Exclusive Interview with the Girl Power Behind Kevin (Probably) Saves The World, A New ABC TV Show

I was invited by Disney to the Coco press junket that included a visit to ABC.  All opinions shared are 100% my own.

I am constantly looking for positive shows on TV to watch.  Last week, as part of the Coco press trips, we stopped over at ABC for an Exclusive Interview with the Girl Power Behind Kevin (Probably) Saves The World.  As we had some dinner and watched the new  show, I was rooting for all the characters, and overcome with hope that there is good all around us.   Two fabulous ladies created and are running this show.  As mothers themselves, they do feel the responsibility of delivering quality family friendly entertainment that can be enjoyed together.  Jackpot!

Exclusive Interview with the Girl Power Behind Kevin (Probably) Saves The World

Our exclusive interview was with Michele Fazes and Tara Butters who worked on Marvel- Agent Carter, Resurrection and Law & Order SUV.  Both ladies have been working together for some time, and from the start were very candid.  Many things hit home for me, but perhaps what brilliantly stood out is the fact that these talented women do not shy away from building others.  Yes they are not only leading, they are offering hands on opportunities to learn.

Kevin (Probably) Saves The World Idea Inspiration

It was time to write something for themselves.  

Tara Butters shares that over the last year they realized that many people were unhappy, not feeling good about where they were in their life.  People needed something that came from a good place, and that served as their inspiration because it reminds us that little acts actually do dd up and that you can do something that might inspire someone else to do a good thing.

Michele Fazekas adds that as they were working on the pilot, she heard about “metanoia”, a theological term that means to see the world through new eyes where a person can’t change the world, but your acts of kindness allow a transformation which in turn enables you to see the world with new eyes.  that in itself is where you can change the world.

Getting the show on ABC

Fazekas starts by saying that it is hard to encapsulate the show.  “Somehow it got back to ABC that we were working on a pilot. And the guy who runs our production company said to them, yeah, well, that’s not for you. And he wasn’t being cute, but I think as soon as you say that to someone they’re like, “Wait, it is for me!” So, we get a phone call. They’re like can you pitch that at six o’clock today? We’re like, no, we don’t have it! [CHUCKLES] What are you talking about? So, we sorta got a pitch together and we pitched it to him. It was late in the development season, December 6th, which is when people are already turning in scripts!  In the end, they bought it over the phone. 

A Family Show

Tara Butters  “I wanted something I can watch with my kids and that we could both sit down and enjoy it. And, you know, typically what happens is tomorrow morning my girls get up at six o’clock in the morning. We come downstairs and we watch it before school because they don’t stay up until ten. It was important to us to have something we could watch with our kids”.

Empowering other women

When asked if they felt any responsibility now that they are so visible in their industry, Tara Butters said “Absolutely!”.  She followed up with ” This year I really like the fact that in the first 13 episodes we have three or four women [directing].  We were able to get Rob Hardy, a director of color.”  Comparatively with the amount of diversity directors available this number is big, but unfortunately she shared figures that indicate that 30% is the total for non white male directors.

Michele Fazekas added that they do not like working in a selfish environment. “I like to go home. I like my family. I don’t need to work all the time.  We have this philosophy of, we will train you how to be a producer. We will train you how to be a showrunner. That means that the writer is involved from script all the way to Post-production.  Even if the writer is 100 percent rewritten, they are still the sorta shepherd of that script, because they know the script inside and out. So, they will prep the script. They will go out to stay for production and we will bring them into the editing, ’cause I’ve hired co-executive producers, which is a high level producer who’s never sat in an editing room. And so you don’t really know how to do it unless you see it done. And so, we’ll bring — even a brand new writer, it’s like sit here. You don’t have to know what you’re doing, but you just sit here and learn how to do it.”

About Kevin (Probably) Saves the World

Kevin Finn (Jason Ritter) returns to his childhood home in Texas to live with his widowed twin sister, Amy (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), and teenaged niece, Reese (Chloe East). He and his family have grown apart over the years, so Kevin has no real hope that anything will get better. But a series of fantastic events, including a meteorite landing near the house, lead Kevin to meet an unlikely celestial guide, Yvette (Kimberly Hébert Gregory). Yvette tells Kevin something that changes his path forever. In every generation, there are 36 righteous souls on Earth whose mere existence protects the word. Kevin, she tells him, is the last of the 36 righteous. Without the 36, the world will begin to lose the one thing that allows us to persevere through the ups and downs of life: hope

“Kevin (Probably) Saves the World” airs on Tuesdays at 10|9c on ABC. Episodes are also available via streaming and on demand.

Tonight’s Episode

Yvette has her reservations when Dave, another celestial being, pops up looking to join her and Kevin on their latest mission: Reconciling Kristin and her mother under the most challenging of circumstances. Elsewhere, Nate tries to work up the nerve to ask Amy out, completely unaware of her budding chemistry with a potential beau

 

 

If you are not watching it, do tune in on  for a few good laughs and plenty of good natured entertainment.  Start tonight at 10pm on ABC.

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