Mind Your Surroundings: Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow and Other Superhero Universes

[Velocity23]

Quote

Diane Nelson is out as president of DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. announced Wednesday.

She has been on a leave of absence for family-related issues since March, but will not return to her post. Nelson also serves as president of Warner Bros. Consumer Products. The decision is said by an insider to be her own. She was not forced out of her job, the insider stressed.

Before her exit, Nelson was one of the most powerful and prominent female executives in Hollywood and on the Warner Bros. lot. She was seen as being closely aligned with Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara.

In a letter to staff, Tsujihara wrote, “Diane has been a friend and colleague as well as a valued member of the Warner Bros. family for more than 20 years. While we’re sad she’ll be leaving us, we completely respect and support her decision.”

[BunsenBurner]

I was reading about the new Cloak and Dagger TV show on Freeform and it began with, “We won’t name names, but superhero TV shows can often feel like black holes of thespian charisma.”  

I just started laughing because it’s so true. 

Edited June 6, 2018 by BunsenBurner
Can’t spell

[Sakura12]

22 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

Sounds like she didn't watch the show she was on either.  God of War is such a random episode to start her family on.  Why not the episode she first showed up during?  There are enough shows and enough seasons that I wouldn't expect any actor to watch them all but I'd expect them to at least hit up a wiki page so they are a tad familiar, lol.  But with LoT, it was three short seasons.  I'd have made time to watch if I were her.

If I wanted to introduce someone to the show I think the first Beebo episode would be the perfect one to show how crazy this show is or I'd show them the finale. I know my tumblr got a lot of asks about the gifs I posted wanting to watch the show to see that. I wouldn't expect her to watch the other shows if she had no interest in them. She's probably going to be a Legends only character anyway. 

[Chaser]

57 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

Comic Con’s unofficial blog is reporting that NerdHQ won’t be back again and that it’s unlikely that return. Apparently CCI wasn’t wild about its existence and taking attention away from the main show so they basically pushed it out. 

This is sad. It was a great event.

[JJ928]

I'm sad about Nerd HQ too. Even though I can't stand Zach Levi anymore since he showed his ass for trash... Nerd had some of the best panels & raised money for charity. 

[BkWurm1]

22 minutes ago, BunsenBurner said:

I was reading about the new Cloak and Dagger TV show on Freeform and it began with, “We won’t name names, but superhero TV shows can often feel like black holes of thespian charisma.”  

I just started laughing because it’s so true. 

Glass houses.  Any show on Freeform shouldn't be pointing out black holes of thespian charisma, lol.  

[Trini]

4 hours ago, BunsenBurner said:

I was reading about the new Cloak and Dagger TV show on Freeform and it began with, “We won’t name names, but superhero TV shows can often feel like black holes of thespian charisma.”  

I just started laughing because it’s so true. 

I think there are at least several 'charismatic thespians' on the current superhero shows (mostly the veteran actors, but a few of the younger ones too); but they rarely have writing that matches their talent.

[tv echo]

BR talked about how he wanted to portray Ray Palmer when that character debuted on Arrow...

-- BR: "One of the first scenes that I had as Ray Palmer was this very energetic scene - it's in the first scene, third episode that I'm in, I think, in Arrow - where talking to Felicity, and this, this, and I had so much coffee, you know, and talking to my assistant and doing this and doing that. And I didn't want it to be just because he was business-y guy. They had kinda written him more, you know, uh, not as nice. Um, and I was like, 'I don't want to be that way. I'd rather play it as - I want to play this character, be a little more exciting.' And so that his energy comes out of his excitement and passion about creating new technology and sharing it with the world."

(CWTV) INTERVIEW from Legends of Tomorrow (LoT) #DCinDC2018 | Brandon Routh
Published on Jan 28, 2018, by JVS

Edited June 7, 2018 by tv echo

[Mellowyellow]

17 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

1. I remember a lot of speculation that Klaus would be yet another vampire worshipping on the altar of Elena, with some people low key preparing to ship them but that vanished when he ended up obsessing over Caroline and Rebekah. 

Oh his obsession with Rebekah was so weird! Like SOOOO weird! I could never work out whether they were doing it on purpose! That's CW writers for ya! 

[tv echo]

One writer's opinion...

