Page 1 / 2 - Home

The exception is maverick Ryan Murphy. Extremely low profile, Murphy is presumably the youngest of the group, although his age is not revealed in any industry sources. He got his start as a journalist covering the ludicrous practice of Beverly Hills plastic surgeons pushing calf implants. After giving up journalism for screenwriting, Murphy created, wrote and executive produced the brilliant and hilariously queer teen drama Popular for the WB. But that original kernel of fascination for plastic surgery remained, and Murphy soon created, wrote and executive produced the gory and searing drama Nip/Tuck for the FX network.

Alan Ball, probably best known for his Oscar winning screenplay American Beauty, wrote for hilarious, women-centered comedies before he created the enormously popular Six Feet Under. As a writer for Grace Under Fire, and a writer and executive producer for Cybil, Ball had the opportunity to hone his comedy skills while providing saucy female stars with vicious dialogue. Showcasing his flare for drama and dark humor, Ball wrote and executive produced Six Feet Under. Known for its morbidly funny opening vignettes and envelope-pushing storylines, this series about a family-run gay funeral home tackles family that messily bump into each other rather than connecting with an smarmy, moral-of-the-story formulaic ending. Six Feet Under is moving into its fifth and last season this summer.

Marc Cherry is a self described gay Republican that freely admits that he got the idea for Desperate Housewives from an episode of Oprah. Acclaimed for his strong female characters, he consistently writes women that other women want to see. Cherry was at the top of his game while writing for and executive producing The Golden Girls, featuring that acerbic gay icon Bea Arthur. After a few not-so-well-received shows, such as Some of My Best Friends--a series with a gay central character based on the movie Kiss Me, Guido--and The Five Mrs. Buchanans, Cherry was struggling to find his suburban intrigue a home. Heavily in debt and facing rejection at every pitch, his dark suburban dramedy Housewives finally landed at ABC. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Max Mutchnick, one half of Will & Grace, writes and produces with his childhood friend David Kohan, whom he met in high school theater class. Max is gay and David is straight--but please, no jokes about which one is Will and which one is Grace. Part of a show biz family, Mutchnick got his start writing for The Wonder Years, the hit late '80s program about a boy’s coming of age during the Vietnam era. Before he developed the first show to revolve around a gay main character, Mutchnik wrote and executive produced fluffy sitcoms like Boston Common.

Darren Star has a list of awards as long as your arm. He resuscitated the Spelling empire as the creator, writer and executive producer of Beverly Hills 90210. From the Hills to West Hollywood, Star created spinoff hit Melrose Place, furthering his fortune and acclaim with sudsy evening serials full of addictive characters. Star even parodied his show Beverly Hills 90210 with a short lived comedy on WB network called Grosse Pointe.

Then along came the lithe ladies of Manhattan, and the rest is glamorous, Cosmopolitan-colored history. Star worked closely with Candace Bushnell to create Sex and the City, which he produced with Michael Patrick King.

Since most of these men are only in their forties, television viewers can look forward to years more of innovative, intelligent, and lovably trashy shows for years to come. Even the men whose series have wrapped are currently in production on new projects.

King is writing and producing the upcoming HBO series The Comeback, starring Lisa Kudrow. Mutchnick is creating Four Kings, a comedy pilot for NBC about four guys who are childhood friends living in New York. Ryan Murphy is directing and producing the movie adaptation of the bestselling novel about a crackpot family's antics, Running With Scissors. And Darren Star just announced his participation in the film 100 Weddings.

Page 1 / 2 - Home