Greg Daniels
Encyclopedia
Gregory Martin "Greg" Daniels (born June 13, 1963) is an American television comedy writer, producer, and director.
as a child, as well as by reading books by humorist S. J. Perelman
at age 11. Daniels attended Phillips Exeter Academy and then Harvard University
where he wrote for the Harvard Lampoon
with Conan O'Brien
. He met his wife when she was working for NBC
and he for Saturday Night Live
. Daniels began his career as a writer on the HBO satirical news show Not Necessarily the News
before moving to Saturday Night Live
. There he spent three seasons at SNL, winning an Emmy Award
in the process. Greg then joined The Simpsons
, writing and producing some of the most popular episodes in the history of the series (including "22 Short Films About Springfield
", "Homer and Apu
", "Bart Sells His Soul
", and "Lisa's Wedding
"). In 1992, Greg co-wrote an episode of Seinfeld
entitled "The Parking Space
" which aired during the third season. He won his second Emmy Award while with The Simpsons before co-creating King of the Hill
with Mike Judge
. King of the Hill is one of the longest running animated series short of The Simpsons
and South Park
. Greg won another Emmy for his work on King of the Hill. Subsequently, Daniels adapted the popular BBC
series The Office for NBC
in the U.S. to great success, and he gave the acceptance speech at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards when the American version of The Office won the award for Outstanding Comedy Series
. Daniels was the recipient of the 2008 Outstanding Television Writer Award at the Austin Film Festival
. He is a co-creator and producer of the American TV series Parks and Recreation
.
Writer
Writer
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series
It is a rare feat that four of the shows that Greg Daniels has written for are still on the air as of September 2011: Saturday Night Live
, The Simpsons
, The Office and Parks and Recreation
.
Life and career
Daniels said he became interested in comedy by watching Monty Python's Flying CircusMonty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
as a child, as well as by reading books by humorist S. J. Perelman
S. J. Perelman
Sidney Joseph Perelman, almost always known as S. J. Perelman , was an American humorist, author, and screenwriter. He is best known for his humorous short pieces written over many years for The New Yorker...
at age 11. Daniels attended Phillips Exeter Academy and then Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
where he wrote for the Harvard Lampoon
Harvard Lampoon
The Harvard Lampoon is an undergraduate humor publication founded in 1876 at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.-Overview:Published since 1876, The Harvard Lampoon is the world's longest continually published humor magazine. It is also the second longest-running English-language humor...
with Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS....
. He met his wife when she was working for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and he for Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. Daniels began his career as a writer on the HBO satirical news show Not Necessarily the News
Not Necessarily the News
Not Necessarily the News was a satirical sketch comedy series that ran on HBO from 1983 to 1990. It featured sketches, parody news items, commercial parodies, and humorous bits made from overdubbing or editing actual news footage. It was based on the British series, Not the Nine O'Clock News...
before moving to Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. There he spent three seasons at SNL, winning an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
in the process. Greg then joined The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, writing and producing some of the most popular episodes in the history of the series (including "22 Short Films About Springfield
22 Short Films about Springfield
"22 Short Films About Springfield" is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons seventh season, which originally aired on April 14, 1996. It was written by Richard Appel, David S. Cohen, Jonathan Collier, Jennifer Crittenden, Greg Daniels, Brent Forrester, Rachel Pulido, Steve Tompkins, Josh...
", "Homer and Apu
Homer and Apu
"Homer and Apu" is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons fifth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 10, 1994. In the episode, Homer participates in a hidden camera investigation of the expired meat selling at the Kwik-E-Mart. Apu is immediately fired and...
", "Bart Sells His Soul
Bart Sells His Soul
"Bart Sells His Soul" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It first aired in the United States on the Fox network, on October 8, 1995. In the episode, Bart pranks churchgoers by replacing the music to a hymn with a psychedelic rock song, so Reverend Lovejoy forces him and Milhouse...
