Career Bill Oakley

1 career

1.1 simpsons

1.1.1 writer
1.1.2 showrunner
1.1.3 leaving show
1.1.4 awards , critical reaction


1.2 mission hill , other work

career

oakley did not land job on major comedy series, previous harvard graduates wrote lampoon had done, despite writing numerous spec scripts shows such saturday night live , late night david letterman; moved home. there, worked in publicity, doing promotion america s wanted. in free time, oakley , weinstein wrote local comedy groups, such gross national product. in 1989, moved new york city after being hired write game show on ha!, before writing variety show on network featuring denis leary. 2 wrote national lampoon , spy. editor of spy hired nbc run variety show sunday best, , took oakley , weinstein los angeles him in 1991. when show canceled after 3 episodes, unemployed lengthy period, , oakley lived on unemployment benefits. later considered applying join united states foreign service.

the simpsons


 — oakley on , weinstein s dedication show.
as writer

after changing agent, wrote spec script seinfeld, received. amongst liked al jean , mike reiss, showrunners of simpsons. there no openings on staff @ time, oakley , weinstein hired write episode marge gets job , based on idea conan o brien. episode aired part of season four. seinfeld script , simpsons episode caught attention of diane english, , offered job on sitcom. before accepted job, told jay kogen , wallace wolodarsky leaving simpsons, , joined writing staff on permanent basis in 1992, in third season of show. began story editors. quiet , felt intimidated , being in same room 10 of greatest minds in comedy , started pitching jokes confidence. wrote scripts together, working side-by-side @ computer. first episode staff writers marge in chains , existing idea assigned. first draft of script based on research women in prison conducted oakley , weinstein, making more realistic final version of episode, in many realistic elements replaced.

after season four, of original staff left show. before david mirkin arrived take on showrunner season five, oakley, weinstein, o brien , dan mcgrath writers working on show , spent month mapping out of season s episodes. oakley , weinstein wrote several episodes season five, penning terror @ 5½ feet segment of treehouse of horror iv , $pringfield (or, how learned stop worrying , love legalized gambling) , lisa vs. malibu stacy , show s 100th episode sweet seymour skinner s baadasssss song , lady bouvier s lover . season 6 wrote sideshow bob roberts , basing of episode on watergate scandal, in had great interest. wrote grampa vs. sexual inadequacy , , bart vs. australia . writing staff wanted episode in simpsons family traveled foreign country; selected australia because thought in australia had sense of humor , jokes , episode being intentionally inaccurate. episode proved controversial; australian fans said episode mockery of country. shortly after had aired, simpsons staff received on hundred letters australians insulted episode. pair wrote two-part episode shot mr. burns? , proposed series creator matt groening. while deciding culprit was, oakley , weinstein pitched barney gumble because character go jail , change dynamic of show. mirkin suggested maggie because felt funnier , wanted culprit family member. oakley , weinstein unsure having maggie culprit, , decided episode end maggie shifting eyes , making not complete accident.

as showrunner

oakley , weinstein appointed executive producers , showrunners of seventh , eighth seasons. chosen partly because had been show since third season , understood many of dynamics. showrunner responsible overseeing aspects of show s production. each episode takes ten months produce, showrunner must oversee many different episodes in different stages of production @ same time , roles including head writer, making notes on storyboards , working voice actors, animators, editors , composers. oakley , weinstein set 2 script-rewriting rooms in motion @ same time, delegating leadership in rooms writers such steve tompkins , david cohen. mirkin, had suggested 2 take over, remained on show in advisory capacity, helping oakley , weinstein technical aspects of show such editing , sound mixing. when took on series, wanted many of episodes realistic ones focused more on 5 members of simpson family , explored feelings , emotions towards each other. wanted produce treehouse of horror episodes, episodes sideshow bob, itchy & scratchy , several format-bending episodes such 22 short films springfield , oakley wrote principal skinner , superintendent chalmers scene, latter being favorite character. aimed @ least 2 episodes per season pushed envelope , [and] expanded definition of episode be. style employed both seasons produced. season 8 featured several episodes in focus given secondary characters , in new issues explored, such divorce. preferred choice of guest stars unique , interesting voices, , several of guest stars old grizzled men distinctive voices such r. lee ermey, donald sutherland, kirk douglas , lawrence tierney. oakley considered season 3 single greatest comedic season of television ever produced , attempted recreate feel of season 2 ran, focusing on stories real emotions , situations, off-the-wall episodes. season 3 basis homer: liked homer way in second , third seasons. consciously used our model. dimwitted, loving, hyper-enthusiastic, creatively goofy, parody of american father – drawn real emotions, though admittedly amplified. exemplified in mother simpson , lisa iconoclast , diddly-dum-doodly , , couple others. in of less reality-based episodes, i.e. beer baron one – swartzwelder s, d treat stricture amount of latitude.

