Josh Weinstein (born May 5, 1966) is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
''. Weinstein and
Bill Oakley became best friends and writing partners at
St. Albans School; Weinstein then attended
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
and was
editor-in-chief
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...
of the ''
Stanford Chaparral''. He worked on several short-term media projects, including writing for the variety show ''Sunday Best'', but was then unemployed for a long period.
Weinstein and Oakley eventually penned a
spec script
A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned and unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or ...
for ''
Seinfeld
''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...
'', after which they wrote "
Marge Gets a Job", an episode of ''The Simpsons''. Subsequently, the two were hired to write for the show on a permanent basis in 1992. After they wrote episodes such as "
$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)", "
Bart vs. Australia" and "
Who Shot Mr. Burns?", the two were appointed
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 ...
s 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 ...
s for the
seventh and
eighth seasons of the show. They attempted to include several emotional episodes focusing on the
Simpson family, as well as several high-concept episodes such as "
Homer's Enemy", "
Two Bad Neighbors" and "
The Principal and the Pauper", winning three
Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
for their work.
After they left ''The Simpsons'', Oakley and Weinstein created ''
Mission Hill''. They worked as
consulting producers on ''
Futurama
''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company and later revived by Comedy Central, and then Hulu. The series follows Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1 ...
'', then created ''
The Mullets'' in 2003. The two wrote several unsuccessful TV pilots, and were due to serve as showrunners on ''
Sit Down, Shut Up'' in 2009. Oakley left the project over a contract dispute, but Weinstein remained until it was canceled. He co-produced and wrote for ''Futurama'' again during its
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
revival, winning an Emmy in 2011. Since 2013, Weinstein has served as showrunner for the
CBBC
CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...
series ''
Strange Hill High'', and in 2015, ''
Danger Mouse''. He has also served as a writer for season two of ''
Gravity Falls
''Gravity Falls'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery television comedy, comedy animated television series created by Alex Hirsch for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The series follows the adventures of Dipper Pines (Jason Ritter) and his twi ...
'', co-writing nine of the season's episodes. In 2018, Weinstein co-developed the Netflix animated series ''
Disenchantment
In social science, disenchantment () is the cultural rationalization and devaluation of religion apparent in modern society. The term was borrowed from Friedrich Schiller by Max Weber to describe the character of a modernized, bureaucratic, ...
'' with creator
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Futurama'' (1999–2003, 2008–2013, 2 ...
, of which he and Groening served as co-showrunners. Weinstein is married to journalist Lisa Simmons.
Early life
Weinstein was born and raised in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
[ to ]Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
parents Rosa and Harris Weinstein. His mother is the director of the Himmelfarb Mobile University which provides education for the elderly, while his father is a lawyer for Covington & Burling
Covington & Burling LLP is an American multinational law firm. Known as a white-shoe law firm, it is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and advises clients on transactional, litigation, regulatory, and public policy matters. The firm has addition ...
. He has a brother, Jacob, and a sister, Teme. Weinstein attended St. Albans School in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, where he met and became best friends with Bill Oakley in the eighth grade. The two created the school humor magazine ''The Alban Antic'' in 1983.[ He later attended ]Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
,[ where he served as ]editor-in-chief
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...
of the '' Stanford Chaparral''. Weinstein is an honorary member of the ''Harvard Lampoon
''The Harvard Lampoon'' is an undergraduate humor publication founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Overview
The ''Harvard Lampoon'' publication was founded in 1876 by seven undergraduate ...
'' as he worked on some of ''Lampoon'''s parody publications with Oakley over the summers between course years.
Career
Weinstein did not land a job on a major comedy series, despite writing numerous spec scripts for shows such as ''Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' and ''Late Night with David Letterman
''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the first installment of the '' Late Night''. Hosted by David Letterman, it aired from February1, 1982 to June 25, 1993, and was replaced by ...
''; he moved back home to Washington, D.C.[ There, he worked as a copywriter for an advertising agency, writing print adverts for such clients as ]IKEA
IKEA ( , ) is a Multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in Sweden that designs and sells , household goods, and various related services.
IKEA is owned and operated by a series of not-for-profit an ...
