Exclusive! Executive Producer Josh Berman Talks About Drop Dead Diva’s Sixth and Final (?) Season

On Wednesday, March 12, 2014, I had the distinct pleasure of once again interviewing Josh Berman, creator, writer, and executive producer of Lifetime’s hit series, Drop Dead Diva. He is such a sincere and personable man, it felt like I was speaking with my best friend. He even gave me his personal email address! (I’m not giving it out so don’t ask!) We reminisced about the award-winning series, his favorite story arc, what to expect in season six, and yes, whether this truly will be the final season. Let’s not forget Drop Dead Diva was cancelled after season four but the fans brought it to back to life with their various online petitions.

Now, on with the interview!

Linda: Hi Josh, thanks so much for talking to me.

Josh: Thank you so much for calling about Diva.

Linda: Well, you know it’s one of my all-time favorite shows.

Josh: I love that. It always makes me so happy.

Linda: (laughter) I’m sure. How do you feel now that the show is coming to an end?

Josh: You know, I’m excited to write season six. It’s…you know when there’s a show…and when the premise of the show is a secret—like in the case of Drop Dead Diva—it’s so awesome to have the cat out of the bag at the end of season five, and then to get to see where the pieces evolve in season six. I feel like season six is…it’s a gift to me as a writer because I get to write what I’ve always dreamed what would happen when these characters find out the truth, when the cat’s out of the bag. It’s a gift to the actors who literally feel like it’s season one again. When I get texts and messages from actors saying, “This is the best script yet,” and “I’m having so much fun,” and it’s season six, and it kinda makes my day. And then most importantly, I feel like any of the viewers—whether you’ve watched the show since the beginning or are an occasional viewer—this is the season that pays off. Every episode has been special to me and to these actors, and as we watch them and—we’ve edited through episode four—it’s just so much fun seeing these characters explore this new world—the post-secret world.

Linda: I can imagine. Can you give me a hint as to what we might expect in season six?

Josh: Well, absolutely. I think the first thing we’re gonna have to deal with is Jane comes clean to Grayson.

Linda: Wow!

Josh: And quickly in the season. And you know, the question is, how will Grayson react? And, Grayson reacts in a very real and grounded way to a very surreal and supernatural secret. And, I don’t want to give away too much there but I can promise you within the first three episodes—you know we have a two-hour season opener on March 23, and a lot of the cat will be out of the bag in that episode. Seeing how Grayson reacts will form the rest of the season.

Linda: I get it. I’m so excited…I just can’t wait to see it.

Josh: Where are you calling me from?

Linda: Philadelphia.

Josh: I thought so, ok.

Linda: You know, it’s been a long time since we originally talked about Drop Dead Diva because I interviewed you before the series began. And, at that time, you spoke about redefining what beauty means in Hollywood. Do you feel you accomplished what you set out to do with Drop Dead Diva?

Josh: I think Drop Dead Diva has absolutely changed the way some people in Hollywood define beauty. Certainly, there are more normal sized women on television today than there were six years ago.

Linda: That’s true.

Josh: And that makes me feel great. And even movie stars—I mean Melissa McCarthy is a full-blown movie star. And she’s confident and she’s proud of who she is, and that makes me really happy. I also think Hollywood has seen that there is a big audience, no pun intended, for regular women, who are empowered regardless of their shapes or sizes. In Drop Dead Diva, you know we have women of all shapes and sizes; it’s not just about Brooke Elliott’s character Jane. You know one of the surprises of the series, for me, was the character of Stacy, played by April Bowlby. She started out, quite honestly, as a two-dimensional blonde ditz, and over the course of the six seasons, she has started and run a successful business; she has, on her own, decided to become pregnant; and she made some very adult, smart and intelligent decisions. Allowing a character like Stacy, who traditionally gets cast as a dizzy bimbo, to evolve into a more identifiable female role model has been really gratifying for me.

Linda: It was wonderful watching her character evolve over the five seasons. She has made such a success of that character, it’s amazing; and, of course, thanks to you for writing it that way.

