Ken Keeler
Encyclopedia
Kenneth "Ken" Keeler is an American television
producer
and writer
. He has written for numerous television series, most notably The Simpsons
and Futurama
. According to an interview with David X. Cohen, he proved a theorem which appears in the Futurama episode "The Prisoner of Benda
".
at Harvard University
, graduating summa cum laude in 1983. He earned a Ph.D.
in applied mathematics in 1990; his doctoral thesis was on Map Representations and Optimal Encoding for Image Segmentation.
After earning his doctorate, Keeler joined the Performance Analysis Department at AT&T Bell Laboratories. He soon left Bell Labs to write for David Letterman
and subsequently for various sitcoms, including several episodes of Wings, The Simpsons
, Futurama
, and The Critic
, as well as the short-lived Fox
claymation show The PJs
. For The Simpsons, Keeler has written such episodes as "A Star Is Burns" (which Matt Groening refused to be credited for, as he was opposed to the idea of The Simpsons crossing over with The Critic) and "The Principal and the Pauper" (which many fans -- including series creator Matt Groening and voice actor Harry Shearer -- disliked due to the massive changes in Principal Skinner's backstory).
Keeler was instrumental in the creation of Futurama
, and served as a co-executive producer in its first three years, and as an executive producer
in its fourth year. He was one of the show's most prolific writers, with nine episodes to his name (including the original series finale, "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings
", and the Writers Guild Award-winning episode "Godfellas
"). Keeler wrote many of the original songs on both The Simpsons and Futurama during his time with the shows. He also wrote the direct-to-DVD Futurama movies Bender's Big Score
and Into the Wild Green Yonder
.
Keeler is also a fan of (but of no relation to) Harry Stephen Keeler
and won the 2001 Fifth and 2008 TwelfthAnnual Imitate Keeler Competitions. His Futurama episode "Time Keeps On Slippin'
" was partly inspired by the Harry Stephen Keeler story "Strange Romance" from the novel Y. Cheung, Business Detective.
Having cowritten a paper with Jeff Westbrook
, Keeler has an Erdős number
of 4.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
producer
Producer
Producer may refer toAn occupation*Executive producer, supervises one or more Producers*Film producer, oversees the making of films**Line producer, manages the budget and/or day to day running of a film production...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. He has written for numerous television series, most notably 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 Futurama
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
. According to an interview with David X. Cohen, he proved a theorem which appears in the Futurama episode "The Prisoner of Benda
The Prisoner of Benda
"The Prisoner of Benda" is the 10th episode of the sixth season of the animated sitcom, Futurama. It aired on Comedy Central on August 19, 2010. In the episode, Professor Farnsworth and Amy build a machine that allows them to switch minds so that they may each pursue their lifelong dreams. ...
".
Career
After graduating from St. John's School in Houston, Texas, he studied applied mathematicsApplied mathematics
Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge...
at 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...
, graduating summa cum laude in 1983. He earned a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in applied mathematics in 1990; his doctoral thesis was on Map Representations and Optimal Encoding for Image Segmentation.
After earning his doctorate, Keeler joined the Performance Analysis Department at AT&T Bell Laboratories. He soon left Bell Labs to write for David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
and subsequently for various sitcoms, including several episodes of Wings, 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...
, Futurama
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
, and The Critic
The Critic
The Critic is an American prime time animated series revolving around the life of film critic Jay Sherman, voiced by actor Jon Lovitz. It was created by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, both of whom had worked as writers on The Simpsons. The Critic had 23 episodes produced, first broadcast on ABC in 1994,...
, as well as the short-lived Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
claymation show The PJs
The PJs
The PJs is an American stop-motion animated television series created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore, and Steve Tompkins. It portrayed life in an urban public housing project, modeled after the Brewster-Douglass housing projects in Detroit that once housed Diana Ross & Lilly Tomlin...