. In their free time, Oakley and Weinstein wrote for local comedy groups, such as Gross National Product.[ In 1989, they moved to ]New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
after being hired to write for a game show on Ha!, before writing for a variety show on the network featuring Denis Leary
Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Born in Massachusetts, he first came to prominence as a stand-up comedian, especially through appearances on MTV (including the comedic song " Asshole") and th ...
. The two also wrote for the '' National Lampoon'' and '' Spy''.[ An editor of ''Spy'' was hired by NBC to run the variety show ''Sunday Best'', and took Oakley and Weinstein to ]Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
with him in 1991. When the show was canceled after three episodes, they were unemployed for a lengthy period.
''The Simpsons''
As a writer
After changing their agent,[ Oakley and Weinstein wrote a spec script for '']Seinfeld
''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...
'', which was well received. Amongst those who liked it were Al Jean
Alfred Ernest Jean III (born January 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter and producer. Jean is well known for his work on ''The Simpsons''. He was raised near Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his wri ...
and Mike Reiss, showrunners of ''The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
''. There were no openings on the staff at the time, but Oakley and Weinstein were hired to write the episode " Marge Gets a Job", based on an idea by Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, actor, and producer. He is best known for having hosted Late-night talk show, late-night talk shows, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'B ...
. The episode aired as part of season four. Their ''Seinfeld'' script and ''The Simpsons'' episode caught the attention of Diane English
Diane English (born May 18, 1948) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. She is best known for creating the television show ''Murphy Brown'' which won multiple awards, including 18 Primetime Emmy Awards from 62 nominations. She also ...
, and they were offered a job on a sitcom. Before they accepted this job, they were told that Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky were leaving ''The Simpsons'', and then joined the writing staff on a permanent basis in 1992, in the third season of that show.[Oakley, Bill & Weinstein, Josh. (2006). Easter egg Commentary for "Lisa the Simpson", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Ninth Season'' VD 20th Century Fox.] They began as story editor
Story editor is a job title in motion picture and television production, also sometimes called supervising producer. The responsibilities of the story editor vary depending on the production; this article describes the duties the role most commo ...
s. They were initially quiet and felt "intimidated", being in the same room as "10 of the greatest minds in comedy", but eventually started pitching jokes with confidence. They wrote their scripts together, working side by side at a computer. Their first episode as staff writers was " Marge in Chains", an existing idea that they were assigned. The first draft of the script was based on research about women in prison conducted by Oakley and Weinstein, making it "slightly more realistic" than the final version of the episode, in which many realistic elements were replaced.
After season four, most of the original staff left the show. Before David Mirkin arrived to take over as showrunner for season five, Oakley, Weinstein, O'Brien and Dan McGrath were the only writers working on the show and spent a month mapping out most of the season's episodes.[ Oakley and Weinstein wrote several episodes for season five, penning the "Terror at 5½ Feet" segment of " Treehouse of Horror IV", " $pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)", " Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy", the show's 100th episode " Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song" and " Lady Bouvier's Lover". For season six they wrote " Sideshow Bob Roberts", basing much of the episode on the ]Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the Presidency of Richard Nixon, administration of President Richard Nixon. The scandal began in 1972 and ultimately led to Resignation of Richard Nixon, Nix ...
, in which they had a great interest, as well as " Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy" and " Bart vs. Australia". For "Bart vs. Australia", the writing staff wanted to produce an episode in which the Simpsons family traveled to a foreign country; they selected Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
because they thought that everyone in Australia had a good sense of humor and "would get the jokes", with the episode being intentionally inaccurate. The episode proved somewhat controversial; some Australian fans said the episode was a mockery of their country. Shortly after it had aired, the ''Simpsons'' staff received over a hundred letters from Australians who were insulted by the episode. The pair wrote the two-part episode " Who Shot Mr. Burns?", which was initially proposed by series creator Matt Groening
Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Futurama'' (1999–2003, 2008–2013, 2 ...
. While deciding who the culprit was, Oakley and Weinstein pitched Barney Gumble because he was a character that could go to jail and it could change the dynamic of the show. Mirkin suggested Maggie because he felt it was funnier and wanted the culprit to be a family member. Oakley and Weinstein were initially unsure about having Maggie as the culprit, and it was decided that the episode would end with Maggie shifting her eyes and making it look like it was not a complete accident.
