Jessica Jones Showrunner Reveals Things Marvel Wouldn’t Let Her Do

Since Jessica Jones airs on Netflix, showrunner Melissa Rosenberg had a lot more latitude than Marvel television series and movies that are constricted to PG-13 parameters. However, there were a few things Marvel wouldn’t allow.

“No F-bombs,” Rosenberg said during The Hollywood Reporter‘s annual Drama Showrunner Roundtable. “And If anyone was going to say “F–k,” it would be Jessica Jones. Sometimes I was just like, ‘Please, just let me put one.’ And… never. But, what’s funny is people have said, ‘She didn’t say f–k? I could have sworn she did.’ That’s ’cause Ritter can deliver “f–k” with her face. Her look says it. She could be saying “potato.” And the other thing is, there’s sex to some degree that wasn’t really any nudity. But then people are saying, ‘There was no nudity? Wait a minute, that was really graphic sex.’” She added, “It was all about the attitude, how its shot, how its acted with raw lust.”

One of the things Rosenberg wanted to avoid with Jessica Jones is the “honey pot” trope. “She was never going to play the honey pot,” she shared. She was never going to put on the tight bandage dress and heels and go and seduce the guy she needs information from,” she said, explaining that the imagery is a “go-to” for almost every female cop portrayed on television. “That was just never going to happen.”

Ever since her short-lived stint as a Super Hero ended in tragedy, Jessica Jones has been rebuilding her personal life and career as a hot-tempered, sardonic, badass private detective in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City. Plagued by self-loathing, and a wicked case of PTSD, Jessica battles demons from within and without, using her extraordinary abilities as an unlikely champion for those in need… especially if they’re willing to cut her a check.

The first season of the series starred Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, David Tennant as Kilgrave, Mike Colter as Luke Cage, Rachael Taylor as Patricia “Trish” Walker, and Carrie-Anne Moss. “Marvel’s Jessica Jones” is Executive Produced by series Showrunner Melissa Rosenberg (“Twilight”, “Dexter”) and Liz Friedman (“Elementary”), along with Jeph Loeb (“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Smallville,” “Heroes”), who also serves as Marvel’s Head of Television.