![Naren Shankar by Gage Skidmore](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Naren_Shankar_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg)
Narendra "Naren" Kanakaiah Shankar (born April 1, 1964) is an
Indian American
Indian Americans or Indo-Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestry from India. The United States Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Native Americans, who have also historically been referred to ...
writer, producer and director of several television series. He is co-showrunner of the
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service from Amazon which is available in various countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services include same, one- ...
series ''
The Expanse
Expanse or The Expanse may refer to:
Media and entertainment
''The Expanse'' franchise
* ''The Expanse'' (novel series), a series of science fiction novels by James S. A. Corey
* ''The Expanse'' (TV series), a television adaptation of the ...
''. He was also co-showrunner on the long-running CBS crime drama ''CSI'' and
''Almost Human'', among other series. As a writer and producer, Shankar has contributed with works for ''
Farscape
''Farscape'' is an Australian-American science fiction television series, produced originally for the Nine Network. It premiered in the US on Sci-Fi Channel's SciFi Friday, 19 March 1999, at 8:00 pm EST as their anchor series. The series was c ...
'', ''
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...
'', ''
Night Visions
''Night Visions'' is the debut studio album by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. It was released on September 4, 2012, through Kidinakorner and Interscope Records. The album was primarily produced by the band themselves, as well as Englis ...
'', ''
The Outer Limits'', ''
The Chronicle'', ''
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', ''
seaQuest 2032
''SeaQuest DSV'' (stylized as ''seaQuest DSV'' and also promoted as simply ''seaQuest'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, i ...
'', ''
Grimm
Grimm may refer to:
People
* Grimm (surname)
* Brothers Grimm, German linguists
** Jacob Grimm (1785–1863), German philologist, jurist and mythologist
** Wilhelm Grimm (1786–1859), German author, the younger of the Brothers Grimm
* Christia ...
'', ''
Star Trek: Voyager'', and ''
Star Trek: The Next Generation''.
Education
Naren received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D degrees in applied physics and electrical engineering from
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
. After graduating, he joined the team behind ''
Star Trek: The Next Generation''. As a producer, Shankar has worked with ''
UC: Undercover'' and ''
Farscape
''Farscape'' is an Australian-American science fiction television series, produced originally for the Nine Network. It premiered in the US on Sci-Fi Channel's SciFi Friday, 19 March 1999, at 8:00 pm EST as their anchor series. The series was c ...
''. He also contributed to ''
Doom
Doom is another name for damnation.
Doom may also refer to:
People
* Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed
* Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist
* Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher
* ...
''.
Career
Star Trek
Naren joined the writing staff of ''
Star Trek: The Next Generation'' as an intern during the latter half of the fourth season. He then wrote several episodes for ''The Next Generation'' and for ''
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', as well as one first season episode for ''
Star Trek: Voyager'', and worked as science consultant during that show's sixth season and as story editor during the seventh season. Shankar also contributed to the video games ''
Star Trek: The Next Generation – A Final Unity'' and ''
Star Trek Generations
''Star Trek Generations'' is a 1994 American science fiction film and the seventh film in the ''Star Trek'' film series. Malcolm McDowell joins cast members from the 1960s television show ''Star Trek'' and the 1987 sequel series ''The Next G ...
''.
Success
After his time with the ''Star Trek'' franchise, Shankar became an associate producer on ''
SeaQuest 2032
''SeaQuest DSV'' (stylized as ''seaQuest DSV'' and also promoted as simply ''seaQuest'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, i ...
'' during its final season (1995-1996) and wrote two episodes for the series. He then became a writer and executive story consultant for ''
The Outer Limits'' (1997-1999), working with
Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'' ...
, among others, sharing with him a 2000 Writers Guild of Canada Award for the episode “
The Human Operators,” based on a story by Ellison and
A. E. van Vogt
Alfred Elton van Vogt ( ; April 26, 1912 – January 26, 2000) was a Canadian-born American science fiction author. His fragmented, bizarre narrative style influenced later science fiction writers, notably Philip K. Dick. He was one of the ...
.
After stints as a writer and executive producer of the Sci-Fi Channel's ''
Farscape
''Farscape'' is an Australian-American science fiction television series, produced originally for the Nine Network. It premiered in the US on Sci-Fi Channel's SciFi Friday, 19 March 1999, at 8:00 pm EST as their anchor series. The series was c ...
'' (2000-2001) and NBC's short-lived ''
UC: Undercover'' (2001-2002), Shankar became a consulting producer and head writer on the hit CBS series ''
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...
'' (2002-2010). Shankar then joined the production team of the fantasy television series ''
Grimm
Grimm may refer to:
People
* Grimm (surname)
* Brothers Grimm, German linguists
** Jacob Grimm (1785–1863), German philologist, jurist and mythologist
** Wilhelm Grimm (1786–1859), German author, the younger of the Brothers Grimm
* Christia ...
