“I think that we were lucky that the story about Harvey broke when we were just location scouting, and none of the scripts had been shot yet,” Noxon said. “We did rewrite to reflect a kind of ‘post-reckoning world,” she added, saying audiences will notice the theme more “as the story progresses.”
“Dietland,” which was already about women reclaiming their power from misogynistic men and abusers, provides “the next extension of the Me Too movement,” Noxon said. “What if people took it even to the next level and went after the predators who are active today?”
The satirical drama, based on Sarai Walker’s novel of the same name, follows Plum Kettle (Joy Nash), a ghostwriter for the beauty magazine Daisy Chain, run by Kitty Montgomery (Julianna Margulies). We watch Plum’s adventure of self-discovery against a backdrop of news reports about men accused of sexual abuse and assault — who wind up murdered and, quite literally, thrown out of the sky.
If that sounds like a surreal premise, it’s supposed to. “The world is so weird now, that if somebody said that people were being dropped out of planes, I wouldn’t be as surprised as I was [when I read it] in the book,” said Noxon.
“I decided that the only way to really communicate that experience of the book was to fully embrace that surrealist quality and even push it a little further,” the showrunner told TheWrap. “The world — in the time from the time I read the book to the time we made the show — had pitched up a notch, to the point where I was like: ‘Even the book feels a little tame now.'”
Going after active predators seems like the logical next step, Noxon argued, in terms of dramatizing such perpetrators in the Me Too era. “People are aware that there [have] been some people held accountable, but when it’s your day-to-day life, you’re still dealing with all the bulls—,” she said.
“A lot of these guys who are going down are kind of either at the end of their predatory careers, and the end of their career-careers,” she said. “So you’re like, ‘hmmm, that can’t be all the guys — or abusers, because it’s not all about men, you know, anybody can be an abuser. It’s all about power. So the idea is that [the show takes place] a little bit in the future when there’s still a lot of people out there running around doing horrible things.”
What Noxon hopes the show will do? “Help empathetic men really walk in the shoes of somebody who’s experienced this their whole life,” she said.
“Dietland” premieres Monday, June 4 on AMC at 9/8 c.
'Walking Dead' Leaders Ranked, From Gregory to Maggie to Ezekiel
On "The Walking Dead," plenty have tried to lead, but few have been successful. Here we look back on all those who led others to safety -- or their graves.
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14. Gregory (Alive) of the Hilltop Colony. Gregory no longer is in charge, thankfully -- he was maybe not the kind of leader anyone ever needed.
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13. Deanna (Deceased) of Alexandria. Deanna helped keep Alexandria together early on. She was a great judge of character, but did not recognize the walker threat for what it was. She died after the walls of Alexandria fell, leaving the community to Rick.
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12. Dawn (Deceased) of Grady Memorial Hospital. Dawn took charge of the hospital when her predecessor failed to keep people safe, but her practice of requiring forced labor in exchange for meds earned her no friends, and eventually led to her death.
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11. Natania (Deceased) of Oceanside. Emotionally scarred by their brutal defeat at the hands of the Saviors -- after which Negan had every male above age 10 executed -- Natania sort of fell apart, like so many characters do, because of the trauma.
10. Gareth (Deceased) of Terminus. Gareth and his fellow Terminus residents promised weary travelers sanctuary, only to kill and eat them cannibal style. He became obsessed with getting revenge on Rick, eventually leading to his death at Rick's hands.
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9. Hershel (Deceased) of The Farm. Hershel kept himself and his family safe on his farm during the early days of the outbreak, eventually offering shelter to Rick and his group. But Hershel believed that the walkers could be returned to human form, which proved a costly mistake.
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8. Alpha Wolf (Deceased) of The Wolves. The Wolves were a savage group who killed anyone who had something they desired. The Alpha Wolf was a good killer, but his people were ultimately wild and undisciplined.
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7. Joe (Deceased) of The Claimers. Joe and his group lived as nomads, taking what they want when they want. He lived by a simple code of justice, but did not bat an eye when he or his people needed to kill. He underestimated Rick, Daryl, and Michonne, getting every Claimer killed.
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6. The Governor (Deceased) of Woodbury, Martinez Camp. The Governor was all charm and class on the outside, but his inner workings were that of a cold blooded killer. After the citizens of Woodbury abandoned him for Rick, he eventually took over another camp, and subsequently led them to their deaths at the prison.
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5. Jadis (Alive) of The Scavengers. With all of her people dead now, Jadis is not actually a leader anymore. But when she was a leader, by "Walking Dead" standards Jadis was extremely reasonable for somebody who leads a group of people who live in a junkyard. And making Rick do gladiator fights with armored walkers was pretty funny.
AMC
4. Negan (Alive) of The Saviors. Also no longer a leader, but when he was Negan ruled The Saviors through a combination of charm and savagery. He's fun to watch!
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3. Maggie (Alive) of the Hilltop Colony. Obviously, she's much better as the boss of the Hilltop than Gregory ever was, and her pragmatism is currently a pretty nice contrast to the idealism of Rick post-Carl.
2. Rick Grimes (Alive) of Alexandria. Rick is a natural leader who has guided his group through hell and back. He has led them through countless battles with the both the living and the dead is is still standing to tell the tale. But for how much longer?
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1. King Ezekiel (Alive) of The Kingdom. His kingdom is gone thanks to the Saviors, but his legacy is still pretty solid. He kept that place going as long as he possibly could have, and he wasn't a coward when it came time to choose sides in the war with the Saviors.
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TheWrap looks back at the heroic and villainous leaders on the hit AMC series
On "The Walking Dead," plenty have tried to lead, but few have been successful. Here we look back on all those who led others to safety -- or their graves.