A beloved ‘Lost’ writer opens up even more about what was happening behind the scenes

by Therese Odell, posted in watch this

TIPPY TAPPIES.

@k_passionate

Who needs some tippy tappies today?!?! #tippytaps #asmotter #asmr #animalasmr #seaotter

♬ original sound – k_passionate

Here’s A BUNCH OF TV News

Javier Grillo-Marxuach was the only first-season writer on Lost to make it to the second, and a fan favorite because he happily and entertainingly interacted with the fandom. To fans’ shock, Grillo-Marxuach left the show after the second season with not much in the way of an explanation. Yesterday, he released his own, lengthy statement about the allegations of a toxic work environment and his real reason for leaving the show which flesh out the Vanity Fair piece even more. I strongly suggest you read this, too.

It’s very easy, especially twenty years after the fact, to think ‘well, it can’t have been that bad or someone would have done something.’ Let me say it loud and clear: it was that bad, and no one did anything because retribution was a constant and looming presence.

When a showrunner makes a clear statement to his writers room that “I’m petty and I bear grudges,” as ours did with absolutely no irony, you know exactly what you stand to lose by rocking the boat. It is also very hard to overstate the degree to which female and POC television writers lived in a climate of uncertainty back then, with no real improvement to this day.

Most importantly, the notion that it could all be chalked up to inexperience alone is fucking risible. Simple decency and managerial experience are not mutually dependent.

Grillo-Marxuach took time to recognize that it’s still OK to be a fan of something that was born out of such turmoil, and that the fans are what makes it all worth it:

Speaking of toxic show environments, RuPaul’s Drag Race winner, Yvie Oddly, is calling out the show’s producers:

I have read elsewhere that the eliminated contestants are unable to perform until the season is over which … I understand the production’s need to keep the ending of the season under wraps, but they need to adequately compensate these performers if they are going to prevent them from supporting themselves in their careers.

The ratings for the 2022-2023 season are in, and interestingly, one of the highest-rated shows in the coveted 18-49 demographic that was not football was a series that was dropped by its network (and picked up by another).

Even though it feels like the only thing everyone was talking about this week was the Succession series finale, and it did end on a ratings high, that number was only 2.9 million viewers. That number will go up as the week goes on, but it’s still an astonishingly small number, all thanks to the fragmentation of the television audience.

This is a brilliant piece about the use of food on Succession, and how it plays into the toxic family dynamic.

Clare Kilner, the director of the “King of the Narrow Sea” episode of House of the Dragon explains her inspiration for the brothel scene and how she managed to film it from the female gaze. It’s very interesting:

KILNER I’ve never been to a brothel, but I did, when I was about 22, I was working in theater, and I was working in Berlin, and my deputy stage manager took me to this crazy club. It was a gay club, and he’s gay, and he took me down to the depths, through these corridors. He said, “You’ve got to come and see this. We’re meant to be together, you can’t really go in if you’re just going to look, but just come with me,” and he sort of took me down all through these corridors and opened these doors, and we ended up in this room, and he put his arms around me and sort of pretended we were together. It was just an incredible moment, and it stayed with me forever because it was this atmosphere that was absolutely thick with sex, but it was sort of poetic and mysterious, and quite shocking, you know?

INTERVIEWER: I mean, there’s no shame in those places, everybody can do what they want. No one’s judging you.

KILNER: Totally! And so I talked to Miguel [Sapochnik] and Ryan [Condal] about this experience, and they said, “Just do it, go with it.” So we just wanted to create this atmosphere of abandon and fun, but also intensity. And so I said to Matt [Smith] and Milly [Alcock], “I’m not going to bring you in until the day. I’m not gonna tell you what’s happening.” I also worked with an incredible choreographer, Francesa Jaynes, and Dale [Mercer], as well, and they helped me work with all the people who wanted to be in the brothel, and they were really up for it, they were really excited about being in the show. And we created little stories for every single person. It was really important that they knew who they liked, who was the most powerful person in the room, what their story was, so it wasn’t just people sort of wandering around or just having sex in the background. They were moving from person to person, we sort of wanted it to be like a dance.