", and "Lisa's Wedding
Lisa's Wedding
"Lisa's Wedding" is the 19th episode of The Simpsons sixth season, which originally aired March 19, 1995. The plot focuses around Lisa visiting a carnival fortune teller and learning about her future love. It was written by Greg Daniels and directed by Jim Reardon. Mandy Patinkin guest stars as...
"). In 1992, Greg co-wrote an episode of Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
entitled "The Parking Space
The Parking Space
"The Parking Space" is the thirty-ninth episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. The episode was the 22nd episode of the third season. It aired on April 22, 1992....
" which aired during the third season. He won his second Emmy Award while with The Simpsons before co-creating King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
with Mike Judge
Mike Judge
Michael Craig Judge is an American animator, film director, writer and voice actor, best known as the creator and star of the animated television series Beavis and Butt-head , King of the Hill , and The Goode Family .He also wrote, directed and in some instances produced the films Beavis and...
. King of the Hill is one of the longest running animated series short of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
and South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
. Greg won another Emmy for his work on King of the Hill. Subsequently, Daniels adapted the popular BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
series The Office for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in the U.S. to great success, and he gave the acceptance speech at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards when the American version of The Office won the award for Outstanding Comedy Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series is an Emmy given to the best television comedy series of the year.-Winners and nominees:...
. Daniels was the recipient of the 2008 Outstanding Television Writer Award at the Austin Film Festival
Austin Film Festival
The Austin Film Festival was started in 1994 in Austin, Texas and is claimed to be "the first organization of its kind to focus on the writer’s unique creative contribution to the film and television industries"...
. He is a co-creator and producer of the American TV series Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
.
The Simpsons
Writer- "Treehouse of Horror IVTreehouse of Horror IV"Treehouse of Horror IV" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons fifth season and the fourth episode in the Treehouse of Horror series of Halloween specials. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 28, 1993, and features three short stories called "The Devil and Homer...
" - "Homer and ApuHomer and Apu"Homer and Apu" is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons fifth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 10, 1994. In the episode, Homer participates in a hidden camera investigation of the expired meat selling at the Kwik-E-Mart. Apu is immediately fired and...
" - "Secrets of a Successful MarriageSecrets of a Successful Marriage"Secrets of a Successful Marriage" is the twenty-second and final episode of The Simpsons fifth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 19, 1994. In the episode, Homer fears he may be a little slow, so he goes to the adult education center...
" - "Treehouse of Horror VTreehouse of Horror V"Treehouse of Horror V" is the sixth episode of The Simpsons sixth season and the fifth episode in the Treehouse of Horror series. It premiered on October 30, 1994, and features three short stories called The Shinning, Time and Punishment, and Nightmare Cafeteria...
" - "Homer BadmanHomer Badman"Homer Badman", also known as "Homer: Bad Man" is the ninth episode of The Simpsons sixth season and originally aired November 27, 1994. It was written by Greg Daniels and directed by Jeffrey Lynch. After his attempt to grab a gummy candy off of the seat of a young feminist's pants is accused for...
" - "Lisa's WeddingLisa's Wedding"Lisa's Wedding" is the 19th episode of The Simpsons sixth season, which originally aired March 19, 1995. The plot focuses around Lisa visiting a carnival fortune teller and learning about her future love. It was written by Greg Daniels and directed by Jim Reardon. Mandy Patinkin guest stars as...
" - "Bart Sells His SoulBart Sells His Soul"Bart Sells His Soul" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It first aired in the United States on the Fox network, on October 8, 1995. In the episode, Bart pranks churchgoers by replacing the music to a hymn with a psychedelic rock song, so Reverend Lovejoy forces him and Milhouse...
" - "22 Short Films About Springfield22 Short Films about Springfield"22 Short Films About Springfield" is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons seventh season, which originally aired on April 14, 1996. It was written by Richard Appel, David S. Cohen, Jonathan Collier, Jennifer Crittenden, Greg Daniels, Brent Forrester, Rachel Pulido, Steve Tompkins, Josh...
