Pamela Fryman | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Born | Pamela Gail Fryman August 19, 1959 |
Occupation(s) | Television director and producer |
Years active | 1988–present |
Pamela Gail Fryman (born August 19, 1959) is an American sitcom director and producer. She directed all but twelve episodes of the television series How I Met Your Mother .
Fryman was born and grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [1]
Fryman got her first job on The John Davidson Show as an assistant to the talent coordinator, and went on to be a booth production assistant and secretary on Santa Barbara , eventually moving up to assistant director (AD), and director. [1] In 1993, producer Peter Noah, with whom she had worked on the game show Dream House , gave Fryman a chance to direct an episode of the short-lived sitcom Café Americain . These would be the first stepping stones toward a long and successful career. [1]
Before her directing career blossomed, Fryman pursued stage directing. On the set of Frasier , rehearsal resembled a play staging, which is exactly what creator and executive producer David Lee had in mind when he hired her. [2] Fryman directed 34 episodes of the show from seasons four through eight.
She also became main director on Just Shoot Me!, directing 94 out of the 148 episodes the show aired.
Fryman directed the majority of the episodes of How I Met Your Mother . [3] Show creator Craig Thomas praised her communication skills, saying, "She makes everyone feel they've been heard and respected and she can connect with anyone." [4] Though Fryman's original career plan did not include directing (she figured she would "follow in her father's footsteps in merchandising"), [1] she has grown to realize that directing is her forte and passion. In Variety magazine, Fryman said that continuing to direct How I Met Your Mother is her fantasy realized. [5] In 2014, she officiated the wedding of How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, who played a side role in the show. [6]
She also directed 19 out of the 30 episodes that lasted How I Met Your Father.
She achieved the milestone of directing her 500th episode of television in 2016 with the third episode of the third season of The Odd Couple. [7]
Fryman has received recognition from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences also known as the (ATAS), the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Directors Guild of America, Goldderby.com, the Online Film & Television Association also known as the (OFTA), and the Women in Film organization. [8]
Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Director | Producer | Actor | Role | |||
2001 | The Gene Pool | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2001 | Count Me In | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2003 | The Snobs | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2006 | You've Reached the Elliotts | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2006 | Sex, Power, Love & Politics | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2006 | Inseparable | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2007 | The Minister of Divine | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2009 | The Karenskys | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2009 | CBS Fall Preview | Yes | No | No | Television special | |
2010 | True Love | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2010 | Livin' on a Prayer | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2010 | Freshman | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2011 | The Assistants | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2011 | And They're Off | No | Yes | No | Feature Film; Producer | |
2012 | Table for Three | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2013 | Divorce: A Love Story | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2014 | Save the Date | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2014 | Cuz-Bros | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2014 | Cabot College | Yes | Yes | No | Television Movie; also Executive Producer | |
2014 | How I Met Your Dad | No | Yes | No | Television Movie; also Executive Producer | |
2015 | The Perfect Stanleys | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2015 | The History of Us | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2016 | My Time Your Time | Yes | Yes | No | Television Movie; also Executive Producer | |
2016 | Good Fortune | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2017 | Real Life | Yes | Yes | No | Television Movie; also Executive Producer | |
2018 | Most Likely To | Yes | No | No | Television Movie | |
2018 | History of Them | Yes | Yes | No | Television Movie; also Executive Producer | |
TBR | Distefano | Yes | Yes | No | Television Movie; also Executive Producer | |
TBR | Making Friends | Yes | Yes | No | Television Movie; also Executive Producer |
Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Director | Producer | Actor | Role | |||
1990–1993 | Santa Barbara | Yes | No | Yes | Whispy Figure | 21 episodes (director); 177 episodes (also associate director) Episode: "#1.916" (actor) |
1994 | Cafe Americain | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Oh, Brother" | |
1994 | Muddling Through | Yes | No | No | 3 episodes | |
1994–1997 | Friends | Yes | No | No | 2 episodes | |
1995 | The Boys Are Back | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Bad Hair Day" | |
