‘All Rise’ Creator Greg Spottiswood Fired Following Allegations

All Rise on CBS
(Image credit: CBS)

Greg Spottiswood, creator, showrunner and executive producer of CBS legal drama All Rise, has been fired following investigations into allegations related to how he dealt with writers on the show, including discussions on race. Warner Bros. Television produces the program, which follows the chaotic lives of judges, prosecutors and public defenders as they hustle to get justice for Los Angeles residents amidst a flawed legal process. 

Simone Missick plays Judge Lola Carmichael. 

All Rise is in season two.

“Warner Bros. Television has relieved All Rise executive producer Greg Spottiswood of his duties, effective immediately,” the studio said in a statement. “We remain committed, at all times, to providing a safe and inclusive working environment on our productions and for all employees.”

Spottiswood had been investigated for his treatment of the writing staff during the first season of the show. The New York Times reported that Spottiswood was given a corporate coach and Warner Bros. hired a co-showrunner, Dee Harris-Lawrence, after Spottiswood’s original co-showrunner, Sunil Nayar, left the program. 

Several members of the writers’ room had departed All Rise due to the way they were treated, and the way All Rise depicted race and gender. 

A second investigation took place more recently. 

Harris-Lawrence will run the writers’ room for the rest of the season. 

Wilson Bethel, Marg Helgenberger and Jessica Camacho are also in the cast. 

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.