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Michael S. Chernuchin (born 1954) is an American
television writer A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. T ...
and producer. He has worked on the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
crime dramas '' Law & Order'' and ''
Brooklyn South ''Brooklyn South'' is an American ensemble police drama television series that aired on CBS for one season from September 22, 1997, to April 27, 1998. It was aired during the 1997–98 television season. The series was co-created by Steven Boc ...
''. He has won a Producers Guild of America (PGA) Award and an Edgar Award.


Biography


Educational background

He has a B.A. degree from Dartmouth College, an M.A. degree in English from the University of Michigan, and a J.D. degree from Cornell Law School.


1990s

Chernuchin began his television career as a staff writer of the short-lived series '' Eddie Dodd'' in 1991. He was also hired as a writer for the first season of '' Law & Order'' in Spring 1991. The series was created by television producer
Dick Wolf Richard Anthony Wolf (born December 20, 1946) is an American film and television producer, best known for his ''Law & Order'' franchise. Since 1990, the franchise has included six police/courtroom dramas and four international spinoffs. He is al ...
. Chernuchin contributed to three episodes of the season as a writer. He wrote the teleplay and co-wrote the story (with Michael Duggan) for the two part episode " The Torrents of Greed". He co-wrote the teleplay for the season's penultimate episode "Sonata for Solo Organ" with
Joe Morgenstern Joe Morgenstern (born October 3, 1932) is an American writer and retired film critic. He wrote for ''Newsweek'' from 1965 to 1983, and then for ''The Wall Street Journal'' from 1995 to 2022. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2005. Morgen ...
based on a story by Morgenstern and Duggan. Chernuchin and Morgenstern were nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Episode in a TV Series in 1992 for writing "Sonata for Solo Organ". He was hired as a story editor for the second season of ''Law & Order'' in fall 1991. He wrote the story for the episode "Aria" (teleplay by Christine Roum). He co-wrote the story (with Duggan) and wrote the teleplay for the episode "Misconceptions". He co-wrote the episode "Renunciations" with Morgenstern. He was promoted to executive story editor at the mid-season break. He co-wrote the story and teleplay for the episode "Severance" (with William N. Fordes). He co-wrote the story (with Peter S. Greenberg) and the teleplay (with
René Balcer René Balcer (born February 9, 1954) is a Canadian-American television writer, director, producer, and showrunner. Early life He was born in Montreal, Quebec, and attended Lower Canada College in Montreal. He studied creative writing at ...
) for the episode "Vengeance". He co-wrote the episode "The Fertile Fields" with Balcer. Finally, he co-wrote the teleplay for the episode "Silence" from a story by Balcer and Duggan. He co-wrote seven episodes for the second season. He was promoted to co-producer for the third season in 1992. He co-wrote a further eight episodes of the third season; "Conspiracy" (with Balcer), "The Corporate Veil" (with Morgenstern), "Helpless" (with Roum), "Right to Counsel" (with Barry M. Schkolnick), "Night & Fog" (with Balcer), "Conduct Unbecoming" (teleplay with Balcer from a story by Walon Green & Greenberg), "Animal Instinct" (with Sibyl Gardener) and "Virus" (with Balcer). Chernuchin and Balcer won an Edgar Award for Best Episode in a TV Series in 1993 for writing "Conspiracy". They were nominated for the same award in 1994 for writing "Conduct Unbecoming". Also in 1993 Chernuchin and the production staff were nominated for the Emmy Award for outstanding drama series for their work on the third season. He was promoted to producer for the fourth season in 1993. He wrote or co-wrote a further nine episodes of the fourth season; "Discord", "Black Tie" (with Green), "Apocrypha", "Born Bad" (story with Sally Nemeth, teleplay by
Terry Cafolla Terry Cafolla is a Northern Irish screenwriter. Early life Terry Cafolla was born in Armagh in 1969. He left Armagh to study at Queen's University, where he completed a degree in Philosophy and Russian studies before subsequently obtaining an ...
), "Breeder" (with Balcer), "Mayhem" (story with Balcer, teleplay with Green), "Wager" (story with Harvey Solomon, teleplay by Solomon and
Kevin Arkadie Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant ''Kevan'' is anglicized from , an ...
), "Sanctuary" (with Fordes) and "Doubles" (with Balcer). In 1994 Chernuchin and Fordes were nominated for the
Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing, and is given to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful way. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of Paulist P ...
