PBS chief discusses Rose, Smiley firings
‘Shakespeare,’ ‘Little Women’ come this way
PASADENA, Calif. – PBS opened its two-day session at the Television Critics Association press tour by promising to examine sexual harassment in its programming. But network president Paula Kerger also addressed her decision to drop shows from Charlie Rose and Tavis Smiley in the wake of misconduct allegations.
Kerger announced on Tuesday a fivepart series, #MeToo, Now What? (due Feb. 2), that reports on the explosion of sexual misconduct charges and what can be done to make positive change.
In the Q&A that followed, she was asked why PBS was unaware of allegations about Rose until The Washington Post published its investigation in November. PBS dropped Rose’s show a day later, and CBS fired him from its morning news show.
Kerger said Charlie Rose was independently produced, so PBS never learned of the allegations.
However, “that does not absolve us of responsibility to try to ensure we are supporting a culture where people are valued and respected,” she said.
PBS was approached directly with a complaint against Smiley, and the broadcaster hired a law firm to investigate, Kerger said.
“It was based on multiple allegations of inappropriate behavior, as well as his own words about what happened that led us to the decision to suspend” Tavis Smiley, Kerger said.
‘LITTLE WOMEN’
Little Women is classic Americana, but its appeal knows no borders, said Heidi Thomas, who has adapted the novel for PBS Masterpiece (May 13).
Producers and actors professed their love for Louisa May Alcott’s book, and they expressed a similar feeling toward one of the three-hour adaptation’s stars, Angela Lansbury.
The cast talked about working with the acting legend, with Annes Elwy, who plays Beth, describing her as being such a “warm person. … The star-struck elements went away very quickly and she was like part of the family.”
‘SHAKESPEARE’
Helen Hunt finds Shakespeare’s words irresistible, and she wants to share her excitement with viewers.
The Oscar winner, one of the hosts in the upcoming Season 3 of PBS’Shakespeare Uncovered (2018), said Wednesday that the way the verse and prose flow has meaning, much as the words do.
“The form is reflecting the content. If you read King Lear as it’s meant to be read, it sounds like a storm is brewing,” she told writers Wednesday. “Forget how clever the choice of words are. The rhythm builds a storm as you speak it.”
Hunt will host an episode focusing on the comedy Much Ado About Nothing.
In addition to Hunt, Season 3 hosts and the plays they explore include F. Murray Abraham ( The Merchant of Venice); Brian Cox ( Julius Caesar); Simon Russell Beale ( The Winter’s Tale); and Romola Garai ( Measure for Measure). A host has yet to be announced for an episode about Richard III.
‘THE CHILD IN TIME’
PBS Masterpiece’s The Child in Time ( April 1) is a harrowing story of parents who struggle after their 4-year-old disappears.
“This is a study of a moment of experiencing that cold sweat, that heart in mouth, that horrendous horror of ‘It’s happened, your child is missing,’ and how that then affects you after. How do you live with that? How do you deal with that?” said Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the father, Stephen.
As devastating as such a loss is to play, Cumberbatch and Kelly Macdonald, who plays the mother, Julie, in Ian McEwan’s adaptation, said Wednesday that they were able to separate themselves from the characters’ pain.
“In my experience, the darker the subject matter, the jollier it tends to be on set, which is quite healthy, I think,” said Macdonald, who, like Cumberbatch, is a parent.
Cumberbatch, appearing via satellite from England, agreed.
The job of actors “as storytellers is to become something else, immerse yourself in it and then leave it behind,” he said. “But it does help when you’re doing something that is upsetting in parts, as this is, (that) you have gallows humor, as it’s often called, and we did. We had a great shoot.”