. For The Simpsons, Keeler has written such episodes as "A Star Is Burns" (which Matt Groening refused to be credited for, as he was opposed to the idea of The Simpsons crossing over with The Critic) and "The Principal and the Pauper" (which many fans -- including series creator Matt Groening and voice actor Harry Shearer -- disliked due to the massive changes in Principal Skinner's backstory).
Keeler was instrumental in the creation of Futurama
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
, and served as a co-executive producer in its first three years, and as an executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
in its fourth year. He was one of the show's most prolific writers, with nine episodes to his name (including the original series finale, "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings
The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings
"The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" is the eighteenth episode in the fourth production season of the animated television series Futurama, and was aired for the first time in the United States on August 10, 2003 as the sixteenth episode of the fifth broadcast season...
", and the Writers Guild Award-winning episode "Godfellas
Godfellas
"Godfellas" is the twentieth episode of the third production season of Futurama. It was first shown in North America on March 17, 2002, as the eighth episode in the fourth broadcast season. The episode was written by Ken Keeler and directed by Susie Dietter. It features Bender becoming the god of...
"). Keeler wrote many of the original songs on both The Simpsons and Futurama during his time with the shows. He also wrote the direct-to-DVD Futurama movies Bender's Big Score
Futurama: Bender's Big Score
Futurama: Bender's Big Score is an Annie Award-winning direct-to-video film based on the animated series Futurama. It was released in the United States on November 27, 2007. Bender's Big Score, along with the three follow-up films, comprise season five of Futurama, with each film being separated...
and Into the Wild Green Yonder
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder is the last of a series of four straight-to-DVD Futurama movies. The movie was written by Ken Keeler, based on a story by Keeler and David X. Cohen, and directed by Peter Avanzino. Guest stars include Phil Hendrie, Penn Jillette , Snoop Dogg and Seth...
.
Keeler is also a fan of (but of no relation to) Harry Stephen Keeler
Harry Stephen Keeler
Harry Stephen Keeler was a prolific but little-known American author.- Biography :Born in Chicago in 1890, Keeler spent his childhood exclusively in this city, which was so beloved by the author that a large number of his works took place in and around it...
and won the 2001 Fifth and 2008 TwelfthAnnual Imitate Keeler Competitions. His Futurama episode "Time Keeps On Slippin'
Time Keeps on Slippin'
"Time Keeps On Slippin" is the 14th episode in season 3 of Futurama. It originally aired May 6, 2001. The title is from a lyric in Fly Like an Eagle by Steve Miller Band which was featured in the basketball film Space Jam...
" was partly inspired by the Harry Stephen Keeler story "Strange Romance" from the novel Y. Cheung, Business Detective.
Having cowritten a paper with Jeff Westbrook
Jeff Westbrook
Jeff Westbrook is a TV writer best known for his work on The Simpsons and Futurama, for which he is a two-time winner of the WGA Award....
, Keeler has an Erdős number
Erdos number
The Erdős number describes the "collaborative distance" between a person and mathematician Paul Erdős, as measured by authorship of mathematical papers.The same principle has been proposed for other eminent persons in other fields.- Overview :...
of 4.
The Simpsons episodes
- "A Star Is BurnsA Star is Burns"A Star Is Burns" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons sixth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 5, 1995. In the episode, Springfield decides to hold a film festival, and famed critic Jay Sherman is invited to be a judge...
" - "Two Bad NeighborsTwo Bad Neighbors"Two Bad Neighbors" is the 13th episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 14, 1996. In the episode,the Simpson family is having a garage sale. Right when the sale gets moving, George H. W...
" - "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)"El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer '", also known as The Mysterious Voyage of Our Homer, is the ninth episode of the eighth season of The Simpsons, which originally aired January 5, 1997...
" - "Brother from Another SeriesBrother from Another Series"Brother from Another Series" is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons eighth season and originally aired February 23, 1997. Sideshow Bob is released from prison into the care of his brother Cecil and claims to be a changed man. However, Bart does not believe him and tries to find out what Bob is...
