Peter Tolan

Mad About You

A revival of the 1990s sitcom centering on the trials and tribulations of a married couple living in New York.

Release Date: 2019-11-20

Character: Customer

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 7

The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling

The story of legendary comedian Garry Shandling, featuring interviews from nearly four dozen friends, family and colleagues; four decades’ worth of television appearances; and a lifetime of personal journals, private letters and home audio and video footage.

Release Date: 2018-03-26

Character: Self

Episode Count: 2

Vote Count: 31

Outsiders

A struggle for power and control set in the rugged and mysterious hills of Appalachia, "Outsiders" tells the story of the Farrell clan, a family of outsiders who've been in these parts since before anyone can remember. Living off the grid and above the law on their mountaintop homestead, they'll protect their world and defend their way of life using any means necessary.

Release Date: 2016-01-26

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 4

Vote Count: 130

The Jim Gaffigan Show

Comedy about a husband and wife trying to raise their five kids in a New York two-bedroom apartment.

Release Date: 2015-07-15

Department: Creator

Job: Creator

Vote Count: 28

The Unusuals

The Unusuals is a comedy-drama television series that aired on ABC from April 8 to June 17, 2009 in the U.S. and Global in Canada. The pilot and first episode were written by Noah Hawley, a former writer and producer for Fox's Bones. An ABC press release described The Unusuals as "like a modern-day M*A*S*H" that "explores both the grounded drama and comic insanity of the world of New York City police detectives, where every cop has a secret". Its premise elaborated: The initial series order was for 10 episodes. Show creator Noah Hawley announced via his Twitter account in mid-May 2009 that ABC would not be bringing the show back for a second season.

Release Date: 2009-04-08

Department: Production

Job: Producer

Episode Count: 10

Vote Count: 33

Finding Amanda

A television producer with a penchant for drinking and gambling is sent to Las Vegas to convince his troubled niece to enter rehab.

Release Date: 2008-06-27

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Vote Count: 42

Just Like Heaven

Shortly after David Abbott moves into his new San Francisco digs, he has an unwelcome visitor on his hands: winsome Elizabeth Masterson, who asserts that the apartment is hers -- and promptly vanishes. When she starts appearing and disappearing at will, David thinks she's a ghost, while Elizabeth is convinced she's alive.

Release Date: 2005-09-16

Department: Writing

Job: Screenplay

Vote Count: 2355

Guess Who

When a young African-American woman brings her fiancé home to meet her parents, she's neglected to mention one tiny detail – he's white.

Release Date: 2005-03-25

Department: Writing

Job: Screenplay

Vote Count: 916

Rescue Me

Rescue Me revolves around the lives of the men in a New York City firehouse, the crew of 62 Truck. Examining the fraternal nature and relationships of firefighters, the series tackles the daily drama of the life-and-death situations associated with being a firefighter, while exploring the ways the men use dark humor to protect their true emotions.

Release Date: 2004-07-21

Department: Production

Job: Producer

Character:

Episode Count: 93

Vote Count: 161

Analyze That

The mafia's Paul Vitti is back in prison and will need some serious counseling when he gets out. Naturally, he returns to his analyst Dr. Ben Sobel for help and finds that Sobel needs some serious help himself as he has inherited the family practice, as well as an excess stock of stress.

Release Date: 2002-12-06

Department: Writing

Job: Characters

Vote Count: 1254

Stealing Harvard

John and his girlfriend have vowed to marry once they save $30,000 for their dream house. But the minute they achieve their financial goal, John finds out his niece has been accepted at Harvard, and he's reminded of his promise to pay for her tuition (nearly $30,000). John's friend Duff convinces him to turn to petty crime to make the payment … but Duff's hare-brained schemes spin quickly out of control.

Release Date: 2002-09-13

Department: Writing

Job: Screenplay

Vote Count: 136

Wednesday 9:30 (8:30 Central)

Release Date: 2002-03-27

Department: Production

Job: Producer

Episode Count: 6

America's Sweethearts

In the midst of a nasty public breakup of married movie stars, a studio publicist scrambles to put a cap on the escalating situation as the couple's latest film has found it's only print kidnapped by the director.

Release Date: 2001-07-17

Department: Writing

Job: Screenplay

Vote Count: 835

The Job

Mike McNeil is a decorated New York City detective whose toughest assignment is himself. He's struggling to balance a challenging personal life with a job that leaves him wondering on a daily basis if he is the last sane person in New York. His unconventional approach to his job makes him a great cop, even on the most trying days. The only thing he can't figure out is why, if he's the only sane guy around, everyone's always looking at him like he's crazy.

Release Date: 2001-03-14

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Character:

Episode Count: 2

Vote Count: 58

Bedazzled

Elliot Richards, a socially awkward IT worker, is given seven wishes to get the girl of his dreams when he meets a very seductive Satan. The catch: his soul. Some of his wishes include being a 7 foot basketball star, a wealthy, powerful man, and a sensitive caring guy. But, as could be expected, the Devil puts her own little twist on each of his fantasies.

Release Date: 2000-10-19

Department: Writing

Job: Screenplay

Vote Count: 1916

What Planet Are You From?

A human-looking alien from a highly advanced but emotionless all-male society is sent to Earth to impregnate a woman and bring the child back to their planet. The alien ends up falling in love there. A suspicious F.A.A. Agent targets him.

