Peter Mehlman (born )
is an American television writer, comedian, and producer, best known for serving as a writer and producer on the TV series ''
Seinfeld
''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...
'' through nearly all of the show's nine-year run from 1989–98.
He also created the 1999 series ''
It's Like, You Know...'' and produced the 2004 animated series ''
Father of the Pride
''Father of the Pride'' is a 2004–2005 American adult animated sitcom created by Jeffrey Katzenberg for DreamWorks Animation that was part of a short-lived trend of CGI series in prime-time network television (after '' Game Over''). The ser ...
''. Both were short-lived.
Early life
Mehlman grew up in Jewish family in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. He graduated from the
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
in 1977.
Career
Early career
Peter Mehlman began his career as a sportswriter for ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
''. He made his first move from print journalism to television writing when, from 1982 to 1984, he wrote for and produced the television series ''
SportsBeat'' with
Howard Cosell
Howard is an English language, English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (disambiguation), Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defe ...
.
For the next five years he returned to freelance magazine writing in New York for magazines such as ''
The New York Times Magazine
''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine Supplement (publishing), supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted man ...
'', ''
GQ'' and ''
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title.
In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
''.
Work on ''Seinfeld''
In 1989, Mehlman moved to Los Angeles and was offered the opportunity to write a script for ''Seinfeld'' by
Larry David
Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He and Jerry Seinfeld created the television sitcom ''Seinfeld'', on which David was head writer and executive producer for the first seve ...
. As he had never written a script up to that point ("Pre-''Seinfeld'', I'd barely written any dialogue in my life"
), Mehlman submitted instead a short humorous piece he had written for the ''New York Times Magazine''.
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a Jerry Seinfeld (character), semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom ''Seinfeld'', which he ...
was so impressed by the piece that he gave Mehlman a writing assignment, out of which came the series' first freelance episode, "The Apartment." Mehlman was hired for the first full season of Seinfeld as a program consultant (1991–92) and, over the next six years, worked his way up to co-executive producer in the show's last season after Larry David's departure.
Describing the process of writing for ''Seinfeld'' and evaluating his own work on the show, Mehlman wrote in an article for ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'':
On the subject of how ''Seinfeld'' was different from all other network shows, Mehlman commented:
A writer for ''
The Morning Call
''The Morning Call'' is a daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1883, it is the second longest continuously published newspaper in the Lehigh Valley, after ''The Express-Times''. In 2020, the newspaper permanently closed its Al ...
'' said, "Everyone talks about the damage done when Jerry's cocreator and former executive producer Larry David left the series in 1996. But ''Seinfeld'' may have suffered the death blow when writer and coexecutive producer Peter Mehlman, who helped steer the show after David left, departed for Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks at the end of last season." She pointed to important elements that Mehlman created for the series, such as:
* Elaine shoving Jerry and others while exclaiming "Get out!!" for the first time;
* The question whether
Teri Hatcher
Teri Lynn Hatcher (born December 8, 1964) is an American actress best known for her portrayals of Lois Lane on the television series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' (1993–1997); Paris Carver in the ''James Bond'' film ''Tomor ...
has a breast implant and George's
double-dipping his chip at a snack table (both in "
The Implant
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
");
* George's thinking he has turned Susan to lesbianism ("
The Smelly Car
"The Smelly Car" is the 61st episode of the sitcom '' Seinfeld''. The episode is the 20th episode of the fourth season. It aired on April 15, 1993 on NBC. In this episode, the body odor left by a restaurant valet in Jerry's car further transfer ...
");
* Jerry and girlfriend
Courteney Cox
Courteney Bass Cox (previously Courteney Cox Arquette; born June 15, 1964) is an American actress and filmmaker. She gained international recognition for her starring role as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom '' Friends'', which aired from 1994 ...
pretending to be married to get a drycleaner's discount, only to end up bickering like old marrieds ("
The Wife");
* George feeling left out on a visit to
The Hamptons
The Hamptons, part of the East End of Long Island, consist of the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, which together comprise the South Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York. The Hamptons are a popular seaside resort and one of ...
because everyone else got to see his date topless ("
The Hamptons
The Hamptons, part of the East End of Long Island, consist of the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, which together comprise the South Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York. The Hamptons are a popular seaside resort and one of ...
");
* The word ''
shrinkage'' "enters our vocabulary", as do "the
sponge
Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through t ...
" ("
The Sponge
"The Sponge" is the 119th episode of the NBC sitcom '' Seinfeld''. This was the ninth episode for the seventh season. It aired on December 7, 1995. In this episode, George and Elaine face sexual crises when the Today brand of contraceptive sponge ...
