Stephen Robert Pepoon (May 19, 1956 – May 3, 2025) was an American television writer who wrote for ''

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 ...

'', '' ALF'', and '' Get a Life''. He was also the co-creator of ''

The Wild Thornberrys ''The Wild Thornberrys'' is an American animated series, animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, Steve Pepoon, David Silverman, and Stephen Sustarsic for Nickelodeon. The series portrays the zany hijinks of a family o ...

''. Pepoon was born in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, on May 19, 1956. He grew up in

Paola, Kansas Paola is a city in and the county seat of Miami County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,768. History Native Americans, then Spanish explorers such as Francisco Vásquez de Coronado in 1541, ...

, and graduated from

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...

. He moved to Los Angeles and managed drive-in movie theaters. Pepoon's ''The Simpsons'' episode " Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment" won the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program is a Creative Arts Emmy Award which is given annually to an animated series. In the following list, the first titles listed in gold are the winners; those not in gold are nominees, which ...

at the 43rd Primetime Emmy Awards. Pepoon died in Paola, Kansas, on May 3, 2025, at the age of 68.

Filmography

; Writer: * ''

Silver Spoons ''Silver Spoons'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 25, 1982, to May 11, 1986, and in first-run syndication from September 27, 1986, to May 30, 1987. The series was produced by Embassy Television for th ...

'' (1 episode, 1986) * '' ALF'' (14 episodes, 1987–1990) * ''

It's Garry Shandling's Show ''It's Garry Shandling's Show'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on Showtime from September 10, 1986, to May 25, 1990. The series, created by Garry Shandling and Alan Zweibel, is notable for breaking the fourth wall. I ...

'' (1 episode, 1990) * '' Get a Life'' (1990) * '' Ferris Bueller'' (3 episodes, 1990) * ''

'' (1 episode, 1991) ** " Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment" (1991) * ''

The Jackie Thomas Show ''The Jackie Thomas Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on the ABC network from December 1992 to March 1993. The series received widespread attention due to its creators Roseanne Arnold, then starring in the fifth season of her comedy ''Ros ...

'' (1992) * ''

Roseanne ''Roseanne'' is an American television sitcom created by Matt Williams (producer), Matt Williams that originally aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997, and briefly revived from March 27, 2018, to May ...

'' (1 episode, 1994) * '' Cleghorne!'' (1 episode, 1995) * '' You Wish'' (1997) * ''

The Wild Thornberrys Movie ''The Wild Thornberrys Movie'' (or just ''The Wild Thornberrys'') is a 2002 American animated adventure film based on the television series of the same name. It was produced by Klasky Csupo and distributed by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeo ...

'' (2002) * ''

'' (2 episodes, 2001–2003) ; Producer: * ''

'' (15 episodes, 1993–1994) * '' Cleghorne!'' (15 episodes, 1995) * '' Teen Angel'' (1 episode, 1998) * '' The PJs'' (3 episodes, 2000)

Awards and nominations

* 1991, won

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 ...

for ' Outstanding Animated Program' for ''

References

External links

* * 1956 births 2025 deaths American television writers American male television writers Kansas State University alumni Primetime Emmy Award winners {{US-tv-writer-stub