With only two episodes left in the first season of the chickeriffic Fumbling Thru The Pieces, DCTV Creative Director Daryn Strauss chatted with creator Julie A. Smith about rewrites, adapting TV scripts for the web, Hillary B. Smith, female friendship, and chick flicks!
*****
DARYN: First of all, how many episodes are left in the first season?
JULIE: We have 3 episodes left, which makes me kind of sad.
DARYN: 12 episodes is very ambitious! Did you always know Fumbling Thru the Pieces would be a web series?
JULIE: Yeah, it was a lot. We shot 12 episodes in 9 days, but we’re all still standing! I created this show 9 years ago when I was working for the Drew Carey Show. At that time the name of the pilot was “Lost but Found.” When Donna [Hurst, co-Executive Producer] came aboard we changed the name. Kelsey [Robinson, "Jess"] and I work together, and she was talking about shooting her web series, and I thought to myself….hmm. Turned around and called Donna and off we went.
from L-R: Kelsey Robinson, Diane Delano, Julie A. Smith, Robert Maffia
DARYN: Fumbling Thru the Pieces centers on a woman who leaves her marriage to live with her quirky sister in Burbank, amongst an array of complicated female friends who are all trying to figure themselves out. Did you set out to develop a series that specifically centered on women?
JULIE: Yes, I just don’t think people were ready for this type of a female-driven show 9 years ago.
DARYN: I think you developed this show at just the right time. One of the things I was frustrated with when I produced the first season of Downsized in ‘09/’10 was the lack of awareness for female-driven web series. It was very hard to find them for a while! But that has really shifted lately. How do you think most women find your show?
JULIE: First, I love your show and congratulations on Season 2, and thank you for supporting these wonderful shows that are out there. I hope they find a little piece of themselves in each of the humorous characters and root for them.
DARYN: I found out about Fumbling Thru the Pieces at the Indie Soap Awards in New York when Hillary B. Smith (Nora, OLTL) was presenting. When did you get her on board to play Ellie? She plays a very interesting and hilarious character in Fumbling Thru the Pieces.
JULIE: We were so excited when Hillary joined us in July 2010. There’s a story here. Diane [Delano, "Shara"] and Hillary worked on a pilot together about 18-19 years ago named “Acting Sheriff.” It was so nice to see two people find each other and get to work together again. I love Ellie. She’s had some issues in her life and has bounced back. She’s become the glue, holding all the characters together and yet she still has these moments where she falls off the beaten path. Then she has to stand up and center herself once again.
DARYN: I know what those soap schedules are like! They are 5-days a week, all year. When did you manage to shoot this season of Fumbling Thru the Pieces?
JULIE: We were fortunate that One Life to Live was dark for a week in October, so we jumped on it and made it happen. It really fell into place nicely for all parties involved.
DARYN: You write and produce the show with Donna Hurst. What is your writing process like? Do you sit down and write together? Do you split it up between you? How much do you rewrite?
JULIE: We used the existing script I had. Broke down the timelines and had to create a new skeleton. Then I would go in and write the episodes. Donna and I would sit down and rework the episode. We were able to have a table read, which was wonderful, to see what was working and what wasn’t, and we would go in again with our rewrites. We also had to rewrite on the fly when we were shooting. Thankfully, we have these fabulous actors who can improvise and came up with amazing ad libs that really worked!
DARYN: Television seems to do a better job than film at representing women in key roles. Are there any television shows that inspire you?
JULIE: My favorite TV shows were Designing Women and Golden Girls. They’re timeless. They inspired me with their strong female characters.
DARYN: With all the girl power on Fumbling Thru the Pieces, what are your all-time favorite girl power movies?
JULIE: I love Fried Green Tomatoes, Boys on the Side and I’m sure there are more, but those are the first ones off the top of my head.
DARYN: So, can you tease what’s in store for the end of the season? I feel like we’re in the quiet of the storm now, before some real difficult complications get thrown at these ladies… Will their friendships be threatened at all?
JULIE: Let’s just say, that things finally come to a head for one of our ladies in a dramatic fashion.
Watch the latest episode below. Next episode airs June 23rd!
