Mike Scully facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mike Scully
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Scully in 2011
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Michael C. Scully
October 2, 1956 |
| Occupation | Television writer |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse(s) | Julie Thacker |
| Children | 5 |
Michael C. Scully (born October 2, 1956) is an American television writer and producer. He is famous for his work as the main boss (called an executive producer and showrunner) for the animated TV show The Simpsons. He led the show from 1997 to 2001.
Mike Scully grew up in West Springfield, Massachusetts. He always loved writing. He didn't do very well in school and even dropped out of college. After that, he worked many different jobs. In 1986, he moved to Los Angeles. There, he started working as a stand-up comedian and wrote jokes for other comedians.
Later, Scully wrote for several TV sitcoms. In 1993, he joined The Simpsons. He wrote 12 episodes, including "Lisa on Ice" and "Team Homer". He was the showrunner for The Simpsons from season 9 to season 12. Scully won three Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on the show. Many people liked his episodes, but some thought the show's quality went down during his time. Scully still works on The Simpsons and also helped write The Simpsons Movie in 2007.
More recently, Scully helped create shows like The Pitts, The Boy Who Lost His Schoolbag, and Complete Savages. He also worked on popular shows like Everybody Loves Raymond and Parks and Recreation. He helped make the animated TV version of Napoleon Dynamite. He also co-created Duncanville with his wife, Julie Thacker, and comedian Amy Poehler.
Contents
Early Life and Dreams
Mike Scully was born on October 2, 1956, in Springfield, Massachusetts. He grew up in West Springfield. His dad, Richard, was a salesman. His mom, Geraldine, worked at a hospital. Mike is from an Irish family.
As a child, Scully hoped to become a musician or a hockey player. At Main Street Elementary School, his teacher, James Doyle, encouraged him to write. He became the editor of his school newspaper. He finished high school in 1974. His classmates even voted him "Most Likely Not to Live Up to Potential"! He tried college but left after just one day. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do.
He worked in a clothing store, as a janitor at a hospital, and even as a driving instructor. He later said that not having a clear job skill pushed him to keep trying to be a writer. He realized that hanging out with friends and listening to music wasn't a career. So, he decided he really wanted to get into comedy. Even though he wasn't sure he'd succeed, he moved to Los Angeles in 1982.
Starting His Career
Early TV Work
In California, Scully worked in a tuxedo store. He also got a job writing jokes for comedian Yakov Smirnoff. He practiced writing jokes by doing stand-up comedy himself at amateur nights. He bought scripts from TV shows like Taxi to learn how to write them. Many of his early scripts were rejected. He said he worked on "some of the lousiest sitcoms in history." He wrote for shows like The Royal Family, Out of This World, and What a Country!. He also warmed up the audience before shows like Grand.
Working on The Simpsons
In 1993, David Mirkin hired Scully to write for The Simpsons. This happened after Mirkin read some of Scully's writing samples. Scully started as a writer and producer during the show's fifth season. He wrote episodes like "Lisa's Rival", "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds", and "Lisa on Ice". These aired in season six. "Lisa on Ice" was inspired by Scully's love for ice hockey and his own childhood experiences. He also wrote "Marge Be Not Proud" for season seven. This episode was based on a tough moment from his life when he was 12 and got caught shoplifting. He joked that it was great to get paid for remembering bad parts of his life.
Scully also wrote "Team Homer" and "Lisa's Date with Density". He said he wrote many episodes about Lisa because he has five daughters and likes her a lot. He also likes Homer. He felt that writing Homer's character came naturally to him. He enjoyed episodes where Homer and Lisa had conflicts because they felt very real.
Scully became the showrunner (the main person in charge) of The Simpsons in 1997. This was during its ninth season. As showrunner and executive producer, Scully's goal was "not to wreck the show." He led the writing team and managed all parts of making the show. During his time, he wrote or co-wrote five episodes. These included parts of "Treehouse of Horror VIII" and "Behind the Laughter".
Scully was well-liked by the staff. Many praised his organization and management skills. Writer Tom Martin called him "quite possibly the best boss I've ever worked for." Scully was showrunner until 2001, during season 12. He was the first person to lead the show for more than two seasons. He came back in season 14 to write and produce "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation". He also helped write and produce The Simpsons Movie in 2007.
