Swinging good time: Swingtown at the Paley Fest

FLASHBACK: Here’s a look back at Swingtown, one of the show’s honored at the 2009 Paley Festival.

Swingtown, the critically acclaimed drama about life in the swinging 1970s as seen through the eyes of 3 Chicago couples, was honored at closing night of the 2009 Paley Festival, the annual festival honoring the best of television.

Cast and crew members were on hand for a panel discussion about the series which aired in summer 2008 on CBS. Although the series drew a devoted following of fans, that following was not large enough to keep the series on the air, as CBS opted not to renew the series for a second season.

Here are some of the tidbits shared with the Paley Festival audience.

· The series was created by Mike Kelley who had previously worked on Providence and The OC. He wanted to explore the huge cultural shift that was happening in the 70s as the sexual revolution, drug culture and women’s liberation that started in the 1960s became more mainstream.

· The name Swingtown was chosen not only as a metaphor for the sex, but also for the changing culture of the 70s.

· The show was set in summer 1976 because that was the USA’s bicentennial year. Kelly said, “1976 was the anniversary of the ultimate freedom for this country.”

· The original pilot was written as an R-rated script since they assumed it had to be on cable or pay TV. When CBS bought the series, they had to tone down the language and the explicit sex scenes. Being on a broadcast network made it “more challenging for the storytelling.”

· Kelley reported that Nina Tassler, the president of CBS Entertainment, was a champion of the show and helped them get past many hurdles with the network and the censors.

· The network originally wanted big names to star in the series, but the producers persuaded them that an ensemble cast would work best, so big names were not needed.

· Grant Show was the first actor to read for the part of airline pilot and party boy Tom Decker. Within 5 minutes, they knew he was right for the part.

· Lana Parrilla read for the part of Susan, which ultimately went to Molly Parker. But as soon as Parrilla started reading, they knew she was perfect for Trina.

· Show is 15 years older than the Parrilla who played his wife, Trina. He initially didn’t think it was possible to play the couple believably with such an age difference. But he admitted it worked beautifully, saying, “I guess I look younger than I am.”

· CBS greenlit the show in Dec. 2006; the pilot was shot in March 2007.

· Each episode was shot in 7 days, less than normal for a 60-minute drama.

· Executive producer Alan Poul’s mother died shortly after shooting the pilot. His mother’s house was filled with 70s era items, so when he cleaned out her house, he shipped her belongings to the set. Most of those items ended up being used as part of Janet’s kitchen.

· Producers watched the films of Robert Altman, Hal Ashby and Paul Mazursky to help get the right look for the 70s since people have specific idea about how the 70s looked. And those concepts were great influenced by the films of those directors.

· On the 70s wardrobe her character Janet wore, Miriam Shor said, “I always got to wear things that could have been a couch. Instead it was a dress.”

· Show reported that it was a joy to play his character to Tom Decker, who was like a happy little kid. Show said Tom was “so inclusive, he wanted everyone to be invited to the party.” Producers called Tom a “pure soul” and lamented that such characters no longer exist is modern society.

· One of the challenges of the storytelling was coming up with some way to get all 6 main characters together in the same scene. Thus, the Deckers had many parties.

· Tom and Trina were the swinging couple on the show but also had the most open and honest relationship of the three couples. Yet they are the couple that people would have expected to have had the most deception in their relationship.

· The set for the Decker house used lots of glass walls, windows and mirrors as a way to convey the openness of their relationship.

· When actor/model Ryan McPartlin (of the series Chuck) was cast to play Trina’s ex-boyfriend for an episode, Grant Show was taken aback by how handsome McPartlin is. Show commented, “It’s not that often that I get jealous. But when I saw [McPartlin] in the make-up chair, I was like, ‘What are you guys doing to me?’”

· McPartlin’s character was also involved in 3-way sex scene with Tom and Trina. That threesome got the most negative mail from views. Producers said that apparently a 3-way was not something people were ready to see on network TV, calling it a flashpoint for those trying to denounce the series.

· The final episode was designed to be a cliffhanger with each character taking a bold step forward in their lives. If the series had been renewed, the second season would have picked up on the very next day with the Susan and Roger (who were married to other people) in bed together. Season 2 would have seen Trina deciding to terminate her pregnancy and the Dear Janet newspaper advice column taking off.

· Molly Parker said her character of Susan was her favorite character she’s ever played.

· Grant Show called the series, “The safest and most supportive place I’ve ever worked.”

· Show’s mustache was named Sebastian. It was a bittersweet moment for him when he shaved if off.

· In a bit of irony, Show, who got his big break in the early 90 on Melrose Place, reported that the revival of the Melrose Place series took over the Swingtown soundstage. Tom and Trina’s swimming pool is now the Melrose Place apartment pool.