Bill Oakley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bill Oakley
Oakley in 2008
Born	William Lloyd Oakley (1966-02-27) February 27, 1966 (age 59) 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 popular animated comedy series The Simpsons. Oakley and his best friend, Josh Weinstein, became writing partners while they were in school.

They started their career by writing a script for the TV show Seinfeld. This led them to write an episode for The Simpsons called "Marge Gets a Job". Soon after, they were hired to write for the show full-time in 1992. Oakley and Weinstein later became the main producers, also known as showrunners, for the seventh and eighth seasons of The Simpsons. They wanted to create episodes that explored the Simpson family's feelings and also some very creative, unique stories. They won three Primetime Emmy Awards for their work on the show.

After leaving The Simpsons, Oakley and Weinstein created another animated show called Mission Hill. They also worked as consultants on Futurama and created The Mullets. More recently, Oakley has written for shows like The Cleveland Show and Portlandia. In 2018, he worked with Josh Weinstein again on Matt Groening's animated series for Netflix, Disenchantment. Bill Oakley is married to fellow writer Rachel Pulido.

Early Life and Education

William Lloyd Oakley was born on February 27, 1966, in Westminster, Maryland. He grew up on a farm nearby. From a young age, he loved Mad magazine, which helped him develop his sense of humor.

He went to St. Albans School in Washington, D.C.. There, in eighth grade, he met Josh Weinstein, who became his best friend and writing partner. They even started their school's humor magazine, The Alban Antic, in 1983. They worked together for so long that they often finished each other's sentences! Oakley later attended Harvard University, where he wrote for the famous Harvard Lampoon humor magazine. He graduated in 1988 after studying American history.

Career in Television

After college, Oakley faced challenges finding a steady job in comedy, even though he wrote many sample scripts for popular shows. He moved back home and worked in publicity for a while. In their free time, Oakley and Weinstein wrote for local comedy groups.

In 1989, they moved to New York City to write for a game show. They also wrote for magazines like National Lampoon and Spy. In 1991, they moved to Los Angeles to work on a variety show called Sunday Best. When that show was canceled quickly, they had a tough time finding work for a while.

Working on The Simpsons

As a Writer

Oakley and Weinstein wrote a sample script for the TV show Seinfeld. This script was very well-liked by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who were in charge of The Simpsons. There were no open positions at the time, but Oakley and Weinstein were hired to write an episode called "Marge Gets a Job". This episode aired in season four.

Their writing impressed others, and they were offered a job on another sitcom. However, they soon learned that two writers were leaving The Simpsons. So, in 1992, they joined The Simpsons writing staff permanently during the third season. They started as story editors. At first, they felt shy around the other experienced writers. But they soon gained confidence and began pitching jokes. They always wrote their scripts together, working side by side.

They wrote several episodes for season five, including a part of "Treehouse of Horror IV" and "Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy". For season six, they wrote "Sideshow Bob Roberts", which was inspired by the Watergate scandal. They also wrote "Bart vs. Australia", where the Simpson family travels to Australia. This episode was meant to be funny and exaggerated.

Oakley and Weinstein also wrote the two-part episode "Who Shot Mr. Burns?". The idea for this mystery came from the show's creator, Matt Groening. They considered many characters as the culprit. Eventually, they decided on Maggie because it was funnier and more surprising.

As Showrunners

Oakley and Weinstein became the main producers, or executive producers and showrunners, for the seventh and eighth seasons. They were chosen because they had been with the show for a long time and understood it well. A showrunner oversees every part of the show's production. This includes being the head writer, reviewing storyboards, and working with actors, animators, and composers.

When they took over, Oakley and Weinstein wanted to make episodes that felt more realistic. They focused on the five members of the Simpson family and explored their feelings. They also wanted to create "format-bending" episodes, like "22 Short Films About Springfield". Oakley wrote the famous scene between Principal Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers for this episode. This scene is often called one of the show's best moments and became a popular Internet meme years later. Oakley said it was the most famous thing he had written.

They aimed for at least two episodes each season that "pushed the envelope." This meant trying new ideas and expanding what an episode could be. Season eight included episodes that focused on side characters and explored new topics like divorce. They liked to invite guest stars with unique voices, especially "old grizzled men with distinctive voices."

One of their most famous episodes was "Homer's Enemy". Oakley first thought that Homer should have an enemy. This idea turned into the character of Frank Grimes, a hardworking man who is annoyed by Homer's lazy success. This episode showed the funny contrast between a realistic character and Homer.

Oakley (left) with Weinstein, Mike Reiss and Jeff Martin in 1994.

Another episode, "Two Bad Neighbors", showed Homer meeting former President George H. W. Bush. This episode was a playful jab at a past disagreement between the show and the Bush family. Oakley explained it was a "personal attack" on Bush's grumpy nature, not a political one. He saw it as similar to "Homer's Enemy," where a character doesn't get along with Homer.

Working on The Simpsons felt like being in a "bubble" because the Fox network executives didn't interfere much. This allowed them to create almost any episode they wanted. For example, when an executive suggested adding a new character to the Simpson family, the writers instead created the episode "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show". They added a temporary character named Roy, with no explanation, as a joke about the executive's idea.

