Joe Keenan | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1958-07-14)July 14, 1958 (age 66) Cambridge,Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Education | Boston College High School |
| Alma mater | Columbia University (BA) |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter,television producer,novelist |
| Known for | Frasier Desperate Housewives |
| Works | Blue Heaven Putting on the Ritz My Lucky Star |
| Spouse | Gerry Bernardi |
Joe Keenan (born July 14, 1958) is an Americanscreenwriter,television producer andnovelist. Known for his television work on series likeFrasier andDesperate Housewives, Keenan has been referred to as the "gayP.G. Wodehouse" for his three successful novels.[1]
Keenan was born inCambridge, Massachusetts into anIrish AmericanCatholic family. He has a twin brother, John, and two other siblings, Ronald and Geraldine. He grew up in theblue collar neighborhood of Cambridgeport. Keenan attendedBoston College High School andColumbia College.[2]
In 1991Cheers creators James Burrows and Glen and Les Charles, having read Keenan's novelBlue Heaven, invited Keenan to create a new sitcom for their production company. The resulting pilot,Gloria Vane, starringJoBeth Williams, was not picked up by a network, but it led to a writing post onFrasier. In 1992, his first play,The Times, amusical that charts the course of a seventeen-year marriage between Liz, an actress, and Ted, a writer, won theRichard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater, awarded by theAmerican Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1993, the lyrics forThe Times won theEdward Kleban Award.[3]
He joined the staff of thesitcomFrasier as an executivestory editor in 1994 for the series' second year. His first produced script for the series, "The Matchmaker", received anEmmy Award nomination, aGLAAD Media Award, and the 1995Writers Guild Award for Episodic Comedy. He won a writing Emmy Award in 1996 for being one of eight writers of the classic Season 3 episode, "Moon Dance", and also received Emmy Award nominations for "The Ski Lodge" episode in 1998 and, with Christopher Lloyd, "Something Borrowed, Someone Blue," in 2000, which won the 2001 WGA award for Episodic Comedy.
During his six-season tenure onFrasier he rose through the ranks from executive story editor to co-producer, supervising producer, co-executive producer, and finally, executive producer. He wasexecutive producer when the series ended in 2004. He also co-wrote theseries finale, "Goodnight, Seattle." Keenan won fiveEmmy Awards during his tenure on the show. He was nominated for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series five times, and won once. He won the Outstanding Comedy Series award four times for his work as the show's producer.[2] He also won twoWriters Guild of America Awards for his work on the series.[3]
In 2006, Keenan joinedDesperate Housewives as a writer and executive producer for the third season of the television show. Although his work received good critical response, and one of his episodes,"Bang", was named the best of the season by many critics, he left the series after one year.[4]
Keenan also created two short-lived comedy series with fellowFrasier producer and writerChristopher Lloyd:Bram & Alice in 2002 andOut of Practice in 2005. He also co-wrote the 1994 filmSleep with Me as well as thescreenplay for the 2007Annie Award-winninganimated featureFlushed Away.[citation needed]
Keenan is also a published author, and has been referred to as a "gayP.G. Wodehouse".[1][5] As of 2007, he has written threenovels:
Putting on the Ritz won the Lambda Literary Award for Humor in 1991, andMy Lucky Star won theLambda Literary Award for Humor in 2006. In October 2007, the novel also won theThurber Prize for American Humor.[6]
Keenan lives inLos Angeles, but does not drive a car. He has been with his husband, Gerry Bernardi, since 1982.[1][7]
| Year | Title | Writer | Producer | Executive producer | Notes | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–2004 | Frasier | Yes | Yes | No | Executive/Co-executive producer of 48 episodes Writer of 24 episodes | NBC |
| 2002 | Bram & Alice | Yes | No | No | CBS | |
| 2005–2006 | Out of Practice | Yes | No | Yes | Creator/Executive Producer of 22 episodes Writer of 4 episodes | |
| 2006–2011 | Desperate Housewives | Yes | Consulting | Yes | Executive Producer of 10 episodes Consulting producer of 55 episodes Writer of 7 episodes | ABC |
| 2012–2014 | Glee | No | Consulting | No | Consulting Producer of 15 episodes | Fox |
| 2013 | Hot in Cleveland | Yes | No | No | Writer of 2 episodes | TV Land |
| Sean Saves the World | Yes | Consulting | No | Consulting Producer of 2 episodes Writer of 2 episodes | NBC | |
| 2015–2017 | The Odd Couple | Yes | Consulting | No | Consulting Producer of 46 episodes Writer of 1 episode | CBS |
| 2019–2021 | Why Women Kill | Yes | Consulting | No | Consulting Producer of 9 episodes Writer of 4 episodes | Paramount+ |
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