Peter Mehlman
Encyclopedia
Peter Mehlman is an American
television
writer
and producer
, best known for serving as a writer and producer on the TV series Seinfeld
through nearly all of the show's nine-year run from 1989 to 1998. He also created the 1999 series It's Like, You Know...
and produced the 2004 animated series Father of the Pride
. Both were short-lived.
with Howard Cosell
. For the next five years he returned to freelance magazine writing in New York for magazines such as the New York Times Magazine, GQ and Esquire
.
In 1989 he moved to Los Angeles and was offered the opportunity to write a script for Seinfeld by Larry David
. As he had never written a script up to that point ("Pre-Seinfeld, I'd barely written any dialogue in my life" ), Mehlman submitted instead a short humorous piece he had written for the New York Times Magazine. Jerry Seinfeld
was so impressed by the piece that he gave Mehlman a writing assignment, out of which came the series' first freelance episode, "The Apartment." Mehlman was hired for the first full season of "Seinfeld as a program consultant (1991-92) and, over the next six years, worked his way up to co-executive producer in the show's last season after Larry David's departure.
On the subject of how Seinfeld was different from all other network shows, Mehlman commented:
Episodes of Seinfeld written/co-written by Peter Mehlman:
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
, which was primarily a bitter satire of life in Los Angeles and the Hollywood notables and idle rich who live there, as seen through the eyes of Manhattan writer, Garment (played by Chris Eigeman
). The show was often described as a Los Angeles version of Seinfeld. Despite being nominated for "New Program of the Year" at the Television Critics Association
Awards in 1999, the show was canceled by ABC after 26 episodes, mostly to clear more time slots for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
.
Mehlman commented afterward that he found the studio interference from ABC a problem during the show's production, and after the show was canceled commented that he "wouldn't do another show for ABC if the future of Israel depended on it."
"When ABC execs gave me their first note on the script — a small plot change — I pondered it and said, No, I think it's good the way it is. What else you got? The ABC brass looked at me as if I'd announced I was pro-pedophilia. My first experience with network interference. Seinfeld had no network interference." - Peter Mehlman
He then wrote a TV pilot called The White Album, which he described as a "a dark, comic, serialized murder mystery", but he failed to find a network which would produce it.
. He has written editorial articles on such topics as O.J. Simpson, Mel Gibson
and the Saddam Hussein trial and hanging.
On June 20, 2007, he raised controversy when he claimed that, unlike Adolf Hitler
and Joseph Stalin
, the George W. Bush
administration didn't even mean well to its constituency.
In 2009, he wrote and produced the online comedy series Peter Mehlman's Narrow World of Sports, a series of 13 humorous interviews with sports figures such as Kobe Bryant
, Danica Patrick
and Tony Hawk
. The series was sponsored by the Palm Pre
and aired on YouTube
. It was nominated for a Webby Award in 2010 for "Best Reality/Variety Host".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
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....
and producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
, best known for serving as a writer and producer on the TV series 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...
through nearly all of the show's nine-year run from 1989 to 1998. He also created the 1999 series It's Like, You Know...
It's Like, You Know...
It's Like, You Know... was a short-lived American situation comedy television series broadcast by ABC, starring Jennifer Grey, Evan Handler, Steven Eckholdt, A.J. Langer and Chris Eigeman, about life in Los Angeles viewed through the eyes of a diehard New Yorker, Arthur Garment...
and produced the 2004 animated series Father of the Pride
Father of the Pride
Father of the Pride is an American animated television series that began broadcasting on NBC on August 31, 2004 and was part of a short-lived trend of CGI series in prime-time network TV .-Overview:...
. Both were short-lived.
Early career
Peter Mehlman began his career as a sportswriter for the Washington Post. He made his first move from print journalism to television writing when, from 1982 to 1984, he wrote for and produced the television series SportsBeatSportsBeat
SportsBeat is three minutes of programming, where sportscaster Mike Tirico gives his take on the days sports world. SportsBeat is heard Monday through to Friday between 3 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. ET on ESPN Radio. It is three minutes of programming with one minute of inventory inclusive...
with Howard Cosell
Howard Cosell
Howard William Cosell was an American sports journalist who was widely known for his blustery, cocksure personality. Cosell said of himself, "Arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff. I have been called all of these...
. For the next five years he returned to freelance magazine writing in New York for magazines such as the New York Times Magazine, GQ and Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
.
In 1989 he moved to Los Angeles and was offered the opportunity to write a script for Seinfeld by Larry David
Larry David
Lawrence Gene "Larry" David is an American actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is best known as the co-creator , head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in...
