Carlton Cuse

Arthur Carlton Cuse was born on March 22, 1959,{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0WYrAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Mr.+and+Mrs.+Arthur+Cuse;+a+boy,+Arthur+Carlton:+on+March+22.%22|title=Amistad: Magazine of American Society of Mexico|date=January 1, 1958|language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2006/6/5/carlton-cuse-a-carlton-cuse-81/|title=Carlton Cuse |website=The Harvard Crimson |access-date=February 1, 2017}} in Mexico City, Mexico. His father was working in Mexico for Cuse's grandfather, who had a machine-tool manufacturing business.[http://greggsutter.com/wordpress/?p=515 Interview with Carlton Cuse] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722104540/http://greggsutter.com/wordpress/?p=515 |date=July 22, 2011 }} By Gregg Sutter (2010).{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mChlAAAAMAAJ&q=%22CUSE,+Arthur+Robert%22|title=Anglo-American directory of Mexico|date=January 1, 1960|publisher=Talleres Tipográficos de "Excélsior"}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/05/02/archives/nuptials-in-august-for-nancy-shumway.html |work=The New York Times |title=Nuptials In August For Nancy' Shumway |date=May 2, 1954}} Cuse's paternal grandfather was Latvian, of Baltic German heritage.{{cite book |url=http://www.vilcek.org/images/content/1/0/1008085.pdf |title=The Vilcek Foundation Celebrates Lost |page=22 |publisher=The Vilcek Foundation |access-date=March 28, 2014 |isbn=9780615369174 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130306032700/http://www.vilcek.org/images/content/1/0/1008085.pdf |archive-date=March 6, 2013 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DPgnc2ZkvQkC&q=%22Robert+Cuse+was+a+Baltic+German+of+Russian+birth+who+immigrated+to+the+United+States+in+1914.%22&pg=PA61|title=Five Down, No Glory: Frank G. Tinker, Merenary Ace in the Spanish Civil|last=Hall|first=R.|date=October 15, 2011|publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=9781612510712|language=en}} After a few years in Mexico City, his parents moved to Boston, Massachusetts. A few years later, his father accepted a job in Tustin, California where Cuse attended El Dorado Private School, in Orange. Cuse was raised a Roman Catholic.[http://tonyrossi.blogspot.com/2008/01/lost-and-found.html "LOST" AND FOUND] By Tony Rossi (2008). He went to boarding school at the Putney School in Vermont. The school was on a working dairy farm, and placed a strong emphasis on an education in the arts, music, and the outdoors. At the Putney School, Cuse said that he realized he wanted to be a writer.

Cuse attended Harvard University (class of 1981) and was recruited at freshmen registration by Ted Washburn for the rowing team. In his words, he became "a hardcore athlete". Cuse's original plan was to attend medical school, but he instead majored in American history.[https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2006/6/5/carlton-cuse-a-carlton-cuse-81 Carlton Cuse ] By Reed B. Rayman, The Harvard Crimson (6/5/2006). During his junior year at Harvard, Cuse organized a test screening for the makers of the Paramount film Airplane!. The producers wanted to record the audience reaction to time the final cut of the jokes in the film. Cuse said then was when he started thinking about a career in film.[https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2010/3/4/fm-show-people-acc/ 15 Questions with A. Carlton Cuse '81] By Tobias S. Stein and Logan R. Ury. The Harvard Crimson, April 3, 2010.

Cuse is known for his groundbreaking cross-genre storytelling, pioneering work in interactive media, collaborative achievements, and mentorship of many screenwriters who went on to become showrunners of television series.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tvinsider.com/272671/producer-spotlight-carlton-cuse-lost-bates-motel-colony-the-strain/|title=Producer Spotlight: Carlton Cuse on 'Lost', 'Bates Motel' and More—'I Like to Make Shows With Big Stakes'|first=Ileane|last=Rudolph|website=TV Insider|date=July 13, 2017 }}{{Cite web|url=https://archive.nerdist.com/carlton-cuse-interview-colony-sci-fi-series/|title=Carlton Cuse Talks His New Science Fiction Series COLONY — Nerdist|website=archive.nerdist.com}}

Cuse teamed up with a Harvard classmate, Hans Tobeason, and made a documentary about rowing at Harvard called Power Ten. He convinced actor, writer, and fellow Harvard graduate George Plimpton to narrate the film. After graduating, Cuse headed for Hollywood, and worked as an assistant to a studio head, then as a script reader. By working as a reader, Cuse said he gained insight into what made good scripts work.

In 1984, Cuse took a job working as an assistant producer for Bernard Schwartz and then spent a year and a half working on Sweet Dreams, directed by Karel Reisz, starring Jessica Lange and Ed Harris. He described the experience as his version of film school. After helping a writer, David J. Burke, with a feature script, Cuse was hired as a writer on the Michael Mann series Crime Story, for which David J. Burke wrote the pilot. In 1986, Cuse wrote two teleplays for the series.{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0193681/|title=Carlton Cuse|website=IMDb|access-date=February 1, 2017}}