The network's censors usually had limited input. However, the episode "Homer's Phobia" caused problems. The censors objected to the use of the word "gay" and any discussion of homosexuality. They said the episode was "unacceptable for broadcast". Luckily, the network's president and censors were replaced. The new censors approved the episode without changes.

Leaving the Show

Oakley and Weinstein decided to step down as showrunners after season eight. They felt that a showrunner shouldn't stay for more than two seasons to keep the show fresh. They were working on two seasons at once, which was very demanding. They felt they were "treading water" towards the end.

They produced three episodes that aired in season nine: "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson", "The Principal and the Pauper", and "Lisa the Simpson". "The Principal and the Pauper" was not well-received by fans. It revealed that the character Seymour Skinner was actually an imposter, which many viewers disliked.

Awards and Fan Reaction

Oakley won three Emmys for his work on The Simpsons, sharing them with other producers. "Homer's Phobia" won the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program in 1997. The show also received a Peabody Award in 1996. Oakley shared awards for "Lisa's Wedding" and "Trash of the Titans".

Many episodes produced by Oakley and Weinstein are considered some of the show's best. Entertainment Weekly listed several of their episodes among the show's 25 best. Fans of the show also really like their work. In the early days of the internet, Oakley even participated in online discussions with fans.

Other Television Work

After The Simpsons, Oakley and Weinstein created Mission Hill in 1997. It was an animated show for young adults about a cartoonist. They wanted the show to deal with realistic issues that were too mature for The Simpsons. The network, The WB, ordered 13 episodes.

However, the show faced many problems. A poorly edited promotional video was sent to advertisers, and journalists couldn't see finished episodes. This led to negative reviews before the show even aired. The show also had to change its name from The Downtowners. It was placed on a Friday night at 8:00 pm, which Oakley felt was the wrong time and audience. Because of poor reviews and low ratings, Mission Hill was quickly canceled. Oakley later said they were "very naive" and that the show would have been better on cable TV. The 13 completed episodes later aired on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim and gained a worldwide fan following.

From 2001 to 2002, Oakley and Weinstein worked as consulting producers on Futurama. They helped with jokes and stories for episodes like "Roswell That Ends Well". In 2003, they created The Mullets for UPN. They also wrote several TV pilots (sample episodes for new shows) that were not picked up.

In 2009, Oakley was supposed to be an executive producer on Sit Down, Shut Up. However, he left the project due to a contract disagreement. He then worked on other projects without Weinstein. He wrote for The Cleveland Show and became a co-executive producer and writer for the sketch comedy show Portlandia. He shared a Writers Guild of America Award with his fellow writers in 2013 for Portlandia.

In 2018, Oakley reunited with Josh Weinstein to work on Disenchantment, an animated series by Matt Groening for Netflix.

Since 2018, Oakley has become known for his short reviews of fast food items. He uploads these reviews to his Instagram channel. The Wrap magazine even called him "the Gordon Ramsay of fast food." He created the annual Steamie Awards to recognize the best fast food items he reviewed each year. In 2022, Audible released Oakley's original sci-fi comedy audio series called Space: 1969.

Personal Life

Bill Oakley is married to Rachel Pulido. They have two daughters, Mary and Bitsy, and a son named James. The family lives in Portland, Oregon.

Rachel Pulido also graduated from Harvard and wrote for the Harvard Lampoon. She wrote for The Simpsons and Mission Hill. She was the only Hispanic staff writer on The Simpsons for twenty years. She wrote the episode "Grade School Confidential" and a part of "22 Short Films About Springfield".

Credits

Episodes listed are those Oakley has been credited as writing or co-writing.

• Sunday Best (1991) – writer
• The Simpsons (1992–98) – writer, producer, story editor, supervising producer, consulting producer, executive producer, showrunner (all episodes with Josh Weinstein)
  • "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. ... Inadequacy" (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) – creator, writer, executive producer, voice of George Bang
  • "Pilot"
• Futurama (2001–02) – consulting producer (season 3 only)
• Ruling Class (2001) – writer
• The Funkhousers (2002) – writer
• The Mullets (2003) – creator, executive producer
• 22 Birthdays (2005) – writer
• Business Class (2007) – creator, writer
• The Cleveland Show (2010–12) – writer
  • "Gone with the Wind"
  • "American Prankster"
  • "All You Can Eat" (story with Assem Batra)
• Regular Show (2010) – writer
  • "Just Set Up the Chairs"
  • "Caffeinated Concert Tickets"
  • "Rigby's Body"
• Portlandia (2012–13) - writer, consulting producer
  • With Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein and Jonathan Krisel, Oakley co-wrote "Brunch Village" and all of Season 3
• Disenchantment (2018–19) - writer, co-executive producer
  • "Dreamland Falls"
  • "In Her Own Write"
• Close Enough (2020–22) - writer, executive producer (season 3)
  • "100% No Stress Day"

See also

In Spanish: Bill Oakley para niños