'Rise' bosses defend character changes from book inspiration

The minds behind NBC’s new drama Rise are responding to accusations that they “straight-washed” their main character after comments made by the showrunner were misconstrued. The series, which follows a teacher who takes over his local struggling high school drama department, is very loosely inspired by Michael Sokolove’s book Drama High: The Incredible True Story of a Brilliant Teacher, a Struggling Town, and the Magic of Theater.
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