Some fans have criticized Scully's time as showrunner. They felt that The Simpsons changed during his years. Some said the show became more like a typical cartoon and less realistic. They also felt Homer's character became more silly and less caring. However, others praised Scully's work. He won five Primetime Emmy Awards for The Simpsons. Entertainment Weekly called "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" one of the show's best episodes. Reviewers also liked "Behind the Laughter" and "Trilogy of Error". Tom Martin said he doesn't understand the criticism against Scully. He believes it bothered Scully, but he didn't let it get to him.
Other Projects
Scully was a writer and co-executive producer for Everybody Loves Raymond. He won an Emmy for his work on this show. He also co-created The Pitts and Complete Savages with his wife, Julie Thacker. The Pitts was a sitcom about a family with bad luck. Thacker said the show had a "cartoony feel" and was meant for 12-year-olds and families. It was canceled after six episodes. Complete Savages was also canceled due to low ratings.
Scully is a fan of the band NRBQ. He and Thacker produced a documentary about the band in 2003. Scully also worked as a consulting producer and writer for the NBC show Parks and Recreation. He wrote episodes like "Ron and Tammy" and "The Possum". He even had small acting roles in some episodes.
In 2012, Scully helped produce and write an animated TV version of the movie Napoleon Dynamite. This show was canceled after six episodes. In May 2012, Scully signed a big deal with 20th Century Fox Television to create new projects. He was a co-executive producer for the sitcoms The New Normal (2012–2013) and Dads (2013). In 2018, he signed another deal with 20th Century Fox Television.
Personal Life
Mike Scully is married to writer Julie Thacker. They have five daughters. His older brother, Brian Scully, is also a comedy writer. His younger brother, Neil, writes about ice hockey. Scully's mother passed away in 1985. In 2008, he received an honorary doctorate from Westfield State University. He also joined the picket line during the 2007–2008 writers' strike.
In 2010, Scully received a lifetime achievement award from the Writers Guild of America West.
Credits
- Episodes listed are those Scully has been credited as writing or co-writing
- What a Country! (1986–1987) – writer
- Out of This World (1987–1991) – supervising producer, writer
- Grand – writer
- Top of the Heap (1991) – writer
- The Royal Family (1992) – writer
- The Simpsons (1993–2021, 2023) – writer, producer, executive producer, showrunner, consulting producer
- "Lisa's Rival" (1994)
- "Lisa on Ice" (1994)
- "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds" (1995)
- "Marge Be Not Proud" (1995)
- "Team Homer" (1996)
- "Lisa's Date with Density" (1996)
- "Treehouse of Horror VIII" ("The HΩmega Man" segment) (1997)
- "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" (with Tom Martin, George Meyer and Brian Scully) (1999)
- "Beyond Blunderdome" (1999)
- "Behind the Laughter" (with Tim Long, George Meyer and Matt Selman) (2000)
- "The Parent Rap" (with George Meyer) (2001)
- "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" (2002)
- "Iron Marge" (2023)
- The Preston Episodes (1995) – writer
- Schimmel (2000) – creator, producer
- The Pitts (2003) – creator, executive producer, writer
- The Boy Who Lost His Schoolbag (2003) - co-creator, writer, executive producer
- Everybody Loves Raymond (2003–2004) – co-executive producer, writer
- Complete Savages (2004–2005) – creator, executive producer, writer
- The Simpsons Movie (2007) – producer and writer
- Parks and Recreation (2009–2012) – consulting producer and writer
- "Ron and Tammy" (2009)
- "The Possum" (2010)
- "The Comeback Kid" (2012)
- Napoleon Dynamite (2012) – co-developer, producer, writer
- The New Normal (2012–2013) – co-executive producer, writer
- 70th Golden Globe Awards (2013) – special material
- Dads (2013–2014) – co-executive producer
- Weird Loners (2015) – co-executive producer
- The Carmichael Show (2015–2017) – co-executive producer, writer
- Rel (2018–19) – co-executive producer, writer
- Duncanville (2020–2022) – creator, writer
- Shifting Gears (2025) - creator, writer, executive producer
See also
In Spanish: Mike Scully para niños
