Old page wikitext, before the edit ($1) (old_wikitext) | '{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Richard Appel
| image = Richard Appel by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| alt = A man with glasses and black hair, talking into a microphone.
| caption = Appel at the 2010 Comic Con in San Diego.
| birth_name = Richard James Appel
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1963|5|21|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = [[New York City]], U.S.
| occupation = Writer, producer, former [[Attorney at law|attorney]]
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Mona Simpson]] <br>|1993|2012|end=div}}
| children = 2
| genre = Humor
| period = 1994–present
|alma_mater = [[North Shore Country Day School]]<br>[[Harvard University]]
}}
'''Richard James Appel''' (born May 21, 1963) is an American writer, producer and former [[Attorney at law|attorney]]. Since 2012, he has served as an Executive Producer and co-showrunner of ''[[Family Guy]]'' on Fox. He attended [[Harvard University]] and wrote for the ''[[Harvard Lampoon]]''.
Following in his mother's footsteps, Appel instead became a lawyer. After attending law school he started out as a law clerk for Judge [[John M. Walker, Jr.]] before becoming a federal attorney, serving as assistant U.S. attorney for the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York]] for three years. In 1994, he moved into comedy writing when he was hired for ''[[The Simpsons]]'', writing seven episodes of the show including "[[Mother Simpson]]". He moved on to become [[showrunner]] and executive producer of ''[[King of the Hill]]'' before creating the sitcom ''[[A.U.S.A.]]''. He then worked on ''[[The Bernie Mac Show]]'', ''[[Family Guy]]'' and ''[[American Dad!]]'' before co-creating ''[[The Cleveland Show]]''. He was married to the writer [[Mona Simpson]].
==Early life and law career==
Richard James Appel was born May 21, 1963 in New York City and raised in [[Wilmette, Illinois]],<ref name=media>{{cite news|title=The comic appeal of Rich Appel|work=Electronic Media|author=Freeman, Michael|pages=16–17|date=November 11, 2002}}</ref><ref name=bite>{{cite news|title=Rich Appel takes a bite out of showbiz|date=January 26, 2003|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|page=1}}</ref><ref name=CA>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-3416300017.html|title=Appel profile|date=January 1, 2004|work=Contemporary Authors, New Revisions Series|publisher={{Subscription required|via=[[HighBeam Research]]}}|accessdate=2013-06-07}}</ref> to [[Nina Appel|Nina]] (née Schick) and [[Alfred Appel]].<ref name=CA/><ref name=prime/>
His mother was a lawyer and served as dean of [[Loyola University Chicago]]'s law school from 1983–2004, where she continues to teach Tort Law today<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.luc.edu/law/faculty/appel.html|title=Nina S. Appel|accessdate=2010-02-14|publisher=[[Loyola University Chicago]]|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100201131229/http://www.luc.edu/law/faculty/appel.html|archivedate=February 1, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and his father (who died on May 2, 2009) was professor of English at [[Northwestern University]] and an expert on [[Vladimir Nabokov]].<ref name=dad>{{cite news|url=http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2009/05/appelobit.html|title=Noted English Scholar, Author Alfred Appel Dies at Age 75|accessdate=2010-02-13|date=May 5, 2009|publisher=[[Northwestern University]]|author=Loebbaka, Charles R.}}</ref> Appel has a sister, Karen Oshman.<ref name=dad/>
Appel lived in California while his parents taught at [[Stanford University]] before the family moved to [[Wilmette, Illinois]],<ref name=bite/> where Appel went to [[North Shore Country Day School]]. While there, he co-wrote and co-edited his senior yearbook with writer and poet Philip Brooks. After leaving NSCDS, he attended [[Harvard University]] and wrote for the ''[[Harvard Lampoon]]'', alongside [[Conan O'Brien]] and [[Greg Daniels]], both of whom he beat for the chance to give the comic graduation speech, the Ivy Oration. [[Tad Friend]] noted: "Everyone thought it would be Conan automatically, but Rich's speech was funny and self-deprecating, in a way that was both silly and profound."<ref name=prime/> After graduation in 1985 with a degree in history and literature,<ref>{{cite news|title=From Harvard to Hollywood – Ivy Leaguers are now writing TV sitcoms|work=[[The Deseret News]]|date=December 2, 1997|author=Sterngold, James|page=C10}}</ref> Appel attended [[Harvard Law School]] rather than moving into comedy, because the idea of following his mother and grandfathers into the legal profession "appealed" to him.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}
