With Season 2 of her namesake series now available to stream on Netflix, Leanne Morgan is praising her writers for capturing her Southern voice.
The Leanne star recently discussed the culture shock of relocating from Tennessee to Los Angeles to film the sitcom, noting that she was worried her writers room would “stereotype the South and church people.”
“I have got a wonderful writing staff, and they have got my voice,” she said on The Women of Joy Show. “But at first, I was like, ‘They’re stereotyping the South, they’re stereotyping Christians.’”
Morgan continued, “So, at first, I thought, ‘Are they gonna get this right?’ Cause people stereotype the South and church people and all of that, so that was very important to me. And I realized I had to give them grace, because a lot of my writers were not raised in church, and I think they’ve done a really good job.”
The comedian explained that her “brilliant” writers will draft an episode before she infuses her own voice. “I rewrite what I would really, what we really say in the South. ‘We use Dukes Mayonnaise, not Miracle Whip.’ Even something simple like that,” she said.
“But they’re very wonderful to me, because it is based on my comedy and all of that,” added Morgan. “I can do whatever I want to, I’m an executive producer, and they’re very good to me about that.”
Later in the show, Morgan stressed that Hollywood has left the market for Christian entertainment untapped, instead opting for over-sexualized projects.
“Honest to goodness, I think in the secular world, I think a lot of people don’t want to see all that,” said Morgan. “I think a lot of people don’t want to see all that, and I think they’re in a bubble out there. And they think people want to see that, but they’re not in the middle of the United States.”
In Leanne, the eponymous Southern matriarch is faced with starting over when her husband of 33 years leaves her for another woman. Season 2 is now available to stream on Netflix.
