Wild theory: The show was actually Chantal's novel
In S4, I theorized that everything was an invention of Chantal. I turned out to be wrong, but still feel that it was plausible. I thought I'd share it to see if others felt the same.
Supporting evidence:
Chantal is the catalytic character, and the entire story hinges on her need to escape and find a purpose. Her later resolve to write a book drips of metafiction.
The main characters evolve from realistic and relatable in early seasons to satirical and cartoonishly evil at times.
Plot devices become more absurd: Crazy, rich, inbred family keeping Dory hostage. Drew's creepy, annoying family participating in that weird proposal. The identical twin from left field (classic soap opera device). And everything about Dory's institutionalization (long-term involuntary commitments are incredibly difficult to obtain, and you're far more likely to be released too soon than to be kept for long stretches of time).
Various Wizard of Oz references.
Chantal is still around in later seasons even though her story arc is otherwise complete.
In the end, she is the hero who saves the main characters.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this show. I loved how they cranked up the absurdity in the final two seasons. What a ride!