Bio - Mike Reiss
Emmy-winning producer for “The Simpsons” & co-creator of “The Critic”

Mike Reiss has won four Emmy Awards for his work on The Simpsons, the wacky animated series that has kept America laughing for more than a decade and earned Time magazine’s vote as “the greatest TV show of the twentieth century.” During his eleven seasons on the show, Reiss penned a dozen scripts and produced over 200 episodes. His other television credits include The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Alf, Eddie Murphy’s The PJ’s and It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, where he earned an ACE award for writing and producing.

Reiss is also the co-creator of The Critic, an animated series starring Jon Lovitz as a lovable movie critic. The well-reviewed series has been running on Comedy Central for five years. Reiss also created Queer Duck, the animated adventures of a gay duck. An Internet hit with rave reviews in the U.S. and Europe, the series recently made the jump to the Showtime network.

Culled from more than two decades of creating the funniest and most outrageous shows on television, Reiss’ presentation is a unique glimpse inside the cutting edge of entertainment, including rare video clips from The Simpsons and The Critic. He takes audiences inside the lives of Springfield’s first family, revealing how The Simpsons was almost cancelled before it hit the air, secret trivia of the show, insane dealings with network censors, and lots of juicy gossip about celebrity guest stars. Reiss also delves into the current state of television programming, describing with his characteristic wit why TV is so rotten and what steps need to be taken to bring the medium back to life.

A former editor of both The Harvard Lampoon and The National Lampoon, Reiss continues as a consulting producer on The Simpsons. In addition, he is a frequent contributor to Esquire and Games Magazine, and is an award-winning mystery writer. He has published four children’s books, including the surprise best seller How Murray Saved Christmas, a Christmas story for Jewish kids. His latest work is Santa Claustrophobia. He has lectured on comedy and animation at more than two dozen colleges, as well as the Smithsonian Institution.

Mike Reiss holds a B.A. from Harvard University. A native of Connecticut, he currently lives in California.