Two TV channels drop their plans for shows on Clinton
I told her, ‘Nobody should tell your story but you, and it’s kind of gross if they do’.
THOSE jokes on life in the “Oral Office” are not going to make it to planned TV shows in the US.
Intended to highlight the affair between former White House intern Monica Lewinsky and former President Bill Clinton, plans for the shows have been dropped.
Two networks have dropped plans for dramatised series focusing on the president and Lewinsky’s scandalous affair and its aftermath.
The History Channel in September announced that it would air “The Breach: Inside the Impeachment of Bill Clinton,” a six-part drama by “Nashville” executive producer R.J. Cutler.
But when The Washington Post contacted the network on Wednesday for a status update, a representative said “we made a decision not to move forward on that.” Instead of the quietly cancelled feature series, which was to be based on journalist Peter Baker’s bestseller “The Breach,” the network is planning a “docuseries” on the matter, the
Ryan Murphy, producer
rep says, though they have yet to release the details about it.
Similarly, the people behind the FX series “American Crime Story” have also scotched their planned Clinton-Lewinsky story line, the true- crime franchise’s showrunner told the Hollywood Reporter.
Among those breathing a sigh of relief is Lewinsky, who’s been trying to put the tabloid-headlinemaking chapter behind her for, oh, a few decades now.
“American Crime Story” showrunner Ryan Murphy said he ran into Lewinsky at a Hollywood party and informed her of the decision, which he hinted was motivated by surprisingly high-minded principle.
“I told her, ‘Nobody should tell your story but you, and it’s kind of gross if they do,’” Murphy told THR he said to Lewinsky. “‘If you want to produce it with me, I would love that; but you should be the producer and you should make all the money.’”
Those dying to see a fictionalised treatment of the ‘90s- era drama just might have to hold out hope for “Linda and Monica,” a movie about the relationship between the White House intern and her wirewearing pal Linda Tripp.
Amazon Studios last year optioned it after it languished on the Black List, Hollywood’s catalogue of well-liked but yet-to-be-picked-up scripts. A rep for Amazon Studios didn’t immediately respond to questions about whether it’s a go. — Washington Post