50 Best TV Writers of ALL TIME
Listed in Order from Best to excellent
Runner Ups:
Carter Bays & Craig Thomas for 67 episodes of How I Met Your Mother
Runner Ups:
Carter Bays & Craig Thomas for 67 episodes of How I Met Your Mother
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- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Ron Moore was a member of the Kappa Alpha literary society during his time at Cornell University. He dropped out of college during his senior year, after which he moved to Los Angeles, California, with a friend in hopes of becoming a working writer. He was two weeks away from joining the United States Navy when Michael Piller, the co-executive producer of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), called with good news: his first script, "The Bonding," led to an assignment and a spot on the writing staff in 1989. By the end of the series, he was serving as a producer.
The end of TNG saw numerous accolades come Mr. Moore's way. As a member of the production team, he earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series and, along with writing partner Brannon Braga, a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation for "All Good Things...," the series finale. They would go on to earn Hugo nominations for the first two TNG films, Star Trek: Generations (1994) and Star Trek: First Contact (1996). They also collaborated on the story for Mission: Impossible II (2000).
The end of TNG saw Mr. Moore assume the role of supervising producer on Rick Berman and Michael Piller's character-driven "Trek" spin-off, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993). He began by writing the 3rd-season premiere, "The Search, Part I," which saw the introduction of the U.S.S. "Defiant." He had originally intended to name Captain Sisko's starship "Valiant" after the ship mentioned in the second Star Trek (1966) pilot episode, which was titled "Where No Man Has Gone Before," but because Star Trek: Voyager (1995) was about to premiere, he changed it to "Defiant" in honor of the ship from "The Tholian Web."
As two of the most ardent Star Trek fans on DS9's writing staff, Mr. Moore and 'René Echevarria' were chosen to write the teleplay for "Trials and Tribble-ations" - DS9's tribute to TOS's 30th Anniversary. Besides bringing Captain Kirk and Captain Sisko together on-screen via some seamless Emmy-nominated visual effects, the episode also brought the pair a Hugo nomination. They would go on to write the series penultimate episode, "The Dogs of War," which introduced the new "Defiant," formerly the U.S.S. "Sao Paulo." The name of the ship and Sisko's line "Hello, ship" were a tribute to the Steve McQueen film The Sand Pebbles (1966). By the time DS9 ended, he was a co-executive producer and ready to move on to his third "Star Trek" series.
After a 2-episode stint as a co-executive producer on "Voyager," Mr. Moore said goodbye to the franchise. His first job after "Star Trek" was as a consulting producer on the final season of the Sci-Fi Channel's fantasy series Good vs Evil (1999). Eventually, he made his way to Jason Katims's teen SF-Drama series Roswell (1999). He joined TNG's Jonathan Frakes as a co-executive producer as well.
Thanks to his work on "Roswell," he was able to develop Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonriders of Pern" as a pilot for the WB, but it was canceled before production began. Mr. Moore also served as a co-executive producer on "Roswell" when the series changed networks during the 2001-2002 television season. More recently, he was involved in the remake of _"Battlestar Galactica" (2003) (mini)_ for the sci-fi channel. writing the script for the mini-series and serving as executive producer on the subsequent series.16 rated 10/10
17 rated 9/10
59 Star Trek
15 Battlestar Galactica / Caprica
1 Electric Dreams
6 Outlander
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - 9 rated 10/10 (+7 rated 9/10) out of 30
Star Trek: The Next Generation - 3 rated 10/10 (+4 rated 9/10) out of 27
Battlestar Galactica - 4 rated 10/10 (+3 rated 9/10) out of 12
Caprica
+Feature Films including 2 Star Trek and I, Robot 2- Producer
- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
Graduate of Lehman College in New York City, Behr studied Mass Communications and Theater, and was offered a playwriting scholarship at Brandeis University. Instead, Behr elected to move to Los Angeles and pursue a career in writing comedies for television and film. However, instead of comedies, Behr made his mark in television dramas. His first job as a television writer was for the James Garner television series Bret Maverick (1981), and he later served as story editor for the series Jessica Novak (1981). Behr's writer/producer credits also include the series Fame (1982), Once a Hero (1987) and The Bronx Zoo (1987).
Behr's relationship with Star Trek began as a producer for Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) during its third season. At the end of the season, Behr left the series to pursue screen writing. Three of the feature films written during this period are currently in development.