He then worked for two years as a law clerk for Judge [[John M. Walker, Jr.]], of the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York]], working on the trials of people such as [[Michael Milken]] and [[Leona Helmsley]]. Subsequently, for three years from 1990, Appel served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Fellow attorney [[Geoffrey Berman]] stated Appel "was an excellent lawyer. He was good on his feet, articulate, with a sense of the law that was common-sensical, more intuitive than based on books."{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}
Appel still had dreams of becoming a comedy writer despite the security working as a lawyer offered him, but only in 1993, after his wife became pregnant, was Appel "reminde[d] that this was [his] life and [he] could shape it." Three months later he had retained an agent, had written and submitted two spec-scripts, and had moved to California.<ref name=bite/><ref name=prime>{{cite news|title=In His Prime Time|date=December 6, 1998|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|author=Ulin, David L.|page=14}}</ref>
==Writing career==
{{quote box |width=30em | bgcolor=transparent |align=right|quote="I don't think I opened my mouth for the first six weeks in that room. Part of it was my son had just been born. My son was, like most babies, not sleeping through the night, and there were some days where I didn't say anything not because I was intimidated but because I could barely focus."|source=—Appel on the start of his stint at ''The Simpsons''<ref name=ortved>{{cite book|last=Ortved|first=John|title=[[The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History]]|year=2009|publisher=Greystone Books|isbn=978-1-55365-503-9|pages=152}}</ref>}}
When starting out as a comedy writer, Appel recalled: "One reason I caught up to my contemporaries is that when I started to send out my scripts, the idea that I'd been on the ''Lampoon'', even 8 or 10 years before, was a credential I could use."<ref name=prime/> Appel got his first television job when [[David Mirkin]] hired him for the writing staff of ''The Simpsons'' in 1994, initially on a ten-week contract,<ref name=bite/> and served as a writer and producer there for four years.<ref name=media/><ref name=hr/> There, he wrote seven episodes, often employing the use of "joke sequences, a narrative approach to humor that eschews the quick laugh in favor of something that develops over time."<ref name=prime/>
Appel found work on ''The Simpsons'' to be a learning curve because it was a "very tough show to write for."<ref name=bite/> His first episode was [[The Simpsons (season 7)|season seven's]] "[[Mother Simpson]]". Appel was desperately trying to think of a story idea to show and decided that he had to really reach out and opted to do something about [[Homer Simpson|Homer]]'s mother, who previously had only been mentioned once. He named her [[Mona Simpson (The Simpsons)|Mona Simpson]], after his wife.<ref name="Appel"/> Many of the writers could not believe that an episode about Homer's mother had not previously been produced.<ref name="Oakley">{{cite video | people=Oakley, Bill|date=2005|title=The Simpsons The Complete Seventh Season DVD commentary for the episode "Mother Simpson"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> The writers used the episode to solve several little puzzles, such as where [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]]'s intelligence came from.<ref name="Appel"/> Also for season seven he penned "[[Bart on the Road]]", in which he utilized the plot devices of "go to work with your parents day" and [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] getting a driving license,<ref name="Appel2">{{cite video|people=Appel, Richard|date=2005|title=The Simpsons The Complete Seventh Season DVD commentary for the episode "Bart on the Road"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> and contributed to the episode "[[22 Short Films About Springfield]]"; the two segments he wrote for the episode (one about [[Marge Simpson|Marge]], the other about [[Lionel Hutz]]) were both cut.<ref name=Appel3>{{cite video|people=Appel, Richard|date=2006|title=The Simpsons The Complete Seventh Season DVD commentary for the episode "22 Short Films About Springfield"|medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>
