Producers resist Mia Freedman’s concerns around main Strife character’s personality traits

The show based on Mia Freedman’s book Work, Strife, Balance has caused the author concerns about how the main character is portrayed on screen.

The aptly named comedy drama Strife looks to have run into some ahead of production of season two.

According to insiders, author of the book that inspired the series, Mia Freedman, has expressed concern that the lead character based on Freedman, isn’t, how to put this … “likeable” enough.

Like Freedman, Strife’s lead character Evelyn Jones, played by Asher Keddie, has launched her own eponymous website.

In the series the website is called “Eve”.

To date, producers of the show, including Made Up Stories’ head Bruna Papandrea, have been at pains to explain Keddie’s character – who treats her husband and children offhandedly, is a bit of a slob and runs a disorganised start-up women’s blog – is not Freedman and that the series is merely “based” on Freedman’s book Work, Strife, Balance.

Mia Freedman and Asha Keddie at the launch of Strife. Picture: Caroline McCredie/Getty Images

“Evelyn is not Mia. Yes, she is privileged, yes she is white, privileged and able-bodied. But this character is a vessel to talk about certain issues … like leaving your marriage and your kids wanting to live with your husband,” one producer said, in the hope of clearing up confusion upon the program’s 2023 launch.

And therein lies the rub for Freedman, who has an executive producer title on the show but apparently not as much control as she’d like.

Insiders say that in yielding to Freedman and making Keddie’s character more “sympathetic”, producers fear the program’s early popularity and success will be compromised.

“When it comes to Keddie’s hugely frustrated and fumbling Eve, bat shit crazy resonates with viewers,” said one insider.

Binge reconvened the series writer’s room in January with talented first-season scribe Sarah Scheller back at the helm to develop season two.

Got a news tip? Email [e-mail]