Winifred Hervey

Writer / Producer

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The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

About this interview

In her three-hour plus Archive interview, writer/producer Winifred Hervey talks about her early interest in theater and writing. She describes getting a Television Academy internship on the show Rhoda, and getting accepted to the Warner Bros. Writing Workshop based on a spec script of Rhoda. She speaks of interning on Laverne & Shirley, and later being hired as a staff writer on the program. She outlines tensions on the show, and how she came to write for another Garry Marshall production, Mork & Mindy. Hervey then speaks of becoming story editor for The New Odd Couple, and writing for Benson and The Cosby Show. She explains why she was fired from The Cosby Show, and shares how much she enjoyed writing for The Golden Girls (and for Bea Arthur in particular). She also recalls her time as Executive Producer of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and recounts creating In the House and The Steve Harvey Show. Amy Harrington conducted the interview on August 8, 2013 in North Hollywood, CA.

"I remember one time somebody told me that they were in a meeting and they said, 'that Winfred Hervey has a mind of her own.' And I thought that was so hilarious because I didn't know what was wrong with that."

Highlights

Winifred Hervey on working with Garry Marshall on Laverne & Shirley and "going to Camp Marshall-mount"

01:38

Winifred Hervey on enjoying writing for Bea Arthur on The Golden Girls

02:12

Winifred Hervey on being the only female writer on The Cosby Show

01:52

Winifred Hervey on the Los Angeles riots breaking out when she was Executive Producer of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and how the riots were incorporated into the show

04:19

Winifred Hervey on what she likes about writing

01:05

Full Interview

Chapter 1

On her childhood and early influences; on her love of reading, writing, and theater; on studying Communication Arts in college and writing comedy

On becoming an intern on Rhoda through a Television Academy internship; on writing a script for Rhoda that got her into the Warner Bros. Writing Workshop

On becoming an intern and then staff writer on Laverne & Shirley; on tensions on set and the camaraderie amongst the staff of Garry Marshall's TV shows

On writing for Mork & Mindy; on whether Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters stayed on script

On becoming story editor for The New Odd Couple; on problems with the show and the rotating producers

On writing for Benson; on learning about post-production and learning from the show's producers

On leaving Benson to write for The Cosby Show; on Bill Cosby's involvement with scripts; on being the only female writer on staff

On the educational value of The Cosby Show storylines; on writing for the kids on the show; on her favorite episodes

Chapter 2

On storylines on The Cosby Show; on the show's legacy and being fired from the program

On writing for The Golden Girls; on censorship on the show and writing for each of the characters

On the writers' room on The Golden Girls; on her favorite episodes of the show and winning her first Emmy for The Golden Girls; on the legacy of the show

On producing and writing for Baby Boom; on the show's cancellation

On writing the failed pilot for Five Up, Two Down

On becoming Executive Producer on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air; on disagreements with Will Smith; on what she brought to the show

Chapter 3

On the Los Angeles riots breaking out when she was Executive Producer of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and how the riots were incorporated into the show; on dealing with heavy issues on the program

On the hip-hop culture represented on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air; on why she left the show

On creating In the House; on working with Debbie Allen and LL Cool J; on not being asked back by the network; on writing the pilot for The World According to Noah

On creating The Steve Harvey Show; on working with Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer; on 9/11; on her favorite episodes and storylines on The Steve Harvey Show

On writing for Home of the Brave, an Aaron Spelling production; on consulting for Half and Half; on her process for writing pilots

On the pilot for Saving Jason

Chapter 4

On her early work on The Six O' Clock Follies; on her then-current (2013) projects; on her writing process and what she likes about writing

On her biggest challenge in the business - being female and a minority; on the representation of African-Americans on television; on opportunities for women and minority writers

On advice to aspiring writers and producers; on her proudest achievement and her biggest regret; on where she sees herself in ten years

Shows

Benson

Winifred Hervey on writing for Benson and meeting Robert Guillaume

01:32

Winifred Hervey on her role as story editor on Benson and adjusting to the tone of the show after working on Garry Marshall productions for many years

01:13

Winifred Hervey on efforts made to diversify the writing staff of Benson

01:16

Winifred Hervey on working with Paul Junger Witt, Tony Thomas, and other producers on Benson

