The Harry Situation

Apparently when I predicted that we’d be huge in Japan, I was not far off.

I just explained that the sponsor wanted to turn The Harry Situation into a showcase for Carrie Harrison. They believed in Carrie. They didn’t believe so much in any of the other actors or writers or producers or props people, or wardrobe. Or caterers. Or the grip.

And they certainly didn’t believe in me.

But Carrie? True love.

I wrote a very articulate and mature scene between three lovers and the emotions that arise when one of them has feelings for one and not the other. It was dramatic and believable, and it was touching and funny.

So they re-wrote it. Here is the gem that was shot.

Touching.

This was the first of several scenes that would slowly push Dawn Spangler’s character out of the main story arc.

But having the focus shift to Carrie’s character was just one of a handful of changes that occurred once we all saw that Carrie was clearly our breakout star.

So what’s the problem? I certainly didn’t care. I was happy they liked Carrie. I liked Carrie, and I had long since stopped caring about the show and its stupid story arcs.

The problem, though, was that the Claire Bannister character was supposed to be Dawn’s big breakout role. After a dozen failed shows, she’d finally landed in the spotlight, right?

Nancy and I knew Carrie’s extra attention would eat Dawn alive.

And you may wonder aloud, “…hmmm. even though the focus was shifting to Carrie, why wouldn’t Dawn be happy to finally be in a show that is at least going to air? Why? Why?”

The answer is simple: Because Dawn Spangler is not one of the best people on the planet.

This is why I am devoting the rest of this week to her as I proudly announce the arrival of “Dawn Spangler Week”, in which we examine the boundless selfishness and evil of Dawn Spangler.

Hi Dawn!

Carrie Harrison was a production assistant with no experience when we hired her to replace Teri Morgan as Cindy Christington.

It was the best decision Nancy and I made. Far better than our decision to marry.

We were on the chopping block, and the injury of our lead threatened to close down the show permanently.

Basically, the show would have died without Carrie. Look at this:

Focus groups loved her, so the sponsor had something to believe in.

So get this: Garnier Fructis had serious reservations about a script I wrote called “Glued To You” where Cindy and Harry start to have more than just a sexual relationship. They thought the language I used when talking about Bold It, would cause audiences to think the product was some sort of sexual glue, again.

So instead of shooting the episode and then testing it with a focus group, they shot a PSA apologizing for the yet-to-be-shot episode, and then put the PSA in front of the focus group.

Enjoy:

And it tested through the roof. Box office gold!!!

Test groups loved Carrie Harrison’s Public Service Announcement so much that Garnier Fructis approved the episode that they hated, only because they were sure that their audience would love the PSA that apologizes for said episode.

The sponsor started to fall in love with Carrie Harrison. They made a snap decision. They told me to refocus the whole show on Carrie Harrison, pushing her character into the foreground.