Thomas Schnauz
Thomas Schnauz (born 1966 or 1967)[1] is an American television producer and television writer. His credits include The X-Files, The Lone Gunmen, Night Stalker, Reaper, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul.
Thomas Schnauz | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1966 or 1967 (age 55–56) Kearny, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Tisch School of Arts |
| Occupation(s) | Television producer, television writer |
| Years active | 2001–present |
Personal life
Schnauz was born in Kearny, New Jersey.[2] He attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he first met fellow student Vince Gilligan.[3] Schnauz graduated from Tisch in 1988.[4]
Career
Schnauz started his career in various production jobs. His first screenplay was called Spirits in Passing. He eventually joined Vince Gilligan on the writing staff of The X-Files and its spinoff show, The Lone Gunmen.[3] He also co-wrote the screenplays for the 2008 film Otis and the 2008 television film Infected. In 2010, he re-teamed with Gilligan on Breaking Bad, where he remained through the show's 2013 conclusion.
Schnauz signed a two-year overall deal with Sony Pictures Television in November 2014.[5]
Schnauz served as co-executive producer on AMC's Breaking Bad spinoff series Better Call Saul.[6] He has written and/or directed a number of its episodes including "Pimento", the penultimate episode of the show's first season, which received critical acclaim, as well as "Plan and Execution", the finale of the sixth season's first half that also received praise for Schnauz's writing.[7][8]
In April 2015, it was reported that he had been tapped to write the screenplay for "a revisionist take" on "Jack and the Beanstalk", also to be produced by Vince Gilligan.[9]
In 2019, Schnauz joined other WGA writers in firing their agents as part of the WGA's stand against the ATA and the practice of packaging.[10]
Filmography
Writer
| Year | Show | Season | Episode title | Episode | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | The Lone Gunmen | 1 | "Madam, I'm Adam" | 6 | |
| "Tango de los Pistoleros" | 10 | ||||
| The X-Files | 9 | "Lord of the Flies" | 5 | ||
| 2002 | "Scary Monsters" | 14 | |||
| 2005 | Night Stalker | 1 | "The Five People You Meet in Hell" | 2 | |
| 2007 | Reaper | 1 | "What About Blob" | 5 | |
| "Ashes to Ashes" | 9 | ||||
| 2008 | "Coming to Grips" | 15 | |||
| 2009 | 2 | "I Want My Baby Back" | 5 | ||
| 2010 | Breaking Bad | 3 | "One Minute" | 7 | |
| "Abiquiu" | 11 | Co-written with John Shiban | |||
| 2011 | 4 | "Shotgun" | 5 | ||
| "Bug" | 9 | Co-written with Moira Walley-Beckett | |||
| "End Times" | 12 | Co-written with Moira Walley-Beckett | |||
| 2012 | 5 | "Say My Name" | 7 | Also directed | |
| 2013 | "Buried" | 10 | |||
| 2014 | Resurrection | 1 | "Unearth" | 2 | |
| 2015 | The Man in the High Castle | 1 | "The Illustrated Woman" | 3 | |
| "Revelations" | 4 | ||||
| Better Call Saul | 1 | "Nacho" | 3 | ||
| "Pimento" | 9 | Also directed | |||
| 2016 | 2 | "Switch" | 1 | Also directed | |
| "Fifi" | 8 | ||||
| 2017 | 3 | "Witness" | 2 | ||
| "Sabrosito" | 4 | Director only | |||
| "Expenses" | 7 | Also directed | |||
| 2018 | 4 | "Breathe" | 2 | ||
| "Winner" | 10 | Co-written with Peter Gould | |||
| 2020 | 5 | "Wexler v. Goodman" | 6 | ||
| "Bad Choice Road" | 9 | Also directed | |||
| 2022 | 6 | "Carrot and Stick" | 2 | Co-written with Ariel Levine | |
| "Plan and Execution" | 7 | Also directed | |||
| "Breaking Bad" | 11 | Also directed |
Production staff
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | The X-Files | Story Editor | Season 9 |
| 2002 | |||
| 2005 | Night Stalker | Executive Story Editor | Season 1 |
| 2006 | |||
| 2007 | Reaper | Co-producer | Season 1 |
| 2008 | |||
| 2009 | Producer | Season 2 | |
| 2010 | Breaking Bad | Season 3 | |
| 2011 | Supervising producer | Season 4 | |
| 2012 | Co-executive producer | Season 5 | |
| 2013 | |||
| 2014 | Resurrection | Season 1 | |
| 2015 | Better Call Saul | Season 1 | |
| 2016 | Executive producer | Season 2 | |
| 2017 | Season 3 | ||
| 2018 | Season 4 | ||
| 2020 | Season 5 | ||
| 2022 | Season 6 |
Screenplays
| Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Infected | Writer | TV movie. Story by Tom Schnauz |
| 2008 | Otis | Writer | Co-wrote with Erik Jendresen |
Awards and nominations
Schnauz has been nominated for Writers Guild of America Awards on six occasions, winning three times, for his work on the writing staffs of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Schnauz shared in the show's 2010 Dramatic Series nomination, and subsequent category wins in 2011, 2012[11] and 2013,[12] for his work on Breaking Bad. He was nominated again in 2015 and 2016 in the Dramatic Series category for Better Call Saul.