Josh: (laughter) She was very on board. She’s such a lovely and nuanced actress, and I think she gets stereotyped often as that character. So, for her to get to play something different, I think was exciting for her.

Linda: Who is on board to guest star this season?

Josh: Oh, we have some great guest stars. Of course, we have Rick Springfield, who I’m really excited about, and he’ll be on the March 30 episode, and he’s terrific. We also have Janel Parrish on an episode—she’s a regular on Pretty Little Liars—she plays a cheerleader with a big problem. But more importantly, we have our season opener—let’s talk about that—we have our two-hour season opener; we have Stephen…“tWitch”…I’m drawing a blank about his last name.

Linda: tWitch? The dancer, tWitch?

Josh: Yes.

Linda: Oh, I love him!

Josh: tWitch is on the season opener with Corbin Bleu.

Linda: Oh, yes; fabulous!

Josh: Yeah, they’re in our season opener and they play brothers and they’re just terrific together.

Linda: Now, I’m even more excited to see it.

Josh: Oh, you’re going to love it. They have a great storyline. Corbin Bleu is accused of arson and murder, and tWitch is coming to his rescue. Also, in that same episode, we introduce Virginia Williams who recurs—she was on Fairly Legal—and of course, we bring back John Ratzenburger this year as Kim’s father—he returns. And we’re looking for a character right now–we’re searching for an actress to play Kim’s mother, who we’ll get to meet this season. So, it’s really fun.

Linda: I bet. I just can’t wait. Talking about guest stars, if you had to pick a favorite guest star from all of the seasons, who would you pick?

Josh: Wow…

Linda: I know, that is a tall order.

Josh: That is a tough one. We’ve had such amazing guest stars…it’s all the women with single names. You know, Rosie and Paula, Liza, and you know, gosh, I don’t think I can pick a favorite. They all have a special place in my heart. I think Kathy Griffin was terrific; I wish I could [pick one]. There’s been so many, and even now as we head towards our last season, it’s wonderful because actors and actresses actually contact us to see if we’ll put them on the show; it’s become a go-to destination—our little show—for A-list actors, which I never could have anticipated that six years ago when we talked.

Linda: Speaking about past seasons, what was it like to have the show so unexpectedly cancelled after season four when the season finale received such high numbers?

Josh: Yeah, it was a shock and a disappointment when we were cancelled at the end of season four. But, as saddened as I was by that, you can’t imagine how gratified I was when the fans just rallied online.

Linda: I know. We all signed an online petition to bring you back!

Josh: Yes, and that’s what worked. It kinda makes me smile that there’s another petition going around right now so who knows? I probably shouldn’t say that but anything’s possible when the fans get behind the show. You know, I get tweets—I’m on Twitter—all the time about fans not wanting this to be the last season and there’s a couple of Facebook pages dedicated to saving the show, so who knows?

Linda: That’s right. Let’s see, what are some of your favorite memories from the show?

Josh: Gosh, I think one of my favorite all-time memories was we were shooting the pilot and Brooke Elliott, who I believe is one of the most spectacular actresses of our generation, but she was relatively new to series television, and she was in the hospital scene where she wakes up and she discovers that she’s really Deb…that Deb is really Jane…and she turned to me and said, “When will it be OK for me to go to the bathroom?” I will never forget that. She is so sweet and generous and didn’t want to inconvenience anybody that she probably was holding it for hours before she asked if she could go to the bathroom.

((Cross laughter))

But…let’s see, my other memories—you know, I guess it would be some of the cliffhangers. The cliffhanger where Jane gets on a plane and you realize that you’re not sure until the very last moment that she’s leaving, she’s heading out of town, going to Italy and we don’t know if she’ll be with Owen or Grayson, and she looks up and sees Owen just as Grayson is at the airport watching her go. Then, there’s another cliffhanger, of course, one season where Jane’s husband shows up that she didn’t know she had because she had amnesia. I always love writing towards the cliffhangers.

Linda: And we, as fans, love seeing them.

Josh: Thank you!

Linda: What was your favorite story arc of the series?

