Bunheads creator Amy Sherman-Palladino has never been afraid to speak her mind, so it’s no surprise she’s got some choice words for Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes, who just last week accused ABC Family’s new ballet-centric series of lacking diversity. “I think it’s a shame,” Amy tells Media Mayhem. “I wouldn’t go after another woman. Frankly, I wouldn’t go after another show.”

Though Amy admits it would be foolish to get into a “pissing match” with Shonda, who’s “doing just fine for herself,” she also points out that Shonda’s comments are merely part of a larger issue for women who work in television.

“I’ve also felt, in a general sense, that women have never supported women to the level that they should,” Amy explains. “It’s been my experience through my entire career that the biggest boost I’ve gotten … have always been from men. And I’ve worked for some powerful women.”

In case you’re not up to speed, here’s what Shonda tweeted June 11: ”Hey @abcfbunheads: really? You couldn’t cast even ONE young dancer of color so I could feel good about my kid watching this show? NOT ONE?”

Once she realized her comments were causing a disturbance in the Twitterverse, Shonda tweeted a few clarifications: “I def don’t feel bad when my kid watches white performers,” she wrote. “Not at all what I’m saying. …  I did love seeing girls of all shapes and sizes. That was great. Am a huge Gilmore Girls fan. Just pointing out one issue.”

As this discussion continues, I’m worried that too many different issues are being mixed together. For one thing, I’m not sure I agree with interviewer Allison Hope Weiner for turning this into a women-attacking-women situation, rather than keeping it as a creators-attacking-creators situation. I think the relationship between female creators is an entirely separate argument, though one definitely worth exploring, and Amy did a terrific job of distinguishing it as such.

For the record, ABC Family is famous for having strong women running its most popular shows. I was in attendance for the network’s winter upfront presentation in New York, where the panel featured women like Brenda Hampton (The Secret Life of the American Teenager), Marlene King (Pretty Little Liars) Lizzy Weiss (Switched At Birth), as well as Amy — and they all had the greatest respect for one another’s work.

Watch Amy’s full interview below, then vote, and tell us how you feel in the comments section:

Click here to view the embedded video.

It’s a well-kept secret that adults are just as clueless about their futures as teenagers, and ABC Family is finally blowing that secret out of the water with its new series Bunheads. I’ve already fallen in love with the story of down-on-her-luck dancer Michelle (Sutton Foster), but creator Amy Sherman-Palladino — the brilliant, top-hatted mind behind Gilmore Girls — was more than happy to offer HollywoodLife.com readers a few more reasons to watch.

Read on for my full interview with Amy:

Bunheads centers around a 30-something adult, which is unusual for an ABC Family show. Was it your goal to do something completely different?

I wasn’t really interested in doing a teen show, especially since I felt like I did so much of that on Gilmore Girls when we took Rory through high school and college. It was great, and it was all really fun stuff to write, but it wasn’t something I was really that interested in. When I brought [ABC Family] this thing about Michelle — the dancer who hits a wall and turns around, and as many people do in their 30s goes, ‘Holy s**t, how did I get here?” — I thought, ‘That’s the story I’m interested in telling.’ I was working on a play at the time about my time growing up in ballet school, so I already had these four little girls in my head, and I said I could put her into this environment — this world of ballet, which I love because it was so much a part of my life.

So at the end of the day, the focus will always be on Michelle?

Yes, she is the center of the show — her world, her growth and everything else by extension around it. I asked if ABC Family was good with that, knowing I’m going to focus a lot on her relationship with Fanny as well as the girls, and they were behind it. The pilot doesn’t even have the girls in it for two and a half acts. I really did feel like Michelle was my main character, and once you get your hands on Sutton Foster, all you want to do is watch Sutton Foster walk around in her shorts for two hours.

What about the girls? Will we get to know each of their stories?

Definitely, and we have four phenomenal girls. They’re pretty green in a lot of ways, but just so cool. Every week, I throw this stuff at them hoping they’re ready for it, and they just come through with bells on. They’ll have their own lives to deal with, their own sadness and heartbreaks, but there hasn’t been any shifting from the focus that Sutton is our gal. And Michelle’s not really a motherly type. She’s sort of one of the group, the tallest one there. I think having a slightly more adult view makes it different from [ABC Family's] other shows, while also maintaining comfort level for their audience with the four girls. We’re a gateway drug.