Cuse formed a partnership with feature writer Jeffrey Boam, with whom he helped develop the films Lethal Weapon 2, Lethal Weapon 3, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Cuse wrote the screenplay for the 2015 disaster film San Andreas. The film was directed by Brad Peyton, starred Dwayne Johnson, and was released in the United States on May 29, 2015.{{cite web|url = https://collider.com/san-andreas-3d-carlton-cuse/|title = Lost Showrunner Carlton Cuse to Write San Andreas: 3D|date = July 18, 2012 |publisher = Collider |last = Bettinger|first = Brendan}} San Andreas was the #1 film for Warner Bros in 2015, grossing $473.5 million worldwide.{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/film-studio-is-profitable-871676|title=Studio-by-Studio Profitability Report: Who's Up, Who's Down|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en|access-date=February 1, 2017}}

Cuse and Ryan Condal rewrote Ryan Engle's screenplay adaptation of the video game franchise Rampage. The film, reuniting Cuse and Condal with San Andreas director Brad Peyton, producer Beau Flynn, and star Dwayne Johnson, began production in early April 2017 for New Line/Warner Bros. The film premiered on April 13, 2018, and was the number-one film in the U.S. its opening weekend, earning $35.8 million. Its global gross was $426 million.{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2122286593/|title=Rampage|website=Box Office Mojo}} Rampage also had one of the best showings ever for a video game adaptation.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/weekend-box-office-rampage-beats-a-quiet-place-all-345m-1102827/|title=Box Office: Dwayne Johnson's 'Rampage' Beats 'A Quiet Place' After All With $35.8M|first1=Pamela|last1=McClintock|website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=April 15, 2018}}{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/04/dwayne-johnson-rampage-box-office-weekend-a-quiet-place-1202363694/|title=The Rock Rebounds: 'Rampage' Shushes 'A Quiet Place' With $35.7M No. 1 Opening|first1=Anthony|last1=D'Alessandro|date=April 16, 2018}}

Because of his involvement with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, an executive at Fox, Robert Greenblatt, asked Cuse and Boam if they would be interested in doing a television version of the old movie serials. Cuse said yes and wrote The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., about a Harvard-educated bounty hunter who wants to avenge the death of his father, the most famous lawman in the Old West. Fox gave the go-ahead for the series. Brisco also had a science-fiction element, in the form of a mysterious orb that appears in several episodes. Boam went back to making features, leaving Cuse to write and serve as sole showrunner of the critically acclaimed series. Afterwards, Cuse gave much of the credit for the show's success to actor Bruce Campbell, who played Brisco County, Jr., the lead character.

After Brisco, Cuse met Don Johnson, who had a commitment from CBS to make a new series. With Johnson's blessing, Cuse went off and wrote the pilot for Nash Bridges. Johnson liked it and CBS did, too, ordering 14 episodes off the script without making a pilot. Nash Bridges was the first series that Les Moonves greenlit as the head of CBS. It ran for six seasons and 121 episodes.[http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2010/01/lost-damon-lindelof-carlton-cuse-abc.html The long 'Lost' interview with Lindelof and Cuse, Part 2: The Squeakquel] The Chicago Tribune, January 24, 2010 On November 27, 2021, USA Network aired a two-hour original Nash Bridges film, but Cuse was not involved in the revival.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/25/arts/television/nash-bridges-don-johnson.html|title=Don Johnson Is Back as 'Nash Bridges.' Why?|first=Robert|last=Ito|work=The New York Times |date=November 25, 2021|via=NYTimes.com}}

The success of Nash Bridges prompted Cuse to sign an overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television.{{Cite web|last=Hontz|first=Jenny|date=June 24, 1997|title=Walden has dramatic rise at Fox TV|url=https://variety.com/1997/scene/news/walden-has-dramatic-rise-at-fox-tv-1116679070/|access-date=January 8, 2022|website=Variety|language=en-US}} Cuse created and executive produced the CBS series Martial Law, starring Arsenio Hall and Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, one of martial arts legend Jackie Chan's closest friends and collaborators. Cuse adapted the world of Hong Kong cinema to American television in a story about a Shanghai cop who comes to the LAPD on an exchange program. A team of eight top Chinese stuntmen and coordinators from Hong Kong was hired. Stanley Tong, who had directed many of Jackie Chan's biggest Hong Kong features, directed the pilot. Cuse cast Hong Kong film star Sammo Hung, making him the first Chinese actor to star as the lead in an American TV series. Cuse was showrunning both Nash Bridges and the first season of Martial Law simultaneously, writing and producing 46 episodes of television in one network season. To reduce his workload to a manageable level, Cuse stepped back from the second season of Martial Law to focus exclusively on Nash Bridges.

File:Carlton Cuse.jpg]]

Cuse was an executive producer and joint showrunner on Lost with Damon Lindelof. They met during the sixth season of Nash Bridges. Cuse hired Lindelof, giving him his first staff-writer job on a television series. A few years later, Lindelof and J. J. Abrams wrote the pilot for Lost. Shortly after it was shot, Abrams left the show to do Mission: Impossible III with Tom Cruise. Lindelof had no experience as a showrunner and called Cuse for showrunning advice on the side. Cuse's interest in the material and a conviction that he could turn Lost into a long-running series led him to opt out of a lucrative studio deal elsewhere to take the job as showrunner. He subsequently trained Lindelof to be his co-showrunner, and together they led the show for all of its six-year run.[https://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-09-28-lost-boys_x.htm 'Lost' soul mates] By Bill Keveney, USA Today April 10, 2006.

