Caitlin Parrish, Erica Weiss: Best Friends, Playwrights and Showrunners of CBS’ “The Red Line”

Focusing on the aftermath of a murder the series is a snapshot of the zeitgeist both in front of and behind the camera amp160The plot revolves around a white cop who kills a black man amp160From the officeramp8217s perspective he saw an AfricanAmerican male appearance obscured by a hoodie reaching over the counter in a bodega during what had already been reported as an armed robbery amp160What he couldnamp8217t see was the man in the hoodie was a physician who was trying to help the injured merchant amp160This horrific incident rips apart families friends and communities alikeNoah Wyle plays the grieving widower whose husband was slain amp160Now he must rear their daughter and deal with her wanting to meet her biological mother when he is not sure how he can muster the strength to get out of bed in the morningSet in Chicago The Red Line refers to an elevated train line and is a reworking of a play the two women had worked on amp160Parrish had also written for Emily Owens MD Under the Dome and Supergirl amp160The Red Line is Weissamp8217 first TV creditThey recently sat down with MediaVillage to discuss their careers amp160What follows is an edited version of that conversationJackie Cutler amp160How did your partnership developCaitlin Parrish amp160Erica and I met freshman year at DePaul amp160I saw a production of Blue Windows she had done amp160My first play was produced in New York Off Broadway at The Cherry Lane amp160It was Young Playwrights Inc amp160I asked Erica if she would direct the play at DePaul amp160That play became our first film The View from TallJackie amp160Isnamp8217t The Red Line based on a playCaitlin amp160In the play the husband dies in a car accident and he is not black amp160Daniel canamp8217t go to his loveramp8217s death bed per hospitalamp8217s rules amp160He sends Jira their daughter so he wonamp8217t die alone amp160When we turned it into a pilot in 2015 the landscape was differentJackie amp160So you two have then been working together since collegeErica Weiss amp160We became best friends through our work togetherCaitlin amp160And were maids of honor at each otheramp8217s weddingsJackie amp160Was a TV show the goalErica amp160Originally I imagined a career for myself as a theater directorCaitlin amp160It is the first pilot we have written togetherJackie amp160Caitlin given that you worked on several shows on CBS and The CW you were a known entity to the corporation amp160Still to be made a showrunner and Erica to be made one on your first series is a very big deal amp160Do you think about that glass ceilingErica amp160On this show we were given this platform amp160We were not questioned about our ability to do so amp160We were partnered with a more experienced showrunner Sunil NayarCaitlin amp160He is a true feminist because he is not just a mentor but also a friendErica amp160It takes a lot for someone to join an existing partnership and I cannot imagine doing it without him And I cannot imagine him taking creditCaitlin amp160He is the most honorable man I have ever metJackie amp160How did you work this as far as the writersamp8217 room and assignments goCaitlin amp160We had eight writers in total including Sunil Erica and me one writer for each episode amp160Erica and I cowrote the pilot and the finale amp160We broke the season together in broad strokes amp160I stayed behind in LA and Erica went back to ChicagoJackie amp160I realize six years of TV experience doesnamp8217t place you back at the dawn of TV but there have been some seismic shifts in the industry since you started amp160What sorts of sexism have you encountered in the businessCaitlin amp160I was on Supergirl with Andrew Kreisberg for whatever thatamp8217s worth The executive producer of Supergirl The Flash Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow was fired for multiple allegations of sexual harassment amp160Caitlin declined to elaborateErica amp160It is rare after having a career you are proud of to do something brand new amp160Itamp8217s always a reminder this is storytelling amp160In general the goal is to go in humble but confident that this is your show and you have to know more today than yesterdayJackie amp160What are your goals with this showErica amp160Hopefully the show is a truly intersectional approach for how we talk about all divisions and experiences of privilegesClick on the social media tiles above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively those of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggersamp160amp160amp160

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Caitlin Parrish, Erica Weiss: Best Friends, Playwrights and Showrunners of CBS’ “The Red Line”

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Jacqueline Cutler

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Caitlin Parrish, Erica Weiss: Best Friends, Playwrights and Showrunners of CBS’ “The Red Line”

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