Bill Oakley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bill Oakley
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Oakley in 2008
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| Born | William Lloyd Oakley February 27, 1966 Westminster, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupation | Television writer |
| Period | 1988–present |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Spouse | Rachel Pulido |
| Children | 3 |
William Lloyd Oakley (born February 27, 1966) is an American television writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the animated comedy show The Simpsons. Oakley and his writing partner, Josh Weinstein, became best friends at school. Oakley later went to Harvard University and was the Vice President of the Harvard Lampoon, a humor magazine.
Oakley and Weinstein wrote a sample script for the show Seinfeld. This led to them writing The Simpsons episode "Marge Gets a Job". They were hired as full-time writers for the show in 1992. They wrote famous episodes like "$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)", "Bart vs. Australia", and the two-part mystery "Who Shot Mr. Burns?".
Later, they became the showrunners for the seventh and eighth seasons of The Simpsons. A showrunner is like the main boss of a TV show, guiding the story and production. They tried to make episodes that were emotional and focused on the Simpson family. They also created unique episodes like "Homer's Enemy". For their work, they won three Primetime Emmy Awards.
After leaving The Simpsons, Oakley and Weinstein created other shows, including Mission Hill. Oakley has also written for shows like The Cleveland Show and Portlandia. In 2018, he rejoined Weinstein to work on Disenchantment, a Netflix series from The Simpsons creator Matt Groening.
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Early Life and Education
William Lloyd Oakley was born in Westminster, Maryland, on February 27, 1966. He grew up on a farm and was a big fan of Mad magazine, which influenced his sense of humor.
He went to St. Albans School in Washington, D.C. There, he met Josh Weinstein in the eighth grade, and they became best friends. Together, they started a school humor magazine. Oakley then attended Harvard University, where he was Vice President of the Harvard Lampoon. He graduated in 1988.
Career Beginnings
After college, Oakley and Weinstein moved to New York City. They wrote for comedy magazines like National Lampoon and Spy. In 1991, they moved to Los Angeles to work on a variety show, but it was canceled after only three episodes. For a while, Oakley was unemployed and thought about joining the United States Foreign Service.
Working on The Simpsons
Writing for the Show
Oakley and Weinstein's luck changed when they wrote a sample script, called a spec script, for Seinfeld. The showrunners of The Simpsons, Al Jean and Mike Reiss, were impressed. They hired Oakley and Weinstein to write the episode "Marge Gets a Job".
In 1992, they joined The Simpsons writing staff full-time. At first, they were quiet and nervous, but they soon began pitching jokes. They wrote their scripts together, working side-by-side at a computer. Their first episode as staff writers was "Marge in Chains".
They wrote many popular episodes, including the "Terror at 5½ Feet" part of "Treehouse of Horror IV" and "Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy". For the sixth season, they wrote "Bart vs. Australia". The writers wanted to send the Simpsons to another country and chose Australia because they thought Australians had a good sense of humor. The episode was intentionally inaccurate for comedic effect.
They also wrote the famous two-part episode "Who Shot Mr. Burns?". The show's creator, Matt Groening, came up with the idea. Oakley and Weinstein had to decide who the culprit was. The showrunner at the time, David Mirkin, suggested it should be Maggie, which they thought was a funny and surprising choice.
Running the Show
Oakley and Weinstein were chosen to be the showrunners for seasons seven and eight. A showrunner oversees everything, from writing to working with animators and voice actors. It's a big job, as each episode takes about ten months to make.
They wanted to create episodes that focused on the Simpson family's feelings. They also wanted to make "format-bending" episodes, like "22 Short Films About Springfield". Oakley wrote the scene with Principal Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers in that episode. This scene became very popular and is now a famous Internet meme.
One of their most talked-about episodes was "Homer's Enemy". The idea was to see what would happen if a realistic, hard-working person had to deal with Homer. This character, Frank Grimes, gets frustrated by Homer's laziness and luck. The episode was meant to be a dark comedy that explored Homer's character. At first, some fans found it too dark, but it has since become a favorite for many.
Another notable episode was "Two Bad Neighbors", where Homer feuds with former President George H. W. Bush. The writers said the episode was not a political attack but a personal one, poking fun at the former president's personality.
Oakley and Weinstein had a lot of creative freedom. The Fox network rarely interfered with their work. This allowed them to make the episodes they wanted. When a network executive suggested adding a new character to live with the Simpsons, the writers made fun of the idea in the episode "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show".
Leaving the Show
Oakley and Weinstein left their showrunner roles after season eight. They felt that a showrunner shouldn't stay for more than two seasons to keep the show fresh. They were credited as consulting producers for season nine but had very little involvement.
The last episode they produced was "The Principal and the Pauper", which aired in season nine. It revealed that Principal Skinner was an imposter. Many fans disliked this twist. Oakley considers it the most controversial episode of his time on the show and advises fans to view it as an "experiment".
Their final work on the show was "Lisa the Simpson". They wanted to end on a high note with an episode that captured the show's humor and heart.
After The Simpsons
In 1997, Oakley and Weinstein created Mission Hill, an animated show for young adults. The show was about a 24-year-old cartoonist. It faced promotional problems and was canceled quickly. However, it later gained a cult following when it aired on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.
From 2001 to 2002, they worked as consulting producers on Futurama. They also created other shows and wrote several TV pilots that were not made into full series.
In recent years, Oakley has worked on other projects without Weinstein. He wrote for the sketch comedy show Portlandia and won a Writers Guild of America Award for his work. In 2018, he and Weinstein reunited to work as producers on Disenchantment.
Since 2018, Oakley has gained a following on Instagram for posting short reviews of fast food. He also has a YouTube channel called Sandwiches of History, where he makes and reviews historical sandwich recipes.
Personal Life
Oakley is married to Rachel Pulido, who is also a writer. They have three children. Pulido also wrote for The Simpsons, including the episode "Grade School Confidential". She was the show's first Hispanic staff writer.
Credits
Here is a list of some episodes Oakley has been credited for writing or co-writing.
- The Simpsons (1992–98)
- "Marge Gets a Job" (1992)
- "Marge in Chains" (1993)
- "Treehouse of Horror IV" ("Terror at 5½ Feet" segment) (1993)
- "$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)" (1993)
- "Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy" (1994)
- "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song" (1994)
- "Lady Bouvier's Lover" (1994)
- "Sideshow Bob Roberts" (1994)
- "Grampa vs. ..." (1994)
- "Bart vs. Australia" (1995)
- "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" (Parts 1 & 2) (1995)
- "22 Short Films About Springfield" (Skinner and Chalmers scene) (1996)
- Mission Hill (1999–02)
- The Mullets (2003)
- The Cleveland Show (2010–12)
- Regular Show (2010)
- Portlandia (2012–13)
- Disenchantment (2018–19)
- Close Enough (2020–22)
See also
In Spanish: Bill Oakley para niños