. As he had never written a script up to that point ("Pre-Seinfeld, I'd barely written any dialogue in my life" ), Mehlman submitted instead a short humorous piece he had written for the New York Times Magazine. Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
was so impressed by the piece that he gave Mehlman a writing assignment, out of which came the series' first freelance episode, "The Apartment." Mehlman was hired for the first full season of "Seinfeld as a program consultant (1991-92) and, over the next six years, worked his way up to co-executive producer in the show's last season after Larry David's departure.
Work on Seinfeld
Describing the process of writing for Seinfeld and evaluating his own work on the show, Mehlman wrote in an article for ew.com:On the subject of how Seinfeld was different from all other network shows, Mehlman commented:
Episodes of Seinfeld written/co-written by Peter Mehlman:
Season 2
- "The Apartment" - Mehlman pitched an idea where Elaine wants to leave the city, but Larry DavidLarry DavidLawrence Gene "Larry" David is an American actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is best known as the co-creator , head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in...
, Larry CharlesLarry CharlesLarry Charles is an American writer, director, and producer. He is best known as a staff writer for the American sitcom Seinfeld for its first 5 seasons, contributing some of the show's darkest and most absurd storylines...
and Jerry SeinfeldJerry SeinfeldJerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
suggested Elaine move closer to Jerry rather than further away.
Season 3
- "The Nose JobThe Nose Job"The Nose Job" is the twenty-sixth episode of Seinfeld. It is the ninth episode of the show's third season. It first aired on November 20, 1991.The episode was written by Peter Mehlman and was directed by Tom Cherones.-Plot:...
" - Based on a father of Mehlman's friend, who owned a store, and spoke his mind to his customers. - "The Good Samaritan"
Season 4
- "The Virgin"
- "The VisaThe Visa"The Visa" is the fifty-fifth episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. It is the 15th episode of the fourth season. It aired on January 27, 1993.-Plot:George meets Cheryl , a Chinese woman who is a lawyer, and who thinks he is very funny...
" - "The ImplantThe Implant"The Implant" is the 59th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. It is the 19th episode of the fourth season, and first aired on February 25, 1993.-Plot:...
" - "The Smelly CarThe Smelly Car"The Smelly Car" is the sixty-first episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. The episode was the 21st episode for the 4th season. It aired on April 16, 1993.-Plot:...
" (with Larry DavidLarry DavidLawrence Gene "Larry" David is an American actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is best known as the co-creator , head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in...
) - A friend of Peter Mehlman's told a story about a smelly car whose odor could not be defeated.
Season 5
- "The Masseuse"
- "The WifeThe Wife"The Wife" is the eighty-first episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. The 17th episode of the 5th season, it was originally broadcast on March 17, 1994...
" - "The Hamptons" (with Carol LeiferCarol LeiferCarol Leifer is an American comedian, writer, producer and actor whose career as a stand-up comedian started in the 1970s when she was in college. David Letterman discovered her performing in a comedy club in the 1980s and she has since been a guest on Late Night With David Letterman over...
)
Season 6
- "The Chinese WomanThe Chinese Woman"The Chinese Woman" is the 90th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 4th episode for the 6th season. It aired on October 13, 1994.-Plot:...
" - "The ScofflawThe Scofflaw"The Scofflaw" is the 99th episode of the NBC sitcom "Seinfeld". It was the 13th episode for the 6th season. It aired on January 26, 1995.-Plot:...
" - "Highlights of a Hundred, Part 1The Highlights of 100"The Highlights of 100" is an hour-long, two-part episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 14th and 15th episode for the 6th season, along with it being the 100th and 101st overall episodes. It aired on February 2, 1995...
" - "Highlights of a Hundred, Part 2The Highlights of 100"The Highlights of 100" is an hour-long, two-part episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 14th and 15th episode for the 6th season, along with it being the 100th and 101st overall episodes. It aired on February 2, 1995...
"
Season 7
- "The SpongeThe Sponge"The Sponge" is the 119th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the ninth episode for the seventh season. It aired on December 7, 1995.-Plot:...
" - "The Shower HeadThe Shower Head"The Shower Head" is the 126th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 16th episode for the 7th season. It aired on February 15, 1996.-Plot:...
" (with Marjorie GrossMarjorie GrossMarjorie Gross was a television writer and producer. She wrote for such shows as Newhart, The Larry Sanders Show, Square Pegs and Seinfeld.-Biography:...