1995 | Bringing Up Jack | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Close Personal Friends" | |
1995 | The Single Guy | Yes | No | No | unknown episode | |
1995 | Dweebs | Yes | No | No | 9 episodes | |
1995–1996 | Bless This House | Yes | No | No | 3 episodes | |
1996 | Ned and Stacey | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Friends and Lovers" | |
1996 | Good Company | Yes | No | No | 2 episodes | |
1996 | Caroline in the City | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Caroline and the Cereal" | |
1996 | Hope & Gloria | Yes | No | No | 2 episodes | |
1996 | Pearl | Yes | No | No | unknown episode | |
1996 | Townies | Yes | No | No | 7 episodes | |
1996–1997 | The Naked Truth | Yes | No | No | 3 episodes | |
1996–1997 | Cybill | Yes | No | No | 4 episodes | |
1997 | Fired Up | Yes | No | No | 2 episodes | |
1997 | Suddenly Susan | Yes | No | No | 5 episodes | |
1997-1998 | George and Leo | Yes | No | No | 4 episodes | |
1997–2001 | Frasier | Yes | No | No | 34 episodes | |
1998 | The Simple Life | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Pilot" | |
1998 | Maggie Winters | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Pilot | |
1998 | Encore! Encore! | Yes | No | No | Episode: "I Am Joe's Ego" | |
1998 | The King of Queens | Yes | No | No | 3 episodes | |
1998–2003 | Just Shoot Me! | Yes | Yes | No | 95 episodes (director); 46 episodes (also Executive Producer) | |
1999 | Norm | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Drive, Norm Said" also known as "The Norm Show" | |
1999 | Work with Me | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Pilot" | |
1999 | Love & Money | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Pilot" | |
2000 | Welcome to New York | Yes | No | No | unknown episode | |
2001 | Three Sisters | Yes | No | No | 3 episodes | |
2001 | Inside Schwartz | Yes | No | No | 2 episodes | |
2002 | In-Laws | Yes | No | No | 2 episodes | |
2003 | My Big Fat Greek Life | Yes | No | No | Episode: "The House Gift" | |
2003–2004 | Happy Family | Yes | Yes | No | 22 episodes (director); 21 episodes (also Executive Producer) | |
2004–2005 | Two and a Half Men | Yes | No | No | 20 episodes | |
2005–2014 | How I Met Your Mother | Yes | Yes | No | 208 episodes (Executive Producer); 196 episodes (also director); | |
2006 | Courting Alex | Yes | No | No | Episode: "A Tale of Two Kisses" | |
2009 | Accidentally on Purpose | Yes | No | No | 2 episodes | |
2011 | Mad Love | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Fireworks" | |
2011 | How to Be a Gentleman | Yes | No | No | 2 episodes | |
2012 | Friend Me | Yes | No | No | unknown episode | |
2013 | Mom | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Pilot" | |
2014–2015 | The McCarthys | Yes | Yes | No | 11 episodes (director); 11 episodes (also Executive Producer) | |
2015 | Truth Be Told | Yes | Yes | No | 7 episodes (director); 7 episodes (also Executive Producer) | |
2016–2017 | The Odd Couple | Yes | No | No | 3 episodes | |
2016–2018 | Man with a Plan | Yes | No | No | 12 episodes | |
2017–2018 | 9JKL | Yes | Yes | No | 8 episodes (director); 8 episodes (also Executive Producer) | |
2017–2020 | One Day at a Time | Yes | Yes | No | 11 episodes (director); Episode: "This Is It" (Executive Producer) | |
2018 | Murphy Brown | Yes | Yes | No | Episode: "Pilot" (director); Episode: "Pilot" (also Executive Producer) | |
2019 | Abby's | Yes | Yes | No | 5 episodes (director); also Executive Producer | |
2019–2020 | Carol's Second Act | Yes | No | No | 8 episodes (director) | |
2019 | Merry Happy Whatever | Yes | Yes | No | 4 episodes (director); also Executive Producer | |
2019 | Live in Front of a Studio Audience: "All in the Family" and "Good Times" | Yes | No | No | Television special (director) | |
2021 | Call Your Mother | Yes | Yes | No | 10 episodes (director); also Executive Producer | |
2021 | Pretty Smart | Yes | Yes | No | 3 episodes (director); also executive producer | |
2022-2023 | How I Met Your Father | Yes | Yes | No | 19 episodes (director); also executive producer | |
2023-2024 | Night Court | Yes | Yes | No | 6 episodes (director); also executive producer |
Cybill is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre, which aired for four seasons and 87 episodes on CBS from January 2, 1995, to July 13, 1998. Starring Cybill Shepherd, the show revolves around the life of Cybill Sheridan, a twice-divorced single mother of two and struggling actress in her 40s who has never gotten her big break in show business. Alicia Witt and Dedee Pfeiffer co-starred as Sheridan's daughters, with Alan Rosenberg and Tom Wopat playing their respective fathers, while Christine Baranski appeared as Cybill's hard-drinking friend Maryann.
Laura Elizabeth Metcalf is an American actress and comedian. Known for her complex and versatile roles across the stage and screen, she has received various accolades throughout her career spanning more than four decades, including four Primetime Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and three Golden Globe Awards.
Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout his career, including a Tony Award, five Primetime Emmy Awards, and nominations for a Grammy Award and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Jean Elizabeth Smart is an American actress. She has received numerous accolades including five Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, four Critics' Choice Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards as well as nominations for a Tony Award and a Grammy Award.
