Writers Mutiny at ‘All Rise,’ the Rare CBS Show With a Black Female Lead
Ugh. I liked All Rise so much and this is DISAPPOINTING https://t.co/Guzee1vDTG
- Ira Madison III (@ira) August 20, 2020
From the start of production, many writers clashed with Greg Spottiswood, over how he handled race and gender.
Five writers from the original staff of seven are gone. The other two were white men.
Among those who quit were the program’s three highest-ranking writers of color.
Shernold Edwards (Black woman), worked on Fox’s “Sleepy Hollow” and other shows.
She left “All Rise” in November after disagreements with Spottiswood.
They had to do so much behind the scenes to keep these scripts from being racist and offensive.
Sunil Nayar (Indian-American) worked on ABC’s “Revenge” and CBS’s “CSI: Miami,”
He left after disputes with Spottiswood.
He wanted “All Rise” to accurately reflect the experiences of Black people and other people of color,
Spottiswood seemed more interested in having him appear at public events than in giving him duties as EP.
Warner Bros. HR reviewed the show’s workplace between last August and November after complaints.
After the inquiries, WB. kept him in place and provided him with a corporate coach, a Black woman, to advise him.
Spottiswood was aware of the problems with his leadership and pledged to do better.
The lead Lola was sometimes given dialogue or story lines that seemed false or offensively stereotypical.
Certain scenes inaccurately depicted how a Black woman would speak or act.
The problems had been apparent as early as the second episode.
Writers questioned the handling of a sensitive issue in the third episode centered on a Black character.
It was renewed for a second season in May.
source