in the sixty minutes category for writing the episode "Sanctuary". Also in 1994 Chernuchin and the production staff were nominated for the Emmy Award for outstanding drama series for their work on the fourth season. He was promoted again to supervising producer for the fifth season in 1994. He co-wrote the season premiere "Second Opinion" (with Jeremy R. Littman), "Competence" (with Mark B. Perry) and "House Counsel" (with Barry M. Schkolnick). He was promoted to co-executive producer mid-season. "Rage", "Seed" (with Janis Diamond) and "Cruel and Unusual" (with Balcer). He wrote or co-wrote six episodes in total for the fifth season. In 1995 Chernuchin and the production staff were nominated for the Emmy Award for outstanding drama series for their work on the fifth season. He returned as an executive producer for the sixth season in 1995. He wrote a further eight episodes for the sixth season; " Savages" (with Morgan Gendel and Schkolnick), "
Paranoia Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy co ...
", "Humiliation" (with Schkolnick), "Angel" (with Diamond), " Charm City" (with Jorge Zamacona), "Savior" (with Schkolnick), "Homesick" (story with Schkolnick, teleplay by Schkolnick and Elaine Loeser) and "Aftershock" (story with Diamond, teleplay by Diamond). Chernuchin left the crew at the end of the sixth season. He wrote 37 episodes across the first six seasons of ''Law & Order''. In 1996 Chernuchin and the production staff were nominated for the Emmy Award for outstanding drama series for their work on the sixth season. He was nominated (along with his co-writers) three times for the Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award for best episodic drama at the February 1997 ceremony for his work on the episodes "Aftershock", "Savages" and "Trophy". Chernuchin and the production staff won the
Producers Guild of America Award The Producers Guild of America Awards were originally established in 1990 by the Producers Guild of America as the Golden Laurel Awards, created by PGA Treasurer Joel Freeman with the support of Guild President Leonard Stern, in order to honor ...
for television producers of the year in episodic at the March 1997 ceremony for their work on the sixth season. In Spring 1996 he worked as a writer for '' Homicide: Life on the Street''. He co-wrote the fourth season episode " For God and Country" with Zamacona. They also collaborated on the ''Law & Order'' episode "Charm City". The episodes were a two-part story and marked the first crossover between ''Homicide'' and ''Law & Order''. He co-wrote the story for the 1996 action movie ''
Eraser An eraser (also known as a rubber in some Commonwealth countries, including South Africa from the material first used) is an article of stationery that is used for removing marks from paper or skin (e.g. parchment or vellum). Erasers have ...
'' with his Law & Order colleague Walon Green and Tony Puryear. In 1997 he worked as an executive producer for new Dick Wolf series ''
Feds ''Feds'' is a 1988 American comedy film written and directed by Dan Goldberg, and starring Rebecca De Mornay and Mary Gross. The plot follows two women, the ex-Marine Ellie and Bryn Mawr graduate Janis, who aim to become FBI Agents and enroll ...
''. The series was canceled after only seven episodes. Also in 1997 he became an executive producer and writer for NBC police drama ''
Brooklyn South ''Brooklyn South'' is an American ensemble police drama television series that aired on CBS for one season from September 22, 1997, to April 27, 1998. It was aired during the 1997–98 television season. The series was co-created by Steven Boc ...
''. The series focused on a precinct of uniformed police dramas in New York. He contributed to five episodes as a writer for the series single season. He co-wrote the teleplay for the series second episode "Life Under Castro" with series co-creator William M. Finkelstein based on a story by series co-creators
David Milch David Sanford Milch (born March 23, 1945) is an American writer and producer of television series. He has created several television shows, including ABC's ''NYPD Blue'' (1993-2005), co-created with Steven Bochco, and HBO's '' Deadwood'' (2004 ...
and ex-police officer Bill Clark. He wrote the fourth episode "Touched by a Checkered Cab" solo. He co-wrote the teleplay for the episode "A Reverend Runs Through It" with retired police officer
Edward Allen Bernero Edward Allen Bernero (born August 29, 1962 in Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an American television writer, producer, and director. He co-created the series ''Third Watch'' and has worked as an executive producer on ''Criminal Minds''. He ...
based on a story by Clark and show runner Steven Bochco. He wrote the teleplay for the episode "Wild Irish Woes" from a story by Bochco, Clark, Finkelstein and Miclh. Finally, he co-wrote the episode "Exposing Johnson" with Bernero. The series was cancelled after airing a 22 episode first season. In 1998 he worked as an executive producer for the legal drama series '' Michael Hayes''. The series was created by
Paul Haggis Paul Edward Haggis (born March 10, 1953) is a Canadian screenwriter, film producer, and director of film and television. He is best known as screenwriter and producer for consecutive Best Picture Oscar winners ''Million Dollar Baby'' (2004) and ...
and
John Romano John or Johnny Romano may refer to: * Johnny Romano (1934–2019), American baseball player * John Romano (physician) (1908–1994), American physician and psychiatrist * John Romano (writer) John Romano (born October 2, 1948) is an American scre ...
. It was canceled while airing its first season.


