Craig David Thomas is an American television writer who, along with writing partner
Carter Bays
Carter Loard Bays (born August 12, 1975) is an American author, composer and television showrunner.
Bays co-created the CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'' where he served as showrunner, writer and executive producer for all nine seasons.
Bays ...
, has written episodes of ''
American Dad!
''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker (producer), Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on February 6, 2005, following Super Bowl XXXIX, with the r ...
'', ''
Oliver Beene
''Oliver Beene'' is an American sitcom that aired on Fox from March 9, 2003 to September 12, 2004. The show was created by Howard Gewirtz. Set in 1962 and 1963, the show chronicled the trials and tribulations of the 11-to-12-year-old Oliver Be ...
'', ''
Quintuplets
''Quintuplets'' is an American television sitcom that aired 22 episodes on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from June 16, 2004, to January 12, 2005. The program starred Andy Richter and Rebecca Creskoff and shared some of their experiences parent ...
'' and the hit
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
sitcom ''
How I Met Your Mother
''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...
'', which they created in 2005. In 2012, ''How I Met Your Mother'' won a
People's Choice Awards
The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the fans and general public. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls un ...
.
Along with Carter Bays he is a member of
The Solids, who perform the theme song to ''How I Met Your Mother''. He has been nominated for seven primetime
Emmy Award
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 ...
s, including Best Original Song for "
Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit".
After graduating from
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...
in 1997, Thomas wrote for the
Late Show with David Letterman
''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...
for 5 years.
In 2014, he shot a pilot for the show ''
How I Met Your Dad'' with his partner
Carter Bays
Carter Loard Bays (born August 12, 1975) is an American author, composer and television showrunner.
Bays co-created the CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'' where he served as showrunner, writer and executive producer for all nine seasons.
Bays ...
,
Emily Spivey and
Greta Gerwig
Greta Celeste Gerwig ( ; born August 4, 1983) is an American actress, screenwriter, and film director. Initially known for working on various mumblecore films, she has since expanded from acting in and co-writing independent films to directing ...
, but
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
asked them to do a second pilot, and they refused.
On April 15, 2019, Thomas joined a host of other writers in firing their agents as part of the
WGA's stand against the
ATA and the practice of
packaging
Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of designing, evaluating, and producing packages. Packaging can be described as a coo ...
.
In addition to his writing, Thomas has fundraised extensively for Dr. Paul Grossfeld's lab at the
Rady Children's Hospital
Rady Children's Hospital San Diego is a nonprofit pediatric care facility. Rady Children's provides services to the San Diego, southern Riverside and Imperial counties. The hospital has 511 beds and provides comprehensive pediatric specialties a ...
of San Diego.
[https://craigthomaswriter.com/lhbh Retrieved on 2023-03-13 ] Grossfeld's lab conducts research into the genetic causes of congenital heart disease, particularly
Jacobsen syndrome, a rare genetic disorder caused by the loss of a part of the 11th human chromosome.
Works
''
How I Met Your Mother
''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...
''
* "
Pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
"
* "
Purple Giraffe"
* "
The Pineapple Incident
"The Pineapple Incident" is the tenth episode in the first season of the television series ''How I Met Your Mother''. It originally aired on November 28, 2005 on CBS. It is the highest viewed episode in season 1 and the second highest overall ...
"
* "Life Among the Gorillas"
* "
Nothing Good Happens After 2 A.M."
* "Milk"
* "Come On"
* "
Where Were We?"
* "
Monday Night Football
''Monday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''MNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that air on Monday nights. It originally ran on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from 1970 NFL season, 1970 t ...
"
* "Bachelor Party"
* "
Something Blue"
* "
Wait for It"
* "
The Platinum Rule"
* "
No Tomorrow"
* "
Ten Sessions"
* "
The Chain of Screaming"
* "
Miracles
A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...
"
* "
Do I Know You?"
* "The Best Burger in New York"
* "
Woooo!"
* "
The Stinsons"
* "As Fast as She Can"
* "
The Leap"
* "
Definitions
A definition is a statement of the meaning of a term (a word, phrase, or other set of symbols). Definitions can be classified into two large categories: intensional definitions (which try to give the sense of a term), and extensional definit ...
"
* "
Robin 101"
* "
The Playbook"
* "
Girls Versus Suits"
* "
Rabbit or Duck"
* "
Doppelgangers"
* "
Big Days"
* "
Architect of Destruction"
* "
Natural History
Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...
"
* "
Last Words
Last words are the final utterances before death. The meaning is sometimes expanded to somewhat earlier utterances.
Last words of famous or infamous people are sometimes recorded (although not always accurately), which then became a historical an ...
"
* "
Oh Honey"
* "
Landmarks
A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances.
In modern-day use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures ...
"
* "
Challenge Accepted"
* "The Best Man"
* "
Ducky Tie"
* "
The Rebound Girl"
* "
Tailgate"
* "
The Burning Beekeeper
"The Burning Beekeeper" is the 15th episode of the seventh season of the CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'', and the 151st episode overall. It aired on February 6, 2012. The story of "The Burning Beekeeper" unfolds room by room at Lily and M ...
"
* "The Broath"
* "
Good Crazy"
* "
The Magician's Code"
* "
Farhampton"
* "
The Pre-Nup"
* "
The Final Page"
* "
Band or DJ?"
