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Reviews
Studio City (2019)
Studio City - Season 2. A Must for Soap Fans and Non-Soap Viewers
The second season of Studio City continues to tell the stories of Sam Stevens (Sean Kanan AKA Dr. Pierce Hartley) and the cast of characters in front of and behind the camera at fictional soap Hearts on Fire.
Through it's fully fleshed out players, Studio City shines a light on ageism, #metoo, and a host of other topics as characters take a long, hard look at their lives.
Kanan's Stevens has an opportunity to break out of being the second hottest guy on the No. 2 rated daytime serial and become an action star on the big screen - IF he can get out of his own way!
We watch Sam examine both his professional and his personal life as he asks the bigger questions in life - what's it all about? What's making me happy?
Each and every member of the supporting cast is excellent. Standouts include Daytime Emmy-winner Carolyn Hennesy as Gloria Winton (a nod to legendary General Hospital producer Gloria Monty), the producer of Hearts on Fire, who gives a passionate endorsement of the daytime drama genre.
Philip V. Bruenn plays soap opera star Nick Cassidy (AKA Hearts on Fire's Dr. Devyn Stryker); Nick's an actor who is desperate to convince others that there's much more to those worked out abs he keeps working on. Natalie Burn plays Shelby Shock, Sam's action movie leading lady, a woman who examines if all the sacrifices she's made to get to where she is have been worth it. A light's been shined on #metoo but it's clear that high-powered decisionmakers in Hollywood still feel they can manipulate people around them in Studio City.
Tristan Rogers, best known for his run as Scorpio on General Hospital, won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Digital Drama Series for his role as Studio City's Doc, Sam's father. Doc continues to face his mortality and delivers another set of heart-breaking performances. Doc manages to shoot Sam some straight talk while dealing with his own issues.
Soap fans will love Studio City's backdrop and the inside jokes about the world of daytime drama. But the show isn't about being backstage at a soap - it's about who these characters are and what they're searching for in life. The series has beautiful cinematography, sharp dialogue, dry humor, and somber lighting. Highly recommended.