He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series for the 2012 Breaking Bad episode "Say My Name".[13]
| Year | Award | Category | Show | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Writers Guild of America Award | Best Dramatic Series | Breaking Bad | Nominated |
| 2010 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Producers Guild of America Award | Best Episodic Drama | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Writers Guild of America Award | Best Dramatic Series | Won | |
| 2012 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Writers Guild of America Award | Best Dramatic Series | Won | |
| 2012 | Producers Guild of America Award | Best Episodic Drama | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Drama Series | Won | |
| 2013 | Writers Guild of America Award | Best Dramatic Series | Won | |
| 2013 | Producers Guild of America Award | Best Episodic Drama | Won | |
| 2014 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Drama Series | Won | |
| 2014 | Producers Guild of America Award | Best Episodic Drama | Won | |
| 2015 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Drama Series | Better Call Saul | Nominated |
| 2015 | Writers Guild of America Award | Best Dramatic Series | Nominated | |
| 2015 | Producers Guild of America Award | Best Episodic Drama | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Writers Guild of America Award | Best Dramatic Series | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Producers Guild of America Award | Best Episodic Drama | Nominated | |
| 2017 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2020 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2020 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | Nominated |
References
- "'X-Files' Episode Set in Stafford". The Asbury Park Press. October 14, 2001. p. AA3.
One of the show's writers, Thomas Schnauz, 34, spent his adolescence in southern Ocean County and is a 1984 graduate of Southern Regional High School.
- Canessa Jr., Kevin (May 28, 2014). "From Kearny to Hollywood: How Thomas Schnauz made it big on the small screen". The Observer. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
I spent a lot of time in Kearny when I was younger. I was born there...
- "The Writers Room cast members". Sundance TV. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
- "In This Issue". Alumni Magazine. No. 37. New York University. Spring 2021.
- Andreeva, Nellie (January 9, 2014). "'Breaking Bad's Tom Schnauz Inks Overall Deal With Sony TV, Joins 'Better Call Saul'". Deadline. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
- Littleton, Cynthia (December 20, 2013). "'Breaking Bad' Writers Join 'Better Call Saul' Staff". Variety. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- Bowman, Donna (March 30, 2015). "Better Call Saul: 'Pimento'". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
- Sepinwall, Alan (March 30, 2015). "'Better Call Saul' - 'Pimento': Shut the door, have a seat". HitFix. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
- Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 22, 2015). "Disney, ' Breaking Bad' Creator Vince Gilligan Taking Another Whack At Jack And The Beanstalk". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
- "Patton Oswalt, David Simon, Danny Zuker, More WGA Members Post Termination Letters". Variety. April 13, 2019.
- 2012 Nominees & Winners, Writers Guild Awards - Writers Guild of America, West Archived 2015-05-12 at the Wayback Machine
- 2013 Nominees & Winners, Writers Guild Awards - Writers Guild of America, West Archived 2015-09-01 at the Wayback Machine
- "65th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved April 26, 2015.