It's a harrowing time for the world of TV and film. Following a slew of accusations were made about Harvey Weinstein's apparent sexual misconduct, the floodgates opened. Since then, a ton of other accusers have stepped forward, alleging various powerful men in Hollywood of using their power to illicit sexual gratification from Hollywood hopefuls. In the TV world, this has put a wrench into shows like House of Cards and Amazon's Transparent. The latter is facing backlash after Jeffrey Tambor's former assistant accused the actor of inappropriate sexual behavior including advances, lewd comments, and threatening her with legal action if she should speak up against him. And now it appears that the network may be exploring ways to continue the acclaimed series without Tambor's presence.
This shocker comes to us from Deadline, which apparently has some insider information from the Transparent camp. Taking a note from Netflix's response to the Kevin Spacey allegations, it seems like the folks behind the series may be crafting a narrative that continues Transparent's story, without Jeffrey Tambor's title character. Of course, this seems like it would nearly impossible to do, given the concept of the dramedy.
After all, Transparent's entire plot revolves around the patriarch of a family (Jeffrey Tambor's Maura), who comes out as a trangender woman later in life. This shocks the Pfefferman family members, while also encouraging Maura's relatives to live their more authentic lives. Transparent certainly places a ton of emphasis on each of the other starring cast members, so it doesn't completely revolve around Maura's plot line. But Transparent without the trangender parent in question just feels strange.
The allegations made against Jeffrey Tambor were made by his former assistant, Van Barnes. She accused Tambor of a variety of sexually inappropriate actions, as well as trying allegedly keep her silence about his indiscretions. Tambor has since denied all of these claims, telling Deadline:
I am aware that a former disgruntled assistant of mine has made a private post implying that I had acted in an improper manner toward her. I adamantly and vehemently reject and deny any and all implication and allegation that I have ever engaged in any improper behavior toward this person or any other person I have ever worked with. I am appalled and distressed by this baseless allegation.
Transparent's creator Jill Soloway seems to be taking the allegations seriously, and the comedy is cooperating with the current investigation. The allegations also have extra weight considering that Van Barnes is transgender herself, so her harassment should be taken especially seriously. For a show that aims to educate and remove the stigma around transgender issues, it's got to hit close to home for the cast and crew.
Transparent's first four seasons are currently streaming on Amazon. Check out our cancelation list to see if your favorite show got the axe from its network.
