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Thats because theApple TV+flagship show which launched todaywith eight other offerings features Jennifer Anistons return to television.
said Ehrin during a recent pause from the second seasons writers room.
It blew my mind.
I didnt know that people were capable of that kind of single-mindedness.
But it wasnt an easy sell.
She turned down the job twice.
I turned it down twice because I knew what I was getting into, Ehrin said.
It was launching Apples streaming service and two huge stars and a new studio.
There was a lot riding on it.
So, of course, youre gonna think really long and hard about stepping into something like that.
Eventually, she decided to go for it.
Ehrin was granted developed by credit and serves as an executive producer and showrunner.
From what Ive read, Apple wanted to start over because of the Me Too uprising.
Where would you go?
It was about writing about high-level professional women in a very high-stakes world.
It was right there on the surface.
It was my life.
Matt Lauerwas fired fromTodayin November 2017.
That was all associated in my brain.
Youre under a lot of pressure.
But, no, Apple didnt have the characters drawn up.
I was told very little.
I didnt work from the previous writers script.
I didnt have a pilot.
It was really terrifying when I think about it!
Did you meet with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon before you took the job?
Im wondering if that helped persuade you.I had very brief meetings with them.
You know, theyre very charming.
Theyre executive producers in every sense of the word, right?
Its not just a vanity title.
Thats very fun, you know?
But the pilot you wrote alone.I wrote that very quickly in my bedroom in three weeks.
]It was scary.
Sometimes I was on the floor crying, but for the most part, I just kept going.
By the end of that year, it was a lot of stress.
How do you feel about it now?Im super proud of it.
Especially under the circumstances with which we pulled it together, Im incredibly proud of it.
They did not constrain me.
They had fairly minimal notes, really.
Bates Motelwas certainly a step up in freedom from broadcast, but even then we had a limit.
You couldnt say fuck, you could say this many damns.
Were you required to place Apple products in scenes?Oh,they didnt ask for that at all.
Did you research morning shows?I didnt have time to.That was the thing there was no time.
Did you read Brian Stelters book?I did read Brians book.
And then we had this great researcher who went to New York and he studied the studios.
We had several people consulting who had directed or been producers on morning shows.
Bradley has more a psychological blueprint that is a little more similar to me.
Shes both a caretaker and has a fierce rage.
And she doesnt buy into the bullshit story of anything.
The thing is, Ive worked with such incredibly great, nice men.
But Ive spent a lot of time protecting egos, especially in the first half of my career.
Thats where that feeling comes from:You dont get it.
What about Steve Carells character, Mitch?
He really did not have a sense that he was doing something wrong.
In his head, it was consensual and all the people around him supported him.
He lived in this bubble of being protected.
Its like a spoiled child.
Which isnt to say he wasnt responsible.
Hes an adult man and he should have been.
But its part of how corporate cultures protect talent and also the hubris of men.
It was those two things.
I think whats interesting is that a lot of these guys are very charming and do elicit sympathy.
Certainly, in my adult life, Me Too is the most impactful movement.
It has so changed the way business is being done, the way the industry is operating.
I cant remember in my lifetime a time when suddenly everybody was looking at their own behavior.
Everybody, you know?
Thats just fucking huge.
All of that stuffis being reevaluated and reassessed.What is appropriate?
It was a white dudes world and that has definitely changed.
Why is this all falling on my head?
There are so many shades to it that guys arent aware of.
Thats what is really interesting.
Its all getting deconstructed.
Hes arguing its not fair for everyone to all get lumped together.Thats his opinion.
But we dont know yet who he is.
At this point in the show, were still in his own version of it.
You have a two-season commitment from Apple.
Will Steve Carell be in the second season?
Its been reported that hes not.We hope for him to be.
Mitch is part of the storytelling for the season.
Schedules are complicated, but we hope to make it work with Steve.
The way things are set up, it seems like Alex and Bradley are going to hate each other.
The data pipe exec played by Billy Crudup certainly wants that.
But thats not really what youre doing.
When Alex announces Bradley as the co-host, shes grabbing the power.
She fucks them in that moment.
Its definitely a risk, but there was no downside because she was getting fired anyway.
It was a fury that came out of her.
And thats what is fun about the following episodes her having to live with the consequences of that decision.