" - "The Principal and the PauperThe Principal and the Pauper"The Principal and the Pauper" is the second episode of The Simpsons ninth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 28, 1997. In the episode, Seymour Skinner begins to celebrate his twentieth anniversary as principal of Springfield Elementary School when a man...
" - "Treehouse of Horror VIITreehouse of Horror VII"Treehouse of Horror VII" is the first episode of The Simpsons eighth season and originally aired October 27, 1996. In the seventh annual "Treehouse of Horror" episode, Bart discovers his long-lost twin, Lisa grows a colony of small beings and Kang & Kodos impersonate Bill Clinton and Bob Dole in...
" ("The Thing and I") - "The Simpsons Spin-Off ShowcaseThe Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase"The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase" is the twenty-fourth episode of the eighth season of The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 11, 1997. The episode centers on fictional pilot episodes of non-existent television series derived from The Simpsons, and is a...
" (story)
Futurama episodes and films
- "The Series Has Landed"
- "When Aliens AttackWhen Aliens Attack"When Aliens Attack" is episode twelve in season one of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on November 7, 1999. This episode was written by Ken Keeler and directed by Brian Sheesley. The episode features an attack by aliens from Omicron Persei 8 who are outraged when the final episode...
" - "Put Your Head on My Shoulders"
- "Anthology of Interest IAnthology of Interest I"Anthology of Interest I" is episode sixteen in season two of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on May 21, 2000. This episode, as well as the later "Anthology of Interest II", serves to showcase three "imaginary" stories, in a manner similar to the "Treehouse of Horror" episodes of...
" (co-writer) - "The HonkingThe Honking"The Honking" is episode eighteen in season two of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on November 5, 2000. The title comes from The Howling, a modern werewolf film.-Plot:...
" - "Time Keeps On Slippin'Time Keeps on Slippin'"Time Keeps On Slippin" is the 14th episode in season 3 of Futurama. It originally aired May 6, 2001. The title is from a lyric in Fly Like an Eagle by Steve Miller Band which was featured in the basketball film Space Jam...
" - "GodfellasGodfellas"Godfellas" is the twentieth episode of the third production season of Futurama. It was first shown in North America on March 17, 2002, as the eighth episode in the fourth broadcast season. The episode was written by Ken Keeler and directed by Susie Dietter. It features Bender becoming the god of...
" - "The Devil's Hands are Idle PlaythingsThe Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings"The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" is the eighteenth episode in the fourth production season of the animated television series Futurama, and was aired for the first time in the United States on August 10, 2003 as the sixteenth episode of the fifth broadcast season...
" - Futurama:Bender's Big Score (film: teleplay, co-writer script)
- Futurama: Into the Wild Green YonderFuturama: Into the Wild Green YonderFuturama: Into the Wild Green Yonder is the last of a series of four straight-to-DVD Futurama movies. The movie was written by Ken Keeler, based on a story by Keeler and David X. Cohen, and directed by Peter Avanzino. Guest stars include Phil Hendrie, Penn Jillette , Snoop Dogg and Seth...
(film: teleplay & co-writer script) - "The Prisoner of BendaThe Prisoner of Benda"The Prisoner of Benda" is the 10th episode of the sixth season of the animated sitcom, Futurama. It aired on Comedy Central on August 19, 2010. In the episode, Professor Farnsworth and Amy build a machine that allows them to switch minds so that they may each pursue their lifelong dreams. ...
" - "The Tip of the ZoidbergThe Tip of the Zoidberg"The Tip of the Zoidberg", is the twenty-third episode of the sixth season of the animated sitcom Futurama. It aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 18, 2011.- Plot :...
" - "OverclockwiseOverclockwise"Overclockwise" is the twenty-fifth episode of the sixth season of the animated sitcom Futurama. It aired on Comedy Central in the United States on September 1, 2011...
"