one of notable episodes homer s enemy , episode designed push envelope conceptually. idea homer s enemy first conceived oakley, thought homer should have enemy. evolved concept of real world co-worker either love or hate homer. writers chose latter thought have funnier results. result character of frank grimes, man has had work hard life nothing show , dismayed , embittered homer s success , comfort in spite of inherent laziness , ignorance. homer s enemy explores comic possibilities of realistic character strong work ethic placed alongside homer in work environment. in episode, homer portrayed everyman , embodiment of american spirit; in scenes, negative characteristics , silliness prominently highlighted. close of episode, grimes, hard working , persevering real american hero, relegated role of antagonist; viewer intended pleased homer has emerged victorious. oakley says episode hyper-meta , focused on parodying degree homer don t like. s 1 of things episode supposed illustrate – homer gone wrong . although, argue in homer s enemy s not excessively stupid or immature, actually. weinstein said: wanted episode thinking if real life, normal person had enter homer s universe , deal him? know episode controversial , divisive, love it. feels happen if real, humorless human had deal homer. there talk [on nohomers.net] ending—we did because (a) it’s funny , shocking, (2) lesson of sometimes, can t win —the whole frank grimes episode study in frustration , hence homer has last laugh , (3) wanted show in real life, being homer simpson dangerous , life threatening, frank grimes sadly learned. when episode first broadcast, many fans felt dark, unfunny , homer portrayed overly bad-mannered. on dvd commentary, weinstein considers episode 1 of controversial of seasons ran, involves sharp observational humor many fans didn t get. weinstein talks generation gap —the episode panned viewers, has since become favorite among fans grew show.

oakley (left) along weinstein, mike reiss , jeff martin in 1994.

other episodes included 2 bad neighbors , sees homer meet former president george h. w. bush, reference show s feud bushes in 1990s. weinstein said episode misunderstood. many audiences expected political satire, while writers made special effort keep parody apolitical. oakley stresses s not political attack, s personal attack! , , instead of criticizing bush policies, episode pokes fun @ crotchetiness . oakley described episode companion piece homer s enemy , in character juxtaposed alongside homer , not along him.

oakley considered working on show similar working in bubble due lack of interference fox network s executives, commonplace on other shows. allowed them produce episodes wanted, weinstein commented: great thing simpsons pretty able away everything, there weren t episodes wanted couldn t do. crazy high-concept ones 2 bad neighbors , homer s enemy managed put on air because there no network execs there stop us. such network s limited input that, when executive suggested staff introduce new character live simpsons liven show , staff rejected idea , instead created episode itchy & scratchy & poochie show , inserting one-time character roy, no explanation was, or why living family, reference executive s proposal. episode, marked point @ simpsons surpassed flintstones number of episodes produced animated series, named bbc 1 of ten memorable episodes of show. noted writers used opportunity pay tribute art of animation , rail against network interference in show. intrusion of network censors limited: normal procedure episode s script sent censor , faxed list of lines , words should substituted, causing limited problems, offending lines removed or changed comedic purposes after animation. episode homer s phobia drew censor s objections. script came 2 pages of notes every single line. censors stated did not use of word gay , or discussion of homosexuality @ all, , closed paragraph stated topic , substance of episode unacceptable broadcast . censor problems came nothing; when episode came animation in south korea, then-fox president had been fired , replaced, censors being replaced well. new censors sent merely 1 line: acceptable broadcast .

leaving show

oakley , weinstein stood down showrunners after season 8 because didn t want break [the show]. oakley said: said d never joke d done before. felt showrunner should not stay more 2 seasons. due pressures of having work on 2 seasons @ once (writing season eight, while doing post-production of season seven), oakley said @ least 2 episodes season 8 ideally have been rewritten, had there been sufficient time, , towards end, treading water . working on post-production of season eight, credited consulting producers season nine, in initial writing stages. oakley stated contributed somewhere between 0 , .0001% of season, attending table readings of scripts.

they produced 3 episodes held on season eight, aired part of season nine: city of new york vs. homer simpson , principal , pauper , lisa simpson . principal , pauper negatively received due sudden revelation long-time character seymour skinner imposter. example, in book planet simpson, chris turner describes principal , pauper broadcast marked [the] abrupt plunge simpsons golden age , says began in middle of show s third season. calls episode [one of] weakest episodes in simpsons history . such, oakley considers controversial episode tenure executive producer. , weinstein advise viewers treat principal , pauper experiment . surmise negative reception partly due fact not apparent viewers such episode (as opposed to, example, simpsons spin-off showcase ). describe ending of episode attempt reset continuity , allow fans consider episode on own. lisa simpson final involvement show. duo wanted end on note—weinstein stated episode meant embody humor, depth, , emotions of simpsons, —and pleased result.

