James Yoshimura

Last updated
James Yoshimura
Born Chicago, Illinois, United States
LanguageEnglish
GenreTelevision, film

James Yoshimura is an American writer and producer, best known for his screenwriting work on the NBC series Homicide: Life on the Street and the short-lived Fox series The Jury , for which he served as a co-creator. He also co-wrote Homicide: The Movie, a made-for-television film that came out in 2000, after the series ended. Yoshimura has received two Emmy Award nominations: one for Homicide: The Movie and one for the Homicide episode "Subway", which also won a Peabody Award for excellence in television broadcasting.

Contents

Biography

Yoshimura was born in Chicago, Illinois. [1] He attended the Yale School of Drama in New Haven, Connecticut, where he had a playwriting class with classmate and future comedian Lewis Black. [2] Yoshimura began his career writing for theater. Among his theater works were the plays "Union Boys", [3] and "Mercenaries". The latter play was about three American mercenaries who are placed on trial following a defeated coup of a leftist island government. Although The New York Times was critical of the play, which it said lacked adequate characterization, reviewer Frank Rich compliments "its author's willingness to reach, as well as his flickers of talent: Mr. Yoshimura can write theatrical scenes, spin dark jokes and ask big questions." [4]

Yoshimura met Tom Fontana in 1988 at a mutual friend's housewarming party in Los Angeles. Fontana accused Yoshimura of being a "snobby theater type" who looks down on television people. The two became friends after the party, however, and Yoshimura credits Fontana with getting him work and teaching him how to write for television. [5]

"He's a tortured writer. He's the reincarnation of Dylan Thomas, I think, because he's tortured when he writes. He conceives like a 17-pound baby, so we're all relieved when he delivers (a script)."

Clark Johnson [6]

Yoshimura went on to work with Fontana on Homicide: Life on the Street , where Yoshimura served as a writer and later producer for the duration of the show's seven seasons. Many of the scripts Yoshimura wrote focused on one strong central story, rather than a large number of subplots. [7] The first Homicide script he wrote was the first season episode "Son of a Gun". [8] Among the other scripts he wrote was the sixth season episode "Subway", which featured a man becoming pinned between a subway car and train platform, leaving him only about an hour to live. Yoshimura was inspired to write it based on an episode of the HBO hidden-camera documentary show Taxicab Confessions , where a New York City detective discussed a similar real-life event. [1] The episode won a 1998 Peabody Award for excellence in television broadcasting, [9] and received two Emmy Award nominations during the 50th Primetime Emmy Awards season, including one for Yoshimura for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series. [10]

David Simon, a writer and producer who worked on Homicide: Life on the Street, suggested Yoshimura as a possible writing partner when he was pitching the mini-series The Corner to HBO executives, but writer David Mills was chosen instead. [11] Yoshimura co-wrote the script for Homicide: The Movie , the made-for-television film that came out after the series ended. Yoshimura and his fellow co-writers, Fontana and Eric Overmyer, conceived the story for the film in one weekend. [12] Yoshimura and the co-writers received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or Movie, [13] although the award ultimately went to Simon and Mills for The Corner. [14]

Yoshimura co-created and wrote for the 2004 Fox series The Jury , along with Homicide executive producers Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana. [15]

In 2010, Yoshimura returned to television as he joined Simon and Overmyer's series Treme as a writer and producer for its second season. [16] He later went on to write for Homeland's third season. [17]

Related Research Articles

Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police drama television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from January 31, 1993, to May 21, 1999, and was succeeded by Homicide: The Movie (2000), which served as the series finale. The series was created by Paul Attanasio and based on David Simon's book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets (1991). Many of the characters and stories used throughout the show were based on events depicted in the book.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clark Johnson</span> American film director

Clark Johnson is an American-Canadian actor and director who has worked in both television and film. He is best known for his roles as David Jefferson in Night Heat (1985–1988), Clark Roberts in E.N.G. (1989–1994), Meldrick Lewis in Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999) and Augustus Haynes in The Wire (2008).

Tom Fontana is an American screenwriter, writer, and television producer. Fontana worked on NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street and created HBO's Oz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Simon</span> American author, journalist, and television writer and producer

David Judah Simon is an American author, journalist, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work on The Wire (2002–08).

<i>Homicide: Life on the Street</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of Homicide: Life on the Street, an American police procedural drama television series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between January 31 and March 31, 1993. The show was created by Paul Attanasio, with film director Barry Levinson and television writer and producer Tom Fontana serving as executive producers. Adapted from David Simon's 1991 non-fiction book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, the season followed the fictional detectives of Baltimore Police Department homicide unit and the murder cases they investigate. The show was broadcast on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST, with the exception of the series premiere, which aired immediately after Super Bowl XXVII.