Frances Hardman Conroy is an American actress. She is best known for playing Ruth Fisher on the television series Six Feet Under (2001–2005), for which she won a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and received four Primetime Emmy Awards nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She is also known for playing the older version of Moira O'Hara in season one of the television anthology series American Horror Story, which garnered Conroy her first Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television nomination, and as well a Primetime Emmy Awards nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. Conroy subsequently portrayed The Angel of Death, Myrtle Snow, Gloria Mott, Mama Polk, Bebe Babbitt, and Belle Noir on seven further seasons of the show: Asylum, Coven, Freak Show, Roanoke, Cult, Apocalypse, and Double Feature, respectively. Conroy is the fourth actor who has appeared in most seasons of the show. For her performance in Coven, she was nominated again for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.
Pamela Adlon is an American actress, writer and director. She is known for voicing Bobby Hill in the animated comedy series King of the Hill (1997–2010), for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award. She also voiced Baloo in Jungle Cubs (1996–1998), the title role in the Pajama Sam video game series (1996–2001), Lucky in 101 Dalmatians: The Series (1997–1998), Margaret "Moose" Pearson in Pepper Ann (1997–2000), Ashley Spinelli in Recess (1997–2001), Otto Osworth in Time Squad (2001–2003), and Brigette Murphy in Milo Murphy's Law (2016–2019), among numerous others.
James Edward Burrows, sometimes known as Jim "Jimmy" Burrows, is an American television director. Burrows has received numerous accolades including 11 Primetime Emmy Awards and five Directors Guild of America Awards. He was honored with the Directors Guild of America Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 and NBC special Must See TV: An All-Star Tribute to James Burrows in 2016.
Kathryn Joosten was an American actress. Her best known roles include Dolores Landingham on NBC's The West Wing from 1999 to 2002 and Karen McCluskey on ABC's Desperate Housewives from 2005 to 2012, for which she won two Primetime Emmy Awards in 2005 and 2008.
Linwood Boomer is a Canadian-born American film and television producer, writer, and actor. He is known for playing the role of Adam Kendall on the drama Little House on the Prairie, and for creating the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle.
The seventh season of Frasier originally aired from September 23, 1999, to May 18, 2000, on NBC.
"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz" is the tenth episode of Frasier's sixth season. It first aired on NBC in the United States on December 17, 1998. In the episode, Frasier, while shopping for Christmas gifts meets a stylish Jewish woman, Helen Moskowitz, who asks him to take her daughter Faye on a blind date. This leads to a deepening relationship between the two. Helen on Christmas Eve makes a stop by Frasier's apartment, unaware that he is not Jewish and so he and the family must pretend that they are to survive the visit.
"Girls Versus Suits" is the 12th episode of the fifth season of the American situation comedy television series How I Met Your Mother and the 100th episode overall. Written by series creators Carter Bays & Craig Thomas and directed by Pamela Fryman, the episode originally aired on CBS on January 11, 2010.
"Jenkins" is the 13th episode of the fifth season of the CBS situation comedy How I Met Your Mother and 101st episode overall. It originally aired on January 18, 2010. The episode hit a season high with 10.52 million viewers and high overall ratings.
The first season of the American television comedy series The Golden Girls originally aired on NBC in the United States between September 14, 1985, and May 10, 1986. Created by television writer Susan Harris, the series was produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions and ABC Studios It starred Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Betty White, and Estelle Getty as the main characters Dorothy Zbornak, Blanche Devereaux, Rose Nylund, and Sophia Petrillo. The series revolves around the lives of four older women living together in a house in Miami.
The first season of the American comedy-drama television series Girls premiered on HBO on April 15, 2012, and consisted on 10 episodes, concluding on June 17, 2012. The series was created by Lena Dunham, who portrays the lead character, who based the premise and central aspects of the show on her personal life. It was produced by Apatow Productions, I Am Jenni Konnor Productions and HBO productions.
The fifth season of the American television romantic comedy-drama Sex and the City aired in the United States on HBO. The show was created by Darren Star while Star, Michael Patrick King, John P. Melfi, series lead actress Sarah Jessica Parker, Cindy Chupack, and Jenny Bicks served as executive producers. The series was produced by Darren Star Productions, HBO Original Programming, and Warner Bros. Television. Parker portrays the lead character Carrie Bradshaw, while Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon played her best friends Samantha Jones, Charlotte York, and Miranda Hobbes.
Stefani Robinson is an American screenwriter and producer. She is best known for her work on FX's Atlanta, for which she won two Writers Guild of America Awards, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. Robinson was a writer and executive producer for the FX television series What We Do in The Shadows, for which she received Emmy nominations for writing, and for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2020 and 2022. She wrote the screenplay for the 2023 biopic Chevalier.
"Isn't It Romantic?" is the fifth episode of the second season of The Golden Girls. The episode guest stars Lois Nettleton as Jean, a lesbian friend of Dorothy who comes to visit the girls, and who develops a crush on Rose. The episode aired on November 8, 1986 on NBC.
Though a series regular, this will mark Harris's directing debut, and a rarity for the show as Pamela Fryman has directed 92 of 'How I Met Your Mother's' 97 episodes.
continuing to direct "How I Met Your Mother" is her fantasy realized."