Bill Lawrence

In the fickle world of network television, having one of your shows turn out as a hit is difficult enough. But striking ratings gold thrice, as was the case of writer/producer Bill Lawrence, is a downright anomaly. A sitcom writer by trade, Lawrence burst onto the TV landscape in the early 1990s, writing for shows like "Boy Meets World" (ABC 1993-2000), "The Nanny" (CBS 1993-99), and "Friends" (NBC 1994-2004) before creating his first sitcom hit in 1996 with "Spin City" (ABC 1996-2002). The show, which starred Michael J. Fox as an assistant to the Mayor of New York City, was a smash success, and by 2001, Lawrence had the leverage to pitch his idea for a comedy about employees at a hospital to NBC. That show, "Scrubs" (NBC/ABC 2001-10) was also a hit, running for a total of nine seasons and 182 episodes. In 2009 Lawrence created "Cougar Town," (ABC/TBS 2009-15) which proved to be his third successful sitcom in 15 years. He may not be a household name, but his shows entertained millions of viewers over the course of two decades, making Bill Lawrence one of the most popular TV writer/producers of his generation.

Born in Ridgefield, Connecticut in 1968 (a member of a prominent local family that included Sarah Lawrence of Sarah Lawrence College renown), Bill Lawrence attended the prestigious College of William & Mary in Virginia where he studied English. It was during college that he set his sights on becoming a TV writer, and after graduation landed his first professional writing gig on the sitcom "Billy" (ABC 1992). However, the show, which was a spin-off of "Head of the Class" (ABC 1986-1991) starring Scottish comedian Billy Connolly, was cancelled after 13 episodes. Undeterred, Lawrence landed a coveted writing spot on ABC's beloved teenage comedy "Boy Meets World" the following year, and soon began writing for the hit sitcoms "Friends," "The Nanny," and "Champs" (ABC 1996). His big break came in 1996 when, together with writing partner Gary David Goldberg, Lawrence sold a pitch about a womanizing deputy mayor (played by Michael J. Fox) of New York City and his day-to-day dealings with his sluggish boss (Barry Bostwick). "Spin City" debuted on ABC in the fall of 1996 and was an immediate hit, winning an Emmy and four Golden Globes during its run. The show ended after six seasons but by 2001 Lawrence was already busy running a second sitcom, this time for NBC, called "Scrubs." The show was somewhat of a change of tone for Lawrence, as it utilized a single camera and did not rely on a laugh track. Still, "Scrubs" was an instant smash with viewers, making a star out of lead Zach Braff in the process and winning two Primetime Emmys. During the successful run of "Scrubs" Lawrence tried his hand at animation with "Clone High" (MTV 2002-03). However, the show failed to find an audience, and was cancelled after 13 episodes. After nine successful seasons, the last of which was on ABC, "Scrubs" was finally cancelled, much to the pain of its loyal fans. Lawrence, however, still had steam left in him, and in 2009 co-created "Cougar Town" with Kevin Biegel. The show, which starred Courteney Cox as a recently divorced mother of one trying to navigate the modern dating world, was a hit when it debuted on ABC in the fall of 2009. In early 2013 "Cougar Town" was moved to TBS, with Lawrence continuing to serve as the show's executive producer and head writer. Lawrence next started another sitcom, "Ground Floor" (TBS 2013-15), about the Romeo and Juliet-style romance of a blue-collar maintenance worker and a rising young stockbroker, co-starring "Scrubs" alum John C. McGinley as the threatening yet avuncular manager Mansfield.