Alexa Junge
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Alexa Junge is an American television writer, producer and screenwriter. Her work on ''
Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...
'', from 1994 to 1999, earned her nominations for three
Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
.


Personal life

Junge grew up in Los Angeles and attended
Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...
, where she wrote for and performed in the
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
Varsity Show The Varsity Show is one of the oldest traditions at Columbia University. Founded in 1893 as a fundraiser for the university's fledgling athletic teams, the Varsity Show now draws together the entire Columbia undergraduate community for a series of ...
with
David Rakoff David Benjamin Rakoff (November 27, 1964 – August 9, 2012) was a Canadian-born American writer of prose and poetry based in New York City, who wrote humorous and sometimes autobiographical non-fiction essays. Rakoff was an essayist, journ ...
and
Jeanine Tesori Jeanine Tesori, known earlier in her career as Jeanine Levenson, (born November 10, 1961) is an American composer and Arrangement, musical arranger best known for her work in the theater. She is the most prolific and honored female theatrical com ...
. Junge continued her education at NYU's
Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...
. A 2001 profile of Junge observed, "For someone who once moved to the East Coast to pursue theater writing, a career in television came as a bit of a surprise."Stack, Vanessa. "Writer's POV" (in feature "Road to the Emmys writers and directors"), ''Daily Variety'', 14 June 2001, ''272''(9), page not given. Junge is the granddaughter of screenwriter Marvin Borowsky and has one son, Henry Petrie.


Career

Junge was a writer and producer for ''Friends'' from 1994 to 1999, for which she was nominated for three
Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
and a
Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility Th ...
. Junge wrote the episode "
The One Where Everybody Finds Out "The One Where Everybody Finds Out" is the fourteenth episode of ''Friends'' fifth season. It first aired on the NBC network in the United States on February 11, 1999. In the episode, Phoebe Buffay discovers that Monica Geller and Chandler Bing ...
", which won the National AOL Poll for "All Time Favorite ''Friends'' Episode" Her episode "
The One with the Prom Video "The One with the Prom Video" is the fourteenth episode of the second season, and the 38th episode overall, of the American television situation comedy ''Friends'', which first aired on NBC on February 1, 1996. The episode focuses on the main c ...
" was heralded by the authors of ''Friends like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends'' as "a watershed in the history of the show." In 2014,
Gawker ''Gawker'' was an American blog founded by Nick Denton and Elizabeth Spiers that was based in New York City and focused on celebrities and the media industry. According to SimilarWeb, the site had over 23 million visits per month in 2015. Fo ...
published a list of every episode of Friends ranked from #236 through #1. "The One With The Prom Video" came in first. It was 100 in the
TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time (1997) and Top 100 Episodes of All Time (2009) are lists of the 100 "best" television show episodes on U.S. television as published by ''TV Guide''. The first list, published on June 28, 1997, was produced in c ...
. Junge went on to write for ''
Once and Again ''Once and Again'' is an American family drama television series that aired on ABC from September 21, 1999, to April 15, 2002. It depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father. It was created by Marshall Herskovi ...
'', ''
Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy, romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO, based on Sex and the City (newspaper column), the newspaper column and 1996 book by Candace Bushnell. It premiered in th ...
'',The Dramatists Guild. "Ten questions: Alexa Junge," ''The Dramatist'', Jan/Feb 2017, 14-15. ''
The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...
'' (for which she was nominated for one Emmy for production and one WGA Award) as well as ''
Big Love ''Big Love'' is an American drama (film and television), drama television series created by Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer that aired on HBO from 2006 to 2011. It stars Bill Paxton as the patriarch of a Mormon fundamentalism, fundamentalist Mor ...
'' and the BBC comedy '' Clone''. Junge also wrote lyrics for Disney's '' Mulan 2'' and the children's stage version ''Mulan Jr.'',"Season preview 2015-16," ''American Theatre'', October 2015, p. 66. as well as screenplay and lyrics for Disney's ''
Lilo & Stitch 2 ''Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch'' is a 2005 American direct-to-video animated science fiction comedy-drama film produced by the Australian office of Disneytoon Studios. It was directed by Tony Leondis and Michael LaBash, both of whom co- ...
''. A frequent contributor to National Public Radio's ''
This American Life ''This American Life'' is a weekly hour-long American radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internationally, and is ...
'', Junge performed live for their 2008 "What I Learned From Television" tour. She served as
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
and
showrunner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...
for the first season of Showtime's series ''
The United States of Tara ''United States of Tara'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Diablo Cody, which aired on Showtime from 2009 to 2011. The series follows the life of Tara (Toni Collette), a suburban artist and mother coping with dissociati ...
''; upon her departure ''
Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'' noted, "Bringing ''Friends'' alumna Junge on board (had been) key to securing a series order for ''Tara'', created by Oscar winner
Diablo Cody Brook Maurio (previously Busey-Hunt; ''née'' Busey; born June 14, 1978), known professionally by the pen name Diablo Cody, is an American writer and producer. She gained recognition for her candid blog and subsequent memoir, ''Candy Girl: A Year ...
."Andreeva, Nellie.
Junge steps aside as ''Tara'' topper
" ''Hollywood Reporter'', ''409''(4), 2009-03-23, page not given. via Press Reader
Junge subsequently worked on '' Tilda'' for HBO with
Bill Condon William Condon (born October 22, 1955) is an American director and screenwriter. Condon is known for writing and/or directing numerous successful and acclaimed films including ''Gods and Monsters (film), Gods and Monsters'', ''Chicago (2002 fi ...
,
Alan Poul Alan Mark Poul (born May 1, 1954) is an American film producer and television director. Career Poul served as executive producer for the HBO original series, '' Six Feet Under'', on which he made his directing debut. He directed four episodes ...
and John Hoffman, and was the executive producer on ''
Best Friends Forever “Best friends forever” is a phrase that describes a close friendship. It is often written as the initialism BFF. Definition A BFF is a term for someone's best friend or close friend and is characterized by permanence, irrespective of the nu ...
'' starring
Lennon Parham Lennon Parham (born October 26, 1975) is an American actress and improvisational comedian from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. With frequent collaborator Jessica St. Clair, she created and co-starred in NBC's ''Best Friends Forever'' and U ...
and
Jessica St. Clair Jessica St. Clair is an American actress and improvisational comedian from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. With frequent collaborator Lennon Parham, she co-created and co-starred in NBC's ''Best Friends Forever'' and USA Network's '' Playin ...
for NBC. She also wrote four episodes of the 2015-16
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
series ''
Grace and Frankie ''Grace and Frankie'' is an American comedy television series created by Marta Kauffman and Howard J. Morris for Netflix. The series stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as the eponymous Grace Hanson and Frankie Bergstein, two aging women who form ...
''. Junge's play '' Fingersmith'' (an adaptation of
Sarah Waters Sarah Ann Waters (born 21 July 1966) is a Welsh novelist. She is best known for her novels set in Victorian society and featuring lesbian protagonists, such as '' Tipping the Velvet'' and '' Fingersmith''. Life and education Early life Sara ...
' novel) had its world premiere at the
Oregon Shakespeare Festival The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is a regional Repertory, repertory theatre in Ashland, Oregon, United States, founded in 1935 by Angus L. Bowmer. The Festival now offers matinee and evening performances of a wide range of classic and conte ...
in March 2015. Additional plays and musicals by Junge were produced at the
Goodspeed Opera House Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. Its landmark Goodspeed Opera House is a distinctive feature of ...
,
Studio Arena Theater The Shea's 710 Theatre (originally known as the Studio Arena Theatre) is a theatre in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in the 1920s and briefly closed in 2008 citing $3 million in debt and laying off its staff. It was reopened as the 710 Main ...
,
Playwrights Horizons Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit American Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work. ...
Lab, Theaterworks and developed at
New York Stage and Film New York Stage and Film is an art and film institution founded in 1985 by Mark Linn-Baker, Max Mayer (filmmaker), Max Mayer and Leslie Urdang. Each year, in collaboration with Vassar College they produce the Powerhouse Season and Powerhouse Train ...
as well as the MacDowell and Djerassi colonies of Hedgebrook Women Playwrights Festival. Among these productions was the musical ''Starcrossed: The Trial of
Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642), commonly referred to as Galileo Galilei ( , , ) or mononymously as Galileo, was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a poly ...
'', for which Junge co-wrote the book and lyrics with Keith Levenson.
Starcrossed: the trial of Galileo
' (theatrical program), New York Public Library Research holdings.


