Todd A. Kessler

Todd A. Kessler (born 1972) is an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer and director. Kessler wrote and produced the second and third seasons of HBO's The Sopranos, Michael Mann's Robbery Homicide Division and the first season of NBC's Providence. Kessler began his career as a playwright working with David Rabe, moving into film and television when Spike Lee hired him as a screenwriter. Kessler is credited with co-writing (with David Chase) the Sopranos season 2 finale Funhouse -- widely lauded as one of the best episodes of the series. Despite his success on The Sopranos, HBO did not retain Kessler beyond season 3, an experience Kessler described as "painful and formative." Kessler and Sopranos actor James Gandolfini became close friends during Kessler's time writing for the show. He is the co-creator and head writer of the Golden Globe award-winning FX drama series Damages along with his older brother, Glenn Kessler, and Daniel Zelman. He also has a small role in Damages as Perry the Doorman. In 2015, his Kyle Chandler-led Netflix series Bloodline premiered. In 2016 it was cancelled, and ended its run after its third season in 2017. After graduating from Cranbrook Kingswood School, Kessler graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a degree in dramatic literature and playwriting, and has twice been a visiting artist at Harvard, teaching screenwriting seminars. Kessler has been nominated for several Primetime Emmy Awards. Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman were nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for their work on the Damages pilot episode "Get Me A Lawyer". Kessler has been nominated for five Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards.

Works

The New Look

The shocking story of how fashion icon Christian Dior and his contemporaries including Coco Chanel, Pierre Balmain, and Cristóbal Balenciaga navigated the horrors of World War Il and launched modern fashion.

Release Date: 2024-02-13

Department: Production

Job: Executive Producer

Episode Count: 10

Vote Count: 67

Talking Sopranos

Cast members Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa host Talking Sopranos. Michael reviews the Sopranos episode by episode giving inside info, insights and behind the scenes stories.

Release Date: 2020-04-07

Character: Self

Episode Count: 1

Bloodline

A dramatic thriller that explores the demons lurking beneath the surface of a contemporary American family. The Rayburns are hard-working pillars of their Florida Keys community. But when the black sheep son comes home for the 45th anniversary of his parents' hotel, he threatens to expose the Rayburns' dark secrets and shameful past, pushing his siblings to the limits of family loyalty.

Release Date: 2015-03-20

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 4

Vote Count: 352

Damages

Damages is an American legal thriller television series created by the writing and production trio of Daniel Zelman and brothers Glenn and Todd A. Kessler. The plot revolves around the brilliant, ruthless lawyer Patty Hewes and her protégée, recent law school graduate Ellen Parsons. Each season features a major case that Hewes and her firm take on, while also examining a chapter of the complicated relationship between Ellen and Patty. The first two seasons center around the law firm Hewes & Associates. Later seasons center more on Patty and Ellen's relationship as Ellen begins to distance herself from Hewes & Associates and begins an independent career.

Release Date: 2007-07-24

Department: Production

Job: Executive Producer

Character: Perry the Doorman

Episode Count: 59

Vote Count: 212

Blue's Room

Blue's Room is a children's puppet show television series which is aimed at preschoolers, aged 2–6, and it is a spin-off series of the popular Blue's Clues series. It originally started as a short segment that came near the end of the original Blue's Clues show, originally cast off as Blue's personal imaginary world once Joe took over the show after his brother Steve "went to college". Later on, when Joe also decided to leave the show Blue's Clues, the short segment became a show itself, with Joe appearing in some episodes. What distinguishes Blue's Room from Blue's Clues is that Blue herself transforms from an animated blue puppy into an English-speaking puppet that directly interacts with the child with open ended questions or asks if a presented idea or solution is correct. The Season One episode "Meet Blue's Baby Brother" is a turnaround episode for this series, bringing most of the concepts of Blue's Clues into the new series and getting additional interest in the series.

Release Date: 2004-08-02

Department: Creator

Job: Creator

Vote Count: 2

Robbery Homicide Division

Robbery Homicide Division was an American police procedural television series on CBS, created by Barry Schindel with executive producer Michael Mann. Schindel has been nominated for three Emmy Awards.

Release Date: 2002-09-27

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 6

Vote Count: 6

The Sopranos

The story of New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads. Those difficulties are often highlighted through his ongoing professional relationship with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi. The show features Tony's family members and Mafia associates in prominent roles and story arcs, most notably his wife Carmela and his cousin and protégé Christopher Moltisanti.

Release Date: 1999-01-10

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 4

Vote Count: 2859

Providence

Providence is an American television drama series.

Release Date: 1999-01-08

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 3

Vote Count: 24

Blue's Clues

Blue's Clues is a colorful and learning series that is targeted at the younger crowd, but can be enjoyed by all. The host, Steve Burns, invites viewers daily into the Blue's Clues house to help him out, learn and have fun. The show is based around the host looking for three clues that Blue provides by labelling them with a pawprint to figure something out and in the process, having an adventure.

Release Date: 1996-09-08

Department: Creator

Job: Creator

Vote Count: 244