Josh: I think my favorite story arc is definitely the introduction of Owen French, played by Lex Medlin—the evolution of his character with Jane. You know, I never expected the chemistry to be as strong as it was. We originally only made a deal with Lex Medlin for three episodes and he ended up quickly turning into a series regular. And then last year, he took over the firm of Harrison & Parker, so I never could have imagined that we would find somebody as talented and gifted, and smart, and genuinely kind as that actor.

Linda: I’m sure. It was amazing from a fan standpoint that, you know, you started off thinking there could never be anybody for Jane except for Grayson, and then when he came on board, as you said, their chemistry was so fantastic, that it was kind of OK to accept him as her new guy, you know?

Josh: Absolutely, yes. I think that definitely took everyone by surprise, including the writers, and certainly we wrote to it because like real life, it’s always fun when you’re caught off guard.

Linda: That’s true! So, let’s see. What projects are you working on now?

Josh: Well, you know, right now I am fully consumed with Drop Dead Diva so that really takes every waking minute, and it’s still a labor of love. I don’t understand why I get paid to do it because I love writing the show and producing the show so much so I feel very lucky. That being said, I’m still under a deal with Sony Pictures and Sony Television and I’m currently writing a pilot for the USA Network through Sony. And that’s been a lot of fun. I also have a project that I’m overseeing, which is in development at Showtime.

Linda: Great. That’s two of the networks we cover extensively.

Josh: Great!

Linda: Well, I don’t want to keep you; I know that you are very busy and I was promised 15 minutes.

Josh: You know, I was so looking forward to talking to you. I can’t believe…was the last time we spoke really before the show began?

Linda: Yes.

Josh: That’s crazy!

Linda: Yes, it was. It was…I think I had seen the screener for the first episode—maybe the first and second—and we spoke, and I remember you telling me that the picture at the end of the credits was of your grandparents.

Josh: Yes, yes. Unfortunately, my grandfather had just died a year or two before that…gosh, you have such a good memory. Thank you. Thank you for all of your support through all this time. Will your article come out in advance of our season premiere?

Linda: Yes, it will.

Josh: Oh that’s great. I’m really…and you know it’s a two-hour, right?

Linda: Yes.

Josh: I’m so excited for the fans like you to see that two-hour episode. I just think it really changes the show in a direction that really invigorates it as well.

Linda: Wonderful.

Josh: Well, Linda, if you ever need anything, let me give you my email address, which I don’t usually give out, and if you have any questions, if you need a quote for anything, anything I can do to help. I’m so loyal to the critics that came to the show’s support in the beginning because obviously, no one ever expected us to be on this long and to be a hit, and I think it’s really the critics that kept us going that first year.

Linda: Well, you know, Lifetime didn’t have that many really successful series and I think…

Josh: Yeah, I feel lucky that we got to launch another show for them.

Linda: Yeah, you really did because not many people tuned in to Lifetime at the time, and I kept telling everyone as the seasons were going on, “You’ve got to watch this show; it’s fantastic.” And then other series started to come on Lifetime and all of a sudden, I think it [the network] started to be taken seriously as a contender.

Josh: That makes me feel so good. Thank you so much for saying that.

Linda: It’s my pleasure. It’s my pleasure to speak with you and it’s been my pleasure to watch your show.

Josh: Thank you, thank you so much. Call me, email me, anytime.

Linda: Thank you so much, Josh, I really appreciate that.

Josh: Take care.

Don’t forget to tune in to the two-hour season six premiere of Drop Dead Diva Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 9/8c, only on Lifetime.

If you want more seasons of Drop Dead Diva, you might be able to once again save the show by signing this petition, and this petition to move the show to the USA Network, whose tagline—Characters are Welcome—is appropriate for Drop Dead Diva given all its funny, quirky, and beloved characters.

Now, here’s a sneak peek of what to expect in the new season of Drop Dead Diva.

And here are some behind-the-scenes photos from season six:

Stay current with Drop Dead Diva on its official website.

LIKE the series on Facebook.

Follow Drop Dead Diva on Twitter, as well as Josh Berman @bermanjosh.

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Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!