Sherri Saum Talks Fosters Franchise’s End, Reveals How The Bear Inspired Her Good Trouble Directorial Debut
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The Fosters universe is coming to an end after a decade on the air. But before the spinoff Good Trouble wraps up the ABC Family-turned-Freeform franchise with its series finale this year, there’s still plenty to look forward to, including the directorial debut of Fosters mom Sherri Saum (aka Lena).
The actress helmed this Tuesday’s episode (airing at 10/9c) and will also be back later this season on screen alongside Teri Polo’s Stef to help guide their TV daughters.
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Below, Saum previews the moms’ upcoming visit, talks about how The Bear shaped her directorial debut and reveals why she feels “really satisfied” with the conclusion of the Fosters world.
TVLINE | What was it like coming into this world that you’ve had all this familiarity with because you’ve been a part of this franchise for so long and stepping behind the camera of it?
It was a dream come true, a dream that I didn’t even know that I had until it was planted in me by different mentors and directors who’d been on The Fosters or Good Trouble. Everyone was so supportive of me, and they were taking me seriously, which was really refreshing and lovely because sometimes when an actor steps behind there’s a little bit of eye rolling just because or teasing good-naturedly or otherwise. But everyone was on their absolute professional, best behavior. They gave me so much respect, and I just felt like I couldn’t fall. When I had a question or maybe I didn’t get something that I should have gotten, there was always a very gentle, respectful way of letting me know that and then guiding me toward the solution. I appreciated that a lot because I didn’t want to feel like just some dilettante that they were humoring. I wanted to be taken seriously, I wanted to see my vision translated in the show, and that’s what they allowed me to achieve.
TVLINE | Your TV daughter, Cierra Ramirez, also directed an episode that’s coming up. Did the two of you talk about your experiences or maybe get together before you were directing to share your concerns and any tips?
I mean, we both are pretty independent women with pretty clear visions. We just both kind of passed each other a couple of hints about, “Don’t forget X, Y, Z, because when I was doing this, I did forget and it threw us off.” Little tips like that. But just like in the acting realm, just because I’m older than her or I play her mother, I never felt like it was my place to insert my opinions too much because she’s been working since she was a child, and she’s the ultimate, consummate professional. Maia [Mitchell] as well. So many of the kids. So I felt more like they were my contemporaries, even though they understood, like, TikTok before I even knew what that meant and all those things… I knew she had it, and she knew I had it. That’s part of the culture of our show is just women supporting women and always cheering for each other, rooting for each other.
TVLINE | If it’s not a spoiler, can you share what your favorite scene was to direct?
I loved so much working with Cierra because there were certain moments where I needed a certain emotion, and [with] her, it’s like me driving a Ferrari. I can do the tiniest, little change in my gearshift, and she picks it up like a race car. She’s a machine.
TVLINE | I really enjoyed the opening scene, which was almost like a fantasy sequence but not quite, with Dennis’ restaurant because it gave me The Bear meets Walking Dead vibes.
[Laughs] Yes! Oh, my God!
TVLINE | Was The Bear an inspiration for you at all when you were directing that scene?
It was definitely. We all joked about that in the preproduction meetings, and [for] people who weren’t familiar with the show, we definitely sent around little clips for inspiration because that feeling in kitchens of just the visceral timing [and] pressure that people know from that show and also from anyone who’s ever worked in the industry, it had to be very real, and that’s how it is in those kitchens. It’s such a high pressure environment so I wanted everyone to have that same urgency, and I think we pulled it off.
TVLINE | Yeah. It had that frantic vibe that The Bear has and then having the zombie reveal was just a really fun kind of undercut to the stress of the moment.
[Laughs] Yes, that was so much fun! It was one of the best scenes for me to direct because it was just so high energy and lettuce flying. It was a fun way to let off steam, as well. Any nerves I had, they were all diffused in that scene.
TVLINE | This is the last season of Good Trouble, which brings this whole Fosters universe to a close after a decade, which is amazing. That’s an incredible run. How are you feeling about the end of this world, and what was your reaction when you found out?
My first reaction is gratitude. I cannot even believe we had the insane luck to be picked up in 2013. I can’t believe we made it past that hurdle, considering what we were kind of presenting to the world. Were they ready for it? Were they not? So I just can’t believe we even got picked up, much less each show getting a five plus-season run. It’s unheard of, especially these days when people have no patience [and] they don’t allow a lot of shows to get their footing or grow into what they could be, and we were just given this beautiful, long run to tell these stories. I’m insanely grateful, and I don’t really feel this heavy sadness about it being quote-unquote over because I don’t feel that it is. In a practical sense, there’s so many shows being resurrected or reunited or specials that happen, and I feel like if any show was worthy of that kind of treatment or revisit, it would be us.
And then in another way, I just feel like it’s never going to be over because of the legacy that we left. That’s never going away. I was shaped by shows like Three’s Company and those silly type of shows. When you think about the kind of impact we’ve had with The Fosters and Good Trouble, the kind of feedback we get, not just, “It was such a great, fun show.” It was more about like, “I wasn’t able to connect with my grandmother because she didn’t accept me and then she started watching the show and now we have a relationship.” That stuff is literally life-changing, and not to toot our own horn, but we get those messages every single day and that sentiment is out there. So I don’t feel like this show is ever going to be over. It’s going to live on in so many ways, ripples beyond things I will ever even know about. So I feel really satisfied.
TVLINE | We will get to see you and Stef and Callie and Jamie this season before the show ends. What can we expect from the moms’ return?
You know, there’s always the crisis at hand that Stef and Lena are brought in to deal with or just happen to be there while the crisis is unfolding. But more than ever, because the girls are at an age now where they really do need to make their own decisions, they really do have to shape their own destinies and learn from their mistakes, you’ll see in Season 5, it’s just another level of Lena and Stef needing to bite their tongues, because at this point, we’re always going to be there for the girls, but there are some serious life-changing events that happen that they need to be the ones in the driver’s seat about.
TVLINE | Will we see you in the series finale?
If you’re lucky! Yes, you will, and I’m really grateful for that because the creators of The Fosters and Good Trouble and the writers, they’ve always been very sensitive and very aware of where this whole story started and incorporating Stef and Lena into it. It’s been a very natural progression, just like when you have children, and then they have to go out on their own. This was the same thing: When Fosters ended and the producers informed us what was going to happen, for Teri and I, it was very hard. It was very, very hard. We nurtured, we grew these children together and went through all of these ups and downs together, and it felt like, “Oh, my gosh, they’re leaving us.” But that’s just how a parent would feel. So it was a very natural and fitting situation that happened when they had the spinoff, and then we would come and try and offer our advice, but then we’d have to go back and they’d have to figure it out on their own, ultimately. So it just made a lot of sense, and it was a beautiful gift.
TVLINE | How would you describe the series finale of Good Trouble? What kind of note does it end on?
It ends on a really bittersweet but triumphant note. That’s all I can say.
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