"Dropping the Soap": A Soap Opera Parody with Gay Characters

I was turned off immediately by the title Dropping the Soap, which alludes to the homophobic myth that prison is undesirable solely because gay men will rape you there.  But it originally streamed on the gay network Dekkoo, so WTF?

Turns out that it's about an actual soap opera.  After countless years of airing over-the-top storylines, Colliding Lives is tanking in the ratings, so the network suits are thinking of "dropping the soap."  Instead they send in Olivia Vandersteen (gay fave Jane Lynch) to shake things up.  She fires everyone under 35, axes storylines, harasses the writers, and so on.

Each of the ten 12-minute episodes begins with a scene from the soap, usually involving aging main star Julian (Paul Witten, right). Soap opera cliches rush in one after another, reminding me of sketches on the old Carol Burnett show. For example:  Julian must take time from investigating the UFO case to interview his ex-girlfriend, who was lost and had amnesia for many years, so he married someone else.  Then she returned, but she didn't give the order to take his wife off life-support.  That was the aliens.

All in three minutes!

The second half of each episode goes back stage.

Head writer Donovan Knockers (Michael McKiddy, far left) is being forced to fire random staffers.  His is twin sister Kit Knockers blackmails him: if she is fired, she will tell everyone that he got a boner on a family camping trip when they were 12, That was before she transitioned, so he got a boner looking at a boy.  Which didn't happen but would ruin his career.

Olivia coerces Donovan into becoming her boy toy.  Apparently he has an impressive...um... "Speaking of big, Donovan -- my office.  And bring a latte."

Julian does a commercial for Man Musk.

Kit blackmails Julian with a video of him...um...sliding down Santa Claus's chimney.

Sean (Burt Grinstead), who made the cover of Daytime Eye Candy magazine, joins the cast to play Julian's long-lost son and take off his shirt.   Julian is horrified because he doesn't think his character is old enough to have a son Sean's age.  Especially a hunky one with abs...and a chest...and a crotch..one who makes you forget your lines...

Raheem (Aaron Ramzi) joins the cast to be Middle Eastern, and Julian awkardly tries to prove that he's not prejudiced.

I don't like that being gay is something shameful that will ruin careers, or that the transgender character is so reprehensible.  But, come to think of it, Olivia is reprehensible, too.  And Julian.  The only guy in the cast with a smidgen of morality is Sean, who is gay.




And could we see Sean him with his shirt off again?

My grade: B