Happy Mother's Day! Our Moms Get Their Burning TV Questions Answered
(Credit: CBS, Starz, FX)
Why reward your mother with flowers or chocolates for Mother’s Day when you can give a gift that’s impossible to place a value on: getting answers to her burning questions about her favorite shows! That’s how the Yahoo TV staff chose to honor our mothers… although we got them flowers and chocolates, too. Armed with their questions, we reached out to the power players of such Mom-approved shows as The Americans, Elementary, and NCIS to get answers to such queries as: Where does Joan Watson get her oh-so-fashionable crime-solving clothes? And: Why is Outlander’s Frank Randall much more likable in the Starz series than in Diana Gabaldon’s books? We’ve gift-wrapped their responses for our moms (and yours!) below. But don’t think this replaces your required phone call! We’re dialing your number now, Mom, we swear.
NCIS: Burning questions from Joyce Bierly, mom of Yahoo TV Deputy Editor Mandi Bierly
Executive producer Gary Glasberg says…
1. What is the origin of the Gibbs head slap?
(Credit: CBS)
Although we see the first headslap in flashback between young Gibbs and young Tony in Season 8, Episode 22 (“Baltimore”), that was concocted specifically for the storyline. The first on-screen headslap was Season 1, Episode 5 (“The Curse”).
2. What is actually in the cup that Abby drinks from?
(Credit: CBS)
Abby’s Caf-POW! is a secret combination of thirst-quenching juices that Pauley [Perrette] assembles herself. It’s a secret that I can’t reveal, or NCIS will have to arrest you! :)
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Outlander: Burning question from Carol Baldwin, mom of Yahoo TV Editor in Chief Kristen Baldwin
Frank was not such a likable character in the books. Why did the writers decide to make him more sympathetic in the series?
(Credit: Starz)
Executive producer Maril Davis says…
I think it’s less about making Frank a more likable character (in the show) and more about trying to flesh Frank out as a character. In the books we don’t really have a chance to get to know Frank before Claire goes through the stones. And certainly — as a reader and a viewer — you’ll never root for Claire to go back to Frank. You’ll always root for Claire to be with Jamie. But we felt we needed to see a more complete picture of Frank to understand why Claire would want to go back to him. You need to understand her attraction to him and the reasons why she married Frank in the first place.
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Elementary: Burning questions from Toni Kemmerle, mom of Yahoo Entertainment Social Director Karen Kemmerle
Executive producer Rob Doherty says…
1. I love Lucy Liu’s wardrobe. Her casual clothes are so elegant! Does she have input into what she wears, or is there a costumer who does everything?
(Credit: CBS)
Lucy has considerable input and is the author of quite a few of Watson’s looks. That said, she works very closely with our amazing costumer, Rebecca Hofherr. The two of them keep Watson’s wardrobe fresh and distinct.
2. Not surprisingly, I am a big fan of the Holmes stories and would love to see Elementary base some two-parters on “The Hound of the Baskervilles” and “A Study in Scarlet.” The British Sherlock series had episodes based on both. Any chance that the Elementary team will follow suit?
(Credit: CBS)
As a matter of fact, we tackled “The Hound of the Baskervilles” this past season! “Hounded,” written by Robert Wolfe, was our 16th episode and featured as 21st century a hound as you’re likely to find. Another of Robert’s episodes, “A Study in Charlotte,” wasn’t quite an adaptation of “Scarlet” but featured a few of the same elements. Like you, we love the original Holmes stories. It’s an honor to comb through them for inspiration.
3. Will Moriarity and Mycroft return next season? Both are great additions to the show.
(Credit: CBS)
We tried very hard to see both this season but couldn’t get our schedules to jibe with those of their counterparts, Natalie Dormer and Rhys Ifans. A visit from Mycroft would’ve been especially cool considering how much time we’ve been spending with Sherlock’s father, Morland Holmes. Moriarty, meanwhile, looms over our last few episodes like a shadow. With any luck, we’ll see her in Season 5.
Until then — thanks so much for watching!
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The Americans: Burning question from Mary Peterson, mom of Yahoo TV contributor Price Peterson
Do the actors find the sometimes crazy wigs and costumes to be helpful to their performances, or a challenge?
(Credit: FX)
Katie Irish, costume designer for Season 4, says…
The costumes are always a collaboration between the actors and me; for new characters, I always like to have a conversation with the actor about who they feel this person is. At the start of every fitting, I make sure everyone knows that if anything feels weird or not quite right (in tone, not fit — we can almost always alter it to fit!) that they can tell me. It doesn’t do anyone any good to wear something he/she doesn’t feel is 100 percent in character. In dealing with disguises for Elizabeth and Philip, I often find that the farther away the disguises are from the everyday Jenningses’ looks, the more Keri [Russell] and Matthew [Rhys] like them.
Peg Schierholz, head of hair for Season 4, says…
It actually is both, depending. The first time Keri wore “John Denver,” it was definitely a challenge — she had to kill a likable character in that look, and it was not easy. She made it amazing.
(Credit: FX)
The “Sid and Nancy” wig made things spicier, stronger, and easier in a way — just because Keri looked so hot!
(Credit: FX)
Matthew wore “Clark” so often, he could slip in and out easily, at least it seemed so to me.
(Credit: FX)
“Fernando!” is always dangerously exciting — and Matthew loves that guy.
(Credit: FX)
During the try-on sessions, I put things on them, Lori Hicks (the makeup designer) adds her ideas, and we all try to find the character — Keri and Matthew through posture, walks, checking angles, crafting a being to inhabit. Each has a different approach, and often very different opinions. But the totally fantastic thing about them is that they bring their game and let us explore and try to keep the disguises fresh and sometimes, hopefully, surprising!