Behr returned to Star Trek in 1993 as a supervising producer for the pilot of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) and became a co-executive producer in the second season . His diverse talents and experiences as a writer led him to the position of executive producer late in the third season. Behr played a key role in the development of the popular alien race, the Ferengi. He wrote the book "The Rules of Acquisition", which is a humorous compilation of the guiding tenets of Ferengi culture. Behr also co-wrote a collection of short stories and fables based on the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition entitled "Legends of the Ferengi", which was published by Pocket Books.
After DS9 ended its seven-season run in 1999, Behr went on to produce other television fare such as the science fiction drama Now and Again (1999) and the Jason Alexander comedy Bob Patterson (2001).15 episodes rated 10/10
10 episodes rated 9/10
60 Star Trek episodes written (57 for DS9)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: The Next Generation - 1 eposode rated 9/10- Art Department
- Music Department
- Special Effects
Jack Pullman is known for If Birds Fly (2021), Terror on the Prairie (2022) and Kensho at the Bedfellow (2017).I Claudius (1976) - 13 of 13 episodes rated 10/10
War and Peace (1972) - 20 episodes
The Golden Bowl (1972) - 6 episodes- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Aaron Sorkin grew up in Scarsdale, a suburb of New York City where he was very involved in his high school drama and theater club. After graduating from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater, Sorkin intended to pursue a career in acting. It took him only a short time to realize that his true love, and his true talent, lay in writing. His first play, "Removing All Doubt", was not an immediate success, but his second play, "Hidden in This Picture", debuted in 1988 at the West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theater Bar. A longer version of "Hidden in This Picture", called "Making Movies", opened at the Promenade Theater in 1990. Despite his youth and relative inexperience, Sorkin was about to break into the spotlight. In 1989, he received the prestigious Outer Critics Circle award as Outstanding American Playwright for the stage version of A Few Good Men (1992), which was later nominated for a Golden Globe. The idea for the plot of "A Few Good Men" came from a conversation with his older sister, Deborah. Deborah was a Navy Judge Advocate General lawyer sent to Guantanamo Bay on a case involving Marines accused of killing a fellow Marine. Deborah told Aaron of the case and he spent the next year and a half writing a Broadway play, which later led to the movie. Sorkin has gone on to write for many movies and TV shows. Besides A Few Good Men (1992), he has written The American President (1995) and Malice (1993), as well as cooperating on Enemy of the State (1998), The Rock (1996) and Excess Baggage (1997). In addition, he was invited by Steven Spielberg to "polish" the script of Schindler's List (1993). Sorkin's TV credits include the Golden Globe-nominated The West Wing (1999) and Sports Night (1998).The Newsroom - BEST PILOT EVER
The West Wing
Sports Night
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
+Feature Films
Steve Jobs (2015)
Moneyball (2011)
The Social Network (2010)- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
House of Cards - 23 episodes -13 episodes 10/10
The First - 3 episodes
+Feature Film
The Ides of March (2011)- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Tobias Lindholm was born on 5 July 1977 in Næstved, Denmark. He is a writer and director, known for Another Round (2020), The Hunt (2012) and A Hijacking (2012).Borgen - 10 episodes - 5 rated 10/10 and 5 rated 9/10 + 10 episodes story
+Feature Films
A War (2015)
A Hijacking (2012)
The Hunt (2012)- Writer
- Producer
- Director
David Benioff was born on 25 September 1970 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Game of Thrones (2011), The Kite Runner (2007) and 25th Hour (2002). He has been married to Amanda Peet since 30 September 2006. They have three children.Game of Thrones - 12 episodes rated 10/10 (7 seasons)
+Feature Films
25th Hour
The Kite Runner- Writer
- Producer
- Director
D.B. Weiss was born on 23 April 1971 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Game of Thrones (2011), Metal Lords (2022) and 3 Body Problem (2024). He is married to Andrea Troyer.Game of Thrones - 12 episodes rated 10/10 (7 seasons)- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Sam Esmail was born on 17 September 1977 in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Mr. Robot (2015), Homecoming (2018) and Leave the World Behind (2023). He has been married to Emmy Rossum since 28 May 2017. They have two children.Mr Robot - 7 episodes rated 10/10 (3 seasons)- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
After graduating with a degree in History from Duke University in 1984, Rene Echevarria moved to New York City to pursue a career in theater. He joined the Circle Repertory Lab Company in 1985, where he assistant directed a production of Victor Muniz' play "Darts", and acted in a production of Gorky's "Lower Depths". In 1986, he acted in Kristin McCloy's play "Isosceles" at the Chelsea Theater, and in 1987, he was seen in the La Mama Theater adaptation of Aeschuylus' "Oresteia". He collaborated with Kristin McCloy on the full-length play "Prepared", which was presented at the World's End Theater in London during 1988, and went on to be performed at that year's Edinburgh Festival. In 1989, he wrote a spec script for 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' called "The Offspring". He became a Story Editor for the show's sixth season, and Executive Story Editor during its seventh and final season, for which the show received an Emmy Nomination for Best Dramatic Series. Echevarria then took the job of Co-Supervising Producer on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993). His 30-plus episodes of Star Trek have won him a Humanitas nomination, a Peabody nomination, two Hugo nominations, and a NASA Vision award for best depiction of humanity's future in space. In 1994, he received a Special Achievement award from the Latino Media Organization HAMAS.