The Cuse/Lindelof partnership was very productive. They wrote roughly a third of the episodes together, as well as showrunning the series in tandem, overseeing all the creative work on the series, including all story construction, rewrites, casting, production, editing, music, and marketing. The Ringer ranked a Lost episode, "The Constant" written by Cuse and Lindelof, as the top TV episode of the century.{{Cite web|url=http://besttv.theringer.com//?episode=|title=The Ringer's 100 Best TV Episodes of The Century|website=besttv.theringer.com}}

While ostensibly about a group of plane crash survivors trying to return to civilization, Cuse and Lindelof said the show thematically was about people who are metaphorically lost in their lives and seeking to find themselves again. Cuse said that Lost "showed that it was possible on network TV to tell a highly complex, serialized narrative with intentional ambiguity‚ leaving the audience room to debate and discuss the meaning and intentions of the narrative‚ and still find a large audience."{{Cite news|url=https://25yearslatersite.com/2019/10/26/losts-true-constant-was-sentimentality-and-thats-a-good-thing/|title=Lost's True Constant Was Sentimentality, and That's a Good Thing|date=October 26, 2019|website=25YL}}

Lost has regularly been ranked by critics as one of the greatest television series of all time.{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515164119/http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/best-tv-shows-ever/|url=https://empireonline.com/movies/features/best-tv-shows-ever/|title=The 50 Best TV Shows Ever|website=Empire Online|date=June 15, 2016|archive-date=May 15, 2019|access-date=May 15, 2019|url-status=live}}{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515164726/http://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-tv-shows/100|url=https://ign.com/lists/top-100-tv-shows|title=Top 100 TV Shows of All Time|website=IGN|archive-date=May 15, 2019|access-date=May 15, 2019|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515164717/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-lists/100-greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time-105998/|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-lists/100-greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time-105998/|title=100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=September 21, 2016|archive-date=May 15, 2019|access-date=May 15, 2019|url-status=live}} The first season had an estimated average of 16 million viewers per episode on ABC.{{cite web|url=http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=062105_06 |title=Season Program Rankings from 09/20/04 through 05/19/05 |publisher=ABC Medianet |date=June 21, 2005 |access-date=February 3, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010224625/http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=062105_06 |archive-date=October 10, 2014}} During its sixth and final season, the show averaged over 11 million U.S. viewers per episode. Lost was the recipient of hundreds of industry award nominations throughout its run and won numerous of these awards, including the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2005,{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/shows/lost |title=Lost |publisher=Emmys.com |access-date=October 24, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928085415/http://www.emmys.com/shows/lost |archive-date=September 28, 2012}} Best American Import at the British Academy Television Awards in 2005, the Golden Globe Award for Best Drama in 2006, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Lost was the first program with an official TV podcast, with the showrunners breaking down episodic details weekly. Lindelof and Cuse helped start the trend of showrunners becoming celebrities, often as prominent as the actors themselves in TV series.{{Cite web|url=https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/hear-us-out-without-lost-we-wouldnt-have-game-of-thrones/|title=Hear Us Out: Without Lost, We Wouldn't Have Game of Thrones}}

Cuse says he wanted to use other media to tell stories that would never make it onto the network show. Cuse and Lindelof created the first alternative reality game (ARG) that connected as a narrative into a network TV show. Cuse believes this ARG redefined the way in which the internet and a TV show could be integrated, and broke new ground in how a TV show could be marketed.[http://blogs.middlebury.edu/mediacp/2009/07/05/expanding-the-lost-universe-part-2/ Transmedia Storytelling in Television 2.0] by Aaron Smith, Thesis for Middlebury College, Spring 2009 Lost was also the first TV network series show to create original content for mobile phones. Their last ARG, Dharma Wants You‚ won an Emmy in 2009 for Creative Achievement in Interactive Media.{{Cite news|url=http://www.argn.com/2009/09/dharma_wants_you_wins_primetime_creative_arts_emmy|title=Dharma Wants You Wins Primetime Creative Arts Emmy|date=September 21, 2009|newspaper=ARGNet: Alternate Reality Gaming Network|language=en-US|access-date=February 1, 2017}}

The Writers Guild of America, in citing Lost as one of the 101 Best Written TV Series, described the show as "A pastiche of genres...co-mingled to intoxicating effect...[pushing] the idea of how much narrative ground you could cover in television...The ingenuous structure worked both as drama and metaphor. The emotional and psychological mapping of the characters conversed with the show's more elusive map, the one that would get the castaways off the island."{{Cite web|url=https://www.wga.org/writers-room/101-best-lists/101-best-written-tv-series/lost|title=LOST|website=www.wga.org}}

In May 2023, Cuse and Lindelof were accused of fostering a "toxic workplace" by several cast members and writers during their tenure on Lost. Lindelof acknowledged responsibility for creating the culture and apologized, citing his personal failings during this time period.{{Cite magazine |last=Ryan |first=Maureen |date=May 30, 2023 |title='Lost' Illusions: The Untold Story of the Hit Show's Poisonous Culture |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/05/lost-tv-show-culture |access-date=August 5, 2023 |magazine=Vanity Fair |language=en-US}}

