Joel Surnow | |
|---|---|
 Surnow in 2014 | |
| Born | December 18, 1955 |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, producer |
| Spouse(s) | Wendy Cozen Colleen Surnow (1989–present) |
| Children | 5 |
| Website | joelsurnow |
Joel Surnow (born December 18, 1955) is an American television writer and producer. He is the co-creator of the action series La Femme Nikita and 24 .
Joel Surnow is of Jewish descent. [1] He was raised in Michigan and later Los Angeles. Surnow attended the University of California, Berkeley for two years, and eventually graduated from UCLA film school in 1976.
Soon after graduation, he began writing for film; he then switched to television. His breakthrough came when he began writing for Miami Vice , in 1984. By the end of the year, Universal Studios, which owned the show, assigned Surnow to The Equalizer , as Supervising Producer, about a CIA officer turned vigilante.
He has five daughters, two from a previous marriage and three with his current wife.
Surnow was the co-creator and executive producer of the 1997–2001 television series La Femme Nikita , which was the top-rated drama on basic cable its first two seasons. In addition to being Supervising Producer and writing for The Equalizer and serving as executive story editor on the first season of Miami Vice , he has written scripts for a number of other TV series, including Nowhere Man and Wiseguy .
Following La Femme Nikita, Surnow's most successful work was on the TV series 24 , which he co-created and also executive produced with Robert Cochran. In 2006, 24 won Emmy awards for Outstanding Drama Series, accepted by Surnow and his fellow producers, including Robert Cochran, and Outstanding Lead Actor Kiefer Sutherland, who also won a Golden Globe. Surnow and Cochran had previously won an Emmy for 24 in 2002, for their writing of the series' pilot episode. Surnow quit his role as executive producer of the series on February 12, 2008. His production company was Real Time Productions. [2] In 2006, the duo made partnership with Howard Gordon, another 24 producer to develop projects at Fox under his Real Time Productions company. [3] [4]
Surnow also created The 1/2 Hour News Hour , a comedy show described by Surnow as " The Daily Show for conservatives". [5] The first episode aired on February 18, 2007, receiving poor reviews. [6] Although the initial ratings were very good, [7] subsequent ratings dropped dramatically. The show was canceled six months later, after airing only seven episodes., [8]
Also in 2007, Surnow teamed up with Six Flags to create "Operation SpyGirl", a stunt show made exclusively for Six Flags Great America in association with Asylum Entertainment. The show followed the story of SpyGirl as she attempted to save Gurnee, Illinois (the park's location) from the evil Max Condor in just 24 minutes. Prior to the show's opening, Six Flags had plans to bring the Operation SpyGirl brand to some of its other parks including the now-cancelled Six Flags Dubailand, as well as a possible extension of the IP to television or film, [9] but those plans were canceled once the show proved to be a failure with guests.
Joel made his directorial debut with Small Time ; it was released by Freestyle Releasing on April 18, 2014. [10]
Surnow identifies as politically conservative and has spoken about being a political minority in Hollywood. His second wife is Catholic and they sent their three daughters to Catholic schools. He has stated, "I decided I liked Catholics. They're so grounded. I sort of reoriented myself". [11]
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. Multiple interrelated plots are featured in each episode, which often include Bauer's contacts in perilous crises. 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.
Northern Exposure is an American Northern comedy-drama television series about the eccentric residents of a fictional small town in Alaska that ran on CBS from July 12, 1990, to July 26, 1995, with a total of 110 episodes. It received 57 award nominations during its six-year run and won 27, including the 1992 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, two additional Primetime Emmy Awards, four Creative Arts Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globes.
Graham John Yost is a Canadian film and television screenwriter. His best-known works are the films Speed, Broken Arrow, and Hard Rain and the TV series Justified.
David Sanford Milch is an American writer and producer of television series. He has created several television shows, including ABC's NYPD Blue (1993–2005), co-created with Steven Bochco, and HBO's Deadwood.
Robert Cochran is the co-creator of the television series 24. Before that, he and Joel Surnow wrote and produced for the television series The Commish. Cochran had also written for shows such as L.A. Law, Falcon Crest and JAG. Cochran and Surnow later created and produced the television series La Femme Nikita and later also served as the series consultants. His production company is Real Time Productions. In 2006, the duo made partnership with Howard Gordon, another 24 producer to develop projects at Fox under his Real Time Productions company.
Howard Gordon is an American television writer and producer.
Sean Callery is an American musician and composer, best known for composing the music for the action/drama 24 and the Marvel adaptation Jessica Jones. Other projects include the 2004 video game, James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing and the television series La Femme Nikita and Homeland. Most recently he composes the music for the series Designated Survivor and Bull.
La Femme Nikita is a Canadian action-drama television series based on the French film Nikita by Luc Besson. The series was co-produced by Jay Firestone of Fireworks Entertainment and Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. It was adapted for television by Joel Surnow. The series was telecast in the United States on the USA Network cable channel on January 13, 1997, and ran for five seasons until March 4, 2001. The series was also aired in Canada on the over-the-air CTV Television Network. La Femme Nikita was the highest-rated drama on American basic cable during its first two seasons. It was also distributed in some other countries.
Martha Logan is a fictional character played by Jean Smart in the television series 24. As a first lady of the United States within the 24 universe, she is the capable yet mercurial wife of President Charles Logan. Critics praised Martha Logan as the breakout character of the show's 2005-2006 season.
Brad Turner is a Canadian film director, television director and photographer.
Matthew Hoffman Weiner is an American television writer, producer, and director best known as the creator and showrunner of the television series Mad Men, and as a writer and executive producer on The Sopranos.
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.
The ½ Hour News Hour is an American television news satire show that aired on Fox News. The program presented news stories from a conservative perspective, using a satirical format akin to Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and The Daily Show.
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.
Joe Keenan is an American screenwriter, television producer and novelist. Known for his television work on series like Frasier and Desperate Housewives, Keenan has been referred to as the "gay P.G. Wodehouse" for his three successful novels.
The Kennedys is a television miniseries chronicling the lives of the famous political Kennedy family, including key triumphs and tragedies it has experienced. It stars Greg Kinnear, Barry Pepper, Katie Holmes, and Tom Wilkinson among others, and is directed by Jon Cassar. The series premiered in the United States in April 2011 on the Reelz Channel, on History Television in Canada and on the History Channel in the United Kingdom.
"12:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m." is the pilot episode of the Fox television series 24. It was written by series creators Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran and directed by Stephen Hopkins. It premiered in the United States on Fox at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 6, 2001.
Maurice Hurley was an American screenwriter and producer known best for his work on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
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