Robert Cochran (TV producer)

Last updated

Robert Cochran (also credited as Bob Cochran) is an American writer and producer for television, most known for creating the Emmy award-winning TV series 24 with his writing partner Joel Surnow. [1] [2]

Contents

Background

Cochran graduated from Stanford Law School in 1974. Prior to a television writing career, he was a lawyer and management consultant. A screenwriter friend once showed him a script he'd written, the first time Cochran had ever seen one. Having written mostly in prose fiction, Cochran was new to the format and began gravitating towards a career in screenwriting, eventually leaving consulting to work in Hollywood. [3]

Early television writing career

Between 1987 and 2001, Cochran wrote for shows such as L.A. Law , Falcon Crest and JAG , and wrote and produced for the cop series The Commish starring Michael Chiklis. He also wrote for the miniseries Attila starring Gerard Butler. In 1997 Cochran and Surnow created and produced the spy series La Femme Nikita starring Peta Wilson, also serving as the show's consultants. It ran for five seasons. [4]

Birth of 24

The concept for 24 initially came from Surnow, a TV show where each episode would play out in real time and the entirety of the first season would cover a 24-hour period. Cochran was unconvinced until they met the next day and fleshed out the idea of an action-espionage series with a dramatic race against the clock. They spent most of 2000 developing the plot and characters and writing the pilot, and pitched it to Fox in early 2001. The network immediately bought the show, confident it would "move the form of television forward." It premiered on November 6, 2001, and was an instant hit. [5] [6]

Cochran and Surnow won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series in 2002 for 24's pilot episode, and would go on to win multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for the show. [7]

Other projects

In 2006, Cochran and Surnow made partnership with Howard Gordon, another 24 producer, to develop projects at Fox. [8] [9]

In 2007, Cochran and David Hemingson created the medical comedy The Call starring Kal Penn. The pilot went unsold. That same year, Cochran and David Ehrman wrote and executive produced the TV spy movie Company Man starring Jason Behr and Stana Katic. In 2014 Cochran returned to write for 24: Live Another Day . In 2016, he wrote for the spin-off series 24: Legacy. [10] [11]

Cochran's production company is Real Time Productions. [12]

Books

Cochran wrote the young adult fantasy novel The Sword and the Dagger, released by Macmillan Publishers in 2019. [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>24</i> (TV series) American television series (2001–2010, 2014)

24 is an American action drama television series created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran for Fox. The series stars Kiefer Sutherland as US counter-terrorist federal agent Jack Bauer. Each season covers 24 consecutive hours in Bauer's life using the real time method of narration, which is emphasized by the display of split screens and a digital clock. The show premiered on November 6, 2001, and spanned 204 episodes over nine seasons, with the series finale broadcast on July 14, 2014. In addition, the television film 24: Redemption aired between seasons six and seven, on November 23, 2008. 24 is a joint production by Imagine Television and 20th Century Fox Television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Schlamme</span> American director

Thomas David Schlamme is an American television director, known particularly for his collaborations with Aaron Sorkin. He is known for his work as executive producer on The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, as well as his work as director on Sports Night and The Americans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Surnow</span> American television writer and producer

Joel Surnow is an American television writer and producer. He is the co-creator of the action series La Femme Nikita and 24.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Schwartz</span> American screenwriter and television producer (b. 1976)

Joshua Ian Schwartz is an American screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for creating and executive producing the Fox teen drama series The O.C. which ran for 4 seasons. Schwartz is also known for developing The CW's series Gossip Girl based on the book of the same name and for co-creating NBC's action-comedy-spy series, Chuck.

Mitchell Donald "Mitch" Hurwitz is an American television writer, producer, and actor. He is best known as the creator of the television sitcom Arrested Development as well as the co-creator of The Ellen Show. He is also a contributor to The John Larroquette Show and The Golden Girls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Daniels</span> American writer, producer, and director (born 1963)

Gregory Martin Daniels is an American screenwriter, television producer, and director. He has worked on several television series, including writing for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, adapting The Office for the United States, and co-creating Parks and Recreation and King of the Hill. Daniels attended Harvard University, where he befriended and began collaborating with Conan O'Brien. His first writing credit was for Not Necessarily the News, before he was laid off because of budget cuts.