'' as writer and executive producer (2011-2012). He was one of the writers of the ''
Two and a Half Men
''Two and a Half Men'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS for twelve seasons from September 22, 2003, to February 19, 2015. Originally starring Charlie Sheen in the lead role alongside Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones, the ...
''-episode "
Fish in a Drawer" in 2008.
In 2013, Shankar was named co-executive producer and showrunner for the futuristic television series ''
Almost Human'' alongside creator
J. H. Wyman
Joel Howard "J. H." Wyman (born January 5, 1967) is a film and TV producer, screenwriter, director and musician. He is best known for his work on the Fox science fiction shows ''Fringe'' and '' Almost Human'', and wrote and produced the films ...
, before leaving the series. The show was produced by
J. J. Abrams
Jeffrey Jacob Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. Abrams wrote and produced such films as '' Regarding Henry'' (1991), '' F ...
and starred
Karl Urban
Karl-Heinz Urban (born 7 June 1972) is a New Zealand actor. His career began with appearances in New Zealand films and TV series such as '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. His first Hollywood role was in the 2002 horror film '' Ghost Ship''. Since ...
, but was canceled after one season.
In 2014 he became executive producer and showrunner for ''
The Expanse
Expanse or The Expanse may refer to:
Media and entertainment
''The Expanse'' franchise
* ''The Expanse'' (novel series), a series of science fiction novels by James S. A. Corey
* ''The Expanse'' (TV series), a television adaptation of the ...
'', an American space opera / mystery science fiction drama television series which premiered on
Syfy
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
channel in the United States on December 2015.
He has also written twelve of the 62 episodes for the series.
He is also serving in the same role for ''
For All Mankind'', an American TV series based on the premise that the
Space Race
The Space Race was a 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals, the United States and the Soviet Union, to achieve superior spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between the tw ...
didn't end with the conquest of the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
, because the
Soviets
Soviet people ( rus, сове́тский наро́д, r=sovyétsky naród), or citizens of the USSR ( rus, гра́ждане СССР, grázhdanye SSSR), was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union.
Nationality policy in th ...
arrived there first.
Awards and nominations
He has earned a number of award nominations for his work, including two, 2003 and 2004 Emmy Award for ''CSI'', a 2005 PGA Award and a 2006
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers:
* The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO
* The Writers Guil ...
Award nominations, shared with his fellow producers. He served as executive producer on ''CSI'' until 2010, and continues to write for the series, including the ''Trek''-spoofing episode "A Space Oddity" featuring
Liz Vassey
Elizabeth Leigh Vassey (born August 9, 1972) is an American actress. Her most notable roles include Emily Ann Sago on ''All My Children'', Captain Liberty on ''The Tick'', Wendy Simms on ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', Lou on '' Brotherly L ...
,
Wallace Langham
James Wallace Langham II (born March 11, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Phil the Head Writer on ''The Larry Sanders Show''. He has also played the roles of David Hodges on the crime drama television series '' ...
,
Kate Vernon
Katherine Elizabeth Vernon (born April 21, 1961) is a Canadian-born American actress. She is known for her roles as Lorraine Prescott on the CBS primetime soap opera ''Falcon Crest'' (from 1984–1985), the stuck-up and popular Benny Hanson in t ...
, and
Ronald D. Moore. Shankar also made his directing debut with the tenth season episode "Working Stiffs" (2009) for which he also wrote the story. This episode features ''Trek'' alumni
Wallace Langham
James Wallace Langham II (born March 11, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Phil the Head Writer on ''The Larry Sanders Show''. He has also played the roles of David Hodges on the crime drama television series '' ...
,
Liz Vassey
Elizabeth Leigh Vassey (born August 9, 1972) is an American actress. Her most notable roles include Emily Ann Sago on ''All My Children'', Captain Liberty on ''The Tick'', Wendy Simms on ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', Lou on '' Brotherly L ...
,
Tracy Middendorf
Tracy Lynn Middendorf (born January 26, 1970) is an American television, movie, and stage actress. Middendorf's most notable roles were in the horror film ''Wes Craven's New Nightmare'', the MTV series '' Scream'', and the HBO series ''Boardwalk ...
, and
Tom Virtue
Tom Virture (born November 19, 1957) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the television series ''Even Stevens'' (2000–2003) and ''The Secret Life of the American Teenager
''The Secret Life of the American Teenager'' (often ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shankar, Naren
1964 births
American male television writers
American male writers of Indian descent
American television directors
American television producers
American television writers
Cornell University College of Engineering alumni
Hugo Award-winning writers
Living people