Television writing credits


''Friends'' episodes

Junge has written the following ''
Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...
'' episodes: * "
The One Where Everybody Finds Out "The One Where Everybody Finds Out" is the fourteenth episode of ''Friends'' fifth season. It first aired on the NBC network in the United States on February 11, 1999. In the episode, Phoebe Buffay discovers that Monica Geller and Chandler Bing ...
" (1999) * " The One with the Yeti" (1998) * " The One Where Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister" (1997) * " The One with the Metaphorical Tunnel" (1996) * " The One with the Two Parties" (1996) * "
The One with the Prom Video "The One with the Prom Video" is the fourteenth episode of the second season, and the 38th episode overall, of the American television situation comedy ''Friends'', which first aired on NBC on February 1, 1996. The episode focuses on the main c ...
" (1996) * " The One with Phoebe's Husband" (1995) * "
The One with the Ick Factor The first season of the American television sitcom ''Friends'' aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 18, 1995. Cast and characters Main cast * Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green * Courteney Cox as Monica Geller * Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe ...
" (1995) * " The One with the Boobies" (1995) * "
The One with George Stephanopoulos "The One with George Stephanopoulos" is the fourth episode of the first season of the NBC television series ''Friends''. The fourth episode of the show overall, it was first broadcast on October 13, 1994. The episode was directed by James Bur ...
" (1994)


''The West Wing'' episodes

Junge has written the following ''
The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...
'' episodes: * "
Eppur Si Muove ''And Yet It Moves'' is a puzzle-platform game developed by independent developer Broken Rules. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux on April 2, 2009, and for Wii as a WiiWare title in August 2010. ''And Yet It Moves ...
" (2004) * "
Disaster Relief Emergency management (also Disaster management) is a science and a system charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actu ...
" (2003)


''The United States of Tara'' episodes

Junge has written the following ''
The United States of Tara ''United States of Tara'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Diablo Cody, which aired on Showtime from 2009 to 2011. The series follows the life of Tara (Toni Collette), a suburban artist and mother coping with dissociati ...
'' episodes: * "Snow" (2009) * "Revolution" (2009) * "Inspiration" (2009)


''Grace and Frankie'' episodes

Junge has written the following ''
Grace and Frankie ''Grace and Frankie'' is an American comedy television series created by Marta Kauffman and Howard J. Morris for Netflix. The series stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as the eponymous Grace Hanson and Frankie Bergstein, two aging women who form ...
'' episodes: * "The Floor" (2017) * "The Party" (2016) * "The Vitamix" (2016) * "The Vows" (2015) * "The Funeral" (2015)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Junge, Alexa American television producers American women television producers Barnard College alumni Living people 20th-century American screenwriters American television writers American women screenwriters American women television writers Tisch School of the Arts alumni Year of birth missing (living people)