Legal series often go to news headlines for potential stories, and Lifetime dramedy Drop Dead Diva is continuing that tradition. During a recent press call with Margaret Cho, she spoke about tonight’s episode, “Prom”, which deals with an issue near and dear to her – equality and gay pride, based on Mississippi student Constance McMillen’s experience when her school canceled their prom so she couldn’t bring her girlfriend.
On comedy being a vehicle for social change:
“Comedy is actually one of the most effective agents for social change. You see in television this is very true when you think about people like Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert, but also in our show where we deal with a lot of social issues that are very important.
On the story that inspired tonight’s episode:
“[It’s] an episode about the gay prom, which was a real thing that happened really not far from where we shoot Drop Dead Diva in the South, where these two young women wanted to go to the prom together and the prom was canceled because the school didn’t want to support a same-sex couple going to prom. This was such a heartbreaking story in the news and so we did a show about it and it was really powerful.”
On casting guest stars who were involved in the real life case:
“Wanda Sykes, who was heavily involved in that case and publicizing it, plays a judge on the show, and also one of the girls who was actually the girl just trying to go to the prom with her girlfriend, Constance (McMillen), came and played a bailiff.”
On the episode itself and being able to tell this story:
“We had a lot of really great moments in that episode, and I thought it was a really great show of support for gay pride which is an issue that I am constantly, constantly, constantly promoting. It just makes me feel good that we got to do that. I feel like comedy – television comedy and comedy in general is a really important avenue, a really important way, a venue, to change society and to grow, and I’m so proud that we got to do that.
Tune in to “Prom” on Drop Dead Diva, tonight at 9/8c on Lifetime, featuring guest stars Wanda Sykes, Clay Aiken and Lance Bass.
Photo Courtesy of Lifetime
