About this episode

Georgia Jeffries discusses her career as a writer and producer, focusing on her work in shows like Cagney & Lacey and China Beach, and shares insights on writing and personal influences.

“ Barney and I were interviewed about that episode on Entertainment Tonight because the word “condom” had never been used on television before.” - Georgia Jeffries, Cagney & Lacey writer Hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson welcome writer-producer-professor Georgia Jeffries, an Award-winning writer known for Cagney & Lacey, China Beach, and Sisters. Jeffries recounts growing up as an only child, loving The Twilight Zone, reading history, and finding an early spark for writing through school assignments and UCLA journalism and creative writing courses. She talks about her time working as a freelance journalist while caring for her family. And the pivotal LAPD ride-along that inspired her first produced Cagney & Lacey episode, “An Unusual Occurrence,” which won a WGA Award. She compares the culture of Cagney & Lacey with China Beach, discusses unproduced pilots and projects (including HBO series, and an unmade Cher/Jessica Lange/to-be-directed by Frank Oz movie, Confessions) She reflects on writing episodes that tackled addiction, AIDS-era conversations, and sexual assault. Jeffries also shares details about her novel, The Younger Girl, current writing…

People in this episode

Hosts: Susan Lambert Hatem, Sharon Johnson

Guest: Georgia Jeffries

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: HBO

Books & works: Cagney & Lacey, China Beach, Sisters, The Twilight Zone, An Unusual Occurrence, The Younger Girl

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