Sheridan lawyer Mark Baute, in his closing Wednesday morning, told jurors they have two questions to answer: Did Cherry hit Sheridan on the head on September 24, , or was it a "light tap," as the defense claims? And, did Cherry get ABC's approval to kill Sheridan's character in May , as the defense claims, or was the decision made in December, after a human resources investigator cleared him in the slapping incident?
Baute called Cherry a "really obvious liar" who was covering up the real reason he killed off Edie Britt, the sassy blonde character Sheridan played for the show's first five seasons. Cherry and ABC claim they decided Britt would die in season five in May , four months before the incident in which Cherry allegedly struck Sheridan. Baute told jurors that there were "no notes, no calendar, no documents," supporting that claim, except for a writer assistant's notes that he accused the defense of fabricating and backdating.
Cherry and ABC executives testified they did not write e-mails because they wanted to keep the decision a secret. Defense lawyer Adam Levin, in his closing, said the plaintiffs were asking jurors to accept a "complicated story of conspiracy," while the reality is much simpler. Cherry wanted to kill Edie Britt for creative reasons," to shock and surprise viewers and boost ratings, he said.
Former ABC studio chief Mark Pedowitz, who now works for the rival CW network, testified that in May he approved Britt's killing since the character "had run its creative course," he said. Former ABC network chief Steve McPherson, who no longer works in the entertainment industry, told jurors that he also approved the decision in May , Levin said.
Levin also pointed to three former show writers who each testified of hearing the plan to kill off Britt in writer meetings in May and June Documents obtained by E!
News show an outline purportedly made during a May writers retreat in which Cherry has Edie being murdered by her loony husband, Dave Neal McDonough. He was looking ahead to the end of season five to plan an "interesting way to end the character's time on the show in a shocking way for fans.
Sheridan, meanwhile, maintains that Cherry had assured her that her job was safe when scripts started coming in for season five, and that he and ABC didn't conspire to get rid of her until after her accusation hit the tabloids that Cherry hit her "upside the head" during a fight that September. An internal investigation by ABC cleared Cherry of wrongdoing.
Cherry insists that isn't the case, that another writer pitched the idea of killing off Edie as early as the third season, but network executives felt that more could be done with her character. After Sheridan's character was killed off on Desperate Housewives , the actress publicly expressed her feelings about it.
In response, the show's creator, Marc Cherry, clapped back with several unflattering accusations, including, but not limited to, her alleged poor attitude on the set.
In April , Sheridan's character, Edie, died after her car crashed into a telephone pole. Sheridan discussed her onscreen counterpart's demise in an April interview with TV Guide. People reported that Sheridan remarked, "Killing off Edie was a risky decision that could have devastating ramifications. It was exciting and dangerous and funny and edgy and bizarre.
It started feeling a little complacent, and that was very frustrating. She also shaded Cherry for overlooking her. Sheridan told the outlet, "When you have a jewel, why not polish it and put it out there for all to see? He also shared,"There has been tremendous pressure put on me to cut costs.
Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry testified, "The purpose of the character was going to be over," per E! News in March
0コメント