"
The Office
Director- "Basketball" (April 19, 2005) - Season 1
- "The DundiesThe Dundies"The Dundies" is the second season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office—the show's seventh episode overall. Written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Greg Daniels, who is also a producer for the show, the episode originally aired in the United States on September 20, 2005 on...
" (September 20, 2005) - Season 2 - "The Client" (November 8, 2005) - Season 2
- "Valentine's Day" (February 9, 2006) - Season 2
- "Drug Testing" (April 27, 2006) - Season 2
- "The Coup" (October 5, 2006) - Season 3
- "Traveling SalesmenTraveling Salesmen (The Office)"Traveling Salesmen" is the thirteenth episode of the third season of the US version of The Office. It aired January 11, 2007. It was written by Michael Schur, Lee Eisenberg, and Gene Stupnitsky and directed by Greg Daniels. This is the first episode to use an abbreviated title sequence, presumably...
" (January 11, 2007) - Season 3 - "The ReturnThe Return (The Office)"The Return" is the fourteenth episode of the third season of the US version of The Office. It aired on January 18, 2007 on NBC and marked the return to work of Oscar Martinez, who had been on vacation since the first episode of the season....
" (January 18, 2007) - Season 3 - "Fun RunFun Run"Fun Run" is the fourth season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's fifty-fourth episode overall...
" (September 27, 2007) - Season 4 - "Baby Shower" (October 16, 2008) - Season 5
- "MurderMurder (The Office)"Murder" is the 10th episode of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office and the show's 110th episode overall. It was written by Daniel Chun and directed by Greg Daniels...
" (November 12, 2009) - Season 6 - "PDAPDA (The Office)"PDA" is the sixteenth episode of seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 142nd episode overall. Written by Robert Padnick and directed by series creator Greg Daniels, the episode was shown on February 10, 2011, on NBC.-Synopsis:Michael and Holly have...
(February 10, 2011) - Season 7
Writer
- "Pilot" (March 24, 2005) - Season 1
- "Basketball" (April 19, 2005) - Season 1
- "Halloween" (October 18, 2005) - Season 2
- "Booze Cruise" (January 5, 2006) - Season 2
- "Conflict Resolution" (May 4, 2006) - Season 2
- "Gay Witch HuntGay Witch Hunt"Gay Witch Hunt" is the third season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's twenty-ninth episode overall. Written by executive producer and show runner Greg Daniels and directed by Ken Kwapis, the episode first aired in the United States on September 21, 2006...
" (September 21, 2006) - Season 3 - "Beach GamesBeach Games"Beach Games" is the twenty-third episode of the third season of the US version of The Office, and is the 51st episode aired of the show. It was written by Jennifer Celotta and Greg Daniels and directed by film director Harold Ramis, who previously directed the episodes "A Benihana Christmas" and...
" along with Jennifer CelottaJennifer CelottaJennifer Ann Celotta is an American television producer and writer. Among her credits are Home Improvement, Malcolm in the Middle, Greg the Bunny, Andy Richter Controls The Universe and The Office...
(May 10, 2007) - Season 3 - "Fun RunFun Run"Fun Run" is the fourth season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's fifty-fourth episode overall...
" (September 27, 2007) - Season 4 - "NiagaraNiagara (The Office)"Niagara" is an hour-long episode of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office. It is the 4th and 5th episodes in the season's episode count and the 104th and 105th episode of the series overall. The episode was written by executive producer Greg Daniels and Mindy Kaling, and was...
" co-written with Mindy KalingMindy KalingVera Mindy Chokalingam , better known as Mindy Kaling, is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer who plays Kelly Kapoor on the NBC sitcom The Office. Kaling is also a co-executive producer and writer of several of the show's episodes.-Early life:Kaling was born Vera Chokalingam in...
