Although
it didn't get a pickup when UPN announced its fall lineup last
week, Nikki & Nora, a series about two lesbian private
detectives, is the first lesbian-themed drama series in serious
consideration for a network TV slot. Nancylee Myatt, the Creator
and Executive Producer of Nikki & Nora, tells us
about her inspiration for creating the show, how the network responded
to it, and how viewers can help convince UPN to pick it up for
a mid-season slot.
AfterEllen.com:
How would you describe Nikki & Nora?
Nancylee Myatt: It's
a cop show with a twist, a procedural show which also let's us
take a break from the crime-of-the-week to spend time with a complicated
and sexy couple. Crime, action, romance and the Big Easy, what
more could you want?
AE:
What inspired you to create the series? And why now?
NM: I had developed several projects with Regency TV
and they came to me with the idea of a modern Nick & Nora
only they're a lesbian couple, Nikki & Nora. And
that was all they gave me. I had a reputation with them for creating
strong female characters and voices. And they knew that I could
write this from a personal POV, as well. I then began developing
the show, the characters, their backstory, and put them in New
Orleans -- a great city where nothing is what it seems. Very layered,
full of secrets, not unlike Nikki and Nora themselves.
When Maggie Murphy, the Sr. Vice President of Drama Development,
left Regency to become the head of Drama at UPN, she took several
projects with her that she had developed at the studio. Fortunately,
Nikki & Nora was one of those projects. Regency then
released the project and Warner Bros. studio picked it up. So
that's how a project that began at Regency studio for FOX, eventually
ended up at UPN with Warner Bros. as the new studio.
I've
been with the project for what will be 2 years this coming August
-- and have also been through two other writing partners along
the way. In its early stages it was much more light-hearted, more
comedy, more like Nick & Nora -- a retro kind of
feel, a la Moonlighting. But when it moved to UPN and
they wanted a more procedural show, their CSI or NYPD
Blue, if you will, the show took a more serious tone.
But now it's back to just me and Nikki & Nora --
hoping to get on the air. Usually, projects and pilots come and
go and we writers move onto the next one. But this project has
survived and I've become very attached to these characters and
their voices. And now, the cast and amazing team of people who
put the pilot together. I hope we can continue in series. And
I believe this show has some important ground to break and stories
to tell while it entertains.
AE: How did the network and production company react to
a series with two lesbian lead characters?
NM: Nikki
& Nora were always a lesbian couple. I never heard anyone
say, do they have to be lesbians? Or can't they be aliens? Or
let's make them men who are just best friends? The discussions
were usually about the balance of character beats vs. the procedural
beats in the script. And how intimate do we get with the characters
when we go home with them. And again, it's network TV not cable,
so we do have some rules and standards to adhere to, beyond the
discussions about making the main-stream audience feel comfortable
with the couple. And at the end of the day we all believed that
if you could relate to the situation and the characters and cared
about them, no matter what their sexual orientation, you would
watch the show.
We
ended up with quite a bit of gay-themed conversations and conflict
in the story about the couple -- Nikki is out with her family,
Nora is not. And they are both keeping their relationship a secret
from the police force at this time. And there are some intimate
moments in the pilot, as well. There is a bath-tub scene that
is not only beautiful but sexy for network TV. With regard to
the procedural side of the show -- let's face it, there are only
three crime stories to tell. It's all about how you tell the story.
What is your show's unique voice, how can you tell the same story
in a way that can only be done on your show. And in our case it's
with a New Orleans POV as well as through the eyes of this couple
who live and work together.
AE:
Did you encounter any resistance from actresses who auditioned
to the idea of playing lesbians?
NM: We had an amazing casting director, Megan Branman,
who was incredibly bold and clear with the agents in town. We
didn't want to see anyone who would have difficulty playing
a gay character. And the script was available for everyone to
read, there were three kissing scenes, and the infamous bathtub
scene, so it was pretty clear that we were going to be showing
them as a couple. There were a number of women who passed on
the project before they ever came in the door, and we were never
really told if it was because of the gay content, or whether
they wanted to do a half-hour instead of a drama, or didn't
want to do TV at all, etc. Pilot season is a cluster-fuck with
so many projects and everyone fighting for the same talent.
It's a wonder that anything ever gets cast and on the air.
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