Kathy Bates Flays NBC: ‘They Treated Us Like Shit’

Kathy Bates, who returns to television this fall in the latest incarnation of FX's American Horror Story, does not have anything nice to say about NBC. The actress had some choice words for the network during Friday's Television Critics Association press tour when one reporter brought up her late drama, Harry's Law.   

Bates hesitated for a moment when asked if NBC's handling of the show caused her any hesitation about getting back into weekly TV. Then she gathered her thoughts.

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"I think they treated us like shit," she said. "They kicked us to the curb. They disrespected us. They disrespected our 11 million viewers every week. And I think they're getting what they deserve."

The "what they deserve" seemed to be a clear jab at NBC's continued ratings slips since the end of Harry's Law -- but Bates did not elaborate.

She did, however, chime in a moment later with a non-NBC-related addendum.

"I would like to add something on the positive note," she said to several laughs. "I thought after all of that, I wouldn't [go back to TV]. But I met with Ryan [Murphy], and I must say that when he pitched this show to me, this little kid in me started running around jumping."

Harry's Law, which never made much of an impact in the targeted adults 18-49 demographic, always had a dependable audience. Its second and final season averaged 8.9 million total viewers every week.

Michael O'Connell