I love watching Michelle and Fanny go at it. Sutton and Kelly have such great chemistry.

Oh, absolutely. They’re a little less Emily and Lorelai [from Gilmore Girls] and a little more Lucy and Ethel [from I Love Lucy]. When you get artistic people together in a room together, they’re all freakin’ crazy. And it’s awesome, and that’s why you love them and want to watch them. Those things that make them sparkle on stage are always going to be there. They’re from different generations, but they’re both show people who made similar mistakes at early points in their lives that took their plans off into a different direction. There will always be a great amount of conflict between the two women, but they’re also going to appreciate each other and find each other fun.

So you’re totally cool with people comparing Bunheads to Gilmore Girls?

I’d be a moron to think that no one’s going to draw comparisons to Gilmore Girls. I’ve got a very specific writing style. I like people who talk fast. Like, let’s go, let’s go, no one’s getting any younger here.

Plus, you’ve got Kelly Bishop back for round two.

The idea of bringing Kelly in was something debated, a lot by me, because I knew the [Gilmore Girls] question would come up. But the bottom line is that Kelly’s the real deal. She was the original Sheila in A Chorus Line, and she’s a real broad. She’s much more Fanny than she is Emily — and she was so great as Emily. You sit down with her and knock back a few martinis and you’re going to go a couple rounds. She’s a great fun broad to hang out with, and I wanted to play more to who Kelly is. I hope that no one will hold it against me, but when you work with really good people, you just want to work with them again.

I won’t lie, the twist at the end of the pilot surprised me. Will there be more sudden dramatic moments like that moving forward?

Definitely. I love the drama, but I think you need a lot of fun to get to the drama. You need some laughs, so that when the drama happens, it kicks you in the nuts a little more. One of the things that bugs me most about a lot of stuff on television is that there’s so much drama and they don’t have a damn laugh in the whole hour. It’s an hour without a smile or a chuckle. I really think the best dramas have comedy in them. The Sopranos was one of the funniest shows on television, but you’re certainly not going to tell me that wasn’t also a hard-hitting drama.

Watch a preview of Bunheads below, then vote: Will you tune in for tonight’s big premiere?

Click here to view the embedded video.

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift

More Bunheads Coverage:

1. ‘Bunheads’ Series Premiere: Watch The Pilot (Early) Right Here
2. ‘Bunheads’ Review: Sutton Foster Shines In Quirky New Drama

2012 is shaping up to be a heck of a year for Broadway vets-turned-TV stars. Megan Hilty wowed us on Smash, Andrew Rannells is garnering buzz for The New Normal, and this summer, Sutton Foster will make her leading-lady debut as the star of ABC Family’s Bunheads. I check out the first episode of the dance-themed drama, premiering June 11 at 9 p.m., and trust me — you’ll want to check it out.

Bunheads tells the story of Michelle, a down-on-her-luck showgirl who elopes with a travelling creeper and moves into the coastal home he shares with his dance-instructor mom. If the plot of Bunheads sounds ridiculous to you, congratulations, you’re officially a sane human being. But somehow, in the midst of all the madness, some very real — and more importantly likable — characters emerge.

Sutton’s Michelle is everything you’d expect from a character crafted by Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. She’s funny, she’s flawed and she’s whip-smart. In fact, the chemistry is so golden between Michelle and her judgmental mother-in-law Fanny (Kelly Bishop) that it’s hard not to imagine them as Lorelai and Emily 2.0.

Michelle’s relationships with the young girls in Fanny’s dance class — each of whom develops a very different rapport with the unconventional new instructor — are also a huge draw. In fact, my only real complaint with the pilot is that I wish Michelle could have met the girls sooner. The minute they all come together is when everything really clicks, as she bonds with the girls, challenges them and draws out each of their unique personalities.

But just when you think you’ve gotten a feel for what this show is all about, the pilot’s twist ending sends a loud-and-clear message to viewers: Bunheads will keep you on your toes.

Watch a preview of Bunheads below, then hit up the comments section with your first impression. Will you be making room on your DVR for this quirky new drama, or do these dancers fail to make your cut?