As showrunner
Oakley and Weinstein were appointed 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 ...
s and showrunners of the seventh and eighth seasons. They were chosen partly because they had been with the show since the third season and understood many of its dynamics.[ The showrunner is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the show's production. Each episode takes ten months to produce, so the showrunner must "oversee many different episodes in different stages of production all at the same time", with roles including head writer, making notes on the ]storyboard
A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of simple illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding proce ...
s and working with the voice actors, animators, editors and composers. Oakley and Weinstein often set two script-rewriting rooms in motion at the same time, delegating leadership in the rooms to writers such as Steve Tompkins and David Cohen. Mirkin, who had suggested that the two take over, remained on the show in an advisory capacity, helping Oakley and Weinstein with technical aspects of the show such as editing and sound mixing. When they took over the series, they wanted many of the episodes to be realistic ones that focused more on the five members of the Simpson family and explored their feelings and emotions towards each other. They wanted to produce '' Treehouse of Horror'' episodes, episodes about Sideshow Bob
Robert Underdunk "Bob" Terwilliger Jr., Doctor of Philosophy, PhD, better known as Sideshow Bob, is a recurring antagonist in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared in the episode "The ...
, Itchy & Scratchy and several "format-bending" episodes such as " 22 Short Films About Springfield", for which Weinstein wrote the scene featuring Comic Book Guy
Jeff Albertson, commonly known as the Comic Book Guy (CBG), is a Recurring character, recurring fictional Character (arts), character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and Eisner Awards, Eisner-nominated Spin-off (media), spin-o ...
and Milhouse Van Houten. They aimed for "at least two episodes per season that 'pushed the envelope', ndexpanded the definition of what an episode could be". This was a style they employed for both seasons they produced. Season eight featured several episodes in which focus was given to secondary characters and in which new issues were explored, such as divorce. Their preferred choice of guest stars were those with unique and interesting voices, and several of their guest stars were "old grizzled men with distinctive voices" such as R. Lee Ermey, Donald Sutherland
Donald McNichol Sutherland (17 July 1935 – 20 June 2024) was a Canadian actor. With a career spanning six decades, he received List of awards and nominations received by Donald Sutherland, numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award ...
, Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. ...
and Lawrence Tierney. Oakley considered season three to be the single greatest comedic season of television ever produced and so attempted to recreate the feel of that season for the two he ran, focusing on stories with real emotions and situations, as well as some off-the-wall episodes. Season three was their basis for Homer
Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...
: "We liked Homer the way he was in the second and third seasons. That was what we consciously used as our model. Dimwitted, loving, hyper-enthusiastic, creatively goofy, parody of the American father – drawn with real emotions, though admittedly amplified. This was exemplified in " Mother Simpson", " Lisa the Iconoclast", " Diddly-Dum-Doodly", and a couple others. In some of the less reality-based episodes, i.e. the Beer Baron one – usually Swartzwelder's, we'd treat this stricture with a certain amount of latitude."[
One of their most notable episodes was " Homer's Enemy", an episode designed to "push the envelope conceptually". The idea for "Homer's Enemy" was first conceived by Oakley who thought that Homer should have an enemy. This evolved into the concept of a "real world" co-worker who would either love or hate Homer. The writers chose the latter as they thought it would have funnier results.] The result was the character of Frank Grimes, a man who has had to work hard all his life with nothing to show for it and is dismayed and embittered by Homer's success and comfort in spite of his inherent laziness and ignorance. "Homer's Enemy" explores the comic possibilities of a realistic character with a strong work ethic
Work ethic is a belief that work and diligence have a moral benefit and an inherent ability, virtue or value to strengthen character and individual abilities. Desire or determination to work serves as the foundation for values centered on the i ...