With fellow Star Trek Producer 'Ken Biller', he developed the scenario for _Star Trek: The Experience (1998)_, a theme park attraction built by Paramount Parks at the Las Vegas Hilton. In 1999-2000, Echevarria was supervising producing on Paramount's short-lived but critically praised Now and Again (1999) on CBS. In July 2000, he signed on as co-executive producer of Dark Angel (2000) the science fiction series created by James Cameron for the Fox network, as part of an overall multiyear deal with 20th Century Fox Television to develop new projects for the studio.9 episodes rated 10/10 (+9 rated 9/10) out of 40 Star Trek episodes written
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - 7 episodes rated 10/10 (+ 4 rated 9/10)
Star Trek: The Next Generation - 2 episodes rated 10/10 (+ 5 rated 9/10)- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Matthew Weiner was born on 29 June 1965 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Mad Men (2007), The Sopranos (1999) and The Romanoffs (2018). He has been married to Linda Brettler since January 1991. They have four children.Mad Men - 6 episodes rated 10/10 (73 episodes written out of 92 in 7 seasons)
The Romanoffs - 2 episodes rated 10/10 (8 episodes)- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Frank Pugliese is known for House of Cards (2013), Homicide: Life on the Street (1993) and Fallen Angels (1993).House of Cards - 6 episodes rated 10/10- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Charlton "Charlie" Brooker (born 3 March 1971) is an English humourist, critic, author, screenwriter, producer, and television presenter. He is the creator and co-showrunner of the anthology series Black Mirror and has written for programmes such as Brass Eye, The 11 O'Clock Show, and Nathan Barley. He has presented a number of television shows, including Screenwipe, Gameswipe, Newswipe, Weekly Wipe, and 10 O'Clock Live. He also wrote the five-part horror drama Dead Set. He has written comment pieces for The Guardian and is one of four creative directors of the production company Zeppotron.
Charlton Brooker was born on 3 March 1971 in Reading, Berkshire. He grew up in a relaxed Quaker household in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, Oxfordshire. He first worked as a writer and cartoonist for Oink!, a comic produced in the late 1980s. After attending Wallingford School, he attended the Polytechnic of Central London (which became the University of Westminster during his time there), studying for a BA in Media Studies. He claims that he did not graduate because his dissertation was written on video games, which was not an acceptable topic. Brooker listed his comedic influences as Monty Python, The Young Ones, Blackadder, Chris Morris, and Vic Reeves.
From 1999 to 2000, Brooker played hooded expert 'the Pundit' in the short-lived show Games Republic, hosted by Trevor and Simon on BSkyB.
In 2000, Brooker was one of the writers of the Channel 4 show The 11 O'Clock Show and a co-host (with Gia Milinovich) on BBC Knowledge's The Kit, a low-budget programme dedicated to gadgets and technology (1999-2000). In 2001, he was one of several writers on Channel 4's Brass Eye special on the subject of paedophilia.
In 2003, Brooker wrote an episode entitled "How to Watch Television" for Channel 4's The Art Show. The episode was presented in the style of a public information film and was partly animated.
Together with Brass Eye's Chris Morris, Brooker co-wrote the sitcom Nathan Barley, based on a character from one of TVGoHome's fictional programmes. The show was broadcast in 2005 and focused on the lives of a group of London media 'trendies'. The same year, he was also on the writing team of the Channel 4 sketch show Spoons, produced by Zeppotron.
In 2006, Brooker began writing and presenting the television series Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe on BBC Four, a TV review programme in a similar style to his Screen Burn columns in The Guardian. After an initial pilot series of three editions in April, the programme returned later in the year for a second run of four episodes plus Christmas and Review of the Year specials in December 2006. A third series followed in February 2007 with a fourth broadcast in September 2007, followed by a Review of the Year in December 2007. The fifth series started in November 2008 and was followed by another Review of the Year special. This series was also the first to be given a primetime repeat on terrestrial television (BBC Two), in January 2009.