(October 8, 2009) - Season 6 - "Goodbye, MichaelGoodbye, Michael"Goodbye, Michael" is the twenty-second episode of the seventh season of the American comedy series The Office and the show's 148th episode overall. The episode was written by series developer and executive producer Greg Daniels and was directed by Paul Feig. The episode originally aired on April...
" (April 28, 2011) - Season 7
Parks and Recreation
Director- "PilotPilot (Parks and Recreation)"Pilot" is the first episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 9, 2009. The episode was written by series co-creators Michael Schur and Greg Daniels, and directed by Daniels...
" (April 9, 2009) - "Hunting Trip" (November 19, 2009)
Writer
- "PilotPilot (Parks and Recreation)"Pilot" is the first episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 9, 2009. The episode was written by series co-creators Michael Schur and Greg Daniels, and directed by Daniels...
" (with Michael Schur) (April 9, 2009)
King of the Hill
Writer- "Pilot (King of the Hill)"
- "Hank's Unmentionable Problem"
Awards
For The OfficePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series is an annual award presented as part of the Primetime Emmy Awards. It recognizes writing excellence in regular comedic series, most of which can generally be described as situation comedies.Though this category is the dominant one...
- 2007: Won for Gay Witch HuntGay Witch Hunt"Gay Witch Hunt" is the third season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's twenty-ninth episode overall. Written by executive producer and show runner Greg Daniels and directed by Ken Kwapis, the episode first aired in the United States on September 21, 2006...
- 2010: Nominated for NiagaraNiagara (The Office)"Niagara" is an hour-long episode of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office. It is the 4th and 5th episodes in the season's episode count and the 104th and 105th episode of the series overall. The episode was written by executive producer Greg Daniels and Mindy Kaling, and was...
with Mindy KalingMindy KalingVera Mindy Chokalingam , better known as Mindy Kaling, is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer who plays Kelly Kapoor on the NBC sitcom The Office. Kaling is also a co-executive producer and writer of several of the show's episodes.-Early life:Kaling was born Vera Chokalingam in...
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series is an Emmy given to the best television comedy series of the year.-Winners and nominees:...
- 2006: Won
- 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010: Nominated
Career abstract
- Parks and RecreationParks and RecreationParks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
- NBC - 2009: Co-creator, Writer - The Office - NBC - 2005–present: Co-creator, Executive Producer, Writer, Director, Actor. Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series (2006) and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Comedy Series (2007). 1 other nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series (2007).
- Life's Too Short - WB - 2000: Executive Producer, Writer. Michael McKeanMichael McKeanMichael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, writer, composer and musician, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Squiggy's friend, Leonard 'Lenny' Kosnowski, on the sitcom Laverne and Shirley; and for his work in the Christopher Guest ensemble films, particularly as David St...
and Samm LevineSamm LevineSamuel Franklin "Samm" Levine is an American television and film actor. He is known for his portrayal of Neal Schweiber on NBC's short-lived Freaks and Geeks and PFC Hirschberg in the hit 2009 film Inglourious Basterds...
starred as father and son. - King of the HillKing of the HillKing of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
- FOX - 1997-2009: Co-creator, Executive Producer, Writer. Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Series (1999). 4 other nominations for Outstanding Animated Series (1997, 1998, 2001, 2002). - SeinfeldSeinfeldSeinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
- NBC - 1992: Writer - The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
- FOX: Writer, Co-Executive Producer, Producer, Co-Producer. Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Series (1995). 2 other Emmy Nominations (Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics-1994, Outstanding Animated Series-1996). - Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
- NBC - 1987-1990: Writer. Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Variety Series (1989). - Not Necessarily the NewsNot Necessarily the NewsNot Necessarily the News was a satirical sketch comedy series that ran on HBO from 1983 to 1990. It featured sketches, parody news items, commercial parodies, and humorous bits made from overdubbing or editing actual news footage. It was based on the British series, Not the Nine O'Clock News...
- HBO: Writer.
It is a rare feat that four of the shows that Greg Daniels has written for are still on the air as of September 2011: Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, The Office and Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
.