Robert Cochran (TV producer)
Robert Cochran (also credited as Bob Cochran) is an American writer and producer for television, most known for creating the Emmy award-winning TV series 24 with his writing partner Joel Surnow.[1][2]
Background
Cochran graduated from Stanford Law School in 1974. Prior to a television writing career, he was a lawyer and management consultant. A screenwriter friend once showed him a script he'd written, the first time Cochran had ever seen one. Having written mostly in prose fiction, Cochran was new to the format and began gravitating towards a career in screenwriting, eventually leaving consulting to work in Hollywood.[3]
Early television writing career
Between 1987 and 2001, Cochran wrote for shows such as L.A. Law, Falcon Crest and JAG, and wrote and produced for the cop series The Commish starring Michael Chiklis. He also wrote for the miniseries Attila starring Gerard Butler. In 1997 Cochran and Surnow created and produced the spy series La Femme Nikita starring Peta Wilson, also serving as the show's consultants. It ran for five seasons.[4]
Birth of 24
The concept for 24 initially came from Surnow, a TV show where each episode would play out in real time and the entirety of the first season would cover a 24-hour period. Cochran was unconvinced until they met the next day and fleshed out the idea of an action-espionage series with a dramatic race against the clock. They spent most of 2000 developing the plot and characters and writing the pilot, and pitched it to Fox in early 2001. The network immediately bought the show, confident it would "move the form of television forward." It premiered on November 6, 2001, and was an instant hit.[5][6]
Cochran and Surnow won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series in 2002 for 24's pilot episode, and would go on to win multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for the show.[7]
Other projects
In 2006, Cochran and Surnow made partnership with Howard Gordon, another 24 producer, to develop projects at Fox.[8][9]
In 2007, Cochran and David Hemingson created the medical comedy The Call starring Kal Penn. The pilot went unsold. That same year, Cochran and David Ehrman wrote and executive produced the TV spy movie Company Man starring Jason Behr and Stana Katic. In 2014 Cochran returned to write for 24: Live Another Day. In 2016, he wrote for the spin-off series 24: Legacy.[10][11]
Cochran's production company is Real Time Productions.[12]
Books
Cochran wrote the young adult fantasy novel The Sword and the Dagger, released by Macmillan Publishers in 2019.[13]
References
- ^ Adalian, Josef (2003-02-28). "'24' creator extends his 20th TV deal". Variety. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
- ^ "'24' Team Clocking in Again at Fox". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2006-06-13.
- ^ "Cochran's Road to Hollywood". From the Mixed up Files. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Robert Cochran Career Credits". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
- ^ Heard, Christopher (2009). Timothy Niedermann (ed.). Kiefer Sutherland—Living Dangerously. Transit Publishing Inc.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "24's Impact 20 Years Later". Deadline. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ "2002 Emmy Awards". Academy of Arts and Sciences Archive. Retrieved 10 September 2002.