placed alongside Homer in a work environment. In the episode, Homer is portrayed as an everyman and the embodiment of the American spirit; however, in some scenes his negative characteristics and silliness are prominently highlighted. By the close of the episode, Grimes, a hard working and persevering "real American hero," is relegated to the role of antagonist; the viewer is intended to be pleased that Homer has emerged victorious. Oakley says the episode was "hyper- meta" and focused on "parodying to some degree the Homer we don't like. That's one of the things that episode is supposed to illustrate — "Homer gone wrong". Although, I would argue that in "Homer's Enemy" he's not even really even all that excessively stupid or immature, actually."[ Weinstein said: "We wanted to do an episode where the thinking was "What if a real life, normal person had to enter Homer's universe and deal with him?" I know this episode is controversial and divisive, but I just love it. It really feels like what would happen if a real, somewhat humorless human had to deal with Homer. There was some talk n NoHomers.netabout the ending—we just did that because (a) it's really funny and shocking, (2) we like the lesson of "sometimes, you just can't win"—the whole Frank Grimes episode is a study in frustration and hence Homer has the last laugh and (3) we wanted to show that in real life, being Homer Simpson could be really dangerous and life-threatening, as Frank Grimes sadly learned."] When the episode was first broadcast, many fans felt it was too dark, unfunny and that Homer was portrayed as overly bad-mannered. On the DVD commentary, Weinstein considers this episode one of the most controversial of the seasons he ran, as it involves sharp observational humor which many fans "didn't get". Weinstein also talks about a "generation gap"—the episode was originally panned by viewers, but has since become a favorite among fans who grew up with the show.
Other episodes included " Two Bad Neighbors", which sees Homer meet former President George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
, a reference to the show's feud with the Bushes in the early 1990s. Weinstein said that the episode is often misunderstood. Many audiences expected a political satire, while the writers made special effort to keep the parody apolitical. Oakley stresses that "it's not a political attack, it's a personal attack!", and instead of criticizing Bush for his policies, the episode instead pokes fun at his "crotchetiness". Oakley described the episode as a companion piece to "Homer's Enemy", in that a character is juxtaposed alongside Homer and does not get along with him.
They considered working on the show to be similar to working in a bubble due to the lack of interference from the Fox network's executives, as is commonplace on other shows.[ This allowed them to produce any episodes they wanted, as Weinstein commented: "The great thing about ''The Simpsons'' is that we pretty much were able to get away with everything, so there weren't any episodes we really wanted to do that we couldn't do. Even the crazy high-concept ones like "Two Bad Neighbors" and "Homer's Enemy" we managed to put on the air because honestly there were no network execs there to stop us."] Such was the network's limited input, when an executive suggested the staff introduce a new character to live with the Simpsons so as to "liven up the show", the staff rejected the idea and instead created the episode " The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show", inserting the one-time character Roy, with no explanation as to who he was, or why he was living with the family, as a reference to the executive's proposal. The episode, which marked the point at which ''The Simpsons'' surpassed ''The Flintstones
''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the R ...
'' for the number of episodes produced for an animated series
An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...
, was named by the BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
as one of the ten most memorable episodes of the show. They noted "the writers used the opportunity to pay tribute to the art of animation and rail against network interference in their show." The intrusion of the network censors was limited: the normal procedure is for an episode's script to be sent to the censor and then faxed back with a list of lines and words that should be substituted, causing limited problems as often the offending lines are removed or changed for comedic purposes after animation. The episode " Homer's Phobia" drew the censor's objections. Its script came back with two pages of notes about almost every single line. The censors stated that they did not like the use of the word " gay", or the discussion of homosexuality at all, and closed with a paragraph which stated that "the topic and substance of this episode are unacceptable for broadcast
Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...
". The censor problems ultimately came to nothing when the episode came back from animation in South Korea, the then-Fox president had just been fired and replaced, with the censors being replaced as well. The new censors sent back merely one line: "acceptable for broadcast".
Leaving the show
Oakley and Weinstein stood down as showrunners after season eight because they "didn't want to break he show. Oakley said: "We always said we'd never do a joke that we'd done before."[ They felt the showrunner should not stay for more than two seasons.][ Due to the pressures of having to work on two seasons at once (writing season eight, whilst doing post-production of season seven), Oakley said that at least two episodes from season eight would ideally have been rewritten, had there been sufficient time,][ and that towards the end, they were "treading water".][ As they were working on ]post-production
Post-production, also known simply as post, is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording indivi ...
of season eight, they were credited as consulting producers for season nine, which was in its initial writing stages. Oakley stated that they contributed "somewhere between 0 and .0001%" of the season, only attending the table readings of the scripts. They produced three episodes held over from season eight, which aired as part of 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 negatively received due to the sudden revelation that long-time character Seymour Skinner was actually an imposter. For example, in his book '' Planet Simpson'', Chris Turner describes "The Principal and the Pauper" as the "broadcast that marked heabrupt plunge" from ''The Simpsons''' "Golden Age", which he says began in the middle of the show's third season. He calls the episode " ne ofthe weakest episodes in ''Simpsons'' history". As such, they consider it the most controversial episode from their tenure as executive producers. He and Oakley advise viewers to treat "The Principal and the Pauper" as an "experiment". They surmise that the negative reception was partly due to the fact that it was not immediately apparent to viewers that this was such an episode (as opposed to, for example, " The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase"). They describe the ending of the episode as an attempt to reset the continuity and allow fans to consider the episode on its own. "Lisa the Simpson" was their final involvement with the show. The duo wanted to end on a good note—Weinstein stated that the episode "was meant to embody the humor, depth, and emotions of ''The Simpsons'',"—and they were pleased with the result.
