Tom Fontana

Show Creator / Producer

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The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

About this interview

In his three-and-a-half-hour interview, Tom Fontana talks about his early life, being a theater major in college, and deciding he wanted to be a writer. He describes being "discovered" by Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner, which led to him writing for the critically acclaimed NBC series St. Elsewhere. He recounts his time on St. Elsewhere, recalling the cast, various classic episodes, the comedic and dramatic aspects of the show, and its now-infamous finale. He discusses his time writing and producing Homicide: Life on the Street for Barry Levinson, detailing the filming of the series in Baltimore, the network's reaction to the series, and classic episodes including "The Subway." Fontana speaks of creating Oz for HBO, and chronicles the extensive research he did in prisons to write it. He also recalls the cast of Oz, the nearly complete lack of censorship on the show, and the end of the series in 2003. He recounts his experience of being in New York City on September 11, 2001, and describes writing for America: A Tribute to Heroes, as well as his then-current projects. Karen Herman conducted the interview on June 30, 2009 in New York, NY.

All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.

"Whether it's comedy or drama, tell the truth. And whatever your truth is, tell it as boldly and as loudly as you can get away with."

People Talking About ...

Highlights

Tom Fontana on how he came to write for St. Elsewhere after being discovered by Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner

06:53

Tom Fontana on filming Homicide: Life on the Street in Baltimore

03:31

Tom Fontana on coming up with the title for Oz and the opening credits of the show which feature him getting an Oz tattoo

02:06

Tom Fontana on the darkness of his writing style

02:33

Tom Fontana on advice to aspiring television writers and producers

01:37

Full Interview

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Chapter 1

On his early life and influences; on television he watched while growing up; on deciding he wanted to be a writer and becoming a theater major in college

On how he came to write for St. Elsewhere after being discovered by Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner; on moving to Los Angeles to write for St. Elsewhere; on writing his first episode of St. Elsewhere, "Down Syndrome"

On the casting of St. Elsewhere; on being hired to be on the writing staff of St. Elsewhere and his difficulty adjusting to living in Los Angeles; on the writing process of the show and becoming a producer

On a typical work week on St. Elsewhere and NBC's notes for the show; on maintaining the balance between comedy and drama on St. Elsewhere; on the use of television references on the show and public reaction to the show

On the St. Elsewhere episode "The Women" and winning an Emmy; on the St. Elsewhere episode "Time Heals"

Chapter 2

On working with the actors of St. Elsewhere; on coming up with script ideas for St. Elsewhere; on Ed Flanders as "Dr. Donald Westphall" and William Daniels as "Dr. Mark Craig"

On the cast of St. Elsewhere; on using ideas from his own life on St. Elsewhere

On his favorite St. Elsewhere episodes and the finale of the show; on the legacy of St. Elsewhere; on the legacy of MTM Productions; on the short-lived series Tattingers

On how Homicide: Life on the Street came about; on network reaction to Homicide: Life on the Street; on Robin Williams guest-starring on the show

On filming Homicide: Life on the Street in Baltimore; on the African-American response to Homicide: Life on the Street; on working with David Simon on Homicide: Life on the Street and doing crossovers with various shows

Chapter 3

On the cast of Homicide: Life on the Street; on constructing the stories for Homicide: Life on the Street; on the episode "Three Men and Adena" and winning an Emmy Award for it

On dealing with censorship issues and the head of Broadcast Standards at NBC during his time on Homicide: Life on the Street; on working with Barry Levinson on Homicide: Life on the Street; on the episode "The Subway"

On the end of Homicide: Life on the Street; on the then-innovative Internet presence of Homicide: Life on the Street and using new media to supplement his subsequent shows

On creating Oz for HBO; on doing extensive research in prisons for Oz and the themes of the show; on feedback he received from prisoners and prison workers about Oz

On coming up with the title for Oz and the opening credits of the show, which feature him getting an Oz tattoo; on Emerald City, the experimental prison unit in Oz; on Harold Perrineau as "Augustus Hill," the narrator of Oz and the end of the series

On where Oz was filmed and the tone of the set; on the cast of Oz; on writing Oz with no network censorship

On creating various shows after Oz including The Beat, The Jury, Bedford Diaries, and writing the made-for-television movie Strip Search; on being in New York City on 9/11

Chapter 4

On writing America: A Tribute to Heroes; on creating The Philanthropist; on his involvement with the Writers Guild East Foundation (as of 2013 called Writers Guild Initiative)

On career achievements and regrets; on the darkness of his writing style; on advice to aspiring television writers and producers and how he'd like to be remembered

Shows

America: A Tribute to Heroes

Tom Fontana on writing for America: A Tribute to Heroes

01:53

Emmy Awards, The (Primetime and Daytime)

Tom Fontana on the St. Elsewhere episode "The Women" and winning an Emmy

03:44

Tom Fontana on the Homicide: Life on the Street episode "Three Men and Adena" and winning an Emmy for it