Appel wrote two episodes from [[The Simpsons (season 8)|season eight]], "[[Bart After Dark]]" and "[[The Secret War of Lisa Simpson]]",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season8/page5.shtml|title=Bart After Dark|year=2000|publisher=[[BBC]]|author1=Martyn, Warren|author2=Wood, Adrian |accessdate=2010-04-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season8/page25.shtml|title=The Secret War of Lisa Simpson|year=2000|publisher=[[BBC]]|author1=Martyn, Warren|author2=Wood, Adrian|accessdate=2010-04-03}}</ref> as well as [[The Simpsons (season 9)|season nine's]] "[[The Two Mrs Nahasapeemapetilons]]" and [[The Simpsons (season 10)|season 10's]] "[[When You Dish Upon A Star]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season9/page7.shtml|title=The Two Mrs Nahasapeemapetilons|year=2000|publisher=[[BBC]]|author1=Martyn, Warren|author2=Wood, Adrian|accessdate=2010-04-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season10/page4.shtml|title=When You Dish Upon A Star|year=2000|publisher=[[BBC]]|author1=Martyn, Warren|author2=Wood, Adrian|accessdate=2010-04-03}}</ref>
Daniels hired Appel as executive producer and showrunner on ''[[King of the Hill]]'' in 1997, leading the show's writing process and overseeing all aspects of the show. Daniels noted: "It was essential that Rich was a good writer who could deal with people, who could help manage the business in the room. But equally important was the fact that he was someone I could trust, who had a similar sense of taste and values."<ref name=prime/> He stayed until 2001.<ref name=bite/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/02/tv/cover-story-hear-the-one-about-the-funny-lawyer.html?pagewanted=all|title=Hear the One About the Funny Lawyer?|author=Hart, Hugh|date=March 2, 2003|work=[[New York Times]]|accessdate=2010-04-03}}</ref> For his work on ''The Simpsons'' and ''King of the Hill'', Appel won three [[Primetime Emmy Awards]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/award_history_search?person=Richard+Appel&program=&start_year=1950&end_year=2009&network=All&web_category=All&winner=All|title=Primetime Emmy Awards Advanced Search|publisher=Emmys.org|accessdate=2010-02-22}}</ref> Appel created the short-lived series ''[[A.U.S.A.]]'', which aired in 2003, which he based on his own experiences as an assistant U.S. attorney.<ref name=awful>{{cite news|title='A.U.S.A' is awful|work=[[The Deseret News]]|date=February 3, 2003|author=Pierce, Scott D.|page=C08}}</ref>
He conceived it in 2001 and [[NBC]] ordered 13 episodes the following year; the show's original pilot used a [[single-camera setup]] but NBC executives felt it would have more appeal as a [[multiple-camera setup]], so it was re-shot.<ref name=media/> Appel noted of the show: "There's a sense sometimes in Hollywood that writers and producers who come from animated shows maybe have something to prove to justify their credibility as live-action show-runners or writers. My own experience has been fortunate. I haven't felt that. But I know it exists."<ref name=bite/> The show was not acclaimed: Alan Sepinwall of ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'' said it was "too cartoonish to work."<ref>{{cite news|title=Jury out on sitcom|work=[[The Star-Ledger]]|author=Sepinwall, Alan|date=February 4, 2003|page=47}}</ref>