Glenn Gordon Caron, sometimes credited as Glenn Caron, is an American writer, director, and producer, best known for the television series Moonlighting in the 1980s and Medium in the 2000s. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Murphy (producer)</span> American television writer and producer (born 1965)

Ryan Patrick Murphy is an American television writer, director, and producer. He has created and produced a number of television series including Nip/Tuck (2003–2010), Glee (2009–2015), American Horror Story (2011–present), American Crime Story (2016–present), Pose (2018–2021), 9-1-1 (2018–present), 9-1-1: Lone Star (2020–present), Ratched (2020), American Horror Stories (2021–present), and Monster (2022–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Gordon</span> American television writer and producer (born 1961)

Howard Gordon is an American screenwriter and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Piller</span> American television producer and scriptwriter (1948–2005)

Michael Piller was an American television scriptwriter and producer, who was best known for his contributions to the Star Trek franchise.

Sara James Tarses was an American television producer and television studio executive. She was the president of ABC Entertainment from 1996 to 1999, the first woman and one of the youngest people to hold such a post in an American broadcast network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rod Holcomb</span> American television director and producer (1943–2024)

Rod Holcomb was an American television director and producer, best known for directing the pilot and finale of ER.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Kring</span> American screenwriter and producer

Richard Timothy Kring is an American screenwriter and television producer, best known for his creation of the drama series Strange World, Crossing Jordan, Heroes, and Touch.

Christopher Lloyd is an American television producer and screenwriter. Lloyd is the co-creator and executive producer of the ABC mockumentary family sitcom Modern Family, which he co-created and produced with Steven Levitan. Lloyd has had an extensive career on many series, primarily Frasier.

<i>24</i> season 7 Season of television series

The seventh season of the American drama television series 24, also known as Day 7, premiered in the United States on Fox on January 11, 2009, and concluded on May 18, 2009. The season was originally scheduled to premiere on January 13, 2008, but was delayed due to the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike. On November 23, 2008, Fox aired 24: Redemption, a two-hour TV movie set between seasons. Unlike all of the other seasons, this season's DVD set was released one day after the season finale. The season's storyline begins and ends at 8:00 a.m.

The Fox Network television series 24 has won numerous Emmy Awards for its technical and artistic merits, and become part of American popular culture. Jack Bauer and David Palmer are seen as iconic television characters. It has also been heavily criticized for justifying the misuse of government authority and the use of torture, and accused of being racially insensitive.

Michael Loceff was a writer and co-executive producer of the hit television series 24, which aired on the Fox television network. He worked on the show for six and a half seasons, but left after the writer's strike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Nix</span> American writer, producer, and director (born 1971)

Matthew E. Nix is an American writer, producer, and director. He is best known for creating the television series Burn Notice, The Good Guys, and The Gifted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">12:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m.</span> 1st episode of the 1st season of 24

"12:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m." is the pilot episode and the first episode of the first season of the American action drama television series 24. It was written by series creators Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran and directed by Stephen Hopkins, and originally aired in the United States on Fox at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 6, 2001.

<i>24: Legacy</i> American television series

24: Legacy is an American television series created by Manny Coto and Evan Katz that aired on Fox network from February 5 to April 17, 2017. The series is a spin-off of 24 which was created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran and its premiere served as the lead-out program for Super Bowl LI before moving to its regular time slot of Monday at 8:00 p.m. The series' premiere was watched by 17.6 million people, the lowest post-Super Bowl program viewership since 2003's Alias but the most viewed episode in the franchise's history.

References

  1. ↑ Adalian, Josef (2003-02-28). "'24' creator extends his 20th TV deal". Variety. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
  2. ↑ "'24' Team Clocking in Again at Fox". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2006-06-13.
  3. ↑ "Cochran's Road to Hollywood". From the Mixed up Files. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  4. ↑ "Robert Cochran Career Credits". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
  5. ↑ Heard, Christopher (2009). Timothy Niedermann (ed.). Kiefer Sutherland—Living Dangerously. Transit Publishing Inc.
  6. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie. "24's Impact 20 Years Later". Deadline. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  7. ↑ "2002 Emmy Awards". Academy of Arts and Sciences Archive. Retrieved 10 September 2002.
  8. ↑ Adalian, Josef (2006-02-15). "'24' runner on Fox clock". Variety. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  9. ↑ Schneider, Michael (2008-02-13). "Time's up for '24's' Joel Surnow". Variety. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  10. ↑ Heritage, Stuart (2017-01-17). "The risk paid off! 24 is back without Jack Bauer – and it's incredible". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  11. ↑ Poniewozik, James (2014-07-15). "REVIEW: In the 24: Live Another Day Finale, Jack Bauer Feels Our Pain Again". TIME. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  12. ↑ "'24' Executive Producers Pick Their Favorite Episodes". Variety. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
  13. ↑ Cochran, Robert. "The Sword and the Dagger". Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
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.