"The Bold Type," which airs Tuesdays on Freeform starting with a two-hour premiere on July 11 is focused on the power of female friendships and feminism. The series, based on former Cosmopolitan magazine chief Joanna Coles, tackles a bold mix of hot-button topics including politics, Islamaphobia, female sexuality, love, and fashion.
"The Bold Type" centers on the lives of three twenty-something women who work at Scarlet magazine. Jane (Katie Stevens), Kat (Aisha Dee), and Sutton (Meghann Fahy) dish about their love lives, while also managing to write articles about cyber stalking an ex and harnessing the power of social media.
Freeform is the former ABC Family, which re-branded the network based on the success of "Pretty Little Liars" with millennial viewers.
At 'The Bold Type' preview screening,m executive VP of programming and development at Freeform, Karey Burke, spoke fondly about Joanna Coles, who was the inspiration for magazine editor Jacqueline.
"She was a fearless leader. She kept pushing everyone involved to be braver and bolder," Coles said. "To go places we hadn't gone before as a channel and the writers hadn't gone before. She was a fantastic inspiration. Never lost her sense of humor. Never took herself too seriously and made everything fun."
Ms. Coles, who is also an executive producer on 'The Bold Type,' also said last month at the New York premiere that she had plenty of juicy stories to share with the writers.
Joanna Coles describes 'The Bold Type'
Joanna Coles: It's really a fun show. Since we had the chance to do it post the election. It's a little bit more like 'Sex and the City' with a political edge to it.
What can we expect from the season? The show is celebrating female empowerment.
JC: It's really a show about three friends who work together and they go through all the trials and tribulations that young women do.
And they leave college and start working. Some of them are frustrated that their friends are getting ahead faster than others. You have all the tensions in the friendship. You have lots of sex, love and excitement and relationships that go wrong. Then we are sort of lacing on top of it some of the actual political events that are going on.
My dream is that we get Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders as a cameo at some point.
Do you think perhaps Hillary Clinton might come on as well?
JC: Well, I think we might be past…We might be in a "post-Hillary" moment now. So we will be focusing on people moving forward.
I had a chance to speak with some of the actresses. They said that they loved the opportunity to visit the Cosmo offices.
JC: We had them embed in the office. And I emptied my diaries and notebooks. A lot of the stories are true. There is a wonderful story in the second episode where someone tries one of Gwyneth Paltrow's yoni balls. They're vaginal balls that you insert.
That she suggested on Goop?
JC: Yes, she suggested them on Goop.
We tried one in the office and got it stuck up there. That is based on a real life story. It took three people to pull it out. So that is in the second or third episode. It's fun. At the center of it is female friendship.
What the audience can expect from the first season of 'The Bold Type'
Karey Burke hopes the audience is able to connect with the characters. "Hopefully, they see themselves in the show and they are inspired," said Karey Burke, the executive vice president of programming and development at Freeform. "They see female friendships that reflect ones they have in their own lives. And inspire them to support one another in the workplace at home and in life. It really celebrates women and men.
People sort of lifting each other up and not tearing each other down during a difficult time in life. I hope that inspires more than anything."
Guests were handed Pink Rose Magnolia Bakery cupcakes with the tagline "Be Bold Bitches" at The Bold Type premiere screening hosted at the Roxy Hotel. Sarah Watson, writer and executive producer of the show thanked the success of "Sex and the City" during a post-screening Q&A moderated by Scandal's Dan Bucatinsky. "Obviously we are going to get the 'Sex and the City' comparisons. But I think this show exists because of 'Sex and the City'. After the panel, guests made their way to the posh cocktail party at Paul's lounge to sip "Bold and Bubbly" cocktails and enjoy tasty chicken and waffles appetizers.
“The Bold Type” airs Tuesdays on Freeform.