Awards and critical reaction
Weinstein won three Emmy
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 catego ...
s for his work on ''The Simpsons'', and shared them with the other producers. When Weinstein was the showrunner and executive producer, "Homer's Phobia" won the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less) in 1997. The previous year, " Treehouse of Horror VI" was submitted for the award. The staff felt the 3D animation sequence "Homer³" would have given it the edge. The episode eventually lost to '' Pinky and the Brain''. Oakley later expressed regret about not submitting an episode with a more emotionally driven plot, such as " Mother Simpson". In 1996, during season seven, the show received a Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...
. Weinstein shared the awards for " Lisa's Wedding" and " Trash of the Titans" in 1995 and 1998 respectively. Oakley and Weinstein themselves were nominated, along with the show's composer Alf Clausen
Alf Faye Heiberg Clausen (March 28, 1941 – May 29, 2025) was an American film and television composer. He is best known for his work scoring many episodes of ''The Simpsons'', for which he was the sole composer between 1990 and 2017. Clausen ...
, for the Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics for writing "Señor Burns" from "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)".
Many of the episodes by Oakley and Weinstein are considered amongst the show's best. For example, in 2003, ''Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' included six episodes they produced ("Homer's Phobia", " A Fish Called Selma", "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson", "22 Short Films About Springfield", " The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase" and "The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show") and one episode they wrote ("Who Shot Mr. Burns?") as part of their list of the show's 25 best episodes. Robert Canning of IGN
''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
said the episode " You Only Move Twice" from season eight "may well be the greatest ''Simpsons'' episode of all time. In my book, it's at least tied," with " Marge vs. the Monorail". A. O. Scott described their era as "reach nga pinnacle of zany self-reference with "22 Short Films About Springfield" and "Simpsons Spin-off Showcase"." Weinstein considers the line "Too crazy for Boy's Town, too much of a boy for Crazy Town", from the episode " Treehouse of Horror VII" to be his favorite joke contribution to the show. The two are popular amongst the show's fans,[ and in the early days of the Internet, Oakley read and participated in fan discussion of the show on newsgroups such as alt.tv.simpsons.][ In 2005 and 2006, they participated in two question-and-answer sessions on the fan message board NoHomers.net.][
]
''Mission Hill'' and other work
After Oakley and Weinstein left ''The Simpsons'', they created '' Mission Hill'' in 1997, a show about a hip, lazy, 24-year-old cartoonist named Andy French, and sold it to The WB
The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on ter ...
for a fall 1999 debut. They pitched the show in 1998 "as an animated series for young adults with a sophisticated, '''Simpsons'''-style sensibility." They aimed to make the show about realistic issues affecting young adults, which were too mature for ''The Simpsons''. The network was impressed and initially ordered 13 episodes; they ordered five more once the first was completed. Oakley explained: "The audience we're going for is one that's sophisticated, that likes high and low humor, that's very savvy in animation. utthis show is definitely a case where a lot of people don't get it. It's not setup, setup, setup, punch line. It's observational humor. It's jokes told in a weird way, in the background or with a bizarre sound effect."[ The show was plagued by "public relations" difficulties, which meant it was "tarnished" from the start. A badly edited two-minute promotional video for the show, sent to advertisers in April 1999 for the annual upfronts, was poorly received. Oakley and Weinstein had been informed that the upfronts did not matter.][ Similarly, because no episodes were finished in time, journalists were not able to see anything of the show at the network's schedule presentation in July. Subsequently, as Weinstein commented to the '']Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', "for seven months, the only impression people had of the show was based on a two-minute tape that looked terrible. Six major publications panned it before they even saw it." The pilot garnered largely negative reviews from publications such as '' The Deseret News''; and earned a positive write-up in '' Variety''.[ Furthermore, the show was forced to change from its originally planned title of ''The Downtowners'' due to its closeness to an ]MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
show.[ All of these factors combined to ensure the show received little attention, and the WB ran only a few commercials for it. Weinstein stated: "I don't know exactly why America doesn't know about this show. It's like '' Teen People'' came out with its fall preview, and we're not even in it."][ ''Mission Hill'' came at a time when the TV schedules were already saturated with animated shows; some of the response could be chalked up to its genre.][
The show was put out on a Friday, a night on which the WB had never broadcast before, at 8:00 pm, a time Oakley felt was inappropriate,][ and aired in front of '']The Wayans Bros.
