You know, it's hard as a writer to lose characters (and actors) you like. You really don't want them to die because you're not going to get to see them anymore.

What you have to get used to as a writer is realizing that most of what you come up with is wrong for the show.

You know, it's hard as a writer to lose characters (and actors) you like. You really don't want them to die because you're not going to get to see them anymore.

As far as how important the real-life resonance of the stories is, I think it must play at least a small role in the show's success, because it gives the show this sense of suspense from the fact that it seems at least plausible.

I think ultimately what makes the show is not the reality but the drama.

To create a situation where each new episode has to start in the exact same place as the previous one, with the actors' hair in the exact same place, seemed crazy.

The rule, I think, is: Do your homework, learn what there is to learn about the real world, and then when you get in the room, forget it all.