Appel then wrote and worked as a co-executive producer on ''[[The Bernie Mac Show]]'' and ''[[Kitchen Confidential (TV series)|Kitchen Confidential]]'',<ref name=hr/> and appeared as Josh in the 2004 film ''[[I ♥ Huckabees]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/i/I-Heart-Huckabees/cast-credits-48606.html|title=I Heart Huckabees Cast List|publisher=[[Yahoo! Movies]]|accessdate=2009-07-30|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215230557/http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/i/I-Heart-Huckabees/cast-credits-48606.html|archivedate=February 15, 2012}}</ref> In 2006, he produced a pilot called ''My Ex Life'' about two divorcing couples for [[CBS]], which was directed by [[Kelsey Grammer]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Ex-'Simpsons' Screenwriter Does Divorce For CBS|work=[[Press of Atlantic City]]|date=October 31, 2004|page=H6}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.zap2it.com/tv/zap-pilotskelseygrammerwaynebrady,0,5483719.story|title=CBS Comedy Has Good Grammer|work=[[Zap2it]]|date=March 30, 2006|accessdate=2010-02-21}}</ref>
In 2008, he served as a co-executive producer on ''[[Family Guy]]'' and executive producer on ''[[American Dad!]]'' from 2008 until 2009.<ref name=flash>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z252z1z4&bioid=2196|title=Richard Appel|accessdate=2010-02-14|publisher=FoxFlash.com|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117131407/http://foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z252z1z4&bioid=2196|archivedate=January 17, 2010}}</ref> Appel wrote the ''Family Guy'' [[Family Guy (season 7)|seventh season]] episode "[[Family Gay]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.movieweb.com/tv/TE20a5488CUs47|title=Family Guy (1999 – present): Family Gay|accessdate=2012-04-03|publisher=MovieWeb|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141125071346/http://www.movieweb.com/tv/TE20a5488CUs47|archivedate=November 25, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Appel co-created, alongside [[Mike Henry (voice actor)|Mike Henry]] and [[Seth MacFarlane]], the ''Family Guy'' spin-off ''[[The Cleveland Show]]'', which they began discussing in 2007 and which premiered September 27, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20090615fox01|title=FOX Announces Fall Premiere Dates for the 2009–2010 Season|work=The Futon Critic|date=June 15, 2009|accessdate=2010-04-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z252z1z2|title=Fox Primetime – The Cleveland Show – Fact Sheet|work=Fox Flash|accessdate=2010-04-03|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117131748/http://foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z252z1z2|archivedate=January 17, 2010}}</ref>
He and Henry serve as the show's executive producers and showrunners, handling the day-to-day operations, with limited involvement from MacFarlane.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fox seeks a new hit, this time in Cleveland – Seth MacFarlane gives sneak preview of 2009's Family Guy spinoff|date=November 30, 2008|work=[[The Toronto Star]]|author=Itzkoff, Dave|page=E12}}</ref> Henry and Appel conceived the show as "more of a family show, a sweeter show" than ''Family Guy''.<ref>{{cite news|title=A sweeter family guy – comedy|work=[[The Age]]|date=December 17, 2009|author=Idato, Michael|page=15}}</ref> The show, which was picked up to air a first season consisting of 22 episodes,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/11/the-family-guy.html|title=Fox orders full season of 'Family Guy' spin-off|work=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=November 10, 2008|author=Lynette Rice|accessdate=2010-02-14|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090222182949/http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/11/the-family-guy.html|archivedate=February 22, 2009}}</ref> was picked up by [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] for a second season, consisting of 13 episodes, bringing the total number to 35 episodes. The announcement was made on May 3, 2009 before the first season even premiered.<ref name= "season2">{{cite web|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/05/04/the-cleveland-show-renewed-before-it-begins|title=The Cleveland Show renewed before it begins|work=[[TV Squad]]|author=Hughes, Jason|date=March 4, 2009|accessdate=2010-02-14}}</ref> It was extended to a full second season.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/10/fox-orders-a-full-second-season-of-the-cleveland-show.html|title=Fox orders a full second season of 'The Cleveland Show'|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=October 14, 2009|accessdate=2010-04-03|author=Fernandez, Maria Elena}}</ref>
