Terence Winter

This is so Donald Trump of you. Yeah. John Barron calling. So, yeah. And I have no idea what agents did or said. The only agent I ever saw was Reuben Kincaid on The Partridge Family. And he didn't seem to do much. But I figured, you know what? Let me just – I'm just going to wing it. And she said, yeah, yeah. We read his stuff. He's really, you know, talented. I said, oh, yeah. Kid's amazing.

This is so Donald Trump of you. Yeah. John Barron calling. So, yeah. And I have no idea what agents did or said. The only agent I ever saw was Reuben Kincaid on The Partridge Family. And he didn't seem to do much. But I figured, you know what? Let me just – I'm just going to wing it. And she said, yeah, yeah. We read his stuff. He's really, you know, talented. I said, oh, yeah. Kid's amazing.

So does he have like one more teenage oriented script? Because, you know, Fresh Prince is kind of a teenage show. I said, yeah, he just finished an incredible episode of The Wonder Years, but I don't have a copy of it. I won't have it until. So I'm trying to calculate in my head how long is it going to take me to write a Wonder Years episode. So it was Friday. I can get it to you two months later.

So does he have like one more teenage oriented script? Because, you know, Fresh Prince is kind of a teenage show. I said, yeah, he just finished an incredible episode of The Wonder Years, but I don't have a copy of it. I won't have it until. So I'm trying to calculate in my head how long is it going to take me to write a Wonder Years episode. So it was Friday. I can get it to you two months later.

late Tuesday afternoon, if that works. She goes, yeah, fine, great. So hung up the phone and cranked out a Wonder Years episode, went in, gave it in. Now I was the messenger, I was the lawyer, I was everybody. And they had me in to pitch an idea and that became my foot in the door. I sold them on an idea that ultimately never went anywhere. But that was my first shot.

late Tuesday afternoon, if that works. She goes, yeah, fine, great. So hung up the phone and cranked out a Wonder Years episode, went in, gave it in. Now I was the messenger, I was the lawyer, I was everybody. And they had me in to pitch an idea and that became my foot in the door. I sold them on an idea that ultimately never went anywhere. But that was my first shot.

And a little after that, I got into a thing called the Warner Brothers Sitcom Writers Workshop, which they used to do. They would take 15 people from a pool of hundreds around the country and then put you through a program. At the end of it, they called me and they said, we have an interesting situation. We have a show we think you'd be great for. It's not a sitcom.

And a little after that, I got into a thing called the Warner Brothers Sitcom Writers Workshop, which they used to do. They would take 15 people from a pool of hundreds around the country and then put you through a program. At the end of it, they called me and they said, we have an interesting situation. We have a show we think you'd be great for. It's not a sitcom.

And this isn't a reflection of your sitcom writing. It's a drama that has comedy in it. And I said, well, why me? And they said, well, it's about a blue collar guy who's a lawyer who works for a big stuffy law firm. Do you think you could do that? And I was like, if I don't get this fucking job, I said, yes, basically my life story. So, yeah.

And this isn't a reflection of your sitcom writing. It's a drama that has comedy in it. And I said, well, why me? And they said, well, it's about a blue collar guy who's a lawyer who works for a big stuffy law firm. Do you think you could do that? And I was like, if I don't get this fucking job, I said, yes, basically my life story. So, yeah.

And that was my actual first staff job as a show called The Great Defender with Michael Rispoli, Peter Krause, Richard Kiley, who is man of La Mancha. And thank God that I've been working ever since that show. Wow. Incredible.

And that was my actual first staff job as a show called The Great Defender with Michael Rispoli, Peter Krause, Richard Kiley, who is man of La Mancha. And thank God that I've been working ever since that show. Wow. Incredible.

I was not taking no for an answer.

I was not taking no for an answer.

I mean, yeah. I mean, I grew up when I was 13. I started working for a butcher shop that was owned by Paul Castellano, who's the head of the Gambino family. When I was 16, I worked in an illegal card game run out of a synagogue in our neighborhood that was run by a guy named Roy DeMeo, who's the subject of a book called Murder Machine. He and his crew in the early 80s killed

I mean, yeah. I mean, I grew up when I was 13. I started working for a butcher shop that was owned by Paul Castellano, who's the head of the Gambino family. When I was 16, I worked in an illegal card game run out of a synagogue in our neighborhood that was run by a guy named Roy DeMeo, who's the subject of a book called Murder Machine. He and his crew in the early 80s killed

more people than the Iraqi army at the time, I think was the, the statistic. He had a bar in my neighborhood. So by osmosis, I just kind of knew those guys. I also just became fascinated with crime and criminals. Actually, somebody asked me this, like, what was the first thing? And it sounds quaint now, but it was the movie Oliver.

more people than the Iraqi army at the time, I think was the, the statistic. He had a bar in my neighborhood. So by osmosis, I just kind of knew those guys. I also just became fascinated with crime and criminals. Actually, somebody asked me this, like, what was the first thing? And it sounds quaint now, but it was the movie Oliver.

I loved the idea of being part of that gang of pickpockets that was like, I wanted to be the, I wanted to be the awful Dodger. Oh, yeah. That looks so cool to me. And right around that time, I read Abby Hoffman had this book called Steal This Book. Of course. Yeah. Which was my Bible. And it was the first time I was like, oh, wow, you can scam shit. And then the sting came out.

I loved the idea of being part of that gang of pickpockets that was like, I wanted to be the, I wanted to be the awful Dodger. Oh, yeah. That looks so cool to me. And right around that time, I read Abby Hoffman had this book called Steal This Book. Of course. Yeah. Which was my Bible. And it was the first time I was like, oh, wow, you can scam shit. And then the sting came out.