The 10-episode dramedy is available to stream on Netflix.
WARNING: This post contains majorGinny & Georgiaspoilers.
with her 15-year-old daughter Ginny and 9-year-old son Austin (Diesel La Torraca).
Netflix
Of course, because everything is going so well, Georgia’s past has to come knocking.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Where did the idea for this show originally come from?
So it started as a mother-daughter story, but with a heavy focus on the daughter navigating high school.
Debra, what was about it that made you want to come on board as showrunner?
DEBRA J. FISHER:I had told my reps I really wanted to work on a female-centric show.
Sarah and my first meeting was two hours.
An hour meeting in this business is really long.
We had a two hour meeting.
It went really well.
We very much jived creatively.
We talked about storylines, we talked about collaboration.
Two hours later, they called and gave it the green light.
We were off and running.
I was like, “What?
What’s happening?”
It all felt very kismet: the show ending up on Netflix and Deb coming on board.
I actually haven’t been asked that question before, so this is a vital.
This is not based on Audrey Lampert.
But Georgia is not based on Audrey.
I would say that Toni [Gentry] had a huge part in crafting and bringing Ginny to life.
MANG [Ginny’s friends group] is based off a bunch of my high school friends.
Marcus [Felix Mallard] is based off my high school boyfriend.
Max [Waisglass] is based on me.
I gave Max most of my voice, if that makes sense.
The character is not necessarily based on me, but she is my spirit animal.
How did you end up with Brianne and Toni in the titular roles?
They both bring such excellent performances.
So Brianne was the last, literally, the last to be cast.
There they are."
So glad you held out for her.
Her Southern accent is so great.
FISHER:People we know from the South ask is she from the South.
One of the cool things about the show is that it doesn’t trivialize the teen experience.
These characters are going through a lot and you really feel that watching it.
FISHER:After reading the pilot, tonally, it has drama, mystery, humor.
We were really intentional with the makeup of our writers' room.
It’s something that Sarah and I talked at length about in our first meeting.
We really wanted the room to be representative of the stories that we wanted to tell.
We achieved that from the writers' point of view and a story point of view.
Was Ginny always going to be a biracial character?
It’s just this really messy, complicated relationship.
To speak to the tone a little bit too, humor for me is very important.
He goes, “I make a living.”
Dancing with that tone was, very intentionally, a big part of the show.
Teenage sex is a big part of the show too.
When you’re that age, you’re really in your head, glamorizing sex so much.
Like, “What the hell just happened?
I’m a woman now?”
That being said, it is a big deal.
It is a milestone.
FISHER:Reading that scene the first time, I was like, “relatable.”
How important was it to you to make mental health part of the show?
It’s so relatable, especially right now.
Also, in the show we point toward therapy for it.
So in the writers' room, we talked about this process so much.
We got to work with a psychologist and she specialized in self-harm behavior.
She gave us such great insight to it that really helped us shape Ginny’s arc.
On a lighter note, there are a bunch of musical moments in this season.
We see Hunter (Mason Temple) tap dance and then Max perform the stage number inSing Sing.
Did you write those scenes in because you knew your cast had those talents?
We found out that Mason could tap dance.
It was in the show and then it wasn’t because of timing and budget etc.
FISHER:It was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen her.
I said, “We have to keep it.
We have to make it work.”
They’re all so talented with instruments and art and everything.
That experience was just so hysterical that we had to include it.
Looking ahead to season 2, what are your hopes there?
Will we learn more of Georgia’s past if you get a second season?
FISHER:Yes to all of your questions.
We want to keep talking about Ginny and Georgia for a very long time.
Okay, fair enough.
I feel like I’ll recuse myself from answering.
I’ll kick it to Deb.
FISHER:I love Joe.
And when Paul proposes!
I’m all Paul in that moment.
I love them all.
LAMPERT:Paul’s proposal scene.
Zion in the kitchen in episode 9.
Joe in the sunglasses.
In those three moments, I’m on that man’s side.
Ginny & Georgiais available to stream on Netflix now.