Appel signed a new three-year, seven figure deal with Fox to continue serving as showrunner on ''The Cleveland Show'' in 2010. Fox chairman Gary Newman commented: "What is special about him is his incredible leadership ability. He is a terrific showrunner, and he really sets the tone on a show that is exactly what you're looking for."<ref name=hr>{{cite news|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/rich-appel-signs-new-20th-20420|title=Rich Appel signs new 20th TV deal|author=Andreeva, Nellie|date=February 8, 2010|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|accessdate=2011-07-08}}</ref>
==Personal life==
In 1993 he married novelist [[Mona Simpson (novelist)|Mona Simpson]],<ref name=prime/><ref name="Appel">{{cite video|people=Appel, Richard|date=2005|title=The Simpsons The Complete Seventh Season DVD commentary for the episode "Mother Simpson"|medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> the sister of [[Apple Computer|Apple]] founder [[Steve Jobs]].<ref name="sjfortune">{{cite news|last=Elkind|first=Peter|title=The trouble with Steve Jobs|work=[[Fortune Magazine]]|date=March 15, 2008|url=http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/02/news/companies/elkind_jobs.fortune/index.htm|accessdate=2010-02-13}}</ref> They have two children.<ref name=dad/> Appel and Simpson have since divorced.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hofstrachronicle.com/news/author-mona-simpson-reads-from-newest-novel-on-campus-1.1264987|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712213527/http://www.hofstrachronicle.com/news/author-mona-simpson-reads-from-newest-novel-on-campus-1.1264987|dead-url=yes|archive-date=July 12, 2011|title=Author Mona Simpson reads from newest novel on campus|work=The Hofstra Chronicle|date=March 11, 2010|accessdate=2010-03-12|author=Burciu, Andrea}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2009/06/the-diary-of-steve-jobss-new-liver-1.html|title=The Diary of Steve Jobs's New Liver|author=Kamp, Ted|work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|date=June 29, 2009|accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref>
==Credits==
Appel worked on the listed shows and wrote all the listed episodes:
*''[[The Simpsons]]'' (1994–98) – writer, producer, co-executive producer, consulting producer and story editor
**"[[Mother Simpson]]" (1995)
**"[[Bart on the Road]]" (1996)
**"[[22 Short Films About Springfield]]" (co-writer) (1996)
**"[[Bart After Dark]]" (1996)
**"[[The Secret War of Lisa Simpson]]" (1997)
**"[[The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons]]" (1997)
**"[[When You Dish Upon a Star]]" (1998)
*''[[King of the Hill]]'' (1997–2001) – executive producer
*''[[A.U.S.A.]]'' (2003) – creator, executive producer, writer
**"Pilot"
**"12 Happy Grandmothers"
*''[[The Bernie Mac Show]]'' (2003–05) – co-executive producer, writer
**"Eye of the Tiger"
**"That Old Mac Magic"
**"Stiff Upper Lip"
**"Nerdy Mac"
*''[[I ♥ Huckabees]]'' (2004) – Actor (as Josh)
*''[[Kitchen Confidential (TV series)|Kitchen Confidential]]'' (2005–06) – co-executive producer, writer
**"Praise Be Praise"
**"Let's Do Brunch"
*''My Ex Life'' (2006) – creator, executive producer, writer
*''[[Family Guy]]'' (2008–09, 2013– ) – co-executive producer, writer
**"[[Family Gay]]"
*''[[American Dad!]]'' (2008–09) – executive producer
*''[[The Cleveland Show]]'' (2009–13) – co-creator, executive producer, writer
**"[[Pilot (The Cleveland Show)|Pilot]]"
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0032219}}
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{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Appel, Richard}}
[[Category:American television writers]]
[[Category:Male television writers]]
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:Lawyers from New York City]]
[[Category:Harvard Lampoon alumni]]
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Writers from New York City]]
[[Category:North Shore Country Day School alumni]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from New York (state)]]' |