As Lost marked its 20th anniversary in September of 2024, numerous retrospectives highlighted the show's profound impact on television and its enduring success. The Wrap noted the innovative storytelling, the blend of high-concept mysteries and deep character development, which set new standards for TV narratives.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/lost-20th-anniversary-appreciation/ |title=20 Years Ago, ABC's 'Lost' Premiered and Changed TV|date=June 19, 2024 }} In addition, USA Today wrote that Lost fundamentally altered the TV viewing experience and the way audience consumed television, saying, "These days, watching a show and then listening to podcasts, reading recaps and browsing subreddits that pick the episode apart is simply how we consume it. While certain aspects of that ritual existed before 2004, Lost played a significant role in cementing this process of consumption for the mainstream viewer."{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2024/09/20/lost-tv-show-20th-anniversary-legacy/75253596007// |title=The legacy of 'Lost': How the show changed the way we watch TV |website=USA Today }} The 20th anniversary also brought a resurgence of popularity, The Hollywood Reporter notes Lost finishing the week of October 21-27, 2024 as the #1 show among library series on all the streaming services.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/streaming-ratings-oct-21-27-2024-1236069120/#recipient_hashed=abcbb1ab1a591c2fd88805fa2d63f3c05eea5a19ea61e56a87a8945fa0584db0&recipient_salt=933de311f1b509a1aad31bbf07e2a79c22f0a84a4f18a97889acdfc6aa38b9f5&utm_medium=email&utm_source=exacttarget&utm_campaign=TV%20News%20&%20Industry&utm_content= |title=Streaming Ratings: 'Lost' Hits No. 1 Among Library Series|website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=November 21, 2024 }}

Cuse was the creator, writer, showrunner, and executive producer with Kerry Ehrin of the A&E series Bates Motel, which premiered on March 18, 2013, on the A&E Network.{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2013-mar-18-la-et-st-bates-motel-20130318-story.html|title=Review: 'Bates Motel' a twisty, moody modern prequel to 'Psycho'|last=McNamara|first=Mary|date=March 18, 2013|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035|access-date=February 1, 2017}} The series was described as a "contemporary prequel" to the 1960 film Psycho and follows the formative years of Norman Bates and his relationship with his mother, Norma, prior to the events portrayed in the Hitchcock film. The first season received critical praise, with Vera Farmiga (Norma Bates) being nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2013.{{Cite news|url=https://ew.com/article/2013/09/22/emmys-2013-winners-list/|title=Emmys 2013: The complete winners list|date=September 22, 2013|newspaper=Entertainment Weekly|language=en-US|access-date=February 1, 2017}} The series followed Cuse and Ehrin's original plan to run for five seasons of 10 episodes each for a total of 50 episodes.{{Cite news|url=http://screenertv.com/blogs/bates_motel_three_seasons_set_up_last_two_rollercoaster_ride-2015-04/|title='Bates Motel's' buckle up: First three seasons were the setup, last two will be a 'rollercoaster ride'|date=April 20, 2015|newspaper=Screener|language=en-US|access-date=February 1, 2017}} An episode of Bates Motel in season 4, entitled "Forever", written by Cuse with Kerry Ehrin, made The New York Times{{'}} list of memorable 2016 TV episodes and The Hollywood Reporter{{'}}s list of the best 2016 TV episodes.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/28/arts/television/the-memorable-tv-episodes-of-2016.html|title=The Memorable TV Episodes of 2016|first1=James |last1=Poniewozik|first2=Mike|last2=Hale|last3=Genzlinger|first3=Neil |date=December 28, 2016|last4=Lyons|first4=Margaret|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 1, 2017}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/critics-picks-15-best-tv-episodes-2016-958180/item/critics-pick-tv-episodes-atlanta-958176|title=Critics' Picks: The 15 Best TV Episodes of 2016|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en|access-date=February 1, 2017}} For its final season, Bates Motel also won 2017 People's Choice awards for Favorite Cable Drama, and Favorite Actor and Actress for Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga.{{Cite web|url=http://blog.peopleschoice.com/2017/01/18/peoples-choice-awards-2017-winners/|title=People's Choice Awards 2017: Full List Of Winners|date=January 19, 2017|website=People's Choice|access-date=February 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170120023620/http://blog.peopleschoice.com/2017/01/18/peoples-choice-awards-2017-winners/|archive-date=January 20, 2017|url-status=dead}} In the fifth and final season, Cuse himself appeared in a cameo role, opposite R&B superstar Rihanna, as a highway patrol officer.{{Cite news|url=https://www.avclub.com/article/bates-motels-final-season-will-premiere-february-247886|title=Bates Motel's final season premiered in February|date=January 3, 2017|access-date=February 1, 2017}}{{Cite news |last1=Halterman |first1=Debra |last2=Birnbaum |first2=Jim |date=July 22, 2016 |title=Rihanna Joins 'Bates Motel' in Janet Leigh Role |language=en-US |newspaper=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/rihanna-marion-crane-bates-motel-1201821006/ |access-date=February 1, 2017}} Both Seasons 4 and 5 of Bates Motel have 100% perfect ratings on the rating site, Rotten Tomatoes.[https://en.brinkwire.com/entertainment/the-new-horror-film-from-netflix-is-absolutely-horrible/] The New Horror Film From Netflix Is Absolutely Horrible]{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/bates_motel|title=Bates Motel|via=www.rottentomatoes.com}}

