giddens has continually blogged and posted about each episode.
Another Soap News Website
WeLoveSoaps has also posted each new episode on its website and features The Cavanaughs among other websoaps on its Indi Soap Beat News. The Cavanaughs has consistently ranked in the top 3 throughout every episode released on the WeLoveSoaps - Indi Soap of the Week Poll, indicating the websoap has developed a small loyal audience.
The Cavanaughs has also been regularly featured on the
TimeAfterTime/Soap World website, which promotes daytime and nighttime soaps both currently on air and cancelled. On July 2, TATSW praised The Cavanaughs with "Taking the idea of diversity and creativity to the next step". The Cavanaughs was voted number 2 best indie soap for the month of June.
On July 7, 2010, WeLoveSoapsTV released Episode 48, where WLS Editor
Roger Newcomb interviewed
Grant Landry (Mark) in Times Square, New York. The interview detailed Landry's history in acting and his experiences/storylines so far in ''The Cavanaughs''.
Issue 51 of SGL Weekly Magazine profiled
Daniel Rhyder (Scott) in which briefly discussed his positive experiences and involvement with The Cavanaughs.
In reviewing the first six episodes, popular blogspot ''Deep Dish: Web Series of the Week'', which spotlights 'groovy gay pop culture', Marc Harshbarger complimented The Cavanaughs, " With high production values, a talented cast and some interesting storylines, The Cavanaughs is definitely worth checking out." Deep Dish has consistently recommended The Cavanaughs as one of the Webseries Picks of the week.,
Online magazine Dign2it wrote an article covering the emergence of web soaps amidst the decline of daytime programming, and appealing aspect of the stories indie soaps are able to tell not normally seen on broadcast television or by the traditional conservative soap followings. They applauded 'The Cavanaughs' for their prominent LGBT storylines.
Awards and nominations
The 2nd Annual Indie Soap Awards recognized The Cavanaughs with two nominations - Outstanding Leading Actress for Cwennen Corral (Maddie) and the Fan Choice Award for the soap itself.
The Deep Dish also gave two nods to Grant Landry (Mark) for runner-up Hottest Hunk - Web Series of 2010 and an Honorable Mention was given to Ginger Snappz (Noreen) for Most Entertaining Character - Web Series of 2010.
References
External links
''The Cavanaughs'' Official Site''The Cavanaughs'' YouTube Channel*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cavanaughs, The
Internet soap operas
2010s American LGBT-related drama television series
American LGBT-related web series
2010s YouTube series