<i>Homicide: Life on the Street</i> (season 2) 1994 American television series season

The second season of Homicide: Life on the Street, an American police procedural drama television series, originally aired in the United States between January 6 and January 27, 1994. Due to low Nielsen ratings during the first season, NBC executives decided to order only a four-episode season, after which they would evaluate the ratings and decide whether to renew the show. Homicide was moved to a new timeslot of Thursdays at 10 p.m. EST, temporarily replacing the legal drama L.A. Law. NBC requested several changes from the series, including fewer episode subplots and less camera movements and jump cuts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Overmyer</span> American writer and producer (born 1951)

Eric Ellis Overmyer is an American writer and producer. He has written and/or produced numerous TV shows, including St. Elsewhere, Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order, The Wire, New Amsterdam, Bosch, Treme, and The Man in the High Castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Mills (TV writer)</span> American journalist and TV writer (1961-2010)

David Eugene Mills was an American journalist, writer and producer of television programs. He was an executive producer and writer of the HBO miniseries The Corner, for which he won two Emmy Awards, and the creator, executive producer, and writer of the NBC miniseries Kingpin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rafael Alvarez</span> American author

Rafael Alvarez is an American author based in Baltimore and Los Angeles. Alvarez went to work for the Sunpapers of Baltimore as a teenager—first in the circulation department and then the horse racing desk in sports—before landing on the City Desk as a utility man and neighborhood folklorist. He was with The Sun from 1977 through 2001. After leaving the paper, Alvarez worked on ships as a laborer before joining the staff of the HBO drama The Wire. He also worked on the NBC crime dramas Life and The Black Donnellys.

Joy Lusco, also known as Joy Kecken and Joy Lusco Kecken, is an American film and television director and writer. She often works with her husband, Scott Kecken. They worked on the HBO drama series The Wire on four of the show's five seasons.

Subway (<i>Homicide: Life on the Street</i>) 7th episode of the 6th season of Homicide: Life on the Street

"Subway" is the seventh episode of the sixth season of the American police television drama Homicide: Life on the Street, and the 84th episode overall. It first aired on NBC in the United States on December 5, 1997. In the episode, John Lange becomes pinned between a Baltimore Metro Subway train and the station platform. The Baltimore homicide department is informed that Lange will be dead within an hour and Pembleton tries to solve the case while comforting Lange in his final minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gone for Goode</span> 1st episode of the 1st season of Homicide: Life on the Street

"Gone for Goode" is the first episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 31, 1993, immediately following Super Bowl XXVII. The episode was written by series creator Paul Attanasio and directed by executive producer Barry Levinson. "Gone for Goode" introduced regular cast members Daniel Baldwin, Ned Beatty, Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, Wendy Hughes, Clark Johnson, Yaphet Kotto, Melissa Leo, Jon Polito and Kyle Secor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Men and Adena</span> 5th episode of the 1st season of Homicide: Life on the Street

"Three Men and Adena" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 3, 1993. The episode was written by executive producer Tom Fontana and directed by Martin Campbell. In the episode, Pembleton and Bayliss have a 12-hour limit to elicit a confession from Risley Tucker for the murder of 11-year-old Adena Watson. The episode takes place almost entirely within the confines of the police interrogation room with the three actors.

Son of a Gun (<i>Homicide: Life on the Street</i>) 3rd episode of the 1st season of Homicide: Life on the Street

"Son of a Gun" is the third episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on February 10, 1993. The teleplay was written by James Yoshimura based on a story by executive producer Tom Fontana, and the episode was directed by Nick Gomez. In the episode, recurring character Officer Thormann is shot while on duty, and his close friend Crosetti takes the investigation personally.

Bop Gun (<i>Homicide: Life on the Street</i>) 1st episode of the 2nd season of Homicide: Life on the Street

"Bop Gun" is the second season premiere of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street, and the tenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 6, 1994. In the episode, the Baltimore homicide unit investigates the shooting death of the wife of a tourist, played by guest star Robin Williams.

