Al Jean facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Al Jean
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Jean in 2010
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| Born | Alfred Ernest Jean III January 9, 1961 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer, producer |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Spouse |
Stephanie Gillis
(m. 2002) |
| Children | 2 |
Alfred Ernest Jean III (born January 9, 1961) is an American writer and producer. He is famous for his work on the animated TV show The Simpsons. Al Jean grew up near Detroit, Michigan. He went to Harvard University and finished his studies in 1981.
Jean started his writing career in the 1980s with his friend from Harvard, Mike Reiss. They worked together as writers and producers for TV shows like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and ALF. In 1989, Al Jean was asked to join The Simpsons as a writer. He and Mike Reiss were among the first writers for the show.
They became the main people in charge, called showrunners, for The Simpsons' third (1991–92) and fourth (1992–93) seasons. After season four, they left to create The Critic. This was another animated show about a movie critic named Jay Sherman. The Critic started in 1994 and was liked by critics. However, it didn't become popular with viewers and only lasted for two seasons.
In 1994, Jean and Reiss worked with The Walt Disney Company. They created a live-action TV show called Teen Angel. This show was cancelled during its first season. Al Jean returned to The Simpsons full-time in 1998. He became the showrunner again in 2001 and stayed in that role for many years. Jean also helped write and produce The Simpsons Movie, a film based on the show, which came out in 2007.
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Al Jean's Early Life and Education
Alfred Ernest Jean III was born in Detroit, Michigan, on January 9, 1961. He grew up in Farmington Hills, Michigan. He went to Harrison High School.
When he was just sixteen years old, Jean started studying at Harvard University. He earned a degree in mathematics in 1981. One of his college roommates, Daryl Libow, said Al was very good at math. But he soon found his talent for comedy writing.
At Harvard, Al Jean met Mike Reiss. They became friends and wrote together for a humor magazine called Harvard Lampoon. Another writer there, Jeff Martin, said they were "very funny guys." He added that they were "unusually polished comedy writers" for their age. Jean himself said they spent most of their time at the Lampoon. He even became the vice-president of the magazine.
Al Jean's Career in Television
Starting Out and The Simpsons Beginnings
After college in 1981, Al Jean and Mike Reiss were hired by the humor magazine National Lampoon. In the 1980s, they started working together on different TV shows. They wrote and produced for shows like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and ALF.
In 1989, Al Jean was offered a job as a writer for The Simpsons. This animated show was created by Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon. Many of Jean's friends didn't want to work on a cartoon. They thought it wouldn't last long. But Jean liked the creators' work, so he took the job with Reiss.
Jean and Reiss were the first writers hired for The Simpsons. They worked on the first thirteen episodes of the show's first season (1989–90). When Jean watched the very first episode, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", he felt it was the best project he had ever worked on. He hoped to keep working on it forever. He especially liked that The Simpsons was funny but also had deep and warm moments.
Even though Al Jean is credited as the writer for some episodes, he believes writing is a team effort. He says the main writer of an episode writes less than half of the final script. The writer named in the opening credits is usually the one who came up with the idea and wrote the first draft. Jean has said that Lisa Simpson is one of his favorite characters to write for. He feels he is most like Lisa because of their similar childhoods.
Leading The Simpsons as Showrunner
Al Jean became a showrunner for The Simpsons at the start of the third season (1991–92). He shared this role with Mike Reiss. A showrunner is in charge of everything for an episode. This includes the writing, animation, voice acting, and music. Jean said that when he started, his main thought was, "Don't mess up this thing everyone loves."
The first episode Jean and Reiss ran was "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington". They felt a lot of pressure to make it good. They rewrote the script many times to make it funnier. Jean said he kept thinking, "It's not good enough." Reiss added that they were "definitely scared" because they had never run a show before.
Jean and Reiss were showrunners until the end of the fourth season in 1993. By then, The Simpsons was already very popular. This allowed them to add more depth to the show. Jean believes this is why many fans think seasons three and four are the best. Bill Oakley, another Simpsons writer, said that Mike and Al created "the best thing that ever appeared on television," which was the third season.
Creating The Critic and Working with Disney
After The Simpsons' fourth season, Jean and Reiss left to create The Critic. This was an animated show about a film critic named Jay Sherman. The show first aired on ABC in January 1994. Critics liked it, but not many viewers watched it. It was put on hold after six weeks.
The Critic later moved to the Fox network for its second season. Since The Simpsons was also on Fox, a special episode was made. This episode, "A Star Is Burns" (1995), featured a crossover between The Simpsons and The Critic. The Critic only aired ten episodes on Fox before it was cancelled. In total, only 23 episodes were made. The show later gained a cult following from reruns and DVD releases.
In 1994, Jean and Reiss signed a three-year deal with The Walt Disney Company. They were to create other TV shows for ABC. They created and produced Teen Angel. This show was cancelled in its first season. Reiss said it was "so compromised and overworked." He added that "11 executives" told him how to do his job. While working for Disney, they were allowed to write and produce four episodes of The Simpsons.
More Work on The Simpsons
After Teen Angel was cancelled, Jean and Reiss stopped working together as a team. Al Jean then returned to The Simpsons full-time in 1998. He became a key writer and producer for the next three seasons. In 2001, Jean became the showrunner again, this time without Reiss.
Jean called it "a great job with a lot of responsibility." He said it was "great" that people loved the show so much. However, he also said that "the hardest thing at this point is just thinking of fresh ideas." He noted that people know everything they've done before. So, the challenge is to think of new, good ideas.
Jean was one of the writers and producers for The Simpsons Movie. This full-length film was released in 2007. The voice actors for the show agreed to do the film in 2001. Work then began on the script. The producers were worried that making a movie would hurt the TV show. They didn't think they had enough people to work on both. But more writers and animators were hired. This allowed both the show and the film to be made at the same time.
Al Jean often appears on The Simpsons DVD audio commentaries. He enjoys doing them because he hasn't seen some episodes in many years. He says it's like a reunion to see the people he worked with before. Since 2020, he has been a joint showrunner with Matt Selman. He runs four to six episodes per season himself. Jean has also helped write and produce several Simpsons short films. These include "Maggie Simpson in ‘The Longest Daycare’" and "The Force Awakens From its Nap."
Awards and Recognition
Al Jean has won many awards for his work on The Simpsons. He has received ten Emmy Awards. He also has two Peabody Awards. In 1997, he and Mike Reiss won an Annie Award. This was for "Best Producing in a TV Production" for The Simpsons episode "The Springfield Files".
In 1991, they shared the Writing A Comedy Series CableAce Award. This was for an episode of It's Garry Shandling's Show. In 2006, Jean and Reiss received the Animation Writers Caucus Animation Award. This award honors writers who have greatly helped animation in film and TV.
Personal Life
As of 2005, Al Jean lives in Los Angeles, California. He lives with his wife, Stephanie Gillis, who is also a television writer. Al Jean also has two daughters.
See also
In Spanish: Al Jean para niños
