Robert Long (born June 8, 1965) is an American writer and television producer in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

. As a screenwriter and executive producer for the long-running television program ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American television sitcom, created by Glen and Les Charles, Glen Charles & Les Charles and James Burrows, that aired on NBC for eleven seasons from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/C ...

'', he received

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 ...

and

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

nominations in 1992 and 1993. Long created the television show ''

George and Leo ''George and Leo'' is an American sitcom television series starring Bob Newhart and Judd Hirsch that aired on CBS from September 15, 1997 to March 16, 1998. Synopsis Newhart and Hirsch starred as the respective title characters, widely dive ...

'', among others. Long received an award from 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 ...

. In addition to his television work, Long is a

contributing editor A contributing editor is a newspaper, magazine or online job title that varies in its responsibilities. Often, but not always, a contributing editor is a "high-end" freelancer, consultant, or expert who has proven ability and has readership dra ...

for ''

National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief is Rich L ...

'', as well as a contributor to publications like ''

TIME Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'', ''

Newsweek International ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

'', ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'', and radio host. In May 2010, he took part in launching a new center-right commentary site,

Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...

Education

Long graduated from

Phillips Academy Phillips Academy (also known as PA, Phillips Academy Andover, or simply Andover) is a Private school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational college-preparatory school for Boarding school, boarding and Day school, day students located in ...

in 1983 and

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1987. After graduation, he studied for two years at the

UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT), is one of the 12 schools within the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) located in Los Angeles, California. Its creation was groundbreaking in that it was the first time a leadi ...

, where he later served as an adjunct professor of screenwriting.

Television career

Long started his career as a screenwriter for the television show ''

'' in 1990, and became an executive producer for the show in 1992. During his tenure, the show won two

Emmys 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 two

Golden Globes The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

. Long received

and

nominations in 1992 and 1993. After ''Cheers'' ended in 1993, Long formed a television production company with his ''Cheers'' collaborator and fellow Emmy nominee Dan Staley. Together, they created the television show ''

'', starring

Bob Newhart George Robert Newhart (September 5, 1929 – July 18, 2024) was an American comedian and actor. Newhart was known for his deadpan and stammering delivery style. Beginning his career as a stand-up comedian, he transitioned his career to acting in ...

and

Judd Hirsch Judd Seymore Hirsch (born March 15, 1935) is an American actor. He is known for playing Alex Rieger on the television comedy series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983), John Lacey on the NBC series '' Dear John'' (1988–1992), and Alan Eppes on the CBS ser ...

, for

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 ...

. They also created '' Love & Money'' for CBS and '' Men, Women & Dogs'' for

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 ...

. In addition to their show creation work, Long and his partner served as creative consultants on numerous shows. Long took over as show runner for

Kevin James Kevin George Knipfing (born April 26, 1965), known professionally as Kevin James, is an American comedian and actor. He began his career by performing stand-up comedy at clubs on Long Island in the 1980s. He rose to prominence for his portrayal ...

vehicle ''

Kevin Can Wait ''Kevin Can Wait'' is an American television sitcom starring Kevin James that aired on CBS from September 19, 2016, to May 7, 2018. The series was created by James, Rock Reuben, and Bruce Helford, marking James' second starring role in a CBS sit ...

'' after

Bruce Helford Bruce Lewis Helford (born January 28, 1952) is an American television writer and producer. Career Helford was the co-creator of '' The Drew Carey Show''. He served as executive producer of the series for its entire run, from 1995 to 2004. Helf ...

left the

show.

Political and social commentary

Beginning in 1993, Long wrote a fortnightly

political satire Political satire is a type of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics. Political satire can also act as a tool for advancing political arguments in conditions where political speech and dissent are banned. Political satir ...

column for ''

'' titled ''Letters from Al''. Written anonymously, the majority of these columns purported to be personal letters from Vice President

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...

to his friend "Rusty", an academic researcher living in a Brazilian

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

. The letters revealed insider information about government figures, as well as humorous speculation on their roles in public controversies. Occasionally the letters were from other political figures, such as George Bush and

Dick Morris Richard Samuel Morris (born November 28, 1948) is an American author, commentator, and former political consultant. A friend and advisor to Bill Clinton during his time as Governor of Arkansas and since his 1978 run, Morris became a political ...

, and on occasion the column purported to be the transcript of a police

wiretap Wiretapping, also known as wire tapping or telephone tapping, is the monitoring of telephone and Internet-based conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitoring connecti ...

