'To the Bone' Director Marti Noxon's New TV Show 'Dietland' Is About Self-Image

Marti Noxon, the director of Netflix’s “To the Bone” is directing, writing and producing a new show called “Dietland.” The show spotlights the body image issues of a woman who believes she must lose weight to be respected in her career.

The new “dark” comedy focuses on Plum Kettle, played by Joy Nash, who works as a ghostwriter at a popular fashion magazine. She writes the advice column for the magazine’s editor, Kitty Montgomery.

In the show’s trailer, Kettle is ridiculed by her editor, played by Julianna Margulies, and feels like an outcast because of her weight. The comedy is about a “self-awakening” and also focuses on the news of men accused of sexual assault who end up dead, according to AMC’s website.

Noxon’s past work also includes depictions of eating disorders and body image issues. “To the Bone,” her first film which came out in 2017, is loosely based on her experience with eating disorders. The movie was met with acclaim and criticism within the eating disorder community.

One member of The Mighty’s mental health community, Natasha McDonough, wrote that “To the Bone” was hard to watch because of its realistic depiction of eating disorders.

“The movie handles the topic better than it was excepted to,” McDonough wrote. “It showed the impact of the disorder rather than just superficial aspects of the disorder. It portrays the disorder so well, that I never want my family to see it because it is anxiety-inducing for me to imagine them seeing even just a piece of what goes on in my head.”

Others criticized the film for a lack of diversity and a stereotypical portrayal of anorexia. Lily Collins, who is open about her experience living with an eating disorder, also lost weight for the role, which many found problematic.

With a murder mystery and conspiracy thrown in, “Dietland” focuses on “female anger and violence in raw and sometimes startling ways,” according to a review in The New York Times. Nash’s body will not be used as a punch line but rather in ways that make the audience see her fully and sometimes provocatively.

“Dietland” argues that if women really want love and safety, it’s the world they’ll need to change, not their bodies,” Alexis Soloski wrote for The New York Times.

“Dietland” is based on the novel by Sarai Walker of the same name. The show’s two-hour premiere will air at 9 p.m. ET June 4 on AMC.