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow season 4: 10 things we want to see
PIP ELLWOOD-HUGHES    JUNE 6, 2018
https://www.entertainment-focus.com/legends-of-tomorrow/dcs-legends-of-tomorrow-season-4-10-things-we-want-to-see/

Quote

6. Sara (Caity Lotz) to be affected by the changes that happened on the Arrow season 6 finale. In case you don’t watch that show, Sara lost her father Quentin (Paul Blackthorne) in the season finale and discovered that he had been bonding with Black Siren (Katie Cassidy). There’s more story to be told there in terms of how Sara copes with her father’s death and how she reacts to having effectively a replacement sister in Star City.

1. No more Damien Darhk.
2. Wally’s exit to be satisfactorily explained.
3. An encore for Nora. 
4. Amaya’s return to the team to make sense.
5. Constantine to be properly integrated into the team.
6. Sara (Caity Lotz) to be affected by the changes that happened on the Arrow season 6 finale.
7. Character development for Nate (Nick Zano) and Zari. 
8. Ava and Sara’s romance to be a supporting storyline. 
9. Mick (Dominic Purcell) to actually get something to do.
10. A return, no matter how small, for Firestorm. 

Edited June 7, 2018 by tv echo

[Sakura12]

In case you don’t watch that show, Sara lost her father Quentin (Paul Blackthorne) in the season finale and discovered that he had been

bonding with Black Siren (Katie Cassidy). .

When did she discover that?  I didn't get that in their 2 second screentime together. And unless you read the book which I'm sure many people did not, they would not know Sara even knew about Black Siren let alone encouraged her father to keep finding the light in her. From the scene I saw Sara after a very brief time immediately knew that BS was not her sister, because she knows her sister is dead.  When she asked, BS said she's nothing like Laurel. Nothing in that scene showed me Sara cared at all about BS finding her light or caring who she was. Sara has met many doppelgangers both in reality and virtual reality to know they are different. Leo was different than Snart and the Legends treated him like he was his own person, not a copy of Snart. 

[tv echo]

Benjamin Percy's recently completed run at writing the Green Arrow comics included a heavy emphasis on GA and BC as a romantic couple (just scroll back through the Green Arrow In Comics thread). Now he's taken over writing the Nightwing comics and it looks like he's included a "morning after" scene between Nightwing and Batgirl.  See, this is why I'm confused whenever Arrow - or any Arrowverse show - gets criticized for its romantic relationships (example: "it's a comic book show, not a soap opera"), considering how many romantic relationships are featured in these comics...

Will Nightwing & Batgirl Finally Become a Couple?
BY DEREK STAUFFER – ON JUN 07, 2018 IN COMICS
https://screenrant.com/nightwing-comic-batgirl-love/

Quote

Nightwing's new comic series might be planting the seeds for a romantic reunion with Batgirl. The relaunch of the DC Universe with DC Rebirth has reinvigorated (or returned) many classic superhero couples. Green Arrow and Black Canary are together, Lois Lane and Clark Kent are married again and Catwoman is getting ready to say "I do" with Batman. Yet the relationship between Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson has been strangely left out in the cold.
*  *  *
Benjamin Percy, who interestingly began DC Rebirth on Green Arrow and forged the renewal of Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance's relationship, has taken over Nightwing. From the outset it didn't seem like Percy's run would have much to do with Nightwing and Batgirl's on-again and (mostly) off-again romance. Yet Nightwing #45 serves as proof that isn't the case, opening with a confused Dick Grayson waking up to a very naked Barbara Gordon.

It's a confusing moment for Dick and the reader as the end of Nightwing #44 didn't show Babs or Dick anywhere close to one another. Unfortunately for fans of this particular 'ship,' that's all because this "morning after" shocker is a trick. The newest villain to the DC Universe, Wyrm, is slowly taking over Dick's mind. And this surprise encounter with Barbara is just Wyrm's latest ploy.
*  *  *
It doesn't take Dick long to figure out the truth, but before he does, the young hero drops some pretty heavy revelations concerning his relationship with Barbara. Nightwing is horrified to wake up next to Barbara - not due to a lack of feelings or friendship, but because he can't remember their night together (and by this point, are pretty clearly close to soulmates). In addition, Dick explains that being with Barbara is "everything I've wanted."

*  *  *
While Dick's two main love interests have been split between Barbara and Starfire, it's always the former that's been the most solid of his relationships. Benjamin Percy is also the perfect person to write the (hopefully) inevitable reunion. If Percy can do just a little of what he did for Green Arrow and Black Canary for Nightwing and Batgirl, fans should be very happy.