01:03

Winifred Hervey on gaining confidence from working on Mork & Mindy, applying it to Benson, and her writing strengths

01:22

Winifred Hervey on working with Susan Harris on Benson and learning about post-production

02:10

Cosby Show, The

Winifred Hervey on leaving Benson to write for The Cosby Show

01:27

Winifred Hervey on the dynamic between "The Huxtables" on The Cosby Show and the dynamic between the actors and director Jay Sandrich

02:16

Winifred Hervey on actors going off-script on The Cosby Show and logistics on the show

01:58

Winifred Hervey on Bill Cosby's involvement with scripts on The Cosby Show

02:12

Winifred Hervey on being the only female writer on The Cosby Show

01:52

Winifred Hervey on Bill Cosby wanting The Cosby Show storylines to have educational value

01:12

Winifred Hervey on writing the "Claire's Case" episode of The Cosby Show

02:25

Winifred Hervey on the lack of censorship on The Cosby Show

00:15

Winifred Hervey on how The Cosby Show differed from other sitcoms of the day and "The Huxtables" as a TV family

01:54

Winifred Hervey on writing for the kids on The Cosby Show

00:39

Winifred Hervey on her favorite episodes of The Cosby Show

00:45

Winifred Hervey on storylines on The Cosby Show not coming from her own life; on her favorite storylines

01:47

Winifred Hervey on the legacy of The Cosby Show

01:00

Winifred Hervey on being fired from The Cosby Show

02:03

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The

Winifred Hervey on becoming Executive Producer on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

03:36

Winifred Hervey on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as a star vehicle for Will Smith

03:56

Winifred Hervey on disagreements with Will Smith on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

04:46

Winifred Hervey on working with the cast of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

02:39

Winifred Hervey on the Los Angeles riots breaking out when she was Executive Producer of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

04:19

Winifred Hervey on not loving to do "issues shows" on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

02:59

Winifred Hervey on the female roles on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

00:56

Winifred Hervey on the hip-hop culture represented on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

02:50

Winifred Hervey on her favorite episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

01:07

Winifred Hervey on why she left The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

01:14

Golden Girls, The

Winifred Hervey on writing for The Golden Girls

00:51

Winifred Hervey on the pilot episode of The Golden Girls

00:21

Winifred Hervey on being story editor/story consultant on The Golden Girls

01:29

Winifred Hervey on the diversity of the staff on The Golden Girls

00:25

Winifred Hervey on the development of the characters on The Golden Girls

00:45

Winifred Hervey on her creative freedom on The Golden Girls

00:53

Winifred Hervey on the cast of The Golden Girls and writing for the characters

01:28

Winifred Hervey on censorship on The Golden Girls

01:06

Winifred Hervey on storylines on The Golden Girls and the relationship between actors and writers

01:48

Winifred Hervey on writing for each character on The Golden Girls

01:08

Winifred Hervey on enjoying writing for Bea Arthur on The Golden Girls

02:12

Winifred Hervey on working with Susan Harris on The Golden Girls

02:12

Winifred Hervey on the writers' room of The Golden Girls

02:09

Winifred Hervey on her favorite episodes of The Golden Girls

02:58

Winifred Hervey on winning her first Emmy for The Golden Girls

01:27

Winifred Hervey on the legacy of The Golden Girls

01:00

Winifred Hervey on leaving The Golden Girls

01:03

Laverne & Shirley

Winifred Hervey on becoming an intern on Laverne & Shirley

01:28

Winifred Hervey on becoming a staff writer on Laverne & Shirley

02:28

Winifred Hervey on writing physical comedy bits on Laverne & Shirley

01:08

Winifred Hervey on tension on the set of Laverne & Shirley

00:50

Winifred Hervey on working with Garry Marshall on Laverne & Shirley

01:38

Winifred Hervey on why she was hired as a staff writer on Laverne & Shirley

00:50

Mork & Mindy

Winifred Hervey on becoming a writer on Mork & Mindy and writing her first solo script

02:20

Winifred Hervey on writing for Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters on Mork & Mindy

01:12

Winifred Hervey on the writing process and guidelines for Mork & Mindy

00:40

New Odd Couple, The

Winifred Hervey on becoming story editor for The New Odd Couple and rewriting original scripts from The Odd Couple to tailor them to African-American performers

