Q: What happened to Melody Thomas Scott? We read on the soap blogs she was starring in THE REPUBLIC, but now she’s not.

A: Melody was enthused about starring in THE REPUBLIC, and planned to give it her all, but at the last minute “an emergency” came up and she had to withdraw. We’re glad she told us up front, because that was very helpful. We hope her emergency resolves and we wish her well.

Q: So who’s replacing Melody as Martha Alden?

A: We were lucky to land Sean Young, star of BLADE RUNNER and NO WAY OUT. Sean, a real trouper, dove in at the last minute, soaked up the script, and hit the ground running. Whew!

Q: Will THE REPUBLIC be viewable only on the web?

A: The project will start as a webisode. We’re not sure of the format yet, perhaps releasing ten minutes a week. If we can attract enough attention, we’d like to eventually show THE REPUBLIC as a regular 12-episode series on a cable channel. Wish us luck.

Q: So what is THE REPUBLIC about?

A: Short answer: THE REPUBLIC is about a family in crisis as the country collapses. Now, a country doesn’t “collapse” overnight, and neither does a family. But as basic government services dry up and shortages and rationing set in, the Alden family begins to feel the strain. When events worsen so family members are badly hurt, our drama begins.

Q: What familiar shows are similar to THE REPUBLIC?

A: You know, we’ve racked our brains but can’t come up with any comparisons. THE WEST WING was a political show, but THE REPUBLIC isn’t really about politics.

WEEDS has echoes, because the Botwins lose their livelihood at the sudden death of the father, but THE REPUBLIC is not a comedy.

We could throw back to THE WALTONS, which was a large family eking through The Great Depression. They suffered shortages and displacement, but clung together as a family.

We can toss the question back to the questioner. What shows do YOU think are similar?

Q: If THE REPUBLIC isn’t political, what is it?

A: It has political overtones in places people forget. For one example, in the new year, Frank puts out the trash at the end of the driveway to be picked up in the morning. Later, after The Day from Hell, he’s left standing at the end of his driveway late at night - and realizes the trash is still there. There are no city services to pick up trash, so... now what?