So then, when Milly and Matt came in, they entered this situation and I said to them, “He’s going to be like, ‘Pretend you’re with me,’” and then it sort of evolved from there. I think Milly was definitely shocked when she walked into that room [laughs], so it paid off. And then, those two, they work really well together. They were just a dream. They’re just really wonderful actors. They want to be honest and truthful and find a connection.

Do y’all download Netflix shows and movies? I do before every flight I take so that I’m not dependent on the airline’s choices, and highly recommend it. Here’s how to do it, if you’re interested.

Writers’ Strike Update:

Jason Sudeikis and the cast of Ted Lasso supported the writers on the day of their series (???) finale:

The Penguin‘s Colin Farrell also supported the striking writers:

President Obama has the writers’ backs:

“I know there are many studios and streamers who feel a little bit embattled and there’s been a little bit too much of a glut of product and they’re looking at their bottom line and their experiencing shareholder pressure, etc, but the fact is, is that they wouldn’t be around if it weren’t for writers creating the stories that matter,” Obama said to host Ira Glass.

“My hope is that as somebody who’s really supportive of the Writer’s Guild and as someone who just believes in storytelling and the craft of it,” Obama continued, “I’m hoping that they will be compensated and the importance of what they do will be reflected in whatever settlement’s arrived at. I’m very supportive of the writers and the strike and I’m hopeful that they get a fair share of the fruits of their labor.”

The writers picketed outside The View yesterday. Since the strike began, Whoopi Goldberg has made it a point to acknowledge the strike, explain that they are working without writers, and add that’s why the material is less professional than usual.

Production of Blade Runner on Prime Video could be delayed by as much as a year because of the strike.

Production on Marvel’s film Thunderbolts has been pushed back because of the strike.

The Television Academy has canceled plans to hold its 16th Television Academy Honors scheduled for today.

The Guild has asked members to not attend the Tony Awards on June 11.

There’s an interesting inside baseball kind of fight going on between the studios and showrunners on how much of showrunning is writing. Showrunners believe every part of their job is writing; the studios are pretty sure that’s not correct.

Renewals

In Development

Casting News

Mark Your Calendars

  • Black Mirror returns on Netflix on June 15.
  • The Righteous Gemstones returns on HBO on June 18.
  • Jack Ryan returns on Prime Video on June 30.
  • The Idol debuts on HBO on June 4.
  • Miracle Workers: End Times returns on TBS on July 10.
  • The Real Housewives of Orange County returns on Bravo on June 7.

  • BASTARD!! -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy- will return on Netflix on July 31.

R.I.P.

John Beasley, Actor on Everwood, Brewster’s Place, Early Edition, Millennium, Judging Amy, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation among many others

Peter Simonischek, Austrian actor

WATCH THIS

Ted Lasso: Losing the Roy family and Roy Fucking Kent in the same week just feels unnecessarily cruel on the part of the TV Gods, but here we are. Goodbye, Ted. Goodbye, Richmond. Goodbye, biscuits. Series finale. Apple TV+

The 1619 Project: This series which originally debuted on Hulu reexamines American history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the forefront. Good luck blocking all of the ABC stations, Ron DeSantis! 7 p.m., ABC

Drag Me to Dinner: Neil Patrick Harris, Bianca del Rio, and Haneefah Wood host this new competition in which a pair of drag queens compete to host the most fabulous dinner party. Series premiere. Hulu

Nancy Drew: A string of paranormal crimes makes Nancy and the gang think that the town’s past is coming back to haunt it. Season premiere. 7 p.m., The CW

Ghost Adventures: Zak and his team investigate Lake Mead, and they move from the Travel Channel to Discovery for some reason. Season premiere. 9 p.m., Discovery & Max

WEDS. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC The 1619 Project
(new)
CBS FBI
(new)		 Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute To The Songs Of Paul Simon
(repeat)
CW Nancy Drew
(new)		 Riverdale
(new)		 Local
FOX MasterChef
(new)		 Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars
(new)		 News/Local
NBC Night Court
(repeat)		 Night Court
(repeat)		 Chicago Fire
(repeat)		 Chicago P.D.
(repeat)

Leave a Reply