Bad Teacher is making its way from the movie screen to television this Thursday on CBS, with Ari Graynor (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Fringe) taking over for Cameron Diaz in the title role. Graynor stars as Meredith, a former trophy wife who cons her way into a teaching position – with the sole intention of finding a rich, single dad she can seduce. The TV version of Bad Teacher comes from Hilary Winston, whose impressive resume includes her first job writing for My Name is Earl, followed by her work on the first two seasons of Community and her time on the late, great Happy Endings. I spoke to Winston about the challenges of adapting a hit movie into a TV show, why she made certain changes (including the character names) and what it was like serving as showrunner for the first time on Bad Teacher and imparting lessons she’s learned from her previous jobs. Continue reading…