“Ed” and WLS
Michael Genadry was written up in our local paper today.
For those of you who don’t know who he is he is on “Ed” — a tv show which airs
at 8pm Wednesdays (TONIGHT) on NBC. He had gastric bypass surgery in September
— September 18th. He is 24 years old. Rather than write him off or something
else, the producers incorporated it into the series. They are going to show pro
and con and walk people through the entire surgery process. According to
executive producer Jon Beckerman, :We didn’t want to ignore it or tell viewers
he did this from Weight Watchers or cutting out the chips. It felt dishonest.
The guy really did this thing , so why tell any other story than the one we
had.” Genadry’s father and actor who plays his dad on “Ed” have both undergone
the surgery since Michael did it.
The story started being told in December — December 11th. His character is a
“smart-aleck high school student” who was confronted by friends about his
weight. According to the article, “In one brave scene, he pulled off his shirt
for an unflinching look in the mirror.”
I have high hopes for this story. They have time to tell it and plan to use
several episodes to go through it according to the article. “Subsequent episodes
are tracking Mark’s preparation for the surgery and its aftermath.” If you get a
chance you might want to watch and email NBC, “Ed” and Worldwide Pants (the
company that produces the show) about the storyline. It also might give you a
chance to get your family to see what you went through. Maybe I am hoping for
too much but I think this could be a good thing.
BTW, WorldWide Pants is David Letterman’s production company and he is one of
the producers of the show. If you like the way this is being told, you might
want to let HIM know about it as well.
Oh and I salute the actor for allowing his story to be told on television. This
could have a great impact on a lot of people! I know I will be tuning in
tonight!
Denise Rasley
mailto: drasley@…
BTC, Columbus, 10/7/98