In December 2011, three episodes of Brooker's Black Mirror, a science fiction anthology series, aired on Channel 4 to largely positive reviews. As well as creating the show, Brooker wrote the first episode and co-wrote the second with his wife Konnie Huq. He also wrote all three episodes of series two. In September 2015, Netflix commissioned a third season of 12 episodes, with Channel 4 losing the rights to the programme A trailer for the third season was released in October 2016. This was later split into two series of six episodes. The third season was released on Netflix worldwide on 21 October 2016. Brooker has solely written four of the episodes in series three, and has co-written the remaining two.
Beginning on 11 May 2010, Brooker presented a 5-part BBC Radio 4 series celebrating failure titled So Wrong It's Right, in which guests compete to pitch the worst possible ideas for new franchises and give the 'most wrong' answer to a question. Also featured are guests' recollections about their own personal life failures and their complaints about life in general in a round called 'This Putrid Modern Hell'. Guests have included David Mitchell, Lee Mack, Josie Long, Frank Skinner, Helen Zaltzman, Holly Walsh, Graham Linehan and Richard Herring. The second series began on 10 March 2011, and a third was broadcast in May 2012. In common with Screenwipe's use of a Grandaddy track (A.M. 180) from the album Under the Western Freeway as its theme tune, So Wrong It's Right uses another track from the same album, Summer Here Kids.Black Mirror - 19 episodes
5 episodes rated 10/10- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Award-winning Noah Hawley is one of the most accomplished auteurs and versatile storytellers working in television, film and literature. Hawley balances the art of telling cinematic, unforgettable character-driven stories that linger along after you've been immersed in them.
Over the course of his more than 20-year career, Hawley's work as a novelist, screenwriter, series creator, showrunner and director has garnered acclaim - winning an Emmy®, Golden Globe®, PEN, Critics' Choice, and Peabody Award - and passionate response from audiences.
Also a best-selling author, Hawley has published five novels: A Conspiracy of Tall Men, Other People's Weddings, The Punch, The Good Father, and most recently the bestseller Before the Fall.
Hawley began his television career as a writer and producer on the hit series Bones in 2005, going on to create, executive produce and serve as showrunner for ABC's My Generation (2009) and The Unusuals (2010). Most recently in addition to the groundbreaking series Legion, he serves as executive producer, writer, director and showrunner on FX's award-winning anthology series, Fargo. He will begin production on the fourth installment of Fargo, starring Chris Rock with Hawley directing the first episode, this fall. Both acclaimed series are produced under Hawley's 26 Keys Production banner.
Upcoming projects from Hawley include his feature film directorial debut, Lucy in the Sky, starring Natalie Portman, Jon Hamm, Dan Stevens, Zazie Beetz, Pearl Amanda Dickson, Tig Notaro, and Ellen Burstyn. The film will be released by Fox Searchlight. In addition, Fargo: This Is A True Story, a companion book to the first three seasons of the series and authored by Hawley, will be released by Grand Central Publishing in October.Fargo - 4 episodes rated 10/10 (2 seasons)- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
David Simon was born on 13 May 1960 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for The Wire (2002), Homicide: Life on the Street (1993) and The Corner (2000). He has been married to Laura Lippman since 3 October 2006. They have one child.The Wire - 52 episodes out of 60- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Ed Burns is an American novelist, writer and producer. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland and was wild in his early years. This led his parents to move him and his brother Michael to the suburbs. He went to Catholic schools as a boy and graduated from Loyola College in Baltimore. He worked as a Baltimore City detective for 20 years before retiring. During his 20 years on the force, he met police reporter David Simon and the two would go on to collaborate on The Corner (2000), The Wire (2002) and Generation Kill (2008).The Wire - 51 episodes out of 60- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Alan Ball is an American writer, director, and producer who is known for writing the acclaimed film American Beauty and creating the HBO series True Blood starring Anna Paquin. He also wrote the films Towelhead and Uncle Frank. He also created Here and Now, Six Feet Under, and Banshee. He won awards for American Beauty and True Blood.Six Feet Under - 4 episodes rated 10/10
+Feature Films
American Beauty (1999)
Towelhead (2007)- Producer
- Writer
- Actress
Jenji Kohan was born on 5 July 1969 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Orange Is the New Black (2013), Weeds (2005) and Tracey Takes On... (1996). She was previously married to Christopher Noxon.Weeds