. ''National Review'' maintained the author's anonymity throughout the Clinton presidency, revealing Long's identity only after George Bush was inaugurated in 2001. Long is now a

for ''National Review'', where he writes the fortnightly column ''The Long View''. He comments on political and social topics, especially mass media and Hollywood politics. He is also a contributor to ''TIME'', ''

'', ''

'', and the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

''. Long hosts the syndicated radio show '' Martini Shot'', where he provides news and opinion on the

film industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production company, production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre- ...

, as well as interviews with notable subjects. Broadcast weekly, the show originates at Los Angeles

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

station

KCRW KCRW (89.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is an NPR member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to programming ...

. The show's title is a Hollywood term for the final scene of the day on a

film production Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

set. In addition, Long regularly appears on political commentary shows.

''Ricochet''

In 2008, Long started a political news and commentary website, RobinsonandLong.com, in collaboration with Peter Robinson, author and former speechwriter for

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

. In 2010, Robinson and Long launched a new, more interactive website,

, featuring a news feed in the model of Facebook, Twitter, or

Tumblr Tumblr (pronounced "tumbler") is a microblogging and Social networking service, social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and is owned by American company Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content ...

. The site features approximately 40 contributors from conservative publications, such as ''National Review'' and ''The Weekly Standard'', who start conversation threads open to commentary and discussion. In order to encourage earnest and respectful discussion, only paying members of the site are allowed to comment, and a code of conduct is enforced.

Other work

Long is the author of two books. His first, ''Conversations with My Agent'', is a memoir of his early career. Published in 1998, it provides extensive advice for aspiring scriptwriters, and has become a "cult classic". His second book, ''Set Up, Joke, Set Up, Joke'', is a further memoir of his entertainment industry experiences, and was published in 2005. Long is mentioned and quoted extensively in the book ''The Sound of No Hands Clapping'' by

Toby Young Toby Daniel Moorsom Young, Baron Young of Acton (born 17 October 1963), is a British social commentator and life peer. He is the founder and director of the Free Speech Union, an associate editor of ''The Spectator'', creator of '' The Daily S ...

. Long serves on the board of directors of ''The American Cinema Foundation'', a "Los Angeles-based non-profit arts organization created to nurture and reward television and feature-film projects that promote democratic pluralism and inclusion." His published works include ''Conversations with My Agent'' and ''Set Up, Joke, Set Up, Joke''. He is also president of the Board of Directors of the

Southern Foodways Alliance Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) is an institute of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, dedicated to the documentation, study and exploration of the foodways of the American South. Member-funded, it stage ...

Associated television shows

* ''

'' (1990–1993) * ''

Pig Sty ''Pig Sty'' is an American sitcom that aired on UPN during the network's first season. The series premiered on January 23, 1995, ran on Monday nights, after '' Star Trek: Voyager'' and '' Platypus Man'', and was cancelled after 13 episodes on ...

'' (1995) * '' Good Company'' (1996) * ''

'' (1997–1998) * ''Love & Money'' (1999) * ''Men, Women & Dogs'' (2001–2002) * ''

Sullivan & Son ''Sullivan & Son'' is an American sitcom created by Steve Byrne and Rob Long that was broadcast on TBS. It starred Byrne as Steve Sullivan, who surprises his parents when he leaves his job as a corporate lawyer to take over a bar owned by his ...

'' (2012–2014) * ''

'' (2016–2018)

Published works

* ''Conversations with My Agent'' (1998) * ''Set Up, Joke, Set Up, Joke'' (2005) *''Bigly: Donald Trump in Verse'' (2017)

Awards and nominations

* Nomination,

Primetime Emmy Award 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 ...

(1992) * Nomination,

(1993) * Nomination,

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

(1992) * Nomination,

(1993) *

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 ...

References

External links

Martini Shot at KCRW
Retrieved 2009-10-30
Letters from America on Newsweek
Retrieved 2009-10-30
Q+A with Rob Long
at

LAist KPCC ( FM 89.3) – branded LAist 89.3 – is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed in Pasadena, California. KPCC itself is primarily serving Greater Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley; through rebroadcating and translat ...

Retrieved 2010-01-05 *
Rob Long's blog
Retrieved 2009-10-30
Rob Long search at NPR
Retrieved 2010-01-05
The American Cinema Foundation
Retrieved 2009-10-30
Cheerful Long on National Review Online
Retrieved 2009-10-30
Book Review on The Guardian
Retrieved 2009-10-30
In-depth podcast interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Rob American television writers American television producers Place of birth missing (living people) American male screenwriters Yale University alumni Living people 1965 births American male television writers UCLA Film School alumni American showrunners Screenwriting instructors

Education

Television career

Political and social commentary

''Ricochet''

Other work

Associated television shows

Published works

Awards and nominations

See also

References

External links