Joe Weisberg

Last updated

Joe Weisberg
Joe Weisberg at the Peabody Awards 2019.jpg
Weisberg at the Peabody Awards 2019
Born
Joseph Weisberg

1965or1966(age 58–59)
Alma mater Yale University
Occupations
  • Writer
  • producer
  • educator
  • CIA officer
Television The Americans
Relatives
Awards Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

Joseph Weisberg (born 1965/1966) [1] is an American television writer, producer, novelist, and school teacher. [2] Weisberg is best known as the creator and showrunner of the FX TV series The Americans and The Patient (co-created with Joel Fields).

Contents

Career

A 1987 graduate of Yale University, Weisberg became a CIA officer three years after graduation, [2] and after a short career with the Agency, Weisberg taught at The Summit School, a private special education high school in Queens, New York City until 2010 when he went on to pursue a career in television. One of his final projects at Summit School was helping students found the school newspaper, The Summit Sun. [3]

Weisberg wrote episodes for TNT's alien invasion series Falling Skies and the DirecTV legal drama Damages . He then created The Americans , an FX series centering on two KGB sleeper agents, who pose as American citizens in Washington, D.C. during the 1980s. [2] The Americans was executive-produced by Weisberg and Justified creator Graham Yost. [4] [5] In 2022, Weisberg co-created and showran the limited FX series The Patient .

Weisberg authored two novels: 10th Grade and An Ordinary Spy. [6] An Ordinary Spy was nominated for the Believer Book Award. [7]

Weisberg is also the author of the non-fiction book Russia Upside Down: An Exit Strategy for the Second Cold War, which was published in 2021. [8]

Personal life

Weisberg grew up in a Jewish family in Chicago, [9] the son of civil rights attorney Bernard Weisberg and former Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Lois Weisberg. [2] He is the younger brother of Slate Group editor-in-chief Jacob Weisberg. [2]

Filmography

Falling Skies

Damages

The Americans

The Patient

Bibliography

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
2022 Peabody Awards Entertainment The Patient Nominated [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Americans</i> 2013 American period spy drama television series

The Americans is an American period spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg for FX. It originally aired for six seasons from January 30, 2013 to May 30, 2018. Weisberg and Joel Fields also served as showrunners and executive producers. Set during the Cold War, the show follows Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, two Soviet KGB intelligence officers posing as an American married couple living in Falls Church, a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C., with their American-born children Paige and Henry. It also explores the conflict between Washington's FBI office and the KGB Rezidentura there, from the perspectives of agents on both sides, including the Jennings' neighbor Stan Beeman, an FBI agent working in counterintelligence. The series begins in the aftermath of the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan in January 1981 and concludes in December 1987, shortly before the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

"Pilot" is the first episode of the first season of the period drama television series The Americans. It originally aired on FX in the United States on January 30, 2013. The episode was written by series creator Joe Weisberg and directed by Gavin O'Connor.

"Gregory" is the third episode of the first season of the period drama television series The Americans. It originally aired on FX in the United States on February 13, 2013.

"In Control" is the fourth episode of the first season of the period drama television series The Americans. It originally aired on FX in the United States on February 20, 2013.

<i>The Americans</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American television drama series The Americans premiered on January 30, 2013, and concluded on May 1, 2013. It consisted of 13 episodes, each running for approximately 45 minutes, except for a pilot of over an hour. FX broadcast the first season on Wednesdays at 10:00 pm in the United States. The series is produced by DreamWorks Television. The Americans was created by Joe Weisberg.

"The Colonel" is the thirteenth episode and the season finale of the first season of the period drama television series The Americans. It originally aired on FX in the United States on May 1, 2013.

Elizabeth Jennings (<i>The Americans</i>) Fictional character

Elizabeth Jennings is a fictional character in the American television drama series The Americans on FX, as the female lead. Her character was conceived by showrunner Joe Weisberg and is portrayed by Keri Russell.

Philip Jennings (<i>The Americans</i>) Fictional character

Philip Jennings is a fictional character in the American television drama series The Americans on FX, and the male lead. He was created by series creator Joe Weisberg and is portrayed by Welsh actor Matthew Rhys. Philip is a KGB agent and, along with Elizabeth, poses as an American citizen, working as a travel agent in Washington, D.C.

"Echo" is the thirteenth episode and the season finale of the second season of the American television drama series The Americans, and the 26th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on FX in the United States on May 21, 2014.

<i>The Americans</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of the American television drama series The Americans, consisting of 13 episodes, premiered on FX on January 28, 2015, and concluded on April 22, 2015. The series was renewed for the third season on April 16, 2014.

"Baggage" is the second episode of third season of the American television drama series The Americans, and the 28th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on February 4, 2015 in the United States on FX.

<i>The Americans</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of the American television drama series The Americans, consisting of 13 episodes, premiered on FX on March 16, 2016, and concluded on June 8, 2016.

<i>The Americans</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of the American television drama series The Americans, comprising 13 episodes, aired on FX from March 7 to May 30, 2017. The show moved to Tuesdays, having aired on Wednesdays for its first four seasons.

"Dead Hand" is the sixth season premiere of the American television drama series The Americans, and the 66th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on March 28, 2018 in the United States on FX.

"Jennings, Elizabeth" is the ninth episode of the sixth season of the period drama television series The Americans. It originally aired on FX in the United States on May 23, 2018.

"Stingers" is the tenth episode of the third season of the American period spy drama television series The Americans. It is the 36th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Joel Fields and series creator Joe Weisberg, and directed by Larysa Kondracki. It was released on FX on April 1, 2015.

"March 8, 1983" is the thirteenth episode and season finale of the third season of the American period spy drama television series The Americans. It is the 39th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Joel Fields and series creator Joe Weisberg, and directed by executive producer Daniel Sackheim. It was released on FX on April 22, 2015.

"Persona Non Grata" is the thirteenth episode and season finale of the fourth season of the American period spy drama television series The Americans. It is the 52nd overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Joel Fields and series creator Joe Weisberg, and directed by executive producer Chris Long. It was released on FX on June 8, 2016.

"Pests" is the second episode of the fifth season of the American period spy drama television series The Americans. It is the 54th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Joel Fields and series creator Joe Weisberg, and directed by executive producer Chris Long. It was released on FX on March 14, 2017.

"The Soviet Division" is the thirteenth episode and season finale of the fifth season of the American period spy drama television series The Americans. It is the 65th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Joel Fields and series creator Joe Weisberg, and directed by Chris Long. It was released on FX on May 30, 2017.

References

  1. Holson, Laura M. (March 29, 2013). "The Dark Stuff, Distilled". The New York Times.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Holson, Laura M. (March 29, 2013). "The Dark Stuff, Distilled". New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  3. "News" (PDF). The Summit Sun. June 2010.
  4. Bill Brioux (January 30, 2013). "The Americans debuts on FX Canada Jan. 30". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  5. Andreeva, Nellie (December 16, 2011). "FX Greenlights Drama Pilot About 1980s KGB Spies Posing As U.S. Suburbanites". Deadline. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
  6. Waxman, Olivia B. (January 30, 2013). "Q&A: The CIA Officer Behind the New Spy Drama The Americans". Time Magazine. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  7. "The Believer Book Award 2007 finalists". The Believer'. March–April 2008. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  8. "Russia Upside Down". Kirkus Reviews . July 15, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  9. Bloom, Nate (September 14, 2017). "Jewish entertainers well-represented at Emmy Awards". Saint Louis Jewish Light. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  10. Voyles, Blake (September 20, 2023). "83rd Peabody Award Nominees" . Retrieved September 20, 2023.