Love can be the most beautiful part of any couple’s life, but falling out of love is always the hardest. For two totally different women (one an introverted lesbian, the other extroverted and straight), the heartbreak of failed romance unites them both – as does the looming presence of their exes, in the new drama series ENTANGLED WITH YOU, created, produced and directed by Caryn K. Hayes (BREAKING POINT). The show, which debuted April 16th on Youtube, stars Loren Lillian (Jaliyah) and Kathryn Taylor Smith (Alisha) as two women who become roommates after they separate from their lovers. As they awkwardly get to know each other, their lives become more strained as their relationship conflicts continue. Jes Meza plays Rocky, Jaliyah’s needy girlfriend, and Al Thompson (who also serves as the series’ co-producer) plays the role of Craig, Alisha’s on-again, off-again ex-boyfriend.
In creating ENTANGLED WITH YOU, Hayes set out to differentiate her new show from her previous one, BREAKING POINT, while retaining some of what made that show popular with viewers. “I wanted to do something more lighthearted than my last project, Breaking Point. A large portion of my Breaking Point audience loved my lesbian couple, Crystal and Tory, so I wanted to do something that they’d like; in fact, some aspects of the Rocky/Jaliyah relationship is rooted in where we left Crystal and Tory in the season 2 finale. I needed to do something with minimal locations, hence the roommate situation, and so on.”
Even though every scene of each episode was filmed in only a few locations, the production process of the series’ four episodes was not without challenges, according to Hayes. “We only had a month from when casting started to production. It was eight days from the chemistry tests, to the first day of shooting, with only one rehearsal in the middle, plus we were shooting the day after Thanksgiving. To say the least, shooting was a whirlwind with a crew of six or less people on set each day including myself. Cops were called on us and everything. But we got it done!”
ENTANGLED WITH YOU stands apart from many other web series, mainly because of its diverse set of characters. Says Hayes: “I don’t think you see a lot of shows like ENTANGLED WITH YOU in mainstream or independent projects like web series. I always strive for inclusivity, aka diversity in my projects, to make things accessible and relatable. So where I could have had two straight couples or two gay couples or an all black cast, etc., I don’t because I wanted to do something outside of a “lesbian,” “hetero” or “black” box because I create for everybody. It’s a comedy/drama so there are lots of laughs and plenty of heartfelt moments, which I think keeps the show grounded and true to life. And, true to life, there’s some subtle exploration of stereotypes and prejudices that I wanted to have fun with.”
Hayes, who cites the works of TV creators Shonda Rhimes (GREY’S ANATOMY, SCANDAL, PRIVATE PRACTICE) and Jason Katims (FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, PARENTHOOD) as her primary inspirations as a writer, seeks to create shows that not only are entertaining, but are also meaningful. “I think entertainment can do more than entertain and that, if done right, it can teach you something without beating you over the head with an Afterschool Special type message; it should educate, illuminate, and normalize. Unity is something that this world needs, and I like to bring that about in my work.” She sums up ENTANGLED WITH YOU this way: “It’s a show about a stoic lesbian who moves in with a perky, emotional straight woman after each suffer breakups. With nothing in common beyond mutual heartache, the two form an unlikely bond as conflicts with their significant others force them closer. It’s THE ODD COUPLE meets THE BREAK UP.”
ON THE WEB: http://entangledwithyou.com
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Entangledseries
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/entangledseries
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