Orange is the New Black- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
David Kelley might be described as living the American Dream, 1990s' style: write a screenplay, move to Hollywood, make millions and marry a movie star. A former Boston lawyer, in the last decade, he switched careers to become a successful television producer whose shows are recognized for their quality as well as receiving top ratings. David Kelley was born in 1956 and is originally from Maine. He attended Princeton University and Boston University Law School. He married actress Michelle Pfeiffer in November 1993. They have two children: Claudia Rose Kelley, born in March 1993, who was adopted by Ms. Pfeiffer eight months before their marriage, and John Henry, born in August 1994. Claudia Rose Kelley was christened and given Mr. Kelley's name at the couple's wedding ceremony. Mr. Kelley was an associate at Fine & Ambrogne in 1983 when he wrote a film script based on some of his legal experiences. Through a family friend, he got the script optioned and acquired an agent in 1986. It was produced in 1987, as a film titled From the Hip (1987), starring Judd Nelson, Elizabeth Perkins, and John Hurt. At the same time, producers Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher (creators of the successful police drama Hill Street Blues (1981)) were planning a new series set in a law firm, and looking for writers with legal backgrounds. They saw Mr. Kelley's script and invited him to Los Angeles to discuss writing a single script for L.A. Law (1986). The meeting was so successful that Mr. Kelley joined the show's staff as a story editor. The next year, he became executive story editor, and after Terry Fisher left the show, he became the supervising producer. Steven Bochco left L.A. Law (1986) after the third season, and Mr. Kelley took over as executive producer, while continuing to write many of the scripts himself. Mr. Kelley has since produced more critically acclaimed and successful shows. He served as creative consultant on Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989), which was produced by Steven Bochco, and as executive producer and writer for Picket Fences (1992). He is the executive producer of Chicago Hope (1994). He is part of the television production division of Twentieth Century Fox, which has been owned by Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate, The News Corporation Ltd., since 1985.Dirty Little Lies - 6 rated 10/10 (season 1)
Goliath
Boston Public
Boston Legal
Ally McBeal- Writer
- Producer
- Director
A producer, writer, director and award-winning novelist. He is the author of the collection 'Between Here and the Yellow Sea' and the novel 'Galveston.' He is originally from Southwest Louisiana, and taught literature at several universities, including the University of Chicago, before going into screenwriting in 2010. His fiction has been translated into French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Italian, and 26 other languages. He is best known as the creator of HBO's "True Detective", for which he was showrunner, producer, sometime director and almost entirely sole writer for its first three seasons. As of December 2023, he is attached to direct his first feature, "Easy's Waltz", starring Vince Vaughn and Al Pacino, and as showrunner for the Amazon original series "The Magnificent Seven" among other projects. He is married to the singer/songwriter Suzanne Santo (Suzanne Pizzolatto).True Detective - 24 episodes
5 rated 10/10 and 4 rated 9/10 (2 seasons)- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Mad Men - 4 out of 6 episodes rated 10/10
The Romanoffs - 1 out of 1 episode rated 10/10- Writer
- Producer
- Script and Continuity Department
Andrew Davies was born on 20 September 1936 in Rhiwbina, Cardiff, Wales, UK. He is a writer and producer, known for Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) and The Three Musketeers (2011). He has been married to Diana Huntley since 1960. They have two children.4 episodes rated 10/10
War & Peace (2016) - 6 episodes
Bleak House (2005) - 15 episodes
Pride and Prejudice (1995) - 6 episodes
The Final Cut (1995) - 1 of 4 episodes rated 10/10
To Play the King (1993) - 1 of 4 episodes rated 10/10
House of Cards(1990) - 2 of 4 episodes rated 10/10- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Brannon Braga was born on 14 August 1965 in Bozeman, Montana, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Star Trek: First Contact (1996).24
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: The Next Generation- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
André Jacquemetton was born in Lyon, France. He is known for Mad Men (2007), Echo 3 (2022) and Star Trek: Enterprise (2001).
(with Maria Jacquemetton)
Mad Men - 2 episodes rated 10/10 and 3 episodes rated 9/10
Star Trek: Enterprise - 1 episode rated 9/10
The Romanoffs- Producer
- Writer
- Actress
(with André Jacquemetton)
Mad Men - 2 episodes rated 10/10 and 3 episodes rated 9/10
Star Trek: Enterprise - 1 episode rated 9/10
The Romanoffs