Greg Spottiswood, the creator and co-showrunner of CBS’s popular courtroom drama All Rise, has been fired from his show after numerous allegations of workplace misconduct. Deadline reports that Spottiswood engaged in “unprofessional conduct in the series’ writers’ room, including the use of offensive language that triggered accusations of racism,†alleged behavior that previously spurred a mutiny of writers to quit the show in summer 2020. Warner Bros. Television, which produces All Rise, confirmed Spottiswood’s departure, adding that “we remain committed, at all times, to providing a safe and inclusive working environment on our productions and for all employees.†Spottiswood has also been dropped by his agency, APA.
All Rise, a rare show on network television to feature a Black female lead, had five of its original seven writers quit last summer. Speaking to the New York Times about their decisions to leave, the writers alleged that Spottiswood often wrote “racist and offensive†scripts that required significant rewrites, with one Indian American writer alleging that “I was only there because I’m the brown guy.†Spottiswood apologized at the time, stating that “I recognized that I needed to change how I was working.†He also voluntarily sought management training and leadership coaching. Dee Harris-Lawrence, who serves as All Rise’s co-showrunner, will be continuing in her role and now be leading the show by herself.