- ^ Adalian, Josef (2006-02-15). "'24' runner on Fox clock". Variety. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ Schneider, Michael (2008-02-13). "Time's up for '24's' Joel Surnow". Variety. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ Heritage, Stuart (2017-01-17). "The risk paid off! 24 is back without Jack Bauer – and it's incredible". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
- ^ Poniewozik, James (2014-07-15). "REVIEW: In the 24: Live Another Day Finale, Jack Bauer Feels Our Pain Again". TIME. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
- ^ "'24' Executive Producers Pick Their Favorite Episodes". Variety. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
- ^ Cochran, Robert. "The Sword and the Dagger". Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
External links
- Robert Cochran at IMDb
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- Reginald Rose for Twelve Angry Men (1955)
- Rod Serling for The Twilight Zone (1960)
- Rod Serling for The Twilight Zone (1961)
- Reginald Rose for The Defenders (1962)
- Robert Thom & Reginald Rose for "The Madman" (1963)
- Ernest Kinoy for "Blacklist" / Rod Serling for "It's Mental Work" (1964)
- David Karp for "The 700 Year Old Gang" (1965)
- Millard Lampell for "Eagle in a Cage" (1966)
- Bruce Geller for "Mission: Impossible" (1967)
- Loring Mandel for "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" (1968)
- JP Miller for "The People Next Door" (1969)
- Richard Levinson & William Link for "My Sweet Charlie" (1970)
- Joel Oliansky for "To Taste of Death But Once" (1971)
- Richard Levinson & William Link for "Death Lends a Hand" (1972)
- John McGreevey for "The Scholar" (1973)
- Joanna Lee for "The Thanksgiving Story" (1974)
- Howard Fast for "Benjamin Franklin: The Ambassador" (1975)
- Sherman Yellen for "John Adams: Lawyer" (1976)
- William Blinn & Ernest Kinoy for "Show #2" (1977)
- Gerald Green for "Holocaust" (1978)
- Michele Gallery for "Dying" (1979)
- Seth Freeman for "Cop" (1980)
- Michael Kozoll & Steven Bochco for "Hill Street Station" (1981)
- Steven Bochco & Michael Kozoll & Jeff Lewis & Michael Wagner & Anthony Yerkovich for "Freedom's Last Stand" (1982)
- David Milch for "Trial by Fury" (1983)
- John Ford Noonan, John Masius & Tom Fontana for "The Women" (1984)
- Patricia Green for "Who Said It's Fair, Part 2" (1985)
- Tom Fontana, John Masius & Joe Tinker for "Time Heals, Parts I & II" (1986)
- Steven Bochco & Terry Louise Fisher for "The Venus Butterfly" (1987)
- Paul Haggis & Marshall Herskovitz for "Business as Usual" (1988)
- Joseph Dougherty for "First Day/Last Day" (1989)
- David E. Kelley for "Blood, Sweat, and Fears" (1990)
- David E. Kelley for "On the Toad Again" (1991)
- Diane Frolov & Andrew Schneider for "Seoul Mates" (1992)
- Tom Fontana for "Three Men and Adena" (1993)
- Ann Biderman for "Steroid Roy" (1994)
- Lance A. Gentile for "Love's Labor Lost" (1995)
- Darin Morgan for "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" (1996)
- David Milch, Stephen Gaghan and Michael R. Perry for "Where's Swaldo?" (1997)
- David Milch, Nicholas Wootton and Bill Clark for "Lost Israel: Part II" (1998)
- James Manos Jr. and David Chase for "College" (1999)
- Rick Cleveland & Aaron Sorkin for "In Excelsis Deo" (2000)
- Mitchell Burgess & Robin Green for "Employee of the Month" (2001)
- Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran for "12:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m." (2002)
- Mitchell Burgess & David Chase & Robin Green for "Whitecaps" (2003)
- Terence Winter for "Long Term Parking" (2004)
- David Shore for "Three Stories" (2005)
- Terence Winter for "Members Only" (2006)
- David Chase for "Made in America" (2007)
- Matthew Weiner for "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" (2008)
- Kater Gordon & Matthew Weiner for "Meditations in an Emergency" (2009)
- Erin Levy & Matthew Weiner for "Shut the Door. Have a Seat." (2010)
- Jason Katims for "Always" (2011)
- Alex Gansa & Howard Gordon & Gideon Raff for "Pilot" (Homeland) (2012)
- Henry Bromell for "Q&A" (2013)
- Moira Walley-Beckett for "Ozymandias" (2014)
- David Benioff & D. B. Weiss for "Mother's Mercy" (2015)
- David Benioff & D. B. Weiss for "Battle of the Bastards" (2016)
- Bruce Miller for "Offred" (2017)
- Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg for "START" (2018)
- Jesse Armstrong for "Nobody Is Ever Missing" (2019)
- Jesse Armstrong for "This Is Not for Tears" (2020)
- Peter Morgan for "War" (2021)
- Jesse Armstrong for "All the Bells Say" (2022)
- Jesse Armstrong for "Connor's Wedding" (2023)
- Will Smith for "Negotiating with Tigers" (2024)