T HURSDAY
On Perfect Harmony,
Bradley Whitford
plays a retired music
professor who finds
new purpose direct-
ing a struggling Ken-
tucky church choir.
He recently chatted
with EW about
the genesis of the
surprisingly dark
comedy.
What drew you to
Perfect Harmony?
I’ve been wanting
to do a comedy
for a long time. I was
thrilled to be asked
to meet [director-EP]
Jason Winer
because I think
Modern Family is an
astonishing piece
of art. I knew imme-
diately I wanted to be
a part of [it] because
this is a personal
story about what
[creator Lesley Wake
Webster’s] grandfa-
ther went through
after her grand-
mother died. The
humor is really biting
and acidic, but it’s
not a cynical show—
it’s got a huge heart.
And then all the
elements came
together, we got
exactly who we
wanted. I’m totally
in love with [costar]
Anna Camp. I just
think she’s dead-on
perfect for this.Did returning to
NBC feel like
coming home?
Yeah. It sounds
stupid, and of course
you’re dealing with
these big corpora-
tions in reality, but
even before West
Wing, NBC was inter-
ested in working with
me. NBC has this his-
tory of amazing com-
edies that still hold
up perfectly. You can
feel the heritage of
Parks and Recreation
and The Office, we
share that DNA.Are there any songs
that you would want
to see on the show?
Oh yeah, there’s a
million. I’m compiling
the list. Most people
don’t know the
artists of my favorite
songs, so that’s
good because they
may be cheaper
to get. [Laughs]
—MARCUS JONESBradleyWhitfordPERFECT HARMONY’S
New Comedy
SEPT—26
8:30 pm � NBCWILL MEREDITH (ELLEN POMPEO)
finally get her happily-ever-after? Though her
beloved DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) remains in
the pokey after taking the fall for her insurance
fraud, executive producer Krista Vernoff is com-
mitted to keeping their romance alive in the
new season. “Life comes with a lot of ‘happy
endings’ that are followed by real-life complexi-
ties,” Vernoff says. “Meredith was fired and we
left DeLuca in jail. The ‘I love you’ is a beautiful
silver lining on a complicated chapter in Mere-
dith’s life.” Unfortunately, Vernoff is maddeningly
noncommittal about the possibility of another
Seattle wedding. “You never know,” she teases.
One couple who seem far from walking down
the aisle are Jackson (Jesse Williams) and Mag-
gie (Kelly McCreary), who are on the rocks after
a heated fight in the woods during the season
15 finale. In the meantime, more players from
Station 19 may show up at Grey Sloan (and vice
versa) to create more of a shared Shondaland
universe; expect a few tentpole crossover epi-
sodes this season. And now that Teddy (Kim
Raver) is finally with Owen (Kevin McKidd), we’ll
see her try to navigate a brokenhearted ex
(Greg Germann’s Koracick) while juggling her
job, newborn, and new living quarters (that’ll
be a surprise in the premiere). “I think Koracick
really loves Teddy, and it’s messy—but it’s a
good, complicated messy,” says Raver, refer-
ring to both the on- and off-camera antics. “It’s
so real. I have a gorgeous baby actress and
she’s pooping in her diaper while I’m doing the
scene. I could smell it! All I could say was
‘What’s my line?’ ” —LYNETTE RICEG
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Returning Drama � Season 16
SEPT—26 � 8 pm � ABC↓ An out-of-work Meredith (Ellen Pompeo)