") and "yada yada" ("
The Yada Yada
"The Yada Yada" is the 153rd episode of the American NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld''. The 19th episode of the eighth season, it aired on April 24, 1997. Peter Mehlman and Jill Franklyn were nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Ser ...
").
Post-''Seinfeld'' work
In 1999, Mehlman created, produced and co-wrote the sitcom ''
It's Like, You Know...'', which was primarily a bitter satire of life in Los Angeles and the Hollywood notables and idle rich who live there, as seen through the eyes of Manhattan writer, Garment (played by
Chris Eigeman
Christopher Eigeman (born March 1, 1965) is an American actor and film director.
Eigeman is best known for roles in films written and directed by Whit Stillman: '' Metropolitan'' (1990), ''Barcelona'' (1994), and ''The Last Days of Disco'' (199 ...
). The show was often described as a Los Angeles version of ''Seinfeld''. Despite being nominated for "New Program of the Year" at the
Television Critics Association
The Television Critics Association (TCA) is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canadian television critics, journalists and columnists who cover television programming for newspapers, magazines and web publications. The TCA accepts app ...
Awards in 1999, the show was canceled by ABC after 26 episodes, mostly to clear more time slots for ''
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (often informally called ''Millionaire'') is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and ...
''.
Mehlman commented afterward that he found the studio interference from ABC a problem during the show's production, and after the show was canceled commented that he "wouldn't do another show for ABC if the future of Israel depended on it."
"When ABC execs gave me their first note on the script—a small plot change—I pondered it and said, ''No, I think it's good the way it is. What else you got?'' The ABC brass looked at me as if I'd announced I was pro-pedophilia. My first experience with network interference. ''Seinfeld'' had no network interference."
He then wrote a TV pilot called ''The White Album'', which he described as "a dark, comic, serialized murder mystery",
[ but he failed to find a network which would produce it.
Since May 2005, Mehlman has contributed articles for the progressive news website '']The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
''. He has written editorial articles on such topics as O. J. Simpson, Mel Gibson
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocaly ...
and the Saddam Hussein trial and hanging.[
In June 2007 he claimed that, unlike ]Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
and Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...
, the George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
administration didn't even mean well to its constituency.
In 2009, he wrote and produced the online comedy series ''Peter Mehlman's Narrow World of Sports'', a series of 13 humorous interviews with sports figures such as Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely r ...
, Danica Patrick
Danica Sue Patrick (; born March 25, 1982) is an American former professional racing driver. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel car racing—her victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the only win by a woman ...
and Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank Hawk (born May 12, 1968), nicknamed Birdman, is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur, and the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse. A pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Hawk completed the first documen ...
. The series was sponsored by the Palm Pre
The Palm Pre , styled as palm prē, is a multitasking smartphone that was designed and marketed by Palm with a multi-touch screen and a sliding keyboard. The smartphone was the first to use Palm's Linux-based mobile operating system, webOS. The ...
and aired on YouTube. It was nominated for a Webby Award
The Webby Awards are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over two thousand industry experts and technology innovators. Categories include ...
in 2010 for "Best Reality/Variety Host".
''Seinfeld'' episodes written by Mehlman
;Season 2
* "The Apartment
''The Apartment'' is a 1960 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and produced by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond. It stars Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen, David ...
" – Mehlman pitched an idea where Elaine wants to leave the city, but Larry David
Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He and Jerry Seinfeld created the television sitcom ''Seinfeld'', on which David was head writer and executive producer for the first seve ...
, Larry Charles
Larry Charles (born ) is an American comedian, screenwriter, director, actor, and producer. He was a staff writer for the sitcom ''Seinfeld'' for its first five seasons. He has also directed the documentary film ''Religulous'' and the mockument ...
and Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a Jerry Seinfeld (character), semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom ''Seinfeld'', which he ...
suggested Elaine move closer to Jerry rather than further away.
;Season 3
* "The Nose Job
"The Nose Job" is the 26th episode of '' Seinfeld''. It is the ninth episode of the show's third season. It first aired on November 20, 1991. The episode was written by Peter Mehlman and was directed by Tom Cherones.
Plot
Kramer wants a jacket b ...
" – Based on a father of Mehlman's friend, who owned a store, and spoke his mind to his customers.
* " The Good Samaritan"
;Season 4
* " The Virgin"
* "The Visa
"The Visa" is the 55th episode of the sitcom '' Seinfeld''. It is the 15th episode of the fourth season. It aired on January 27, 1993. In this episode, Jerry pretends to be deeply morose in front of George's girlfriend Cheryl so as not to make Ge ...
