Wow! You expect this sort of thing in a political campaign or maybe from a celebrity trying to deal with the fall-out of a sex-tape scandal, but this is insane. In the wake of Sony’s abrupt firing of Dan Harmon — which, again, Harmon found out in the news, same as the rest of us — Sony gave the cast helpful talking points presumably so they’d know how to keep their mouth shut and toe the company line. Soulless a**holes. The moral wrong committed is not bad enough, they have to compound it with a lazy attempt to put a good face on it. Here are the talking points, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter:
Team Community:
With last night’s news of David Guarascio and Moses Port as new showrunners/EPs on “Community” running in the press, and since we know that cast members have interviews coming up this week, I wanted to forward some messaging we hope our cast will find helpful as they navigate questions that will undoubtedly come up. I know that David and Moses are reaching out to them all directly but I’ve also heard from some of the actors that they’d like some guidance on the topic.
I saw some of the tweets that went out and were glad they all addressed their own sentiments quickly, and we’re hoping that the news will lose some steam over the next day, especially if we’re not perpetuating the topic in any way.
We’re tracking the coverage and conversation and will circle back if we feel the need to reshift our plan or messaging. Please let me know if you have questions.
Why did Dan get let go from the show?
We’re not made aware of why staffing changes take place but I will always be grateful to Dan for his great work on the show and wish him only the best. We’re also excited that we’ll be back on NBC’s schedule in the fall and are looking forward to working on those episodes.
Were you aware that Dan was going to be let go?
No, that’s not something we’re consulted on. I’m sad to see him go but I am looking forward to starting our next 13 episodes of “Community.”
Did the studio or network consult with you about these changes?
No they didn’t but we’re looking forward to working with David Guarascio & Moses Port on a new season of Community.
What are their plans for the new season?
It’s a little early to say at this point but we’re looking forward the stories our characters will find themselves in come Sept.
The note in the beginning of the memo was particularly distasteful, as the suggestion was, “Good. I’m glad you passed along your condolences to Harmon as quickly as possible. Now shut up about it so we can kill this story already.” The whole thing is horribly condescending, too. Does the network not think that these guys — who clearly would like to keep their jobs through at least the next 13 episodes — can’t act like professionals? They need to be told what to say? They’re comedic actors, you think that they’re going to limit their statements to crappy PR-speak?
This whole thing is like a window into the soul of Sony, and what do we see inside? Nothing. Just a vast emptiness.