03:16

Homicide: Life on the Street

Tom Fontana on how Homicide: Life on the Street came about

04:08

Tom Fontana on network reaction to Homicide: Life on the Street

05:55

Tom Fontana on Robin Williams guest-starring on Homicide: Life on the Street

00:40

Tom Fontana on filming Homicide: Life on the Street in Baltimore

03:31

Tom Fontana on the African-American response to Homicide: Life on the Street

00:51

Tom Fontana on working with David Simon on Homicide: Life on the Street and doing crossovers with various other shows

03:10

Tom Fontana on the cast of Homicide: Life on the Street

01:54

Tom Fontana on constructing the stories for Homicide: Life on the Street

05:40

Tom Fontana on the Homicide: Life on the Street episode "Three Men and Adena" and winning an Emmy Award for it

03:16

Tom Fontana on dealing with censorship issues and the head of Broadcast Standards at NBC during his time on Homicide: Life on the Street

03:14

Tom Fontana on working with Barry Levinson on Homicide: Life on the Street

01:48

Tom Fontana on the Homicide: Life on the Street episode "The Subway"

01:46

Tom Fontana on the end of Homicide: Life on the Street

03:43

Tom Fontana on the then-innovative Internet presence of Homicide: Life on the Street and using new media to supplement his subsequent shows

02:37

Oz

Tom Fontana on creating Oz for HBO

04:44

Tom Fontana on doing extensive research in prisons for Oz

04:41

Tom Fontana on the themes of Oz

00:50

Tom Fontana on feedback he received from prisoners and prison workers about Oz

01:59

Tom Fontana on coming up with the title for Oz and the opening credits of the show, which feature him getting an Oz tattoo

02:06

Tom Fontana on Emerald City, the experimental prison unit in Oz

01:42

Tom Fontana on Harold Perrineau as "Augustus Hill," the narrator of Oz

03:50

Tom Fontana on the end of Oz

01:47

Tom Fontana on where Oz was filmed and the tone of the set

00:51

Tom Fontana on the cast of Oz

03:26

Tom Fontana on writing Oz with no network censorship

01:26

St. Elsewhere

Tom Fontana on how he came to write for St. Elsewhere after being discovered by Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner

06:53

Tom Fontana on moving to Los Angeles to write for St. Elsewhere

03:23

Tom Fontana on writing his first episode of St. Elsewhere, "Down Syndrome"

05:08

Tom Fontana on the casting of St. Elsewhere

02:08

Tom Fontana on being hired to be on the writing staff of St. Elsewhere and his difficulty adjusting to living in Los Angeles

07:42

Tom Fontana on the writing process of St. Elsewhere and becoming a producer on that show

02:45

Tom Fontana on a typical work week on St. Elsewhere and NBC's notes for the show

04:43

Tom Fontana on maintaining the balance between comedy and drama on St. Elsewhere

01:13

Tom Fontana on the use of television references in St. Elsewhere and public reaction to the show

02:16

Tom Fontana on the St. Elsewhere episode "The Women" and winning an Emmy Award

03:44

Tom Fontana on the St. Elsewhere episode "Time Heals"

02:27

Tom Fontana on working with the actors of St. Elsewhere

05:38

Tom Fontana on coming up with script ideas for St. Elsewhere

03:00

Tom Fontana on Ed Flanders as "Dr. Donald Westphall" and William Daniels as "Dr. Mark Craig" on St. Elsewhere

06:08

Tom Fontana on Ed Begley, Jr. as "Dr. Victor Ehrlich" on St. Elsewhere

01:41

Tom Fontana on Denzel Washington as "Dr. Philip Chandler" on St. Elsewhere

02:48

Tom Fontana on Christina Pickles as "Nurse Helen Rosenthal" on St. Elsewhere

02:08

Tom Fontana on Howie Mandel as "Dr. Wayne Fiscus" on St. Elsewhere

01:04

Tom Fontana on Norman Lloyd as "Dr. Daniel Auschlander" on St. Elsewhere

02:04

Tom Fontana on Mark Harmon as "Dr. Robert Caldwell" on St. Elsewhere

00:50

Tom Fontana on using ideas from his own life on St. Elsewhere

02:46

Tom Fontana on his favorite St. Elsewhere episodes and the finale of the show

05:50

Tom Fontana on the legacy of St. Elsewhere

03:41

Topics

9/11

Tom Fontana on being in New York City on 9/11

02:26

Tom Fontana on writing for America: A Tribute to Heroes

01:53

Advice

Tom Fontana on advice to aspiring television writers and producers

01:37

Censorship / Standards & Practices

Tom Fontana on dealing with censorship issues and the head of Broadcast Standards at NBC during his time on Homicide: Life on the Street

