Showtime's United States of Tara (Sundays, 10 pm/ET) is returning for a second season.
At least one of the show's writers had her fingers crossed for a Season 2 — and not just because she likes her job. "We really had a hard time putting everything we wanted to do [with the series] in 12 episodes — and that's not always the case!" Alexa Junge told TVGuide.com at the series' outset. "[Tara's] got a good story to tell, and we're just getting rolling here."
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Juno's Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody has created a new dramedy for Showtime about a married, suburban artist with two kids — and she happens to suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), commonly referred to as multiple personalities. Diablo sat down with TVGuide.com to talk about transitioning from film to television writing, working with Steven Spielberg and a dream cast, and what it's like to write so many different personalities for Tara. The United States of Tara premieres Sunday at 10 pm/ET.
TVGuide.com: Let's talk about DID. Did you get to talk to people who actually suffer from the disorder?
Diablo Cody: Yes I did. We actually have one consultant working on the show who is a mother who lived with DID and raising her kids. She's no longer living with DID, but she had it, and she gave us a lot of insight into the disorder.
TVGuide.com: The main cause of DID is thought to be a result of traumatic incident during childhood. Are we ever going to find out what Tara's incident is?
Cody: Later in the season, we deal with the source of Tara's disorder extensively. We do talk about the trauma that caused it, but at this point, the family is not exactly sure what the incident was that triggered it.
TVGuide.com: Was there any inspiration behind the character of Tara's sister Charmaine (Rosemarie DeWitt), or did you just decide Tara needed an evil nemesis sister?
Cody: I wouldn't necessarily call Charmaine a nemesis; she's an...
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Showtime has picked up 12 episodes of The United States of Tara, to begin filming this summer. Penned by Oscar winner Diablo Cody (Juno), the series centers on a wife and mother with a multiple personality disorder, to be played by Little Miss Sunshine's Toni Collette.As previously reported, John Corbett will costar as Collette's husband. Steven Spielberg will produce. Will Cody successfully segue into writing for television? Can she move from portraying teen angst to that of adults? Showtime, luckily, is giving us the chance to find out. — Anna DimondUse our Online Video Guide to see some of Diablo Cody.Related:• John Corbett Allies with United States of Tara• Toni Collette's Got Personalities in Spielberg Series • Multiple-personality Series Seeks Singular "Extraordinary" Star
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Jason Reitman, hot off his accolades for Juno, and Jim Carrey have said, "Mais oui!" to direct and star in, respectively, the new comedy, Pierre, Pierre. The Fox Atomic film follows a nihilistic, self-indulgent French man who brings a stolen painting from Paris to London. If the premise didn't give it away already, the film will be "politically incorrect," according to Variety.For Reitman, the flick will be a brief break sandwiched by Diablo Cody projects: Next up for him is the Cody movie Jennifer's Body, which is billed as a comedy-thriller about a cheerleader from hell (unlike real-life cheerleaders, with apologies to Hayden Panetierre's Claire). — Anna Dimond
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