‘Fried Green Tomatoes:’ the TV Show

Reba McIntire to Star in “Fried Green Tomatoes”

“Fried Green Tomatoes” TV Show Introduces Iconic Characters to New Generation

NBC announced they are bringing “Fried Green Tomatoes” to the small screen. Reba McEntire will star and legendary TV guy Norman Lear will executive produce.

“Fried Green Tomatoes” is a 1987 novel by Fannie Flagg that was made into the girl power 1991 film with Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy and the 3 name Marys: Mary-Louise Parker and Mary Stuart Masterson.

McEntire will play Idgie Threadgoode who returns to Whistle Stop and deals with family, the cafe, the town. I imagine it will be folksy-meets-modern: Idgie learns how to use an iPhone! Though I trust with Lear behind it, we’ll see a much more clever take.

“Fried Green Tomatoes” the Movie vs the TV Series

Much of the Oscar-nominated movie is about the relationship between middle-aged Evelyn (Kathy Bates) and elderly Ninny Threadgoode (Jessica Tandy), with Ninny sharing stories of her past and in the process inspiring Evelyn to want more from her life.

In the movie, the flashback scenes are set in 1920’s Alabama with Idgie already a young woman. If McEntire’s version of Idgie is to be a “modern” version, her as a young woman would be the 70s?

Since it is essential to the plot that Idgie’s past is that of a tough-for-her-generation young woman, can we expect McEntire’s Idgie will have been a hippie, Gloria Steinem- like character?

The book and movie revolve around the discrimination against women, people of color during the 20s. The TV series will be flat if it doesn’t use this element.

Will be interesting to see how the TV show works without the dynamic of Evelyn and Ninny, what time period they are working with and if Idgie will have flashbacks to a more outgoing time in her life.