At the risk of getting myself in trouble again. The last time I discussed this topic, it did not end well...
did always think it was quite unfair how much of the fandom blamed JM for CC being let go. The rumors (not even back stage. Just out in the open, things Minear and Bell said in public) had been going around for two years prior to that that there were back stage issues involved. I distinctly remember Minear and Bell talking during Season 3 that there was a very, very real possibility that CC wouldn't be back for Season 4. So whatever it was going on had been going on for a while.
Thank you. Was beginning to think I was the only one who remembered that. I keep getting into fights with CC shippers who believe the gossip that Whedon fired CC because she was pregnant and screwed up his storyline in S4, when in reality the network and producers were planning on firing her in S3.
What they don't know is the producers (not Whedon, one's above Whedon or in partnership with), Fox, and the network - had wanted to release her at the end of S3. Greenwalt even wrote her neatly out of Angel, with a possibility of returning - should anyone change the network's mind. I remember fans doing a massive letter writing campaign to bring her back in S4 (which CC stated at the time saved her character, it didn't. They even took out an ad, I think - it was a long time ago. Letter campaigns rarely work - except in a few isolated situations - such as Farscape and Cagney and Lacey.) At any rate, Whedon apparently did not like how Greenwalt wrapped up Cordelia's arc - St. Cordy raising up and becoming a God did not fit with Whedon's world-view. So he came up with a great counter-point to that and convinced the network to let her stay one more season and to let her come back for the 100th episode, when he couldn't get Gellar.
Feel a bit sorry for the writers here - you are writing a story, but you are constantly at the mercy of actors, networks, producers - all these people who refuse to cooperate. They probably spend more time negotiating than they spend actually writing. From what Espenson said - show-running was hard, because you didn't get to write that much, you spend most of your time keeping everyone in line. Collaborations aren't easy things.
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did always think it was quite unfair how much of the fandom blamed JM for CC being let go. The rumors (not even back stage. Just out in the open, things Minear and Bell said in public) had been going around for two years prior to that that there were back stage issues involved. I distinctly remember Minear and Bell talking during Season 3 that there was a very, very real possibility that CC wouldn't be back for Season 4. So whatever it was going on had been going on for a while.
Thank you. Was beginning to think I was the only one who remembered that. I keep getting into fights with CC shippers who believe the gossip that Whedon fired CC because she was pregnant and screwed up his storyline in S4, when in reality the network and producers were planning on firing her in S3.
What they don't know is the producers (not Whedon, one's above Whedon or in partnership with), Fox, and the network - had wanted to release her at the end of S3. Greenwalt even wrote her neatly out of Angel, with a possibility of returning - should anyone change the network's mind. I remember fans doing a massive letter writing campaign to bring her back in S4 (which CC stated at the time saved her character, it didn't. They even took out an ad, I think - it was a long time ago. Letter campaigns rarely work - except in a few isolated situations - such as Farscape and Cagney and Lacey.) At any rate, Whedon apparently did not like how Greenwalt wrapped up Cordelia's arc - St. Cordy raising up and becoming a God did not fit with Whedon's world-view. So he came up with a great counter-point to that and convinced the network to let her stay one more season and to let her come back for the 100th episode, when he couldn't get Gellar.
Feel a bit sorry for the writers here - you are writing a story, but you are constantly at the mercy of actors, networks, producers - all these people who refuse to cooperate. They probably spend more time negotiating than they spend actually writing. From what Espenson said - show-running was hard, because you didn't get to write that much, you spend most of your time keeping everyone in line. Collaborations aren't easy things.