''The Wayans Bros.'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 20, 1999. The series starred real life brothers Shawn Wayans, Shawn and Marlon Wayans, comedian John Witherspoon (actor), John Withe ...
'', '' The Jamie Foxx Show'' and '' The Steve Harvey Show'', all shows with which Oakley felt it was "incompatible". The show's poor reviews and ratings of an average of 1.8 million led to its swift cancellation.[ Oakley concluded that the pair had been "very naive" with regard to producing the show,][ and that it "would've been better on cable anyway because it would never have appealed to a broad enough audience due to the subject matter".] The 13 completed episodes were later aired on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
's adult swim
Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...
block and the show garnered a worldwide cult following. After lobbying from Oakley and Weinstein, the WB eventually released the series on DVD.[
From 2001 to 2002, the two served as consulting producers on '']Futurama
''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company and later revived by Comedy Central, and then Hulu. The series follows Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1 ...
''. They worked for two-and-a-half days a week, contributing jokes and helping with stories. They worked most substantially on the episodes " That's Lobstertainment!" and " Roswell That Ends Well". They produced '' The Mullets'' for UPN in 2003. Oakley and Weinstein have written and produced several television pilots. These include a CBS dramedy
Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
entitled ''22 Birthdays'', ''Business Class'', a comedy for NBC about two traveling salesmen, ''The Funkhousers'', an off-the-wall comedy for ABC about a close-knit family which was directed by Frank Oz
Frank Richard Oznowicz (born May 25, 1944), known professionally as Frank Oz, is an American puppeteer, filmmaker and actor. He is best known for his involvement with Jim Henson and George Lucas through ''The Muppets'', ''Sesame Street'', and '' ...
and ''The Ruling Class'' for Fox, about a high school class who all got along, regardless of their social group. They have written two feature film screenplays: ''The Optimist'' for New Line Cinema
New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...
, in which Seann William Scott was slated to star as a man born with no unhappiness gene, and ''Ruprecht'', a Santa Claus
Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...
-related comedy for Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
.
Weinstein was due to serve with Oakley as an executive producer on the Fox animated television series '' Sit Down, Shut Up'' in 2009, which was created by Mitchell Hurwitz. The show, which was based on an Australian program, featured cartoon characters on live-action backgrounds. However, Oakley ended his involvement with the show due to a contract dispute between the staff and Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...
. Sony refused to offer a contract which operated under the complete terms of the Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the name of two American labor unions representing writers in film, television, radio, and online media:
* The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is headquartered in New York City and is affiliated wit ...
. Weinstein continued working on the show, before it was canceled after 13 episodes. Weinstein returned to ''Futurama'', following its revival on Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
in 2010, and served as a writer and co-executive producer on its sixth and seventh seasons. He wrote the episodes " That Darn Katz!", " Law and Oracle", " All the Presidents' Heads", " A Farewell to Arms", " Viva Mars Vegas" and T.: The Terrestrial. Weinstein shared another Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program for the ''Futurama'' episode " The Late Philip J. Fry" in 2011, being nominated again the following year for " The Tip of the Zoidberg". Individually, he received an Annie Award
The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in American cinema and television. Origina ...
nomination for Writing in a Television Production for the episode "All the Presidents' Heads" in 2011, 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 ...
nomination for Outstanding Animation for writing "A Farewell to Arms" in 2013.
In 2013, Weinstein co-created, produced and wrote the animated comedy-mystery series '' Strange Hill High'' for British children's channel CBBC
CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...
