Hot in Cleveland producer recalls the "magical experience" of Betty White

[TMC]

...as, initially, a guest-star

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/bet...nd-1235146378/

"When we did the pilot, it was such a magical experience and the audience loved her so much, that we looked at each other and said, 'Oh s***, we better sign her up for all of this,'" says Todd Milliner. "She was worried about committing to doing 24 episodes a year, but she liked working with the ladies so much as an ensemble that she was able to be convinced to sign up for the whole thing. She was all-in. She was game for everything. We purposely tried to stay away from the more risqué topics, but any time we brought something to her that we worried would cross the line, she’d say it at the table read and there’d be a ton of laughs. She was willing to go to a lot of places. Just like Golden Girls, the show was about a group of women who were having active sex lives at an age where women aren’t usually shown on TV having active sex lives. She was a generous performer. Even when the camera wasn’t on her in a scene, she’d be smiling in support of her co-star. Everybody adored her and her talent. There was never a complaint about Betty. On Hot in Cleveland, for maybe the only time in my career, there were no problems on the show over six seasons. And with Betty’s attitude on that stage, it set a tone from the top down that we all had to be kind and considerate to everybody."