It sounds like basically no one trusted Foster’s vision in the beginning. (Even her own husband didn’t want her to make the show, which is loosely based on their real-life romance.) There were major delays in production where scripts were thrown out and re-written. Plotlines like a hook-up between Morgan (Jutine Lupe) and Sasha (Timothy Simons) were dropped. Recalling the vagueness of this dynamic in real time, Lupe told THR, “I like to have an idea of what the fuck is going on while we’re shooting, and there’s a difference between being like, ‘Where is this headed next season?’ And ‘What’s happening in this scene?'” There were concerns over structure and tone, with star Adam Brody feeling like the whole team was being “noted to death.” In addition to other personnel changeover, executive producer Steve Levitan (Modern Family) “is said to have tired of the dysfunction and walked away roughly halfway through the season,” THR reports. It came to a point where “several involved” with the show thought it may fall apart altogether.
The beleaguered production was personal for Foster (daughter of music mogul David Foster) not only because the story is semi-autobiographical, but also because she’d spent years trying to crack Hollywood as an actor and writer. She’s described in the piece as being pretty resistant to changes on specific scripts and to the overall story. “I was at a place where I thought, ‘This is my only chance to have a show, and I’m not going to let everybody else convince me that I don’t know what I’m doing,'” she said.
The show went on to become a major success for Netflix, but the streamer wasn’t taking any chances with more BTS drama. Instead, it brought on Girls alums Jenni Konner and Bruce Eric Kaplan as co-showrunners. “It took a while for me to relax and trust, but Jenni knew that she was dealing with a traumatized bird,” Foster explained of their dynamic. Konner, who worked closely with Lena Dunham for years, agreed: “Having done this kind of role before, I felt very confident that I could help her navigate without trauma.”
By all accounts that’s true, as production went much more smoothly and in a more timely fashion for the second season. And the hugely positive reaction (and awards nominations!) seems to have helped ease the tensions between Bell and Foster, though the actor says “it wasn’t just because of the success of the show that the second season got easier; it was because Erin and I finally saw each other.” Bell declared, “And now, if you ask me, I’d say, ‘I believe Erin Foster will become a reference point in TV and film meetings going forward.’ People will say, ‘Oh, it’s Tim Burton-esque. It’s Wes Anderson-esque. It’s Erin Foster-esque.’ I just wasn’t adept enough in season one to realize it.”