Jason Katims

A writer with a background in New York theater, responsible for the plays "The Man Who Couldn't Dance," "Driving Lessons," "Catch!" and the frequently produced one-act "Who Made Robert De Niro King of America?," Jason Katims brought his talents to television in the mid-1990s after being discovered by producer Edward Zwick. He debuted with a writing credit in an episode of the short-lived 1994 CBS drama "The Road Home" before teaming up with Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz, the pair behind ABC's "thirtysomething" to work on the teen drama "My So-Called Life" (ABC, 1994-95), an uncommonly realistic and finely scripted portrait of a teenage girl's navigating everyday high school existence.

A story editor on "My So-Called Life," Katims penned three episodes of the series, the remarkable entries "The Substitute" and "Life of Brian" as well as the holiday-themed "So-Called Angels," featuring his father actor Robert Katims in a guest role. Although it received rave reviews and captured a fiercely loyal following, "My So-Called Life" (aired on Thursdays, up against NBC's unbeatable line-up) only lasted half a season on the network before retiring to cult status and an extended rerun on MTV.

In 1997, a year after he made his feature writing/co-producing debut with the comparably unimpressive "The Pallbearer," Katims returned to series television alongside Zwick and Herskovitz as creator of "Relativity." A look at the advent of a romance between two twentysomethings from divergent backgrounds (she from upper middle class WASP stock, he the son of a blue collar Jewish family), "Relativity" had all the emotional honesty and intensity of "My So-Called Life," with a generational-appropriate focus on interpersonal relationships with family, friends and lovers.

While "Relativity" bore the marks of awkward introspection and self-consciousness "thirtysomething" was famous for, Katims' characters were decidedly more likable than the often irritating "thirtysomething" ensemble.

Following the imminent cancellation of "Relativity" after a brief but acclaimed run, Katims went in a different direction with the sci-fi teen drama "Roswell" (The WB, 1999-2001; UPN, 2001-02). Well-written and acted, "Roswell" earnestly followed the budding romance between Max (Jason Behr), an otherworldly being in human teenage form, and Liz (Shiri Appleby), his earthling classmate.

This tried and true plot of opposites attracting injected some suspense into the proceedings, with Max and his two fellow aliens (Brendan Fehr and Katherine Heigl) struggling to keep the truth of their origins secret after Max jeopardizes their safety by using his powers to save Liz's life. The compelling series, yet another entry in the writer's impressive body of work, added a dimension of emotional and romantic realism to science fiction genre.

The alien theme separated it from the influx of teen-aimed series, showed Katims' versatility, and also insured "Roswell" a larger audience, bringing in sci-fi enthusiasts that were not drawn to the writer's previous efforts.