2000s

In 2000 he created the series ''
Bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, includin ...
''. He served as an executive producer and writer on the series single season. The show was about a fledgling stock broker firm. Chernuchin hired ''Law & Order'' co-writer Janis Diamond and ''Brooklyn South'' co-writer
Doug Palau Doug Palau is an American television writer and producer. He has worked on the ABC crime drama '' NYPD Blue'' and has been nominated for an Emmy Award and an Edgar Award. Biography Palau began writing for television for the third season of N ...
to work on ''Bull''. The series was the first original drama to air on the
TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...
network and was canceled before completing its first season. He served as a consulting producer and writer on the first series of action drama '' 24'' in 2001. He wrote the episodes "2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m." and "4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m." In 2002 he rejoined the crew of ''Law & Order'' as an executive producer and writer for the series thirteenth season. He personally wrote four episodes for the season; "Shangri-La", "Chosen", "B*tch" and "The Ring", the last an episode that referenced the collapse of the World Trade Center on 9/11 and was dedicated to the memory of his father, Dr. Paul Chernuchin."Paid Notice: Deaths Chernuchin, Paul, Ph.D."
''New York Times'', July 30, 2002. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
He wrote the teleplay for the season finale "Smoke" from a story by Dick Wolf. He wrote or co-wrote five episodes of the thirteenth season. Also in 2002 he worked as a consulting producer and writer on the ''Law & Order'' spin-off series ''
Law & Order: Criminal Intent ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' is an American police procedural Drama (film and television), drama television series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and Executive producer#Motion pictures and television, p ...
''. The series was created by Dick Wolf and developed by Chernuchin's frequent co-writer René Balcer. Chernuchin co-wrote the story for the episode "Malignant" with Balcer and Balcer wrote the teleplay. He remained an executive producer and writer for the series fourteenth season of '' Law & Order'' in 2003. He co-wrote the story for the season opener "Bodies" with William N. Fordes, Fordes also wrote the teleplay for the episode. He wrote the episode "Bounty". He co-wrote the episode "Blaze" with
Aaron Zelman Aaron Zelman is an American television writer and producer. He has worked in both capacities on the series ''Law & Order'', ''Criminal Minds'' and ''Damages''. He has been nominated for an Emmy Award and a Writers Guild of America Award for his wo ...
and
Marc Guggenheim Marc Guggenheim (born September 24, 1970) is an American screenwriter, television producer, comic book writer, and novelist. He is best known as the creator of the television series '' Eli Stone'' (2008–2009), ''Arrow'' (2012– 2020), and ''Leg ...
. He co-wrote the episode "Ill-Conceived" with Noah Baymlin and Zelman. He co-wrote the story for the episode "Vendetta" with David Nahmod, Nahmod wrote the teleplay. Chernuchin wrote or co-wrote five episodes of the fourteenth season. In 2004 he was nominated for the WGA award for best episodic drama for the episode "Bounty". He left the production staff (for the second time) after the fourteenth season but continued to occasionally write for the series. In Spring 2006 he wrote the sixteenth season ''Law & Order'' episode "Thinking Makes It So". In Fall 2006 he wrote the seventeenth season ''Law & Order'' episode "Home Sweet". In 2007 Chernuchin wrote the seventeenth season ''Law & Order'' episode "Talking Points". Later in 2007 Chernuchin co-wrote and executive produced the television feature ''
Fort Pit A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
'' for NBC. His co-writer was
Peter Tolan Peter James Tolan III (born July 5, 1958) is an American television producer, director, and screenwriter. Early life and career Tolan was born in Scituate, Massachusetts, where he was a perennial favorite in the high school's dramatic production ...
. The project focused on a precinct of police officers in New York and was devised as a pilot for a series. NBC did not order a series based on the pilot but aired it as a feature. In 2008 he served as a consulting producer and writer for the legal drama ''
Canterbury's Law ''Canterbury's Law'' is an American legal drama television series, which aired from March 10 to April 18, 2008 as a mid-season replacement on Fox. The show was created by Dave Erickson and executive produced by Denis Leary, Jim Serpico, Walon Gr ...
''. He wrote the episode "What Goes Around". In 2009 he returned to ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' as a co-executive producer (and then subsequent show runner sharing the duties with ''L&O'' veteran writer Ed Zuckerman, as Robert Nathan had departed) and writer for the eighth season. He wrote the episodes " Folie a Deux", "
Lady's Man A ladies' man or lady's man is a man who enjoys spending time socially with women, who strives to please them and that women find attractive. Ladies' man or lady's man may also refer to: Literature * ''Ladies' Man'' (novel), a 1978 novel by R ...
", " Passion" and "
Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
". Also in 2009 he received credit for three episodes of the British ''Law & Order'' spin-off '' Law & Order: UK''. He was credited with providing the basis for the UK episodes "Unloved" (from his episode "Born Bad"), "Alesha" (from his episode "Helpless") and "Sacrifice" (from his episode "Sonata for Solo Organ"). Chernuchin served as showrunner of ''
Chicago Justice ''Chicago Justice'' is an American legal drama television series that aired on NBC from March 1 to May 14, 2017. The series was created by Dick Wolf and is the fourth installment of Wolf's ''Chicago'' franchise. A backdoor pilot aired on May 11, ...
'', which lasted one season ending in May 2017, after which he became showrunner of '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chernuchin, Michael S. American male screenwriters American television writers Place of birth missing (living people) American television producers Living people 1954 births American male television writers Cornell Law School alumni University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni Showrunners 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American screenwriters