. For the series, Weinstein imported the role of the showrunner and the writer's room, used routinely on American television shows like ''The Simpsons'', but uncommon on British television. The show uses the animation technique hypervynorama, a mix of puppetry and CGI.[ Weinstein will also team up with Oakley again to co-write and co-executive produce ''22 Birthdays'', the failed pilot they originally produced for CBS, as a pilot for Bravo. Doug Liman and Dave Bartis will also be co-executive producers.
On September 17, 2021, Weinstein guest starred as a contestant on the YouTube web series, Puppet History.
In August 2022, Weinstein appeared in an episode of ]Rate My Takeaway
Danny Malin (born November 1979) is an English YouTube personality. He is the host of the YouTube series ''Rate My Takeaway'', in which he visits and reviews Take-out, takeaway food shops, mainly in Northern England, although some reviews have ...
where he enjoyed a burger and fries over a chat with the host Danny Malin. Weinstein was a long time fan of the Youtube channel and when Malin was on a tour of the US they arranged the meet up.
Personal life
Weinstein married Lisa Simmons, a West Coast editor of ''Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Internationalism
* World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship
* Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community
* Cosmopolitan ...
'', in a Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
ceremony in 1995.[ They have two children, twins Molly and Simon, born in 1999.]
Credits
*''Sunday Best'' (1991) – writer
*''The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'' (1992–1998) – writer, producer, story editor, supervising producer, consulting producer, executive producer, showrunner (all episodes with Bill Oakley)
**" Marge Gets a Job"
**" Marge in Chains"
**" Treehouse of Horror IV" ("Terror at 5½ Feet" segment)
**" $pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)"
**" Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy"
**" Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song"
**" Lady Bouvier's Lover"
**" Sideshow Bob Roberts"
**" Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy"
**" Bart vs. Australia"
**" Who Shot Mr. Burns?" (parts 1 & 2)
**" 22 Short Films About Springfield" (Milhouse and Comic Book Guy scenes)
*'' Mission Hill'' (1999–2002) – creator, writer, executive producer, voice of Toby Mundorf
**"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 ...
" (with Oakley)
*''Futurama
''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company and later revived by Comedy Central, and then Hulu. The series follows Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1 ...
'' (2001–2002, 2010–2013) – consulting producer, executive producer, writer
**" That Darn Katz!"
**" Law and Oracle"
**" All the Presidents' Heads"
**" A Farewell to Arms"
**" Viva Mars Vegas"
**" T.: The Terrestrial"
*''The Funkhousers'' (2001) – writer
*''Ruling Class'' (2002) – writer
*'' The Mullets'' (2003) – creator, executive producer
*''22 Birthdays'' (2005) – writer
*''Business Class'' (2007) – creator, writer
*'' Sit Down, Shut Up'' (2009) – executive producer, writer
**"High School Musical Musical"
*'' Strange Hill High'' (2013–14) – creator, showrunner, writer
*'' The Awesomes'' (2013) – writer
*''Gravity Falls
''Gravity Falls'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery television comedy, comedy animated television series created by Alex Hirsch for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The series follows the adventures of Dipper Pines (Jason Ritter) and his twi ...
'' (2014–2016) – writer
**"The Love God"
**" Not What He Seems"
**" A Tale of Two Stans"
**"Dungeons, Dungeons & More Dungeons"
**"The Stanchurian Candidate"
**"Roadside Attraction"
**"Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future"
**"Weirdmageddon Part 1"
**" Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls"
*'' Danger Mouse'' (2016) – writer
*''Disenchantment
In social science, disenchantment () is the cultural rationalization and devaluation of religion apparent in modern society. The term was borrowed from Friedrich Schiller by Max Weber to describe the character of a modernized, bureaucratic, ...
'' (2018–2023) – writer, showrunner, executive producer
**" A Princess, an Elf and a Demon Walk into a Bar"
**"Tiabeanie Falls"
**"Freak Out!"
**"The Pitter-Patter of Little Feet"
**"Bean Falls Apart"
References
Bibliography
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weinstein, Josh
1966 births
Living people
20th-century American Jews
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American screenwriters
21st-century American Jews
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American screenwriters
American comedy writers
American male screenwriters
American male television writers
American television producers
American television writers
Animation screenwriters
Jewish American comedy writers
Jewish American screenwriters
Peabody Award winners
Primetime Emmy Award winners
Screenwriters from Washington, D.C.
Stanford University alumni
St. Albans School (Washington, D.C.) alumni
American showrunners
Showrunners of animated series