Cuse was showrunner, executive producer, developer, and writer of The Strain, an FX drama series based on the vampire novel trilogy by co-authors Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. Del Toro co-wrote and directed the pilot episode. The Strain premiered on July 13, 2014.{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/fx-orders-guillermo-del-toros-657628|title=FX Orders Guillermo del Toro's 'The Strain' to Series|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en|access-date=February 1, 2017}} Cuse made his directorial debut with The Strain{{'}}s third-season finale. Cuse and del Toro decided to end the series after the fourth season of their own accord, feeling it was the right time to bring the story to a close on their own terms. "The idea was always to do three seasons of the show when we sold it. Going into season four, it really felt like we needed to increase the storytelling velocity and finish the story." The 4th and final season has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The editors concluded: "The Strain concludes on a high note with a climactic season that will remind viewers of the series' initial bite."{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the-strain | title=Rotten Tomatoes: Movies | TV Shows | Movie Trailers | Reviews - Rotten Tomatoes | website=Rotten Tomatoes }} Collider agreed, writing, "The Strain delivers propulsive drama and world building. In the final season, the talented cast, the gorgeous effects, and the singular cinematographic aesthetic are matched [by] bold narrative moves and satisfying character beats."{{Cite web |date=July 14, 2017 |title=The Strain Season 4 Review: Going out with a Bang |url=https://collider.com/the-strain-season-4-review/ |access-date=August 5, 2023 |website=Collider |language=en}}

Cuse was showrunner, co-developer, writer, and executive producer of The Returned, based on the popular and International Emmy Award-winning French suspense series Les Revenants, adapted by Fabrice Gobert and inspired by the feature film, They Came Back, directed by Robin Campillo. Raelle Tucker also served as showrunner and executive producer. The 10-episode first season premiered on March 9, 2015.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2015/01/09/bates-motel-returned-premiere-date|title=A&E sets premiere date for 'Bates Motel,' 'The Returned' |date=January 9, 2015|newspaper=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=February 1, 2017}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.squamishchief.com/news/local-news/zombie-tv-series-takes-over-town-1.1128968|title=Zombie TV series takes over town|last=Aldous|first=Rebecca|newspaper=Squamish Chief|access-date=February 1, 2017}} The series focused on a small town that is turned upside down when several local people, who have been long presumed dead, suddenly reappear. The Returned was co-produced by A+E Studios and FremantleMedia North America in association with Haut et Court TV SAS, the producer of the French series. The show was cancelled after one season in June 2015.

Cuse and Ryan Condal served as creators, showrunners, and executive producers of Colony for the USA Network, a co-production between Legendary Television and Universal Cable Prods. Colony "is a family drama/thriller about life in Los Angeles after a mysterious 'foreign' occupation, and the efforts by the proxy government to crush the growing resistance movement." Academy Award-winning Argentinian director Juan José Campanella directed the pilot. Colony stars Josh Holloway and Sarah Wayne Callies.{{Cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2014/09/usa-colony-carlton-cuse-josh-holloway-lost-pilot-juan-jose-campanella-841801/|title=Josh Holloway To Topline Carlton Cuse's USA Pilot 'Colony', Juan José Campanella To Direct|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=September 26, 2014|newspaper=Deadline|language=en-US|access-date=February 1, 2017}} The ten episode first season of Colony premiered on January 14, 2016.{{Cite news|url=http://www.tvwise.co.uk/2015/11/usa-network-sets-return-date-for-suits-confirms-january-launch-for-colony/|title=USA Network Sets Return Date For 'Suits', Confirms January Launch For 'Colony' - TVWise|date=November 4, 2015|newspaper=TVWise|language=en-US|access-date=February 1, 2017}} On February 4, 2016, USA Network renewed Colony for a second season, ordering thirteen episodes.{{Cite web|url=http://tvline.com/2016/02/04/colony-renewed-season-2-usa-network/|title=Colony Renewed for Season 2 at USA|last=Ausiello|first=Michael|date=February 4, 2016|website=TVLine|access-date=February 1, 2017}} Colony was among the Top 10 scripted first season dramas on ad-supported cable.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thewrap.com/usa-network-tops-cable-11-years-wwe-colony/|title=USA Network Tops Ad-Supported Cable for Record 11th Straight Year|date=December 15, 2016|newspaper=TheWrap|language=en-US|access-date=February 1, 2017}} In season 2, Colony was the number one cable scripted series on Thursday nights in total viewers. On April 4, 2017, Colony was renewed for a third season (which ended up being the last due to cancellation), with production moving from Los Angeles to Vancouver.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2017/04/colony-renewed-season-3-usa-network-production-moving-vancouver-1202056634/title=%27Colony%27|title=Renewed For Season 3 By USA, Production Moving From LA To Vancouver}}{{dead link|date=November 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/07/colony-canceled-usa-network-after-3-seasons-1202431078/|title='Colony' Canceled By USA Network After 3 Seasons|first1=Nellie|last1=Andreeva|date=July 21, 2018}} Overall, Colony earned a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes for its three season run. {{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/colony|title=Colony|website=Rotten Tomatoes }}

