My lovely readers, you have no idea how incredibly excited I have been since putting the wheels in motion for today’s post. I’ve been sitting on this secret since the first week of June. Finally, I get to share it with you all!

The cast of Emma Approved, an Emmy-winning webseries following young entrepreneur Emma Woodhouse in a modern adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, spent an hour with me discussing the show. Just for you all!

I sat down (virtually) with actors Joanna Sotomura (Emma Woodhouse), Brent Bailey (Mr. Knightley), Dayeanne Hutton (Harriet Smith), and James Brent Isaacs (Robert Martin), and creator and writer Bernie Su.

For my readers unfamiliar with the show, Bernie Su’s version of Emma Woodhouse runs Emma Approved, a sophisticated life coaching and matchmaking business, with her business partner and lifelong friend Alex Knightley. The series’ production company Pemberley Digital says, “As Emma’s elaborate schemes to make everyone’s lives better lead to unexpected drama and revelations, she learns to listen to the people around her and open her own heart to the possibility of love.”

The show aired in 2013-2014, my senior year of high school. I watched every video as soon as it dropped, including the content outside of show episodes. Emma Approved (and its predecessor, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries) created a new viewer experience through the use of transmedia storytelling, aka using multiple media platforms to build the world and convey the story. You can just watch the official series — you won’t miss any important plot points or major developments — but for fans who want more, over the course of the show Harriet ran a music club on YouTube, all the characters were active on Twitter, and Emma wrote a fashion and lifestyle advice blog.

Watch the cast and creator reminisce about the show in the video (transcript may be coming eventually — my schedule has been iffy):