Edited June 7, 2018 by tv echo

[apinknightmare]

8 minutes ago, Sakura12 said:

And unless you read the book which I'm sure many people did not, they would not know Sara even knew about Black Siren let alone encouraged her father to keep finding the light in her.

I wonder if Sara knew about the creepy family slideshow he set up for OtherLaurel, or that he handcuffed her to his car so he could kidnap her away to a remote cabin? Maybe she wouldn't have been so encouraging if she did, LOL.  

[KenyaJ]

effectively a replacement sister in Star City

It says a lot about Laurel that she could so easily be "replaced" in the hearts and minds of her nearest and dearest by any old person with the same face.

[statsgirl]

3 hours ago, tv echo said:

BR talked about how he wanted to portray Ray Palmer when that character debuted on Arrow...

-- BR: "One of the first scenes that I had as Ray Palmer was this very energetic scene - it's in the first scene, third episode that I'm in, I think, in Arrow - where talking to Felicity, and this, this, and I had so much coffee, you know, and talking to my assistant and doing this and doing that. And I didn't want it to be just because he was business-y guy. They had kinda written him more, you know, uh, not as nice. Um, and I was like, 'I don't want to be that way. I'd rather play it as - I want to play this character, be a little more exciting.' And so that his energy comes out of his excitement and passion about creating new technology and sharing it with the world."

 

I'm really glad he chose to play Ray Palmer like a puppy rather than someone who is not as nice. I think it worked out better.

In the clip, he seems like a nice guy in real life. Nice enough to rephrase the interviewer's question into something understandable.

[scarynikki12]

3 hours ago, tv echo said:

Benjamin Percy's recently completed run at writing the Green Arrow comics included a heavy emphasis on GA and BC as a romantic couple (just scroll back through the Green Arrow In Comics thread). Now he's taken over writing the Nightwing comics and it looks like he's included a "morning after" scene between Nightwing and Batgirl.  See, this is why I'm confused whenever Arrow - or any Arrowverse show - gets criticized for its romantic relationships (example: "it's a comic book show, not a soap opera"), considering how many romantic relationships are featured in these comics...

Seriously!  Batman alone has spent more than a year building to the Bat/Cat wedding.  They've shown sex scenes, two proposals*, a showdown with his ex (Talia), conflicted feelings from the Robins, a double date with Clark and Lois, and now the Joker is on his way to fuck it all up.  Those are all soap opera staples so this argument never makes any sense.

Besides THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH SOAP OPERAS!!  There can be something wrong with the stories they do (see: all the rapes and the high percentage of victims who end up with their rapist) but plenty of non-sopas have done problematic stories so that's not unique to the genre.  But, when done well, soaps are equal parts insane (Marlena being possessed by the devil, Timmy the living doll) and moving (Maxie getting BJ's heart, Cassie's death).  Just like comics. 

*To clear any confusion: the first proposal was the end page of an issue where Bruce removes their cowls, reveals that the ring he's holding is the diamond she tried to steal when they first met, and drops to his knee with a "marry me".  The next issue begins The War of Jokes and Riddles story where it's revealed that Bruce doesn't want Selina to answer him until she knows The Truth about what he did during that time (the War begins shortly after the events of Year One).  At the story's conclusion, when Selina finally knows The Truth (and her response is 100% Perfect Selina: "Who cares?"), he proposes again and she accepts. 

[Starfish35]

More on Cloak & Dagger:

TVLine: Cloak & Dagger Boss Explains How Freeform's Newest Heroes Connect to the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Deadline: ‘Cloak & Dagger’ Review: Subdued Marvel Series Less Concerned With Superhero Flair, More Socially Aware

[tv echo]

Arrowverse Overlord Greg Berlanti Extends Warner Bros. Pact Thru 2024; New Deal Worth North of $300 Million
By Michael Ausiello / June 7 2018, 11:15 AM PDT
http://tvline.com/2018/06/07/greg-berlanti-warner-bros-deal-300-million-2024/

Edited June 7, 2018 by tv echo

[way2interested]

Guess that means the DC shows might not be going anywhere any time soon?

[scarynikki12]

I’m wondering if this means we really will get a Batwoman show. 

