Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos star in Summer Breeze, a new scripted podcast on Audible, inspired by the world of 1990s soap operas
Their son Michael Consuelos joins the cast, making the project a family affair produced by the couple’s Milojo Productions
The series blends drama, nostalgia, and behind-the-scenes intrigue, and is available to stream exclusively on Audible
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are bringing the drama — and their family — to a new medium.
The married duo — best known for their work on All My Children and co-hosting ABC’s Live with Kelly and Mark — now star together in Summer Breeze, a scripted audio series that’s packed with secrets, soap-style twists, and a familiar voice from home: their son, Michael Consuelos.
The 10-episode Audible Original — which is now streaming — marks a creative full-circle moment for Ripa and Consuelos. Set in the high-stakes world of 1990s daytime soaps, Summer Breeze follows a struggling screenwriter (played by The Good Fight’s Sarah Steele) who sells her personal script to a powerful producer Gordon Ready (Consuelos), only to discover a darker side to her dream.
Audible
Audible Original Summer Breeze with Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.
In response to finding out Gordan’s true intentions, Frears “forms an unlikely alliance with a former soap opera star named Carolyn Harris (Ripa), who is harboring secrets of her own,” according to an official synopsis.
“Together, these two devise a daring, twisted plan to seek justice against the producer through the long-running soap opera, Summer Breeze,” the description continues. “As they navigate the cutthroat politics and general lunacy of the daytime TV industrial-complex, their scheme takes on a life of its own, blurring the lines between fiction and reality.”
Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Michael Consuelos and Kelly Ripa.
Ripa and Consuelos are joined by their real-life son Michael, making the project a true family affair.
The new podcast also features an all-star cast including Zack Gilford (Friday Night Lights), Talia Balsam, Adriane Lenox, Grey Henson, Ally Sheedy, and more.
“It’s a fresh take on the genre we love,” Ripa and Consuelos said in a joint statement to PEOPLE. “Our relationship started on All My Children, so revisiting the world of soap operas through this new medium was a full-circle experience.”
Their new podcast series was written and executive produced by Aaron Tracy (Law & Order: SVU), and co-produced by Audible, Fresh Produce Media, and Milojo Productions — the company Ripa and Consuelos co-founded and named after their three children, Michael, Lola, and Joaquin.
As fans may recall, Ripa starred Hayley Vaughan Santos, the rebellious daughter of tycoon Adam Chandler on All My Children while her husband played Mateo Santos, the only son of a Mexican American clan in Pine Valley, the show’s fictional hotbed of scandal, infidelity and lust.
During an episode of SiriusXM’s Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa in February, Consuelos recalled his first impression of Ripa, saying he thought Ripa was “hilarious” and “adorable.” He first saw her in the rehearsal hall for the soap opera, wearing “these big curl rollers” when auditioning for his role.
In terms of developing romantic feelings, Consuelos said the “beginning of the tremors beneath the surface, where you start feeling some different things like ‘Whoa, what is this?’ ” began when she offered to run lines with him when he had to re-audition for his role.
“She told me to come to her apartment. I’m like, okay. And she answered the door in a robe. I was like, ‘Okay,'” he mused as Ripa interjected to add that she “wasn’t making a play.” She was in the process of getting ready and didn’t expect him to be on time.
“The first time was maybe a few weeks before that,” he recalled. “I remember we were running lines and it was either my dressing room or her dressing room and she had these great shoes on, these heels with these crazy tight but not too tight jeans, but just [fit] perfectly.”
Though they were both in different relationships at the time, the actor confessed he couldn’t help but be mesmerized by her beauty.
“I was like, ‘Wow, she’s got really beautiful eyes.’ Her cheekbones are very specific, her hair is amazing, but her eyes and lips were, I was like, ‘Wow, she’s got great lips,”” he recalled.
The pair later eloped to Las Vegas and were married on May 1, 1996, at the Chapel of the Bells venue a year after meeting.
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Summer Breeze is now streaming on Audible.
Read the original article on People