02:27

Winifred Hervey on working with the stars of The New Odd Couple

01:55

Rhoda

Winifred Hervey on becoming an intern on Rhoda through a Television Academy internship

03:36

Winifred Hervey on writing a script for Rhoda that got her into the Warner Bros. Writing Workshop

00:58

Steve Harvey Show, The

Winifred Hervey on creating The Steve Harvey Show

03:07

Winifred Hervey on working with director Stan Lathan, stars Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer, and the rest of the cast on The Steve Harvey Show

09:05

Winifred Hervey on the audience for The Steve Harvey Show

00:35

Winifred Hervey on the music and songs on The Steve Harvey Show

01:04

Winifred Hervey on working with the WB on The Steve Harvey Show

01:31

Winifred Hervey on her favorite episodes and storylines on The Steve Harvey Show

02:56

Winifred Hervey on the end of The Steve Harvey Show

02:15

Topics

9/11

Winifred Hervey on her recollections of 9/11

01:29

Advice

Winifred Hervey on advice to aspiring writers and producers

01:15

Censorship / Standards & Practices

Winifred Hervey on censorship on The Golden Girls

01:06

Diversity in Television

Winifred Hervey on getting accepted to the Warner Bros. Writing Workshop

02:12

Winifred Hervey on becoming story editor for The New Odd Couple and rewriting original scripts from The Odd Couple to tailor them to African-American performers

01:20

Winifred Hervey on efforts made to diversify the writing staff of Benson

00:20

Winifred Hervey on being the only female writer on The Cosby Show

01:52

Winifred Hervey on the writers' room of The Golden Girls

02:09

Winifred Hervey on not loving to do "issues shows" on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

02:59

Winifred Hervey on her biggest challenge in the business - being female and a minority

02:07

Winifred Hervey on the representation of African-Americans on television

05:41

Winifred Hervey on opportunities for women and minorities in writing

00:40

Emmy Awards

Winifred Hervey on winning her first Emmy for The Golden Girls

02:28

Historic Events and Social Change

Winifred Hervey on her recollections of 9/11

01:29

Minorities

Winifred Hervey on getting accepted to the Warner Bros. Writing Workshop

02:12

Winifred Hervey on becoming story editor for The New Odd Couple and rewriting original scripts from The Odd Couple to tailor them to African-American performers

01:19

Winifred Hervey on efforts made to diversify the writing staff of Benson

00:20

Winifred Hervey on not loving to do "issues shows" on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

02:59

Winifred Hervey on her biggest challenge in the business - being female and a minority

02:07

Winifred Hervey on the representation of African-Americans on television

01:51

Winifred Hervey on opportunities for women and minorities in writing

00:40

Television Industry

Winifred Hervey on censorship on The Golden Girls

01:06

Winifred Hervey on her biggest challenge in the business - being female and a minority

02:07

Winifred Hervey on advice to aspiring writers and producers

01:15

Women

Winifred Hervey on getting accepted to the Warner Bros. Writing Workshop

02:12

Winifred Hervey on being the only female writer on The Cosby Show

01:52

Winifred Hervey on the writers' room of The Golden Girls

02:09

Winifred Hervey on her biggest challenge in the business - being female and a minority

02:07

Winifred Hervey on opportunities for women and minorities in writing

00:40

Professions

Producers

View Profession

Winifred Hervey on her role as Executive Producer of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

02:47

Winifred Hervey on tips for being an Executive Producer

01:54

Winifred Hervey on advice to aspiring writers and producers

01:15

Writers

View Profession

Winifred Hervey on her writing strengths on Benson

00:50

Winifred Hervey on the difficulty of having her writing disregarded or thrown out

00:57

Winifred Hervey on the writers' room of The Golden Girls

02:09

Winifred Hervey on differences between writing for multi-camera and single camera shows

01:02

Winifred Hervey on her process for writing pilot episodes

03:52

Winifred Hervey on her writing process

03:17

Winifred Hervey on what she likes about writing

01:05

Winifred Hervey on advice to aspiring writers and producers

01:15

Genres

Comedy Series

Winifred Hervey on becoming an intern on Rhoda through a Television Academy internship; on writing a script for Rhoda that got her into the Warner Bros. Writing Workshop

