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WhenLaw & Order: SVUpicked its new showrunner fromSeason 24, at least a dozen people were allegedly unhappy. David Graziano has written for shows likeLie to MeandAmerican Godsand served as the showrunner of the Michael Chiklis-led showCoyote. Several allegations of workplace misconduct and bullying were raised against the showrunner, particularly from the set ofCoyote.
Graziano joinedSVUafter longtime showrunner Warren Leight stepped down after Season 23. The accusation against Graziano gained significant attention, particularly since the show deals with issues such as abuse and exploitation. Interestingly, Graziano continues to work on the show despite the allegations that was reported in 2022.
Law & Order: SVUShowrunner Was Accused Of Unprofessional Workplace Behavior
An explosive report from theLos Angeles Timescontained accounts of more than a dozen individuals, who spoke out againstLaw & Order: SVUshowrunner David Graziano. The accounts involved allegations of mistreatment towards subordinates on set, angry outbursts, and inappropriate comments towards women and people of color.
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Soon after Graziano joinedSVUfor its 24th Season, the show’s script coordinator quit the job. Haley Cameron took to listserv, where the position was posted after her exit, to share her opinion of the showrunner. She called Graziano an“unprofessional, ego-centric, and immature man.”She added,“I have been in this industry a long time, and I have never experienced such pure, white-male misogyny.”
She shared that the production ofSVUunder Graziano was an“absolute unorganized nightmare.”She shared that women should think twice before putting themselves in such a position. However, Cameron failed to mention the exact actions of Graziano that made him unprofessional on the set.
Amy Hartman, who worked as a script coordinator on Graziano’s showCoyote, was allegedly shocked to see Cameron’s listserv comments. She supported Cameron’s claims with her own claims, sharing that the showrunner was super toxic while on the set of her show. She wrote on listserv,“Graz is super toxic and I’ve never run from a job so fast in my life as I did when I SC’ed for him. Stay away.”She further told the LA Times:
Every day I was in fight or flight. I was completely floored that he was working again and working on that show.
Another script coordinator onCoyote, David James also corroborated the claims sharing that it was a complete misery to film the show. He shared,“Coyote was easily the worst job I’ve had in Hollywood. I thought after this show no one would give [Graziano] another show to run.”It was not just his recent shows that saw the alleged misconduct of Graziano.
Graziano became enraged at a junior writer during a casting session of Tim Roth’sLie to Me. He reportedly screamed at the writer in a roomful of people and told him to“pack his things and get the f**k out.”A witness of this incident called it an“egregious example”of bullying.
David Graziano Denied All These Allegations Against Him
A spokesperson for David Graziano, Alafair Hall, released a statement at the time, denying all allegations. Hall’s statement read,“The implication that Mr. Graziano created a hostile work environment, or is sexist, inappropriate and unprofessional is false.”Hall produced counter-claims to Haley Cameron’s claims sharing that the script coordinator worked less than a month on the show in an entry-level position.
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Hall shared that Cameron was about to be fired from the show for“unprofessional”job performance, adding that she made unapproved script changes. NBCUniversal allegedly investigated Cameron’s claims and reportedly found that Graziano was not in the wrong.
Graziano addressed the claims of his behavior on theCoyoteset, admitting that he was indeed“a difficult person to work with”during the production. However, he attributed his anger to the pain he endured due to“three collapsed discs”in his neck. He shared in his statement:
Anyone who has worked in a writers’ room will know it is a matter of course to draw upon and use your own experience for the good of the show. Unfortunately, I have a lot to draw from — and with it comes a great deal of emotion, pain and deeply felt personal history. All any of us can do is evolve and grow. Real change is hard, and I continue to work on myself daily.
Addressing the issue on the set ofLie to Me, Hall denied that Graziano yelled or cursed at the junior writer. Hall clarified that Graziano just“told the insubordinate staff writer in a firm voice to leave the room.”The sheer quantity of the claims necessitated a deeper look into the issue, however, theshow that claims to be the champion of victimssurprisingly kept David Graziano as the showrunner.
Law & Order: SVUis now available to watch on Peacock.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3018
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
