EXCLUSIVE: The Ex List’s EP Jonathan Levin

One of the new shows this season that the Nice Girls have been buzzing about for months is CBS’ The Ex List, premiering tonight at 9/8c. The show is about Bella Bloom, a single, 30-something woman who owns a flower shop and is merrily going about her life. Until on a whim she visits a psychic and learns that she has already dated her future husband – and if she doesn’t find him in the next year, she’ll remain alone forever. Cue a trip down Bella’s Hall of Boyfriends, Hookups, and Forgotten Exes. The Nice Girls had a chance to chat with executive producer Jonathan Levin this week, going straight to the source for the scoop on Elizabeth Reaser as Bella; the parade of guest stars playing the exes; and that pesky “one year” problem.

NiceGirlsTV: It’s so lovely to “meet” you, Jonathan, even if only by phone.
Jonathan Levin: Thank you.

NGTV: We had the privilege of seeing the screener of The Ex List earlier this summer.
JL: Did you like it?

NGTV: We LOVED it! Absolutely loved it.
JL: Great!

NGTV: We were prepared to not like it, because we were Moonlight fans. We were kind of hoping The Ex List would be bad, but we really loved it.
JL: Well that’s great! I know that Moonlight fans were really devoted to that show. It’s not our fault that that show got canceled. Believe me, I would’ve been happy to see it continue.

NGTV: It really would’ve been a pretty good companion piece for The Ex List, don’t you think?
JL: Yeah, I think so. Moonlight had a romance of its own. But unfortunately that’s beyond our control.

NGTV: Unfortunate, yes. But we’re really excited that your show is coming to us, no matter which timeslot it’s in. Now from what I understand, The Ex List is based on an Israeli show.
JL: That’s right. It’s just an 11-episode series called Mythological Ex, and that was the inspiration for all of this. Their show was a little bit different, of course, reflecting some cultural differences between Israeli television and American television. So we’ve made some changes to the characters, added a sister, and made some other adjustments. But yes, that’s not only the inspiration for the show, but the creator of the Israeli version, a woman named Segahl Avin, is a consultant on our series as well and is working with us in Los Angeles.

NGTV: So you’re able to keep with the original vision while adapting it for the American audience.
JL: Exactly, we’re trying to do both.

NGTV: Well that brings up probably the biggest question we’ve had. If the premise is that Bella has to find The One in a year, how in the world do we get a second season of the show?
JL: Well, that’s a really good question that’s going to be answered when we face the predicament. I’m reminded of a really bad joke about a guy that goes to the doctor and the doctor says, “I have really bad news. You have 30 days to live.” The guy says, “I can’t pay you right now,” and the doctor says, “OK, I’ll give you 90 days.” (laughs) There will be a natural solution to that problem is all I can tell you. We’re not playing with the time device, like every episode is a day; we are going to play year-per-year, but there will be twists and turns in the way the prophecy plays out. I promise you, in success, we will not offend the audience and keep shooting.

NGTV: So we will like the resolution, whatever it is.
JL: Yes you will. You will not feel cheated.

NGTV: But you don’t feel like going ahead and spilling that for us…
JL: (laughs) Not right now.

NGTV: Oh well, I had to ask. (laughs) Another cool part of this premise is that you have the opportunity for some terrific guest stars every week, in the form of the exes. I know you have Eric Balfour and Eric Winter in the first couple of episodes.
JL: Yeah, we have some really good guys, all kinds of guys. In re-examining Bella’s romantic life, we’re going to hit every conceivable kind of person to keep the show fresh and interesting. We just shot an episode with an older guy who was her art professor, played by Kevin Sorbo from Hercules. So it’s an eclectic mix of men from her past. And perhaps the occasional woman.

NGTV: Really?
JL: Yeah.

NGTV: OK then! So through all of these exes, it sounds like we’re going to get quite a clear picture of who Bella is.
JL: Yeah, and that’s really a lot of the appeal of the premise for those of us that are making it. In a lot of ways it’s not even so much about going back to find the guy, although that’s important for her romantic mission, but in rediscovering these guys, it’s looking back at the person that you were and getting the chance to take inventory of the person you are now. It’s a journey of self-discovery as much as anything else.