07:22

Winifred Hervey on becoming an intern and then staff writer on Laverne & Shirley; on tensions on set and the camaraderie amongst the staff of Garry Marshall's TV shows

09:40

Winifred Hervey on writing for Mork & Mindy; on whether Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters stayed on script

04:12

Winifred Hervey on becoming story editor for The New Odd Couple; on problems with the show and the rotating producers

04:22

Winifred Hervey on writing for Benson; on learning about post-production and learning from the show's producers

08:36

Winifred Hervey on writing for The Cosby Show; on Bill Cosby's involvement with scripts; on being the only female writer on staff, and her favorite episodes of the show

16:59

Winifred Hervey on writing for The Golden Girls; on censorship on the show and writing for each of the characters

23:14

Winifred Hervey on becoming Executive Producer on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air; on disagreements with Will Smith; on what she brought to the show

14:57

Winifred Hervey on dealing with heavy issues on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and the hip-hop culture represented on the show

13:34

Winifred Hervey on creating The Steve Harvey Show; on working with Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer; on 9/11; on her favorite episodes and storylines on The Steve Harvey Show

22:02

People

Debbie Allen

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Winifred Hervey on creating and executive producing In the House and working with Debbie Allen

01:51

Beatrice Arthur

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Winifred Hervey on the cast of The Golden Girls and writing for the characters

01:28

Winifred Hervey on enjoying writing for Bea Arthur on The Golden Girls

02:12

Bill Cosby

View Person Page

Winifred Hervey on the dynamic between the actors and director Jay Sandrich on The Cosby Show

02:16

Winifred Hervey on Bill Cosby's involvement with scripts on The Cosby Show

02:12

Winifred Hervey on Bill Cosby wanting The Cosby Show storylines to have educational value

01:12

Lowell Ganz

View Interview Page

Winifred Hervey on not working with Lowell Ganz on Laverne & Shirley

00:22

Estelle Getty

View Person Page

Winifred Hervey on the cast of The Golden Girls and writing for the characters

01:28

Ron Glass

View Person Page

Winifred Hervey on working with the stars of The New Odd Couple - Ron Glass and Demond Wilson

01:55

Robert Guillaume

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Winifred Hervey on writing for Benson and meeting Robert Guillaume

01:32

Susan Harris

View Person Page

Winifred Hervey on working with Susan Harris on Benson

00:42

Winifred Hervey on working with Susan Harris on The Golden Girls

02:12

Steve Harvey

View Person Page

Winifred Hervey on creating The Steve Harvey Show and working with Steve Harvey

05:02

LL Cool J

View Person Page

Winifred Hervey on creating and executive producing In the House and working with LL Cool J

01:33

Brian Levant

View Person Page

Winifred Hervey on working with Brian Levant on Mork & Mindy

00:32

Garry Marshall

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Winifred Hervey on working with Garry Marshall on Laverne & Shirley

01:37

Rue McClanahan

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Winifred Hervey on the cast of The Golden Girls and writing for the characters

01:28

Jay Sandrich

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Winifred Hervey on the dynamic between the actors and director Jay Sandrich on The Cosby Show

02:16

Will Smith

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Winifred Hervey on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as a star vehicle for Will Smith

03:56

Winifred Hervey on disagreements with Will Smith on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

04:46

Winifred Hervey on the hip-hop culture represented on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

02:50

Aaron Spelling

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Winifred Hervey on writing for Home of the Brave, an Aaron Spelling production

02:11

Brandon Tartikoff

View Person Page

Winifred Hervey on the cancellation of Baby Boom

03:08

Tony Thomas

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Winifred Hervey on working with Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas on Benson

00:58

Betty White

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Winifred Hervey on the cast of The Golden Girls and writing for the characters

01:28

Robin Williams

View Person Page

Winifred Hervey on writing for Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters on Mork & Mindy

01:12

Demond Wilson

View Person Page

Winifred Hervey on working with the stars of The New Odd Couple - Demond Wilson and Ron Glass

01:41

Jonathan Winters

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Winifred Hervey on writing for Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters on Mork & Mindy

01:12

Paul Junger Witt

View Person Page

Winifred Hervey on working with Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas on Benson

00:48