Cuse and writer Graham Roland created a TV series based on Jack Ryan, the CIA analyst character, created by novelist Tom Clancy in the 1980s. Cuse served as the showrunner for the first two seasons of the series. The show was an original story that borrowed from rather than adapting any of Clancy's work.{{Cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2016/08/jack-ryan-series-amazon-starring-john-krasinski-carlton-cuse-paramount-tv-1201804030/|title=Amazon Greenlights 'Jack Ryan' Series Starring John Krasinski From Carlton Cuse & Paramount TV|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=August 16, 2016|newspaper=Deadline|language=en-US|access-date=February 1, 2017}} The series stars John Krasinski as Ryan, "an up-and-coming CIA analyst as he uncovers a pattern in terrorist communication that launches him into the center of a dangerous gambit with a new breed of terrorism that threatens destruction on a global scale".{{Cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2016/12/jack-ryan-wendell-pierce-dina-shihabi-and-ali-suliman-cast-amazon-series-1201872535/|title='Jack Ryan': Wendell Pierce, Dina Shihabi & Ali Suliman Cast In Amazon Series|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=December 16, 2016|newspaper=Deadline|language=en-US|access-date=February 1, 2017}} Amazon Video gave the series an eight-episode, straight-to-series order. Cuse co-wrote, with Roland, five of the eight episodes for the first season and directed one. He co-wrote three episodes in season two.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/08/jack-ryan-series-amazon-starring-john-krasinski-carlton-cuse-paramount-tv-1201804030/|title=Amazon Greenlights 'Jack Ryan' Series Starring John Krasinski From Carlton Cuse & Paramount TV|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=August 16, 2016|website=Deadline|language=en-US|access-date=February 1, 2017}}{{Cite web |title=Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (TV Series 2018– ) |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5057054/fullcredits |via=www.imdb.com}}

As of the second season, Jack Ryan was the most-watched series ever on Amazon Prime Video, according to Nielsen.{{Cite web|url=https://programminginsider.com/jack-ryan-season-two-is-amazon-prime-videos-most-watched-series-release-to-date/|title='Jack Ryan' Season Two is Amazon Prime Video's Most-Watched Series Release To-Date|date=December 5, 2019|website=Programming Insider}}

In March 2019, Cuse announced he was stepping back from day-to-day showrunner duties of Jack Ryan after the second season to focus on other projects. He would remain involved in Jack Ryan as an executive producer.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/03/jack-ryan-carlton-cuse-steps-down-sowrunner-remains-executive-producer-amazon-series-season-3-tom-clancys-jack-ryan-1202570967/|title='Jack Ryan': Carlton Cuse Steps Down As Showrunner, Remains Executive Producer On Amazon Series For Season 3|first1=Amanda|last1=N'Duka|first2=Nellie|last2=Andreeva|date=March 7, 2019}}

Ahead of the third season, Amazon renewed the series for a fourth season which premiered on June 29, 2023 and concluded on July 14.=https://deadline.com/2023/05/jack-ryan-premiere-date-release-pattern-season-4-final-season-episode-count-prime-video-1235360151/ |Jack Ryan’ Sets Premiere Date, Release Pattern For Abbreviated Fourth & Final Season On Prime Video

Cuse was showrunner, executive producer, developer, writer and director of Locke & Key, an adaptation of Joe Hill's comic-book series. Cuse's Genre Arts production company, and IDW Entertainment produced the series. The series was created by Hill and developed by Cuse, Aron Eli Coleite, and Meredith Averill. Locke & Key was a horror/fantasy series that revolves around three siblings, who after the gruesome murder of their father, move to their ancestral home in Massachusetts, only to find the house has magical keys that give them a vast array of powers and abilities. Little do they know, a devious demon also wants the keys, and will stop at nothing to attain them.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/07/locke-key-drama-carlton-cuse-joe-hill-series-order-netflix-aron-eli-coleite-meredith-averill-1202433692/|title='Locke & Key' Drama From Carlton Cuse & Joe Hill Gets Series Order At Netflix, Aron Eli Coleite & Meredith Averill Join As EPs|first1=Nellie|last1=Andreeva|date=July 25, 2018}}