Release Date: 2000-03-03

Department: Writing

Job: Screenplay

Vote Count: 152

Analyze This

Countless wiseguy films are spoofed in this film that centers on the neuroses and angst of a powerful Mafia racketeer who suffers from panic attacks. When Paul Vitti needs help dealing with his role in the "family," unlucky shrink Dr. Ben Sobel is given just days to resolve Vitti's emotional crisis and turn him into a happy, well-adjusted gangster.

Release Date: 1999-03-05

Department: Writing

Job: Screenplay

Vote Count: 1897

Style & Substance

Style & Substance was a television situation comedy that premiered on CBS July 22, 1998. The show starred Jean Smart as Chelsea Stevens, a Martha Stewart-like star of a how-to home show, and Nancy McKeon as her producer, Jane Sokol, a small-town girl new to New York City. Chelsea Stevens was an expert cook, decorator, and party planner who knew much more about thread-count than she did relationships. She was well-meaning at times, but her narcissism usually got in the way of actually understanding anyone else's problems.

Release Date: 1998-01-05

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Character: Carl

Episode Count: 1

My Fellow Americans

They used to run the country. Now they're running for their lives! Two on-the-lam former Presidents of the United States. Framed in a scandal by the current President and pursued by armed agents, the two squabbling political foes plunge into a desperately frantic search for the evidence that will establish their innocence.

Release Date: 1996-12-20

Department: Writing

Job: Screenplay

Vote Count: 157

Buddies

Two pals---one black, one white---go into business over the protests of their elders, who worry about their racial differences. But the friends just make light of them as they try to get their small company off the ground.

Release Date: 1996-03-05

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 3

Vote Count: 3

The George Wendt Show

The George Wendt Show is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from March 8, to April 12, 1995. The series stars George Wendt and Pat Finn as two brothers who own a car garage and host a call-in radio show about car repair.

Release Date: 1995-03-08

Department: Production

Job: Producer

Episode Count: 8

Good Advice

Good Advice is an American situation comedy series that aired for two seasons on CBS from 1993 to 1994. It was co-created and executive produced by Danny Jacobson and Norma Safford Vela; and starred Shelley Long and Treat Williams. The Show was a hit, but it was cancelled because Long had suffered health problems that made her unable to film any new episodes for a long period of time.

Release Date: 1993-04-02

Department: Production

Job: Producer

Character: Mr. Nolan

Episode Count: 19

Vote Count: 1

The Larry Sanders Show

Comic Garry Shandling draws upon his own talk show experiences to create the character of Larry Sanders, a paranoid, insecure host of a late night talk show. Larry, along with his obsequious TV sidekick Hank Kingsley and his fiercely protective producer Artie, allows Garry Shandling and his talented writers to look behind the scenes and to show us a convincing slice of behind the camera life.

Release Date: 1992-08-15

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Character: Adam Loderman

Episode Count: 2

Vote Count: 81

Alice

Alice Tate, mother of two, with a marriage of 16 years, finds herself falling for a handsome sax player, Joe. Stricken with a backache, she consults herbalist Dr. Yang, who realizes that her problems are not related to her back, but in her mind and heart. Dr. Yang's magical herbs give Alice wondrous powers, taking her out of her well-established rut.

Release Date: 1990-12-25

Character: Dorothy's Xmas Party Guest

Vote Count: 310

The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Peter Tolan

Hollywood screenwriter extraordinaire Peter Tolan gives a compelling and candid interview about what it's like to live and write in Hollywood, working on such groundbreaking TV shows as Murphy Brown and films such as Analyze This. Confessing to his penchant to procrastination and other entertaining revelations, Tolan offers an insider's look into what it really takes to work and thrive as a scribe in Tinseltown.

Ellen

Ellen is an American television sitcom that aired on the ABC network from March 29, 1994 to July 22, 1998, consisting of 109 episodes. The title role of Ellen Morgan, played by stand-up comedian Ellen DeGeneres, was a neurotic bookstore owner in her thirties. The series centered on Ellen's dealing with her quirky friends, her family and the problems of daily life. The series is notable for being the first one in which the main character came out as gay, which DeGeneres' character did in the 1997 episode "Puppy Episode". This event received a great deal of media exposure, ignited controversy, and prompted ABC to place a parental advisory at the beginning of each episode. The series' theme song, "So Called Friend" is by Scottish band Texas. A running gag was that each episode had a distinct opening credits sequence, resulting from Ellen's ongoing search for the perfect opening credits.

Release Date: 1994-03-29

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 48

Home Improvement

The daily trials and tribulations of handyman Tim Taylor, a TV show host raising three boys with help from his loyal co-host, domineering wife, and unseen neighbor.

Release Date: 1991-09-17

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 2

Vote Count: 635

Wish You Were Here

Wish You Were Here is an American sitcom that premiered on July 20, 1990 as a summer replacement on CBS in the 9:30pm slot which lasted for only six episodes. Its premise was that stockbroker Donny Cogswell, portrayed by Lew Schneider, quits his job and sends video cassette postcards of his European adventures to family and friends back in the United States.

Release Date: 1990-07-20

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 2

Vote Count: 1

Murphy Brown

Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen) is a recovering alcoholic who returns to the fictional newsmagazine FYI for the first time following a stay at the Betty Ford Clinic residential treatment center. Over 40 and single, she is sharp tongued and hard as nails. In her profession, she is considered one of the boys, having shattered many glass ceilings encountered during her career. Dominating the FYI news magazine, she is portrayed as one of America's hardest-hitting (though not the warmest or more sympathetic) media personalities.

Release Date: 1988-11-14

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 11

Vote Count: 69