[tv echo]

Matt's Inside Line: Scoop on Blindspot, Walking Dead, 12 Monkeys, Blue Bloods, Legends, Black Lightning and More
By Matt Webb Mitovich / June 7 2018, 1:54 PM PDT
http://tvline.com/2018/06/07/blindspot-season-4-spoilers-walking-dead-season-9/

Quote

Anything on Legends of Tomorrow? —Diane
I think I have one last bit left from my most recent interview with EP Phil Klemmer. Having previously discussed Constantine’s living arrangements as well as the threat of team infighting, he also said that this is on the Season 4 wish list: “We’ve never actually figured out the world of the Time Bureau, so I want to actually take another swing at that.”
*  *  *
Is it safe to assume that Black Lightning’s Jefferson and Lynn are back together in Season 2? Will we get a wedding ceremony? –Shun
Don’t go stocking up on rice at CostCo just yet, seeing as both Christina Adams (about halfway through the video Q&A below) and Cress Williams (here, at the 1:30 mark) seem to suspect new conflicts will arise between the two.

Edited June 8, 2018 by tv echo

[Lily-n11]

Quote

Filming from: July 11th to April 15th, 2019.

Cast: Melissa Benoist, Chyler Leigh, Mehcad Brooks, David Harewood, Jeremy Jordan, Katie McGrath, Chris Wood

[ruby24]

Huh. That doesn't seem like any delay for her Broadway schedule at all. 

I'm guessing that Arrow and Flash will have the same schedule as Supergirl, since they have the same number of episodes?

Edited June 8, 2018 by ruby24

[statsgirl]

11 minutes ago, Lily-n11 said:

Cast: Melissa Benoist, Chyler Leigh, Mehcad Brooks, David Harewood, Jeremy Jordan, Katie McGrath, Chris Wood

So rumor that they won't be back next season was fake?

[Velocity23]

I dont think that is the official cast list. 

[Primal Slayer]

Not surprised, I wasnt expecting her play to cause a delay.   

[TwistedandBored]

I am still sad Wally is not going to be on Legends anymore. I was so hoping this show will give him a better storyline and basically revive his character like they have done for all the other members. Oh, well. Best of luck to Keiynan. 

[tv echo]

Did Legion Betray Us? Did Fear TWD Hero Sleep on Walkers? Supergirl's Lena Knows, Right? And More TV Qs!
By Vlada Gelman, Matt Webb Mitovich, Dave Nemetz, Andy Swift, Charlie Mason and Kimberly Roots / June 8 2018, 9:35 AM PDT
http://tvline.com/2018/06/08/legion-season-2-david-hero-to-villain-tv-questions/

Quote

7 | Did Supergirl finally give us follow-up/closure to the Alex/alcoholism storyline we (and perhaps only we!) have been keeping an eye out for since last year’s crossover event? Also, how does Lena not figure out that Kara is Supergirl after the reporter went on assignment just as the costumed hero disappeared? (And how did Kara plan to explain never reporting back from assignment?)

[tv echo]

[tv echo]

From Arrow/Legends panel (Willa Holland, Arthur Darvill) at Heroes Assemble Convention in Paris this morning...

[tv echo]

[tv echo]

Edited June 9, 2018 by tv echo

[tv echo]

CW Expects Robust Volume Gains in TV’s Upfront Sales Market
By Brian Steinberg   June 8, 2018
https://variety.com/2018/biz/news/cw-tv-upfront-volume-black-lightnng-charmed-1202837952/

[statsgirl]

WH saying that the death of Moira was the hardest scene she had to do because she really cried in each take reminds me of a talk Mira Furlan gave at a Dragon Con where she said that she thought that actors were closer to mental illness than other people because they had to repeatedly reach for these difficult emotions .  I don't know if it's true or not but it's an interesting thought.

Edited June 10, 2018 by statsgirl

[BkWurm1]

4 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

WH saying that the death of Moira was the hardest scene she had to do because she really cried in each take reminds me of a talk Mira Furlan gave at a Dragon Con where she said that she thought that actors were closer to mental illness than other people because they had to repeatedly reach for these difficult emotions .  I don't kow if it's true or not but it's an interesting thought.

I think it takes a certain type of person to want to be an actor so I wouldn't rule out that type having issues they are looking to compensate for with acting but I'm not sure feeling difficult feelings often would cause harm when they then can leave the character behind and not have any real trauma in their life.  (The trick being if they can leave them behind) I mean, do people that read or watch stories that also make them feel these traumas end up more unstable for having put their emotions through the ringer? What about the writers that first must feel the character's pain before they can put it on page?