"
* "The Implant
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
"
* "The Smelly Car
"The Smelly Car" is the 61st episode of the sitcom '' Seinfeld''. The episode is the 20th episode of the fourth season. It aired on April 15, 1993 on NBC. In this episode, the body odor left by a restaurant valet in Jerry's car further transfer ...
" (with Larry David
Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He and Jerry Seinfeld created the television sitcom ''Seinfeld'', on which David was head writer and executive producer for the first seve ...
) – A friend of Peter Mehlman's told a story about a smelly car whose odor could not be defeated.[''Seinfeld Season 4 DVD: Behind the scenes'']
;Season 5
* "The Masseuse
''The Masseuse'' is a pornographic film made in 1990 and starring Randy Spears and Hyapatia Lee.
Sequels and remakes
A sequel, The ''Masseuse 2'' was released in 1994 and also won awards.
Another sequel, ''Masseuse 3'' was released in 1998 and ...
"
* " The Wife"
* "The Hamptons
The Hamptons, part of the East End of Long Island, consist of the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, which together comprise the South Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York. The Hamptons are a popular seaside resort and one of ...
" (with Carol Leifer
Carol Leifer ( ;
born July 27, 1956) is an American comedian, writer, producer, and actress whose career as a stand-up comedian started in the 1970s when she was in college. She has written many television scripts including ''The Larry Sanders ...
)
;Season 6
* "The Chinese Woman
"The Chinese Woman" is the 90th episode of the NBC sitcom '' Seinfeld''. This was the fourth episode for the sixth season. It aired on October 13, 1994. In this episode Jerry dates a woman who he believes is Chinese due to her name, Donna Chang, ...
"
* "The Scofflaw
"The Scofflaw" is the 99th episode of the NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld''. It was the 13th episode for the sixth season. It aired on January 26, 1995. In this episode, George Costanza, George and Jerry Seinfeld (character), Jerry both pretend to not know t ...
"
* " Highlights of a Hundred, Part 1"
* " Highlights of a Hundred, Part 2"
;Season 7
* "The Sponge
"The Sponge" is the 119th episode of the NBC sitcom '' Seinfeld''. This was the ninth episode for the seventh season. It aired on December 7, 1995. In this episode, George and Elaine face sexual crises when the Today brand of contraceptive sponge ...
"
* "The Shower Head
"The Shower Head" is the 126th episode of NBC sitcom '' Seinfeld''. This is the sixteenth episode for the seventh season. It aired on February 15, 1996. It had 32.3 million US viewers. This episode focuses on Jerry and George's struggles to get th ...
" (with Marjorie Gross
Marjorie Gross (April 18, 1956 – June 7, 1996) was a Canadian comedian best known for her work as a television writer and producer. She wrote for ''Seinfeld'', '' Newhart'', ''The Larry Sanders Show'', '' Get a Life'' and '' Square Pegs''.
Bi ...
)
* " The Wait Out" (with Matt Selman)
;Season 8
* "The Soul Mate
"The Soul Mate" is the 136th episode of the American television sitcom '' Seinfeld''. This was the second episode for the eighth season, originally airing on September 26, 1996. In this episode, George tries to figure out what caused the damage to ...
"
* "The Money
"The Money" is the 146th episode of the sitcom ''Seinfeld''. This was the 12th episode for the eighth season, originally airing on NBC on January 16, 1997. In a follow-up to the episode "The Cadillac", the story has Jerry traveling to Florida to ...
"
* "The Yada Yada
"The Yada Yada" is the 153rd episode of the American NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld''. The 19th episode of the eighth season, it aired on April 24, 1997. Peter Mehlman and Jill Franklyn were nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Ser ...
" (with Jill Franklyn
Jill aka Jillian Franklyn is a television and film writer. Her first novel, ''Madly She Waited,'' was published in Spring, 2020 and is available on Amazon
Born in Hollywood, she began as an actress. She has written and sold over thirty televis ...
)
;Season 9
* "The Betrayal
"The Betrayal" is the 164th episode of the NBC sitcom '' Seinfeld''. This was the eighth episode for the ninth and final season. It aired on November 20, 1997. In this episode, Jerry betrays George by having sex with his girlfriend Nina, right be ...
" (with David Mandel
David Mandel (born ) is writer, actor, director, and producer. He was an executive producer and showrunner of ''Veep'', and was also an executive producer and director of ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' and ''Seinfeld''. He is also a comedian, and on ...
)
* " The Maid" (with Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer, David Mandel, and Kit Boss)
References
External links
*
"Blank"
(short story), Peter Mehlman, '' SmokeLong Quarterly'', September 15, 2006
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehlman, Peter
Living people
American comedy writers
Place of birth missing (living people)
University of Maryland, College Park alumni
20th-century American writers
Year of birth missing (living people)