TV Production Designers Talk Evolving Without Losing Their Original Vision at IndieWire’s Craft Roundtables — Watch

Production designers quite literally build the worlds that our favorite TV characters inhabit. It’s a massive responsibility that exists at the intersection of design and storytelling, and the choices that they make often alter the trajectory of TV’s biggest shows.

IndieWire recently convened a group of production designers to celebrate the art form at IndieWire’s Craft Roundtables. The panel was comprised of production designers from a diverse array of shows, including Merje Veske (“The Bear”), Matthew Flood Ferguson (“Monster: The Ed Gein Story”), Francois Audouy (“Euphoria”), Roger Fires (“Scrubs”), Susie Mancini (“The ‘Burbs”), Jen Chu (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”), and Claire Bennett (“Nobody Wants This”). 

Throughout the conversation, it became clear that production designers for hit shows often have to make decisions about whether to keep consistent aesthetics or shake things up. Chu explained that she has overseen a significant expansion of production value on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in recent years, but made sure to never let new technology overshadow the scenery.

“I came to ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ three years ago. That show is so beloved by so many people, and it was not easy getting to a point where everyone at the company is anticipating what the fans would and wouldn’t like. We’re trying to modernize and figure out how we can create scenery that’s a little bit more flexible that can bring us into this era,” Chu said. “Our lighting designer really pushed for the LED screens, but at the end of the day, I still wanted there to be a scenery element and not just be negative space of lights and screens. So we have a company headquarters in Hollywood that’s in a beautiful Art Deco building. It has some formal architectural detailing that’s really ornate and really pretty. And as I drove into the office to meet with some of the owners of the company, I thought ‘Hmm, let’s start from there.’ It was something vintage that could be incorporated with our more modern technology.”

While “Drag Race” has been a consistent reality TV fixture for years, the “Scrubs” revival presented its own unique challenge to Fires. The show’s original TV run featured some beloved sets at the Sacred Heart Hospital, and revivals are often designed with nostalgia in mind. Fires explained that he didn’t want to mess with anything iconic, but convinced the rest of the creative team to accept some natural evolutions.

“There were so many iconic pieces that Zach [Braff] and everyone said ‘We don’t want to change too much,’” he said. “But then when we presented the branding and the new color palette and how that would effect the philosophy and the communication between the patients and the staff, they were like ‘OK, yes, we have to evolve.’”

Watch the complete conversation from IndieWire’s Craft Roundtables in the video above.

IndieWire’s TV Craft Roundtables is now streaming on @PBSSoCal and the PBS App as well as IndieWire.com and our social channels.