Kari Lizer (born August 26, 1961) is an American

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

, and producer. She was the creator and executive producer of the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

The New Adventures of Old Christine ''The New Adventures of Old Christine'' (often shortened to simply ''Old Christine'') is an American sitcom television series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell, a divorced mother doing her best to keep pace with those around her ...

''. In May 2010, CBS canceled ''Old Christine'' after five seasons. Upon its cancellation, Lizer slammed the network and suggested the decision to cancel the show was sexist. Previously, she had been co-executive producer of ''

Will & Grace ''Will & Grace'' is an American television sitcom created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan. Set in New York City, the show focuses on the friendship between best friends Will Truman ( Eric McCormack), a gay lawyer, and Grace Adler ( Debra Messi ...

'' for three years, for which she was nominated for the Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Comedy Series category. Lizer also created the comedy ''

Maggie Winters ''Maggie Winters'' is an American sitcom television series created by Kari Lizer starring Faith Ford as the title character. The series aired on CBS from September 30, 1998, to February 3, 1999. Plot Recently divorced from her dentist husband, ...

''. As an actress, Lizer played Cassie Phillips on '' Matlock'', Diana Benedict on '' Sunday Dinner'', and Chris Burgess on '' The Van Dyke Show''. In April 2020, Lizer released her first book, ''Aren't You Forgetting Someone?: Essays from My Mid-Life Revenge''.

Selected filmography

As actress

* ''

Smokey Bites the Dust ''Smokey Bites the Dust'' is a 1981 car chase film from New World Pictures directed by Charles B. Griffith. Despite the title, the film is not connected to the ''Smokey and the Bandit'' series. Plot The stock plot deals with Roscoe Wilton (Jimmy ...

'' (1981) * ''

Private School Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

'' (1983) * '' Gotcha!'' - Muffy (1985) * '' Matlock'' - Episode - "The Angel" - Margaret Danello (AKA Angel) (1986) * ''

Growing Pains ''Growing Pains'' is an American television sitcom created by Neal Marlens that aired on ABC from September 24, 1985, to April 25, 1992. The show ran for seven seasons, consisting of 166 episodes. The series followed the misadventures of the ...

'' - Episode: "Born Free" - Stewardess (1987) * '' Who's the Boss?'' - Episode: “There Goes the Bride” - Christy Bower Everett (1987) * '' Matlock'' - Cassie Phillips (1987–1988) * '' The Van Dyke Show'' - Chris Burgess (1988) * ''

Quantum Leap ''Quantum Leap'' is an American science fiction television series, created by Donald P. Bellisario, that premiered on NBC and aired for five seasons, from March 26, 1989, to May 5, 1993. The series stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a phys ...

'' episode 1.5; "How the Tess Was Won" – Tess McGill (1989) * '' Father Dowling Mysteries'' - Episode - "The Substitute Sister Mystery" - Vickie (1991) * ''

Diagnosis Murder ''Diagnosis: Murder'' is an American action-comedy-mystery-medical crime drama television series starring Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan, a medical doctor who solves crimes with the help of his son Steve, a homicide detective played by Van Dyk ...

'' - Episode - "Death By Extermination" - Lena Prossor (1994) * '' Weird Science'' (5 episodes 1994–1996) * ''

Breast Men ''Breast Men'' is a 1997 American, semibiographical, dark drama film; it was written by John Stockwell and directed by Lawrence O'Neil for HBO. Plot Dr. Kevin Saunders (played by David Schwimmer) and Dr. William Larson (played by Chris Coop ...

'' (1997) * ''

'' (5 episodes 2001–2004)

As director

* '' Man with a Plan'' (1 episode 2019)

As writer

*''

Call Your Mother ''Call Your Mother'' is an American television multi-camera sitcom created by Kari Lizer that premiered on ABC on January 13, 2021, as a midseason entry in the 2020–21 television season. In May 2021, the series was canceled after one season. ...

'' (2 episodes 2021) *''

'' (88 episodes 2006–2010) *''

'' (13 episodes 2000–2004) *''

'' (16 episodes 1998–1999) *'' Weird Science'' (14 episodes 1994–1997) *''Benders'' (1994)

As producer

*''

'' (2021) *''Maggie Winters'' (1998–1999) *''

'' (2006–2010) *''

'' (2000–2004)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lizer, Kari 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from San Diego American film actresses American television actresses Television producers from California American women television producers American television writers Living people Writers from San Diego American women television writers Screenwriters from California 1961 births