Netflix picked up Locke & Key, committing to a 10-episode order after Hulu passed in March 2018. For Netflix, Cuse redeveloped and recast the show and did not use any of an existing Hulu pilot. The show debuted on Netflix on February 7, 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/locke-and-key-premiere-date-netflix-carlton-cuse-graphic-novel-adaptation/|title=Carlton Cuse's 'Locke and Key' Finally Gets a Premiere Date From Netflix|date=December 4, 2019}} Locke & Key was the top binge show on the TV time chart for the weeks ending February 16 and 23, 2020.{{Cite news|url=https://www.mediaplaynews.com/netflixs-locke-key-top-binge-show-on-tv-time-chart/|title=Netflix's 'Locke & Key' Top Binge Show on TV Time Chart|first=Stephanie|last=Prange|newspaper=Media Play News |date=February 18, 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.mediaplaynews.com/amazons-hunters-top-rising-show-netflixs-locke-key-again-top-binge-on-tv-time-charts/|title=Amazon's 'Hunters' Top Rising Show, Netflix's 'Locke & Key' Again Top Binge on TV Time Charts|first=Stephanie|last=Prange|date=February 25, 2020}} In addition, Forbes reported that Locke and Key was number two on the list of most watched Netflix original and limited series of 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/danafeldman/2020/12/08/here-are-the-10-most-watched-netflix-original-and-limited-series-of-2020/|title=Here Are The 10 Most-Watched Netflix Original And Limited Series Of 2020|first=Dana|last=Feldman|website=Forbes}} Locke & Key was renewed for a second season. Production began on September 21, 2020, in Toronto.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/locke-key-renewed-season-2-netflix-1203548792/|title='Locke & Key' Renewed for Season 2 at Netflix|first1=Will|last1=Thorne|date=March 30, 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/09/locke-key-return-to-production-netflix-1234570016/|title=Netflix's 'Locke & Key' To Return To Production In Toronto Later This Month|first1=Peter|last1=White|date=September 3, 2020}} On December 18, 2020, Locke & Key was renewed for Season 3 ahead of the Season 2 premiere.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/locke-and-key-renewed-season-3-netflix-1234866375/|title='Locke and Key' Renewed for Season 3 at Netflix Ahead of Season 2 Premiere|first1=Joe|last1=Otterson|date=December 18, 2020}} On January 19, 2021, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos announced on a quarterly investor call that Locke & Key was a Top 10 show worldwide for 2020 based on Google search metrics.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/netflix-bridgerton-top-tv-shows-google-1234888088/|title=Netflix Teases 'Bridgerton' News; Streamer Boasts 9 Out of Top 10 Googled TV Shows Globally|first1=Elaine|last1=Low|date=January 19, 2021}} Season 2 premiered on October 22, 2021. With its Season 2 launch, Locke & Key was immediately back among the most popular titles on Netflix. Shortly after its debut, the series was in the No. 3 spot on Netflix's Top 10 TV shows list as well as the Top 10 overall list for movies and series. Season 2 surpassed the Season 1 ratings of 76% from certified Rotten Tomatoes critics, with an 86% score.{{Cite web|url=https://popculture.com/streaming/news/locke-key-season-2-instant-success-netflix/|title='Locke & Key' Season 2 Found Instant Success on Netflix|website=Streaming|date=November 10, 2021 }} One month after release Locke & Key was the number 2 most viewed show by minutes on Netflix with 1.07 billion.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/11/you-netflix-nielsen-streaming-chart-viewers-1234881611/|title='You' Again Tops Nielsen's Netflix-Dominated U.S. Streaming Rankings|first1=Dade|last1=Hayes|date=November 29, 2021}}

Cuse and John Ridley together wrote all eight episodes of Five Days at Memorial. Cuse and Ridley jointly served as the showrunners for the eight hour limited series. Two episodes were directed by Cuse, three were directed by Ridley, and three were directed by Wendey Stanzler. It is based on the 2013 book Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by New York Times journalist Sheri Fink. Her original reporting for the Times and ProPublica, depicting the difficulties a New Orleans hospital endured after Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the city, led to her being awarded the Pulitzer Prize. The series stars Vera Farmiga as Dr. Anna Pou and Cherry Jones as Susan Mulderick. The first three episodes of Five Days at Memorial launched August 12, 2022, on AppleTV+, followed by a new one every Friday through September 16, 2022.{{Cite web |last=Pedersen |first=Erik |date=June 15, 2022 |title='Five Days At Memorial' Limited Series From John Ridley & Carlton Cuse, Sharon Horgan's 'Bad Sisters' Get Apple TV+ Premiere Dates |url=https://deadline.com/2022/06/five-days-at-memorial-bad-sisters-premiere-dates-apple-tv-plus-john-ridley-carlton-cuse-sharon-horgan-1235045463/ |access-date=August 13, 2022 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}

Critical reception was positive. The Guardian had this to say: "Set almost wholly within the increasingly fetid and hopeless confines of Memorial hospital – with each of the first five episodes devoted to a single one of the five fateful days in 2005 that unfolded after Hurricane Katrina made landfall – it is utterly brutal and utterly compelling. ...Every performance (especially Vera Farmiga as Dr Anna Pou, Julie Ann Emery as nurse Diane Robichaux and Raven Dauda as the daughter eventually forced to abandon her dying mother) is quietly brilliant."{{Cite web|last=Mangan|first=Lucy|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/aug/12/ive-days-at-memorial-review-new-orleans-hurricane-katrina-drama|title=Five Days at Memorial review – this extraordinary post-Katrina drama is utterly brutal and utterly compelling|date=August 12, 2022|website=the Guardian}} Rachel Syme wrote in The New Yorker, "If you have the stomach to dig into a nightmarish tale of systemic failure and murky medical ethics, you’ll be rewarded with truly masterly performances. You’ll also be filled with sorrow and rage."{{Cite magazine|last=Syme|first=Rachel|url=https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/television/paul-t-goldman-01-02-23|title=Paul T Goldman|magazine=The New Yorker}} In Hollywood Life's Best Shows of 2022, they wrote, "Five Days At Memorial wasn’t just one of the best shows of 2022, it’s one of the most important series to come out in a long time."https://hollywoodlife.com/pics/best-tv-shows-of-2022-photos/this-is-us-season-6-11 |Best TV Shows Of 2022: ‘This Is Us,’ ‘The White Lotus’ & More

On February 29, 2024, the announcement came that Cuse would be the showrunner and executive producer of Netflix's first ever medical procedural drama series, Pulse. Zoe Robyn wrote the pilot. The greenlight for Pulse came after Cuse and Robyn, overseeing a writers room throughout 2023, guided the development of scripts.

The show examines the lives of the staff of Miami’s busiest Level 1 Trauma Center, who navigate medical emergencies, and it follows young ER doc Danny Simms, who is unexpectedly promoted to Chief Resident amidst the fallout of her own provocative romantic relationship.