03:14

Tom Fontana on writing Oz with no network censorship

01:26

Classic TV Series Episodes

Tom Fontana on his favorite St. Elsewhere episodes and the finale of the show

05:50

Tom Fontana on the Homicide: Life on the Street episode "The Subway"

01:46

Drama

Tom Fontana on his favorite St. Elsewhere episodes and the finale of the show

05:50

Tom Fontana on the Homicide: Life on the Street episode "The Subway"

01:46

Emmy Awards

Tom Fontana on the St. Elsewhere episode "The Women" and winning an Emmy

03:44

Tom Fontana on the Homicide: Life on the Street episode "Three Men and Adena" and winning an Emmy for it

03:16

First Big Break

Tom Fontana on how he came to write for St. Elsewhere after being discovered by Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner

06:53

Historic Events and Social Change

Tom Fontana on being in New York City on 9/11

02:26

Tom Fontana on writing for America: A Tribute to Heroes

01:53

New Media

Tom Fontana on the then-innovative Internet presence of Homicide: Life on the Street and using new media to supplement his subsequent shows

02:37

Pivotal Career Moments

Tom Fontana on how he came to write for St. Elsewhere after being discovered by Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner

06:53

Pop Culture

Tom Fontana on the use of television references in St. Elsewhere and public reaction to the show

02:16

Tom Fontana on his favorite St. Elsewhere episodes and the finale of the show

05:50

Tom Fontana on the Homicide: Life on the Street episode "The Subway"

01:46

Tom Fontana on coming up with the title for Oz and the opening credits of the show, which feature him getting an Oz tattoo

TV Theme Songs

Tom Fontana on coming up with the title for Oz and the opening credits of the show, which feature him getting an Oz tattoo

02:06

Television Industry

Tom Fontana on dealing with censorship issues and the head of Broadcast Standards at NBC during his time on Homicide: Life on the Street

03:14

Tom Fontana on the then-innovative Internet presence of Homicide: Life on the Street and using new media to supplement his subsequent shows

02:37

Tom Fontana on writing Oz with no network censorship

01:26

Tom Fontana on advice to aspiring television writers and producers

01:37

Professions

Show Creators

View Profession

Tom Fontana on doing extensive research in prisons for Oz

04:41

Tom Fontana on advice to aspiring television writers and producers

01:37

Writers

View Profession

Tom Fontana on the writing process of St. Elsewhere and becoming a producer on that show

02:45

Tom Fontana on coming up with script ideas for St. Elsewhere

03:00

Tom Fontana on constructing the stories for Homicide: Life on the Street

05:40

Tom Fontana on the darkness of his writing style

02:33

Genres

Cop/Detective/Mystery Series

Tom Fontana on writing and producing Homicide: Life on the Street

18:16

Tom Fontana on writing and producing Homicide: Life on the Street (Part 2)

23:58

Drama Series

Tom Fontana on creating, writing, and producing Oz

27:22

Tom Fontana on creating and writing The Philanthropist

03:55

Medical Dramas

Tom Fontana on writing and producing St. Elsewhere

42:22

Tom Fontana on writing and producing St. Elsewhere (Part 2)

37:39

Music Shows & Variety Shows/Specials

Tom Fontana on writing for America: A Tribute to Heroes

01:53

People

Barry Levinson

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Tom Fontana on working with Barry Levinson on Homicide: Life on the Street

01:48

Blythe Danner

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Tom Fontana on how he came to write for St. Elsewhere after being discovered by Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner

06:53

Bruce Paltrow

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Tom Fontana on how he came to write for St. Elsewhere after being discovered by Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner

06:53

Chris Albrecht

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Tom Fontana on creating Oz for HBO at the behest of Chris Albrecht

04:44

David Simon

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Tom Fontana on working with David Simon on Homicide: Life on the Street and doing crossovers with various other shows

03:10

Denzel Washington

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Tom Fontana on Denzel Washington as "Dr. Philip Chandler" on St. Elsewhere

02:47

Ed Begley, Jr.

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Tom Fontana on Ed Begley, Jr. as "Dr. Victor Ehrlich" on St. Elsewhere

01:42

Ed Flanders

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Tom Fontana on Ed Flanders as "Dr. Donald Westphall" and William Daniels as "Dr. Mark Craig" on St. Elsewhere

06:08

Howie Mandel

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Tom Fontana on Howie Mandel as "Dr. Wayne Fiscus" on St. Elsewhere

01:03

Mark Harmon

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Tom Fontana on Mark Harmon as "Dr. Robert Caldwell" on St. Elsewhere

00:51

Norman Lloyd

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Tom Fontana on Norman Lloyd as "Dr. Daniel Auschlander" on St. Elsewhere

02:04

Rita Moreno

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Tom Fontana on the cast of Oz: Rita Moreno

03:26

Robin Williams

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Tom Fontana on Robin Williams guest-starring on Homicide: Life on the Street

00:40