awards , critical reaction

oakley won 3 emmys work on simpsons, , shared them other producers. when oakley showrunner , executive producer, homer s phobia won emmy outstanding animated program (for programming 1 hour or less) in 1997. previous year, treehouse of horror vi submitted award. staff felt 3d animation sequence homer³ have given edge. episode lost pinky , brain. oakley later expressed regret not submitting episode more emotionally driven plot, such mother simpson . in 1996, during season seven, show received peabody award. oakley shared awards lisa s wedding , trash of titans in 1995 , 1998 respectively. oakley , weinstein nominated, along show s composer alf clausen, emmy outstanding individual achievement in music , lyrics writing señor burns shot mr. burns? (part two) .

many of episodes oakley , weinstein considered amongst show s best. example, in 2003, entertainment weekly included 6 episodes produced ( homer s phobia , fish called selma , city of new york vs. homer simpson , 22 short films springfield , simpsons spin-off showcase , itchy , scratchy , poochie show ) , 1 episode wrote ( shot mr. burns? ) part of list of show s 25 best episodes. robert canning of ign said episode move twice season 8 may greatest simpsons episode of time. in book, s @ least tied, marge vs. monorail . a. o. scott described era reach[ing] pinnacle of zany self-reference 22 short films springfield , simpsons spin-off showcase . 2 popular amongst show s fans, , in days of internet, oakley read , participated in fan discussion of show on newsgroups such alt.tv.simpsons. in 2005 , 2006, participated in 2 question-and-answer sessions on fan message board nohomers.net.

mission hill , other work

after oakley , weinstein left simpsons, created mission hill in 1997, show hip, lazy, 24-year-old cartoonist named andy french, , sold wb fall 1999 debut. pitched show in 1998 animated series young adults sophisticated, simpsons -style sensibility. aimed make show realistic issues affecting young adults, mature simpsons. network impressed , ordered 13 episodes; ordered 5 more once first completed. oakley explained: audience re going 1 s sophisticated, likes high , low humor, s savvy in animation. [but] show case lot of people don t it. s not setup, setup, setup, punch line. s observational humor. s jokes told in weird way, in background or bizarre sound effect. show plagued public relations difficulties, meant tarnished start. badly edited two-minute promotional video show, sent advertisers in april 1999 annual upfronts, poorly received. oakley , weinstein had been informed upfronts did not matter. similarly, because no episodes finished in time, journalists not able see of show @ network s schedule presentation in july. subsequently, weinstein commented washington post, 7 months, impression people had of show based on two-minute tape looked terrible. 6 major publications panned before saw it. pilot garnered largely negative reviews publications such deseret news; , earned positive write-up in variety. furthermore, show forced change planned title of downtowners due closeness mtv show. of these factors combined ensure show received little attention, , wb ran few commercials it. weinstein stated: don t know why america doesn t know show. s teen people came out fall preview, , re not in it. mission hill came @ time when tv schedules saturated animated shows; of response chalked genre.

the show put out on friday, night on wb had never broadcast before, @ 8:00 pm, time oakley felt inappropriate, , aired in front of wayans bros., jamie foxx show , steve harvey show, shows oakley felt incompatible . show s poor reviews , ratings of average of 1.8 million led swift cancellation. oakley concluded pair had been naive regard producing show, , ve been better on cable anyway because never have appealed broad enough audience due subject matter. 13 completed episodes later aired on cartoon network s adult swim block , show garnered worldwide cult following. after lobbying oakley , weinstein, wb released series on dvd.

from 2001 2002, 2 served consulting producers on futurama. worked two-and-a-half days week, contributing jokes , helping stories. worked substantially on episodes s lobstertainment! , roswell ends . produced mullets upn in 2003. oakley , weinstein have written , produced several television pilots. these include cbs dramedy entitled 22 birthdays, business class, comedy nbc 2 traveling salesmen, funkhousers, off-the-wall comedy abc close-knit family directed frank oz , ruling class fox, high school class got along, regardless of social group. have written 2 feature film screenplays: optimist new line cinema, in seann william scott slated star man born no unhappiness gene, , ruprecht, santa claus-related comedy disney.

along weinstein, oakley serve executive producer on fox television series sit down, shut in 2009. oakley ended involvement show due contract dispute between staff , sony pictures. sony refused offer contract operated under complete terms of writers guild of america. weinstein continued working on show. 2 subsequent projects have been without weinstein. in late 2009, nbc commissioned pilot oakley s sitcom youngest judge in circuit courthouse. wrote 2010 episode of cleveland show gone wind . amongst other projects, oakley planned live-action show characters robots, made same people produce children s show yo gabba gabba!.

oakley began writing sketch comedy show portlandia in second season. became co-executive producer show s third season, co-writing every episode fred armisen, carrie brownstein , jonathan krisel. , fellow writers shared writers guild of america award outstanding achievement in writing comedy/variety (including talk) – series in 2013. oakley , weinstein again team co-write , co-executive produce 22 birthdays, failed pilot produced cbs, pilot bravo. doug liman , dave bartis co-executive producers. set air in 2013.