) - "The Wait OutThe Wait Out"The Wait Out" is the 133rd episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 23rd episode for the seventh season. It aired in the U.S. on May 9, 1996.-Plot:...
" (with Matt Selman)
Season 8
- "The Soul MateThe Soul Mate"The Soul Mate" is the 136th episode of the American television sitcom Seinfeld. This was the second episode for the 8th season. It was originally broadcast on the NBC network on September 26, 1996....
" - "The MoneyThe Money"The Money" is the 146th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 12th episode for the 8th season. It aired on NBC on January 16, 1997.-Plot:...
" - "The Yada YadaThe Yada Yada"The Yada Yada" is the 153rd episode of the American NBC sitcom Seinfeld. The 19th episode of the 8th season, it aired on April 24, 1997 and was nominated for an Emmy.-Plot:...
" (with Jill Franklyn)
Season 9
- "The BetrayalThe Betrayal"The Betrayal" is the 164th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the eighth episode for the ninth and final season. It aired on November 20, 1997. The episode is colloquially referred to as The Backwards Episode due to its use of reverse chronology, starting with the final scene and playing...
" (with David MandelDavid MandelDavid Mandel is an executive producer and director of Curb Your Enthusiasm , and one of the producers of the teen-comedy Eurotrip. He was a writer for Seinfeld during its seventh, eighth, and ninth seasons. He is also one of the creators of Clerks: The Animated Series, and he was a writer for...
) - "The Maid" (with Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer, David Mandel, and Kit Boss)
Post-Seinfeld' sitcoms
In 1999, Mehlman created, produced and co-wrote the sitcom It's Like, You Know...It's Like, You Know...
It's Like, You Know... was a short-lived American situation comedy television series broadcast by ABC, starring Jennifer Grey, Evan Handler, Steven Eckholdt, A.J. Langer and Chris Eigeman, about life in Los Angeles viewed through the eyes of a diehard New Yorker, Arthur Garment...
, which was primarily a bitter satire of life in Los Angeles and the Hollywood notables and idle rich who live there, as seen through the eyes of Manhattan writer, Garment (played by Chris Eigeman
Chris Eigeman
Chris Eigeman is an American actor best known for roles in the Whit Stillman films Metropolitan, Barcelona, and The Last Days of Disco....
). The show was often described as a Los Angeles version of Seinfeld. Despite being nominated for "New Program of the Year" at the Television Critics Association
Television Critics Association
The Television Critics Association is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canadian journalists and columnists who cover television programming...
Awards in 1999, the show was canceled by ABC after 26 episodes, mostly to clear more time slots for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a television game show which offers large cash prizes for correctly answering a series of multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The format is owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television International. The maximum cash prize is one million pounds...
.
Mehlman commented afterward that he found the studio interference from ABC a problem during the show's production, and after the show was canceled commented that he "wouldn't do another show for ABC if the future of Israel depended on it."
"When ABC execs gave me their first note on the script — a small plot change — I pondered it and said, No, I think it's good the way it is. What else you got? The ABC brass looked at me as if I'd announced I was pro-pedophilia. My first experience with network interference. Seinfeld had no network interference." - Peter Mehlman
He then wrote a TV pilot called The White Album, which he described as a "a dark, comic, serialized murder mystery", but he failed to find a network which would produce it.
Online journalism
Since May 2005, Mehlman has contributed articles for the progressive news website The Huffington PostThe Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
. He has written editorial articles on such topics as O.J. Simpson, Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
and the Saddam Hussein trial and hanging.
On June 20, 2007, he raised controversy when he claimed that, unlike Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
, the George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
administration didn't even mean well to its constituency.
In 2009, he wrote and produced the online comedy series Peter Mehlman's Narrow World of Sports, a series of 13 humorous interviews with sports figures such as Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...
, Danica Patrick
Danica Patrick
Danica Sue Patrick is an American auto racing driver, model and advertising spokeswoman. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing, being the only woman to win in the IndyCar Series as well as holding the highest finish by a woman at the Indianapolis 500 of 3rd...
and Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
. The series was sponsored by the Palm Pre
Palm Pre
The Palm Pre is a multimedia smartphone designed and marketed by Palm with a multi-touch screen and a sliding keyboard. The smartphone was the first to use Palm's Linux based mobile operating system, webOS...
and aired on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. It was nominated for a Webby Award in 2010 for "Best Reality/Variety Host".
External links
- "Blank" (short story), Peter Mehlman, SmokeLong Quarterly, September 15, 2006