Of course, there is also a cliche about writers and drinking so maybe writers aren't much further from insanity than actors.  Still, sometimes I like feeling all the feels from books or movies because yes there is an impact but it's cathartic to feel but then not to have the actual baggage that would bring on the feelings.  Like you are getting the negativity and sorrow out in a harmless way so you feel lighter in your own life.  So there could be an argument that actors would be further from mental illness since they get to work through so much emotion rather than having to suppress or run from.  

Yeah, a very interesting thought.

[statsgirl]

I can see a mechanism for it in terms of strengthening of neural pathways.  Just like if you exercise a muscle it becomes stronger and easier to use,  if you keep feeling an emotion, it becomes easier to access and more immediate.

Most of us feel sad sometimes but then we can put it away and move on.  But maybe if you have to draw deep down into the intense emotions, especially negative ones, night after night as in a play, these feelings become increasingly easily accessed, I can imagine that would really mess up the balance of a brain.

[tv echo]

Some tweets from today's Flash/LoT panel at Oz Comic Con in Melbourne...

Edited June 10, 2018 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Opening ceremony for Day 2 of Heroes Assemble Con in Paris...

[tv echo]

From today's Arrow/LoT panel (WH, AD) at Heroes Assemble Con...

[tv echo]

[tv echo]

[tv echo]

[tv echo]

Why Sara Lance is a Breakthrough Bisexual Superhero
Yael Tygiel  June 9, 2018
http://fandom.wikia.com/articles/breakthrough-bisexual-superhero-sara-lance-arrowverse

Quote

When Sara returned to Star City, she rekindled her romance with Oliver, only to be killed for real. Thankfully the Arrowverse deals in resurrections, because Sara was brought back to life, her soul was restored, and she transformed from the Black Canary to the White Canary. She eventually left Team Arrow and became the Captain of the Waverider on Legends of Tomorrow, traveling through time, and diving head first into exploring her bisexuality.
*  *  *
Assuming that she needed a break from heavy, serious relationships — after Oliver Queen and all his drama, who wouldn’t — Sara began traveling through time with the Legends. During this time, she had a few short-term relationships and one-night stands, almost exclusively with women. Even in Arrow’s 100th episode, Sara, in a group hallucination of an alternate timeline, revealed to her sister that she prefers girls. But, as most recently as Season 3, she had a fling with Constantine (Matt Ryan), so she is definitely sexually fluid.

Moreover, Sara’s seasons of sexual exploration didn’t confine her to the “promiscuous bi-girl” trope. Her recent relationship with Ava Sharp is blooming and has become the main “ship” on Legends of Tomorrow. Her relationship with Ava is as front and center as Oliver and Felicity’s marriage on Arrow, Barry and Iris’ marriage on The Flash, and Kara’s on-again, off-again love triangle with Mon-El on Supergirl. In fact, since Sara is the lead character on Legends, her relationship with Ava — and her bisexuality — are that much more important and groundbreaking.

Edited June 10, 2018 by tv echo

[tv echo]

From Supergirl panel at Heroes Assemble Con in Paris...

[tv echo]

[JJ928]

34 minutes ago, tv echo said:

Why Sara Lance is a Breakthrough Bisexual Superhero
Yael Tygiel  June 9, 2018
http://fandom.wikia.com/articles/breakthrough-bisexual-superhero-sara-lance-arrowverse

 

Oh boy. As a bisexual woman I disagree. I think Sara’s bisexuality is a joke, has been mostly ignored, and used for titillation when remembered. I’d prefer if they would have just kept her straight or made her a lesbian. It’s tiring seeing bisexual women on tv treated like a toy. It’s my least favorite thing about Sara/LOT.

Edited June 10, 2018 by JJ928

[tv echo]

Day 3 of the 2018 Superman Celebration in Metropolis, Illinois
Steve Younis   June 9, 2018
https://www.supermanhomepage.com/day-3-of-the-2018-superman-celebration-in-metropolis-illinois/

Quote

Brandon’s Q&A in the Metro tent was proceeded by a photo opportunity in front of the giant Superman Statue… with his wonderful parents.

After lunch (after many back and forth emails with his manager) my scheduled video interview with Brandon Routh took place. Brandon (with his parents in the room with him) gave us a very generous 10 minutes of his time, remembering that we’d met one another back in 2005 when I was lucky enough to visit the set of “Superman Returns” in Sydney. Again, I’ll be posting that video interview when I get a chance to edit and upload it to our YouTube channel.