NGTV: So would it be fair to say that those who are saying this show is just about this woman’s quest to get married are being simplistic?
JL: Yeah, because there is a lot more involved. It sort of is a time machine, a look back at her life, a chance to see herself through other people’s eyes and a chance to get to know herself better, which is probably a good thing for all of us.

NGTV: I saw in your bio that you have a history of developing and working on shows that involved strong female characters, like Charmed, Touched By an Angel, Northern Exposure with Maggie…
JL: Yeah, I’m really interested in hour shows that have humor and romance. There’s just such a surplus of procedural dramas. Obviously there’s a big appetite for all these permutations of murder mysteries, but I think we need to try a little harder to keep other forms of hour shows around so it’s not just a whodunit every week.

NGTV: And yet The Ex List is sort of a whodunit. It has an inherent mystery in the premise.
JL: Well, yeah, it does, but we’re not going to be killing anybody.

NGTV: Not even the really bad boyfriends?
JL: I guess anything is possible! (laughs) No, it’s a romantic mystery, not a murder mystery.

NGTV: Your lead, Elizabeth Reaser, is just perfect for this role. Was the series developed with her in mind, or did she audition and you said, “That’s her, that’s our Bella”?
JL: We met with her really early on, after the script was written. Elizabeth was coming off of a really successful run on Grey’s Anatomy, which is where I think most people know her from. She also did a little independent movie that I love called Puccini for Beginners, and I thought she was incredibly appealing in that. So we met her and she tested for the part and everybody loved her. She’s beautiful but relatable, she’s funny, she’s quirky, she’s really, really smart, she’s emotionally engaging, you really care what’s going to happen to her, and all of those are pretty great qualities to have in a leading lady.

NGTV: They really are and she has them all. I think you’re right, most people are going to be familiar with as Ava/Rebecca on Grey’s Anatomy and I think people are going to be pretty surprised when they see her playing this character. Bella is pretty much the polar opposite; she’s so cheerful and upbeat and just endearing.
JL: You’re right. The hardest thing to do in film or television is comedy. It’s hard to be funny; it’s hard work. But Elizabeth is naturally charming, has a great attitude, a beguiling laugh and she just makes you feel good. She probably is more accustomed to doing really series drama. If you get a chance, you should check out a film she did called Sweet Land, it’s really serious. But she’s just such a talented actress, she can do anything she puts her mind to.

NGTV: And then you’ve surrounded her with this great supporting characters. You get such a good idea of who her sister and her friends are, right off the bat. It’s almost like an ensemble except that Elizabeth shines so brightly that she’s clearly the lead.
JL: Yeah, because it is her mission, but what we’re trying to convey is that there’s an extended family and friends who really care about each other and like hanging out together. They like discussing their lives with each other. We wanted to create a group of people that the viewer would wish that they could be a part of, that they would be cool to know. And I think the relationship she has with her sister is especially wonderful. Rachel Boston (Daphne Bloom) is really funny. Very different from Elizabeth, very Lucille Ball-ish, and it’s just fun watching the two of them at work.

NGTV: They have an incredible on-screen chemistry. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this sisterly relationship plays out, especially over the first few episodes when Rachel’s character is getting married.
JL: She does, she gets married in the fifth episode and it’s…well, I shouldn’t say. (laughs) It’s a good episode. A guy shows up at the wedding and causes all sorts of problems for Bella.

NGTV: Uh oh!
JL: Yeah. (chuckles)

NGTV: I wanted to touch briefly on Diane Ruggiero who was the original executive producer and has since moved on to join Rob Thomas on Cupid. We were quite gleeful when we heard that the two of them had reunited, but we wondered how her exit was going to effect the tone of The Ex List.
JL: I think the show remains true to its origins and we’re not looking to make any major changes in it. Diane is an incredibly gifted writer and she did a wonderful job with the show, but she had some notions about the direction of the show that weren’t shared by everybody else. She did an incredible job, she worked herself to death. You know, it’s quite an exhausting task to launch a one hour show. But I think she’s happy with her new job; I just spoke with her yesterday and she wishes The Ex List well.

NGTV: I’m glad to hear that. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us, Jonathan.
JL: Thank you, I hope you enjoy the show.

The Ex List premieres tonight on CBS at 9/8c. You can see more cast photos and pics from the first for episodes in our Gallery. After you watch, stop by and leave your comments. Let us know if our giddiness about the show is warranted!