about schuyler falls

faq

What is About Schuyler Falls?

About Schuyler Falls is an original web-based entertainment serial. Installments, which we call episodes, are posted online, where you can read the scenes, view images of the cast and locale, look into the characters' backgrounds, and -- most importantly -- take an active part in the direction of the series. ASF is created not only by its staff, but by the audience, who play a vital role in determining plots and characters. Back to Top

Is it based on a TV series? Are there video episodes?

No, it's wholly original and is a text-based serial developed solely for the web. There are no video episodes. Although we wouldn't say no to a TV adaptation in the future! Back to Top

How long has ASF been around?

ASF premiered on November 15, 1997, and was in continuous production (aside from scheduled breaks) until June 2003. At the time it was one of the Web's longest running series. The show continued to be available on the Web, and returned to production in November 2007. Back to Top

Can I get reminders of new episodes?

We send out announcements to remind the audience when new episodes are posted -- click here to join this reminder list. The series is broken up into seasons, with anywhere from 22 - 40 episodes posted per season. Back to Top

What's the genre?

It's a continuing drama that focuses on mystery, romance, and humor. To help you put it in the familiar perspective of TV, picture a combination of nighttime drama -- anything with continuing plot arcs, such as ER, West Wing, The Practice, etc. -- and daytime soap opera. The series' TV inspirations include everything from American Gothic, Dark Shadows, LA Law, Picket Fences, Melrose Place, Another World and Days of Our Lives (circa 1990). Back to Top

What's it about?

ASF is about a community--a variety of folks who can be kind or malicious, saintly or deviant, clever or dumb as a post, passionate or murderous. At its most basic, it's about the citizens of an upstate New York town whose lives suddenly intersect when a murder rips their world apart.

Speaking thematically, ASF focuses on the darkness and complexity that lurks within the human mind. In Schuyler Falls, people are often their own worst enemies. Back to Top

How do you pronounce "Schuyler"?

"Sky - ler." The town is named after the real Philip Schuyler, a Revolutionary War soldier and statesman from New York. Back to Top

Is there a real Schuyler Falls in New York?

Yes, though it's not the town upon which our fictional setting is based. Schuyler is a very popular name in NY, thanks to the aforementioned famous local/historical figure -- there's also a Schuyler Lake, Schuyler County, and even Schuylerville.

The fictional Schuyler Falls is very loosely based on Upstate New York locales such as Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls, and Troy, although we have placed its location further south (in Columbia County, which does exist). Back to Top

Who are the characters?

In the first season, you'll meet Frank, a detective who'll need all the grit and strength he can muster as he investigates the brutal slaying of his beloved girlfriend; Jonnie, a young man whose involvement with a 'simple' revenge plot has spiraled out of his control; Tristan, the CEO of the city's largest corporation, whose boyish good looks clash with some terrible secrets and possible violent tendencies; Martina, the intelligent and compassionate attorney forced to fight for her dearest friend's life; Olivia, a sensuous schemer and sometimes vulnerable vixen who is fighting for her own survival; Jem, the ambitious, amoral, greedy, conniving yet charming publisher of the town's newspaper; and Rena, common-sense driven nurse who can't see love when it's right before her eyes…as well as many others. Back to Top

Is ASF suitable for children?

No. ASF contains mature themes and situations, including some violence and sexual content. Though there's very little material that is "R-rated," ASF is more appropriate for adults and older teenagers. Back to Top

I haven't been reading since the beginning. It's not too late to jump in to the storyline now, is it?

Of course not! All past episodes are always available for viewing, so you can start from the beginning and continue at your own pace. Or, since we've provided recaps -- one-page summaries of events from past episodes -- you can just read all the recaps and zip right to the current episode. No muss, no fuss! Finally, we now provide season summaries, which will get you caught up on all of our past three seasons. Back to Top

Many online series use famous soap or TV actors to depict their characters. Why doesn't ASF? Who are the faces we see in the character profiles?

Back in 1997, ASF actually "pioneered" the use of actor photos to create its ideal cast. Indeed, many of ASF's characters were created with certain performers in mind. The idea was quickly copied throughout the web by other online series ... not surprisingly, since it really is a terrific way of capturing the fans' attention!

However, ASF's producers were always conscious of the copyright problems that these images represented. As writers we never felt right violating the copyright of other artists (i.e., the photographers responsible for the images). We're happy to say that the photographs you now see have been purchased and used with permission free of subsequent royalties courtesy of Hemera Corporation, Art Today, MicroGrafx, and other such companies. The models' identities remain anonymous (though we'd be glad to give them credit should anyone come forward!).

For nostalgia's sake, we'll still offer a list of the characters' "original" portrayers. | Back to Top

Does it cost anything to view this series?

Not at all. This is a free content site. | Back to Top

I don't see any ads. So how do you make money? Are you going to charge in the future?

We are looking for creative sponsorship -- unobtrusive product placement, for example -- but ASF is currently a noncommercial venture. Our audience can help us greatly by donating a small amount towards annual production costs, which would be greatly appreciated. Other ways to help might include visiting our store to buy some ASF products or books/gifts. But our regular quality content is free and will almost certainly remain so. Back to Top

Who are the people behind ASF? How was it conceived?

ASF was conceived back in 1995 by Cassie, Victoria and Kira, a trio of young women who worked together in the same company and shared a love of soap operas (but a frustration with their lack of quality). What started off as a parody of Melrose Place written in a series of e-mails developed a life of its own. Each writer wrote a scene and sent it along to the next partner, who added her scene, and so on, in what is commonly called a "round robin story."

Victoria eventually dropped out of the circle many months later, but Cassie and Kira had fallen in love with the characters, and no longer saw the series as a mere parody. Deciding upon the web as a possible medium for gaining an audience, the pair returned to the beginning of the series and rewrote everything, exising the farcical elements (including some delving into the supernatural) and sharpening the characterizations. Eventually Schuyler Falls (as it was originally called) premiered on a humble AOL site in November 1997.

The series was advertised on soap opera and television newsgroups and message boards, and thanks to word-of-mouth, SF had a tiny but avid audience. At the end of the first season, the series' site left AOL for its skyfalls.com domain and a new name: About Schuyler Falls.

Shortly thereafter, after a great deal of behind-the-scenes work, Kira (who was in charge of promotion and design) decided the site was ready to be submitted to the Yahoo! directory. A rare event occured when on the first try, Yahoo! not only accepted ASF, but its editors deemed the series worthy of being its featured Sites of the Day for June 21, 1998. Thousands of new visitors flooded in, and other directories and awards sites took note: in short order, ASF received praise from CoolCentral, Netscape, Infoseek, About.com (formerly The Mining Co.), among others. (Click here for a list of awards.)

Cassie left the ASF team shortly after its first season due to her upcoming marriage. Her tremendous impact on ASF is still felt thanks to the storylines she helped conceive, many of which will continue to develop in the fourth season.

Kira remains on as producer and head writer for the series. Others who have played important parts in ASF's production include Kim Anderson, Darla Dixon, Chloe Samuels, Jill Robbins, Phil Meranus, Tom King, and Ted Stafford. Back to Top

Can you tell me more about the staff?

Sure! Here is a bio for Kira.

What is the name of your theme song?

"Hell's Bells," by Dennis M. Reed. This moody, tense piece has been licensed for ASF's use through SoperSound Music Library.

 

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