* "
P.S. I Love You"
* "Bad Crazy"
* "
The Ashtray
"The Ashtray" is the 17th episode of the eighth season of the CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'', and the 177th episode overall. It originally aired on CBS in the United States on February 18, 2013. In the episode, Ted, Robin and Lily rec ...
"
* "
The Time Travelers"
* "
Something Old
"Something old" is the first line of a traditional rhyme that details what a bride should wear at her wedding for good luck:
Something old,
something new,
something borrowed,
something blue,
and a ilversixpence in her shoe.
The old item ...
"
* "
Something New"
* "
The Locket"
* "
Coming Back"
* "
Mom And Dad"
* "
Bedtime Stories"
* "Bass Player Wanted"
* "
Slapsgiving 3: Slappointment in Slapmarra"
* "
How Your Mother Met Me"
* "
Sunrise
Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon.
Terminology
Although the S ...
"
* "
Rally
Rally or rallye may refer to:
Gatherings
* Political demonstration, a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade
* Pep rally, an event held at a North American school or college sporting event
Sport ...
"
* "
Daisy"
* "
The End of the Aisle"
* "
Last Forever
"Last Forever" Parts 1 and 2 are the 23rd and 24th and final episodes of the ninth season of the American sitcom television series ''How I Met Your Mother'' and the series finale of the show as a whole. The episode was written by series crea ...
"
''
Oliver Beene
''Oliver Beene'' is an American sitcom that aired on Fox from March 9, 2003 to September 12, 2004. The show was created by Howard Gewirtz. Set in 1962 and 1963, the show chronicled the trials and tribulations of the 11-to-12-year-old Oliver Be ...
''
* "Dancing Beene"
* "The Nudie Mag"
* "X-Ray Specs"
* "A Trip To Connie Island"
* "Oliver and The Otters"
'' The Goodwin Games''
* "Pilot"
* "The Hamletta"
''
American Dad!
''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker (producer), Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on February 6, 2005, following Super Bowl XXXIX, with the r ...
''
* "
Stan of Arabia: Part 2"
He did audio commentary for his episode of ''
American Dad!
''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker (producer), Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on February 6, 2005, following Super Bowl XXXIX, with the r ...
'' and has been prominent in the ''
How I Met Your Mother
''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...
'' DVD audio commentaries.
Songwriting
The Solids
* "Soap On Your Skin"
* "You Don't Know What You've Begun"
* "Dishwasher"
* "Guns"
* "Clowns Like Candy"
* "Across The Overpass"
* "My Best Year"
* "Hey Good News"
* "Second Coat"
* "Noisemaker"
* "Page for the Kid"
* "February Graffiti"
* "Webb Pierce Song"
* "Widow to a Haircut"
* "The Wrong Man"
* "If Anything"
* "The Future is Now"
How I Met Your Mother
*
"Nothing Suits Me Like A Suit" (Emmy Nomination)
* "You Just Got Slapped"
* "
Let's Go to the Mall
"Let's Go to the Mall" is a song written by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for the CBS television series ''How I Met Your Mother''. The song was performed by Canadian actress Cobie Smulders in the role of Robin Scherbat ...
"
"Hey Beautiful"*
"Sandcastles in the Sand"
*
"PS I Love You"
* "Barney Stinson, That Guy's Awesome"
* "Ted Mosby is a Jerk"
* "Best Night Ever"
* "Superdate"
* "Shame on You"
* "Food Delivery / Cat Sitting / Cat Funeral"
* "Ode to Virginia"
* "Murder Train"
* "The Bro Chant"
* "Mosbius Designs Have Failed"
* "Marshall vs the Machines"
* "Hey Beautiful (Barney Version)"
* "Two Beavers are Better Than One"
* "Puzzles Theme Song"
* "Bang Bang Bangity Bang"
* "Night Night Little Marvin"
* "On the House"
* Asking Out Lily Pts 1 & 2"
* "Soul Bang"
* "And There She was" (Featuring John Swihart)
* "Barney Makes 3 Its 1 & 2"
Sesame Street
* Look for the Slime (Season 46, Episode 2)
* The Vet Song (Season 49, Episode 1)
* Packing PJ's (Season 50, Episode 1)
* I Wonder (Season 51, Episode 23)
* How Do You Build a Robot Dog? (Season 52, Episode 1)
The Solids
In 1996, Thomas and Carter Bays (with whom he would later create ''How I Met Your Mother'') formed the power pop band The Solids with fellow Wesleyan University students Patrick Butler and Nick Coleman. The band went on to write the theme songs for two television shows: ''Oliver Beene'' and ''How I Met Your Mother''.
Other Writing
In addition to writing for television, Thomas has been published in the New Yorker's Shouts & Murmurs column five times
Bad Reviews of Beloved ClassicsRE: The AsteroidStudio Notes on Your Rom-Com ScreenplayOne Writer's Year in Pandemic Think PiecesA Look Back at March 12, 2020McSweeney'sthe Boston Globe and th
Iowa Review
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Craig
American television writers
Place of birth missing (living people)
Year of birth missing (living people)
American male television writers
Wesleyan University alumni
Living people
How I Met Your Mother
American showrunners