'Dietland' showrunner Marti Noxon says AMC was 'little dubious' about giving her the director's spot
AMC's Dietland is all about busting myths - especially those prevailing in the beauty, fashion, and glamour industry. With a 300-pound-weighing protagonist (Plum), fittingly brought to life by actress Joy Nash, leading the narrative, the darkly comedic satire has been dealing with subjects that are nothing new on screens. The same old hysterics involved with plus-size, society's subsequent judgment, and the unrealistic body images that serve as a whetstone for bringing out the irony - all of these together make up for 'Dietland's' delicious journey so far.
Since the series premiere in June, the AMC drama, in fact, has delved further and deeper into the double standards with Nash's brilliant rendition of Plum's struggles and series creator Marti Noxon's apt tackling of the storyline. Six episodes into the season - episode 7 titled 'Monster High' airs next week - not even once the subject has felt stale. And a great deal of this credit goes to American writer-producer-director, Noxon.
Noxon is not new to TV. She has been associated with many hot-selling, long-running shows like 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', 'Mad Men', 'Glee', 'Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce', and 'UnREAL'. And yet, it wasn't all that easy for the 'Dietland' showrunner to earn a director's spot in the AMC series. The network, according to Noxon, was a "little dubious" about giving the position to her.
However, “after they saw 'To The Bone' they knew I had a vision for [the series]. I convinced them it was worth taking a shot on me. And they’ve been incredibly supportive,” the 'Dietland' boss explained, as quoted by Screen Daily.
“For a long time I had a point of view that wasn’t considered very commercial,” explained Noxon. “I was interested in telling stories about anti-hero women, and those were really a hard sell. Then TV became kind of an open border - for stories about women in particular. And now I’m really just interested in writing about anybody who doesn’t have a voice. That’s my particular area of interest.”
As far as the show's performance with regards to ratings and critics are concerned, Noxon clearly knows she has cracked the formula. “People were hungry for something that felt this unexpected. A show with a 300-pound protagonist who goes on this journey to become kind of a radical - there’s nothing like that on TV. We actually had quite a few people coming after us," she added.
In last week's episode, 'Belly of the Beast', Plum's journey into losing weight through surgical means took a drastic turn with her seeking "refuge in Calliope House". The struggle, however, will continue in the upcoming episode 7 too, as per the official synopsis. "In the wake of her life-altering revelation, Plum struggles to discover her true voice; a new attack threatens to unravel Jennifer's movement."
Dietland returns on AMC on Monday, July 9.