Edited June 10, 2018 by tv echo

[tv echo]

[tv echo]

Comic Book Central's podcast interview with BR (done in advance of this weekend's Superman Celebration) - I only transcribed a few bits...

#228: Superman Returns! My exclusive in-depth conversation with Brandon Routh!
June 6, 2018
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/comicbookcentral/2018/06/06/228-superman-returns-my-exclusive-in-depth-conversation-with-brandon-routh

-- When asked where we'll see Ray Palmer in S4 of LoT, BR said that he thought the show would pick up where it left off, where Ray had given the time stone to Nora. He thought that we would see Nora again.  He said that that had a "big impact" on Ray.

-- When asked if he could play opposite Tyler Hoechlin's Superman, BR said that he certainly could as Ray Palmer. He also said that there are no legal or contractual restrictions that would prevent him from appearing as an alternate version of Superman in the Arrowverse.

-- BR said that he's more like Clark Kent than Superman and that he played Clark as "passionate excitement" rather than goofy. He added that he did the same thing in playing Ray but "tweaked" in a different way.

-- When asked about his place in Superman history, BR said that he felt like he was a "transitionary character" and that Superman Returns served as a "transitionary film" from Christopher Reeves' Superman to Henry Cavill's Superman.

Edited June 10, 2018 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Greg Berlanti and Lexi Alexander were apparently mentioned during this writers'room panel at the ATX Television Festival yesterday...‘

'Timeless,’ ‘Halt and Catch Fire,’ ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ Bosses Talk Misogyny and Diversity in the Writers Room
By Marisa Roffman  June 9, 2018
https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/glen-mazzara-christopher-rogers-liz-tigelaar-shawn-ryan-rina-mimoun-writers-room-diversity-1202838966/

Quote

During the “Inside a Writers Room: Power Dynamics” at the ATX Television Festival Saturday, moderator/executive producer Glen Mazzara (“The Walking Dead,” “Damien”) acknowledged the panel — which consisted of Liz Tigelaar (“Little Fires Everywhere,” “Life Unexpected”), Christopher C. Rogers (“Halt & Catch Fire”), Shawn Ryan (“Timeless,” “The Shield”), Rina Mimoun (“Mistresses,” “Everwood”), and Patrick Sean Smith (“Greek”) — was white, plus had more men than women. He asked the group what they could do to be more inclusive with their writers’ rooms going forward.
*  *  *
Mimoun credited producer Greg Berlanti with giving her the opportunity to showrun his series “Everwood” when he departed—over the objections of Warner Bros. studio head Peter Roth, who worried about her experience level. (Berlanti ran “Dawson’s Creek” at 26; Mimoun said she adores Roth now.)
*  *  *
And then there are those who have been blacklisted for being vocal about the lack of representation behind the camera. Mazzara pointed to director Lexi Alexander and her experience with whisper smears. Context matters, he said.

“If a woman is in a sexist or misogynist environment. [The showrunner] is not going to say she was fired because he’s a misogynist — he going to say she didn’t get the show. Very often the studio or the network will say we’ve heard she’s difficult,” Mazzara said.

While Mimoun may have never been blacklisted, she shared that she experienced moments of misogyny and sexual harassment in writers’ rooms earlier on in her career, specifically and notably in “half-hour rooms” (comedies) where she had to “represent all women” because most of the time there were no others there.

“It [was] rape joke after another,” she said of a show she did not want to name but on which she said the studio pressured the showrunner into hiring her because they needed a woman on the staff. “It was a constant hazing. It was a constant level of naked pictures being drawn of me. Or questions about who I was sleeping with. What’s crazy is there were two showrunners. One of them, I, to this day, would lie down in front of a train for, and his poor job was constantly coming up to me and going, ‘Are you OK? I’m sorry.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m fine.’ I was just so happy to be in the room. I can’t imagine that happens now. I think what happens now is so much more subtle.”

Having an ally in the writers’ room was key to Mimoun then, and it still proves vital for more inclusive hiring, better treatment and perhaps most importantly, growing the next wave of creative leaders today. Ryan, whose drama “SWAT” is returning to CBS next season, said he reached out to Alexander after hearing about her troubles finding work due to her reputation.

“I’m instantly intrigued by someone who has been blacklisted,” he said. “She’s going to direct an episode of ‘SWAT’ for us. These are the kinds of things we can do. We can’t just accept the own rumors, we have to do our own research, and give equal access. If everyone has equal access, the talented will rise.”

Edited June 10, 2018 by tv echo