Monday, June 9, 2014

Major Crimes' James Duff Facebook Chat Recap



Major Crimes was back tonight to start Season Three and James Duff (co-creator of MC and The Closer) returned to Facebook to answer questions. 


What did we learn:

For the first time in Facebook chat James Duff said something other than Brenda won't be back this season. Of course he didn't say that she would be back either:

"To everyone asking about whether Brenda is coming back this year, I don't know. But I'd certainly love to see her and Mary work together." James Duff

 We'll see more Flynn and Provenza episodes this season:
"Flynn and Provenza end up investigating a very interesting double murder two weeks from tonight. And Andrew Daly returns to play, once again, a cop impersonator. Only a different kind of cop." James Duff

And our friend in Italy, Ilona Arcari got a shout out and an answer to her question:


James Duff Ilona Arcari! Glad to hear from you! NO SPOILERS. Is Gavin going to help Sharon get divorced from her husband. That's a great idea. I'll look into it.




Here are the rest of the answers - James does a great job of answering so you understand the question, which is a goof thing because these chats have become so popular that there are too many questions to be able to match them to the answers. 


James Duff Sharon will be going out a little more this year, depending on the crime. Brenda always went out. But Brenda, like me, has a hard time delegating. Sharon is more like a regular Captain of the LAPD.

James Duff Another question about Morales and his first name. Right now, it's doctor!

James Duff Christopher D asks if we will be seeing more of DDA Hobbs. We will.


James Duff Cathy Jo  RC asks whether Buzz could have a girl friend. He could! Phillip has certainly been suggesting it for years.


James Duff Beth W asks if any member of the cast is a prankster. Certainly, Ray is a terrible tease. And G W can make people laugh just by the way he enters a room.

James Duff I thinks many of you will find the theme we are using during the first ten episodes, human expectations, very powerful.


James Duff Yes, overall, we will show more of the personal lives of our detectives this season. But it will be pretty balances.

James Duff And what about Kearran Giovanni? I love her as Amy Sykes. And you will be seeing a lot more of her personal life.

James Duff Also, Graham Patrick Martin is such an amazing actor, I just had to keep him.

James Duff Kimberly Hughes S asks if Rusty was designed to be an original character and the answer is yes. But I didn't know that when I first wrote him into The Closer. That was a huge shock. That I needed him to go on. My unconscious was working overtime.

James Duff Just to mention, Mary McDonnell took on one of the biggest challenges ever, and she made it work. And happy tenth seasons to G W Bailey, Tony Denison, Michael Paul Chan, Phillip P. Keene and Robert Gossett.


James Duff Our premiere was directed this season by David McWhirter, who used to be our first Assistant Director. He's done a wonderful job. I'm so proud of him.

James Duff Alex J asks why Julio Sanchez always wears a wedding ring. It's because he was married. And his wife died. And he won't ever take it off. As he said during the celebration of Brenda's wedding.

James Duff Just one thing I should like to add, one of the reasons our show has stayed so strong from season to season is my writing partner, Det. Mike Berchem, ret. He helps us stay authentic, which makes the world we inhabit more real.

James Duff Marian L asks if we get our stories from the news or if we make them up? Tonight's ep is a hybrid.

James Duff Dawn Lee W asks if we plan our season all at once, or if we let it unfold.

James Duff Karen T Thanks for saying the finale last season was intense. It was certainly intense directing it. I think the way we keep up that intensity is by trying as hard as possible to repeat ourselves.

James Duff Ashlee B L wants to know about the Dr. Joe/Rusty relationship. I love those two characters, also, and they come back together in episode 5.

James Duff Alene S asks if Rusty will be adopted by Sharon. It's a good idea, don't you think? But he still has his own mother to deal with. And where is she?

James Duff Our actors are so good, and there's so much great stuff you never get to see as an audience.

James Duff Honestly, one of the great joys and one of the hardest jobs I have is cutting the show.

Will Buzz get a girl friend this year? 


James Duff Robin Brunt The most exciting part of a season for me is after a show has been shot, and I am sitting down in the editing room watching it, and it has all come together properly.

James Duff Tammy T asks if we can look forward to more Flynn and Provenza episodes this year. You certainly can.

James Duff Tonight's crime...is terrible. And it took me to terrible places.

James Duff I think about murder a lot. And I think about the victims of murder even more.

James Duff Maybe that shows up in the writing.

James Duff Mary Farmer asks if it's hard for us to process the show. Surprisingly, sometimes its very, very hard.

James Duff Dally Anne C asks about Andy's family. You will meet his daughter this year. And she will meet Sharon!

James Duff Jane W asks if Rusty will remain on the show. I hope so. I have a contract with him!

James Duff Dillon C asks if Rusty is gay. Hm. Maybe that question will come up tonight.

James Duff Pat W Rusty has a lot to deal with in the first few episodes. And he's trying to make up for all the school he lost.


James Duff Chloe E from one of my favorite places, Tampa, asks when Fritz Howard is coming back. Brenda's husband returns for his first bow in episode five. But there's lots more of him this year after that.

James Duff Well, Flynn has certainly been selling that to his family.


James Duff Gayle asks if Flynn and Sharon are going to be an item. I think their friendship is growing closer, don't you?


James Duff Gracie asks what the theme of this season will be. It's expectations, and how they affect our lives. Tonight is all about how we can have our lives turned upside down by the expectation of shame.


    James Duff Gracie A - asks what inspires the theme of our seasons. First thank you for your kind words. I think about the theme for a long time, searching it for the right questions, and to see how those themes would develop characters and give us unique views of the justice system.

    James Duff Deanna M - we do sometimes release the deleted scenes. You can see them on the DVDs. They're out tomorrow for season two. That's not an promotion.

    James Duff Brad C - asks if Flynn and Provenza (he put Flynn's name first, so don't get mad at me G.W.) have written dialogue or if they improvise it. Ninety-five percent of the dialogue is written. But the five percent they come up with themselves is incredibly funny

    James Duff Robin L asks who designed the dress Det. Amy Sykes was wearing. I think our fabulous costumer, Greg La Voy should come in and do a chat session with me.
         

     James Duff I'm always surprised when people tell me they don't believe in evil. Or that evil does't really exist. Oh, I think it does.

    James Duff Someone asks who would have done this to children. In the real story...well, I don't want to say. I know it's upsetting. There is good and evil in the world. And there is too much of one and not enough of the other. Or so says our local police chief.

    James Duff Linda K wants to know how far in advance of the show the actors know what's coming. And the answer is usually about seven days.

    James Duff
     Bigger arcs we discuss in the off-season.


    James Duff Fritz is going to be on this year. Several times. Big, big presence several times.


    Tony Denison and Mary McDonnell and other cast members took to Twitter to answer questions there. Fans of the budding (we hope) relationship between Flynn and Raydor use the hashtag #Shandy to talk about the potential Sharon Andy romance. The Twitter traffic is too much to recap, but was great fun to watch. 

    Did you watch Major Crimes tonight?

    1 comment:

    1. I'm really getting into this show. Half way through Season 1.

      ReplyDelete