Oscar-winner Kathy Bates was at the Television Critics Association press tour Friday to promote her new show, FX’s upcoming “American Horror Story: Coven.”
But her comments that had journalists taking to Twitter had to do with her former series, NBC’s “Harry’s Law.”
“They treated us like s–t!” Bates said about the Peacock Net, which gave the legal drama the ax last year. “They’re getting what they deserve.”
From “Ally McBeal” creator David E. Kelley, “Harry’s Law” did well for NBC in terms of overall ratings (averaging roughly 8 million viewers), but it didn’t fare well in the younger, 18-to-49-year-old demographic.
“It was astounding to feel that as an older person, you weren’t wanted — your audience wasn’t wanted on television,” Bates said after the “American Horror Story: Coven” panel. “That’s what was said by the head of the network at the time, was that they couldn’t monetize it with an old audience. I’ve met so many people who are so offended by that.”
Bates said the “Harry’s Law” cast and crew were like a family to her.
“To lose that on a whim was hard,” she said. “And I loved the part. I loved the people I worked with.”
Bates said she didn’t intend to resurrect the issue Friday.
“I didn’t want give it any airtime because it was just a real difficult, emotional thing,” she said, adding that she’s happy to be moving on.
