NO-SHOW POLICY
End game: Why ‘Transparent’ can’t continue without Tambor
IT’S time for “Transparent” down.
Disturbing allegations that star Jeffrey Tambor sexually harassed cast member Trace Lysette with unwanted physical contact and verbal statements prompted Tambor — who won two consecutive Emmys for his groundbreaking performance as Maura Pfefferman, TV’s first central transgender character — to bail from the show.
“Playing Maura Pfefferman on ‘Transparent’ has been one of the greatest privileges and creative experiences of my life,” Tambor, 73, told Deadline on Sunday. “What has become clear over the past weeks, however, is that this is no longer the job I signed up for four years ago,” he said. “Given the politicized atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set, I don’t see how I can return to ‘Transparent.’”
According to Deadline, “Transparent” may have already been looking for a way to “shuffle” Tambor off the show. His option for Season 5 had not been picked up, and trans actors on the show have been rumored to resent his paycheck (he was reportedly paid $275,000 per episode).
Although nothing has been formally announced, the Amazon comedy is expected back for a fifth season. The big question, of course: how do you go on without Tambor?
Maura is the show’s central character, Tambor is the best actor on the show — the only one to win any industry awards — and, together, they were the reason people watched and wrote about the show.
The Tambor/“Transparent” situation mirrors, in some ways, the Kevin Spacey/“House of Cards” situation. Netflix fired Spacey Nov. 3 after multiple allegations of his predatory sexual behavior, leaving its franchise series in tatters and without its main character — Spacey’s devious killer politician, Frank Underwood. (Tambor has denied the allegations against him. “I have never been a predator — ever,” he told Deadline.)
As with Spacey’s axing from “House of Cards,” Tambor’s departure from “Transparent” leaves a gaping hole in the middle of the sseries. And, like “House of Cards,” “Transparent” has run its course. Creator Jill Soloway had already seen Maura successfully transition into her new life with her aggravating, middle-aged children tagging along and complicating matters and her ex-wife Shelly (Judith Light) unnecessarily hanging about. Story told.
Another sign the show was losing steam: “Transparent,” a consistent Emmy darling for its first two seasons, failed to pick up an Emmy nomination for Best Comedy Series for Season 3. (Season 4, which aired in September, will be eligible for the 2018 Emmys.)
With Amazon changing its focus from character-driven shows, such as “Transparent,” to mass-appeal franchises (the recently announced “Lord of the Rings” series), there can be little doubt the company — which has already seen the resignation of Amazon Studios head Roy Price over sexual harassment allegations — will want to be associated with the show.
TV writers generally have a hard time bringing a successful show to a satisfying conclusion, even when a series is past its peak and the cast is out of gas.
If “Transparent” comes back for Season 5, cast members will be asked to talk about why Tambor isn’t there anymore and about the fallout from that decision. What’s the point?
We now live in an era where the words “The End” are dictated not by a show’s ratings or the difficult contract negotiations of its creative personnel but by the behavior of its stars.