Soap operas are about to get the holy treatment. Christian entertainment company PureFlix is hard at work on what producers say is the world's first faith-based soap opera, a twelve-episode drama titled Hilton Head Island. And it stars some of the biggest names in the daytime business.
Antonio Sabato Jr. (ex-Dante Damiano, The Bold and the Beautiful), Donna Mills (ex-Madeline Reeves, General Hospital), and Michael Swan (ex-Duncan McKechnie, As the World Turns; ex-Adam Alexander, B&B) have all signed on to the upcoming "clean soap," as has renowned game show host Wink Martindale, reports Faith Wire.
During a recent appearance on PureFlix's talk show Pure Talk, PureFlix CEO Greg Gudorf spoke about creating a Christian show in a format known for eye-raising salaciousness.
"Traditionally, soap operas have overemphasized certain parts to be able to play to an audience," he told panelists. "The underlying drama and the underlying story can be told without that emphasis. And maybe there's even an entry for the more typical prayer life or Christian aspect flowing in as part of that drama."
But what can viewers expect from Hilton Head Island when the traditional soap staples like adultery, steamy sex, and crime lord families will likely be avoided? Will the most shocking and scandalous happening be Donna Mills's alter ego forgetting to check in to church on Sunday?
Unfortunately, advance teasers about the show are being kept under wraps -- perhaps for eternity -- because Gudorf says he wants people to "see it fresh" when it's released on PureFlix's streaming service later this fall. All he'll say is that the series will focus on "great stories," and he notes that some of the sexual and other adult themes typically seen on soap operas don't need to be included for a show in the genre to be successful. Here's praying!
Check out Gudorf's Pure Talk appearance below and let us know what you think about PureFlix developing a Christian soap opera.
UPDATE: After this article was posted, several readers noted that the faith-based soap Another Life aired on the Christian Broadcasting Network from 1981 to 1984. Despite that, a spokesperson asserts that Hilton Head Island will be a first-of-its-kind soap.
What do you think about PureFlix developing a Christian soap opera? Do you think a soap can be successful without scandalous adult themes? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
