It's not easy being a network TV writer. You have to come up with David Letterman's gags, invent plot twists for The Practice and keep pop-culture references flowing on The Simpsons. And then there are the ratings to worry about. We tracked down a handful of active alumni scribes (sometimes known as producers) and asked them to share a personal story. Are they true? You decide.
Writer: Bob Breech, '69
Show: The Practice (ABC)
Little-Known Fact: As location manager for Bay City Blues, unknowingly rented a Mafia hangout from a major L.A. kingpin
Writer: David Chase, MA '71
Show: The Sopranos (HBO)
Little-Known Fact: Solely responsible for Stanford communication professor Henry Breitrose subscribing to HBO
Writer: Alex Gregory, '92
Show: King of the Hill (Fox)
Little-Known Fact: Suggested the nail-biting pause between question and answer on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Writer: Chris Harris, '92
Show: The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)
Little-Known Fact: Moonlights as the guy in the background of movie car-chase scenes who yells, "Hey, look what you did to my car!"
Writer: Peter Huyck, '93
Show: King of the Hill (Fox)
Little-Known Fact: Cousin Willard Huyck wrote Howard the Duck, the "worst movie in Hollywood history"
Writer: Christine Levinson, '95
Show: Charmed (WB)
Little-Known Fact: Landed first job in television after hitting a producer with her car
Writer: Marsh McCall, '86
Show: Just Shoot Me (NBC)
Little-Known Fact: Father is classics professor Marsh McCall
Writer: Jon Sherman, '90
Show: Frasier (NBC)
Little-Known Fact: Created the Friday humor column in the Daily
Writer: Sam Simon, '77
Show: The Simpsons (Fox) and The Drew Carey Show (ABC)
Little-Known Fact: "I'm the most talented person in this chart"