A Many Splendored Thing (<i>Homicide: Life on the Street</i>) 4th episode of the 2nd season of Homicide: Life on the Street

"A Many Splendored Thing" is the second season finale of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street, and the thirteenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 27, 1994. In the episode, Pembleton and Bayliss investigate the S&M-related murder of a young woman, which forces an uncomfortable Bayliss to confront his darker side. Meanwhile, Lewis is disturbed when a man commits murder over a $1.49 pen, and a despairing Munch crashes Bolander's date and ruins it by venting his own romantic woes.

Bonnie Mark is an American former television writer and producer. She worked on the ABC crime drama NYPD Blue and the NBC crime dramas Third Watch and Homicide: Life on the Street. She was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for her work on Homicide.

Julie Martin is an American television writer and producer. She has worked on the NBC crime dramas Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She won a Humanitas Prize and was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for her work on Homicide. She has also been nominated for an Edgar Award for her work on Criminal Intent.

Jorge Zamacona is an American television writer and producer. He worked extensively on the police drama Homicide: Life on the Street and wrote the series' crossover episodes with the crime drama Law & Order. Zamacona co-created the police dramas 10-8: Officers on Duty and Wanted.

"Black and Blue" is the third episode of the second season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street, and the twelfth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 20, 1994. In the episode, Pembleton aggressively investigates what he believes to be a police-related shooting. Amid pressure from Gee to pursue civilian suspects, Pembleton elicits a successful confession from an innocent man, leaving Gee feeling conflicted. Directed by Chris Menaul, the episode's teleplay was written by James Yoshimura based on a story by series executive producer Tom Fontana.

References

  1. 1 2 Bogosian, Theodore (1998-11-04). Anatomy of "Homicide: Life on the Street" (Documentary). Baltimore, Maryland: Public Broadcasting Service.
  2. ↑ Witchel, Alex (2006-03-13). "Shades of Black Humor". The New York Times Magazine . Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  3. ↑ "Playwright conference will develop 15 plays". The New York Times . New York City, New York. 1985-07-03. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  4. ↑ Rich, Frank (1982-07-08). "The stage: American "Mercenaries" in Caribbean". The New York Times . New York City, New York . Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  5. ↑ Nussbaum, Emily (2004-05-24). "It's not HBO. It's TV. With his new show, The Jury, Tom Fontana is trying to sneak the values of Oz onto the network of The Swan. Perhaps there's hope for television after all". New York . New York City, New York . Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  6. ↑ Johnson, Clark (1998-11-04). Anatomy of "Homicide: Life on the Street" (Documentary). Baltimore, Maryland: Public Broadcasting Service.
  7. ↑ Mutrux, Gail (1998-11-04). Anatomy of "Homicide: Life on the Street" (Documentary). Baltimore, Maryland: Public Broadcasting Service.
  8. ↑ Kaltenbach, Chris (1997-08-31). "Homicide: Still on the Street; The ratings haven't been all that the TV honchos would like, but Baltimore's finest is hanging in there for a sixth season". The Baltimore Sun . Baltimore, Maryland. p. 1E.
  9. ↑ Zurawik, David; Kaltenbach, Chris (1999-05-16). ""Homicide": The best of the best". The Baltimore Sun . p. 5F.
  10. ↑ Phillips, Barbara A. (1998-11-02). "Behind the Scenes Of a "Homicide"". The Wall Street Journal . New York City, New York . Retrieved 2009-06-22.
  11. ↑ Scott, Janny (2000-06-11). "Who Gets to Tell a Black Story?". The New York Times . New York City, New York . Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  12. ↑ Weinraub, Bernard (2000-02-06). "Television/radio; A gritty portrayal of police life gets a kind of closure". The New York Times . New York City, New York . Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  13. ↑ Reese, Lori (2000-09-10). "Trophy Hunting: "The West Wing" and "The Sopranos" score big, while Sarah Michelle Gellar is ignored again". Entertainment Weekly . Los Angeles, California . Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  14. ↑ Johnson, Allan (2000-09-11). "Political drama wins 5; "Will" gets 3; Tony (Soprano) wins an Emmy". Chicago Tribune . Chicago, Illinois. p. 1.
  15. ↑ Stanley, Alessandra (2004-06-08). "TELEVISION REVIEW; They Meet Secretly, Bicker and Try to Return a Verdict". The New York Times. New York City, New York . Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  16. ↑ Walker, Dave (2010-06-22). "'Homicide' veteran James Yoshimura to join 'Treme' writing team". The Times-Picayune . New Orleans, Louisiana . Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  17. ↑ Rose, Lacey (2013-02-12). "'Homeland' Adds First New Writer For Season 3". The Hollywood Reporter . Los Angeles, California . Retrieved 2014-08-15.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.