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Mike Reiss
Reiss in 2007
Reiss in 2007
Born Michael L. Reiss
(1959-09-15) September 15, 1959 (age 65)
Bristol, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation Television and film writer, producer
Alma mater Harvard University
Period 1983–present
Genre Comedy
Spouse Denise Reiss
Signature
A signature, written in a marker with little importance towards it's overall appearance, which, although slightly illegible says Mike Reiss

Michael L. Reiss (born September 15, 1959) is an American television comedy writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the animated series The Simpsons. He helped create and write the show, and also served as a showrunner, which means he was in charge of making sure each episode got made, from writing to animation.

Reiss also co-created the animated series The Critic. He created and wrote the web cartoon Queer Duck. Besides TV, he has written screenplays for movies like Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, The Simpsons Movie, and My Life in Ruins.

Early life and education

Mike Reiss was born in Bristol, Connecticut. He was the middle child in a family of five. His mother was a local journalist, and his father was a doctor. He went to public schools in Bristol and said he sometimes felt like an "outsider" there.

Reiss later studied at Harvard University. He focused on comedy during his time there. He performed in talent shows and spent a lot of time writing funny material.

At Harvard, Reiss met Al Jean, who would become his long-time writing partner. They became good friends and worked together on Harvard Lampoon, a humor magazine at the university. Reiss even became a co-president of the Harvard Lampoon. Other writers at the magazine said that Reiss and Jean were very funny and talented comedy writers, even at a young age.

Career in television and film

Working with Al Jean

After graduating in 1981, Mike Reiss and Al Jean were hired by the humor magazine National Lampoon. In the 1980s, they started working together on many TV shows. They wrote and produced for shows like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1984–1986), ALF, and It's Garry Shandling's Show.

In 1989, Reiss and Jean were among the first writers hired for The Simpsons, a new animated series on the Fox network. They worked on the first season of the show. Later, they became executive producers and showrunners for the third season (1991). Being a showrunner means you are responsible for everything that goes into making an episode, including the writing, animation, voice acting, and music.

Their first episode as showrunners was "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington". They felt a lot of pressure to make it good and rewrote the script many times. Reiss and Jean were showrunners until the end of the fourth season (1993). Many fans believe that seasons three and four are some of the best because Reiss and Jean helped give the show more depth. Reiss has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on The Simpsons.

After season four, they left The Simpsons to create The Critic. This was an animated show about a film critic named Jay Sherman. It first aired on ABC in 1994. Critics liked it, but not many viewers watched it. The show later moved to the Fox network.

To promote The Critics move to Fox, Jay Sherman appeared in a Simpsons episode called "A Star Is Burns". Reiss and Jean returned to produce this episode. While The Simpsons creator Matt Groening was not happy about this crossover, Reiss and Jean felt it was a good way to support their new show. The Critic was canceled after a short run on Fox, but it later gained a cult following through reruns and DVD releases.

In 1994, Reiss and Jean signed a deal with The Walt Disney Company. They created and produced Teen Angel for ABC, but it was canceled during its first season in 1997. Reiss said this project felt "compromised" and had too many people telling him what to do.

Reiss and Jean continued to work on The Simpsons from time to time. They produced episodes like "'Round Springfield" and "The Springfield Files". When Al Jean returned to The Simpsons as showrunner for season thirteen, Reiss came back part-time as a consultant and producer. He also helped write the screenplay for The Simpsons Movie in 2007.

Solo projects

In 2000, Mike Reiss worked with director Xeth Feinberg to create Hard Drinkin' Lincoln, a series of short animated cartoons for Icebox.com. They also worked together on another internet cartoon series called Queer Duck. In 2002, Queer Duck was picked up by Showtime and aired before the show Queer as Folk. Queer Duck: the Movie was released on DVD in 2006. Reiss said he created Queer Duck to show gay characters in a positive and funny way.

Reiss has also written for many films. He wrote jokes for the movie Ice Age. He later wrote screenplays for films like Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Horton Hears a Who!. His first live-action film was My Life in Ruins (2009), starring Nia Vardalos. Reiss based the story on his own experiences on bus tours in Mexico and Greece. Even though some critics didn't like the film, Reiss defended it, saying it was a "sweet movie about the basic decency of humanity" that made people happy.

Mike Reiss has written seventeen children's books, including How Murray Saved Christmas. He also won an Edgar Award for his mystery story Cro-Magnon PI.

In 2018, he published his memoir, Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons, which he co-wrote with Mathew Klickstein.

Reiss' first play, "I'm Connecticut," was very popular at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre in 2011. It was called a "hysterically funny" romantic comedy and was named one of the top ten productions of the year by The Hartford Courant.

Personal life

Mike Reiss lives in New York City with his wife, Denise. They often travel abroad. He is Jewish.

In 2022, Reiss visited the wreck of the Titanic in a submersible called the Titan. Before going on the trip, he had to sign a waiver that mentioned the risks involved.

Writing credits

The Simpsons episodes

The following is a list of episodes of The Simpsons Reiss has written with Al Jean:

The Critic episodes

He co-wrote the following episodes with Al Jean:

  • "Pilot"
  • "Dial 'M' for Mother"
  • "Sherman, Woman and Child"
  • "I Can't Believe It's a Clip Show!"

Films

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Mike Reiss para niños

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