The show stars Willa Fitzgerald, Colin Woodell, Justina Machado, Jack Bannon, Jessie T. Usher, Chelsea Muirhead, Daniela Nieves, and Jessy Yates. Production began in March 2024.[https://web.archive.org/web/20240314162206/https://deadline.com/2024/03/pulse-willa-fitzgerald-colin-woodell-netflix-medical-drama-series-1235858069/ Deadline Hollywood] |‘Pulse’: Willa Fitzgerald & Colin Woodell Set As The Leads In Netflix Medical Drama Series The first episode aired on April 3, 2025.https://movieweb.com/pulse-netflix-medical-procedural-first-look-release-date/|‘Netflix's First Medical Procedural Reveals First Look & Release Date

Cuse is well known for his successful mentorship of other screenwriters. He has long advocated that working in collaboration with other writers is the best methodology of achieving creative success in television. Cuse has stated, “The idea that lone genius is the highest form of creativity is a myth. I believe that collaboration is at the foundation of most great creative achievements. The demands of showrunning are huge and, for me, the best creative work comes from working hand-in-hand with another writer."https://www.elmoreleonard.com/index.php?/tv_writer_interviews/more/Carlton_Cuse_Showrunner_as_Mentor | Carlton Cue: The Showrunner as Mentor

Over 30 writers who have worked with Cuse have gone on to run their own shows, including Damon Lindelof, Shawn Ryan, Kerry Ehrin, Raelle Tucker, Meredith Averill, Pam Veasey, Ryan Condal and Graham Roland.https://www.elmoreleonard.com/index.php?/tv_writer_interviews//plaudits_from_showrunners_on_carltons_shows | Testimonials from Showrunners on Carlton Cuse’s Showshttps://www.elmoreleonard.com/index.php?/tv_writer_interviews//list_of_writers_who_worked_on_carltons_shows | Complete List of Writers Who Worked on Carlton Cuse’s Shows and Became Showrunners In 2015, for his mentorship work Cuse was given Variety's Creative Leadership Award at their annual event for Hollywood's New Leaders, with the award being presented by Damon Lindelof.{{Cite web |last=Wagmeister |first=Elizabeth |date=October 28, 2015 |title=Carlton Cuse Touts Hollywood's New Leaders at Variety's Annual Event |url=https://variety.com/2015/scene/variety-events/carlton-cuse-variety-hollywood-new-leaders-1201628536/ |access-date=August 5, 2023 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}

The character of Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, was named after Cuse. Andy and Susan Borowitz, the series's creators, were both friends and classmates of Cuse's at Harvard.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/nytvf-2014-carlton-cuse-says-742971/|title=Carlton Cuse's TV Goal: "The Important Thing Now Is to Not Be Everybody's Favorite Show"|first1=Ted|last1=Simmons|website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=October 22, 2014}}

• San Andreas (2015)
• Rampage (2018)

The numbers in directing and writing credits refer to the number of episodes.

{{BLP sources section|date=December 2023}}

Cuse has been nominated for ten Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on Lost and has won twice: first in 2005 for Outstanding Drama Series, then in 2009 for Creative Achievement in Interactive Media. Cuse, along with Lindelof, received three nominations for Golden Globe Awards, including a win for Best Television Series – Drama in 2005. He has also received five nominations at Producers Guild of America Awards, with a win in 2006 for Television Producer of the Year Award in Episodic Drama; three nominations and wins from the American Film Institute; and twelve nominations at the Television Critics Association, including three wins in for Outstanding Achievement in Drama in 2005, 2006 and 2010, and a win for Outstanding New Program in 2005. Cuse received four nominations from the Writers Guild of America Awards, including a win in 2006 for Best Dramatic Series, and five Saturn Award nominations with four wins in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009 for Best Network Television Series. He also received nominations from the NAACP Image Awards, the Hugo Awards and the People's Choice Awards. In 2007, Cuse shared the British Academy Television Award for Best International Series for Lost.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

In 2009, he won the Peabody Award, the Jules Verne Award, the Roma Fiction Fest Special Award, and a GQ 2009 Men of the Year Award. In 2010, Cuse was voted one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World".{{cite magazine |last =Poniewozik |first=James |title=Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof |series=The 2010 Time 100—Artists |magazine=Time |date=April 29, 2010 |url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1984685_1984940_1985533,00.html |access-date=March 28, 2014}} He has also won the TV Guide Award for Martial Law, which was voted the Favorite New Series in 1999.[https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000664/1999 TV Guide Awards] Internet Movie Database. In 2015, Cuse received Variety's Creative Leadership Award, following past recipients including Judd Apatow and Jerry Weintraub.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/scene/variety-events/carlton-cuse-variety-hollywood-new-leaders-1201628536/|title=Carlton Cuse Touts Hollywood's New Leaders at Variety's Annual Event|last=Wagmeister|first=Elizabeth|date=October 28, 2015|website=Variety|access-date=February 1, 2017}} That same year, Cuse won the Dan Curtis Legacy Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, for lifetime achievement.{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000004/2015/1/|title=Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA (2015)|website=IMDb}} Bates Motel won the 2017 People's Choice Award for Favorite Cable TV Drama.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/awards/7661621/peoples-choice-awards-2017-winners-list|title=People's Choice Awards 2017: See the Full List of Winners|magazine=Billboard|access-date=February 1, 2017}}

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Category:1959 births

Category:American television executives

Category:American television producers

Category:American male screenwriters

Category:American people of Baltic German descent

Category:American people of Latvian descent

Category:Harvard College alumni

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Category:American male television writers

Category:American television writers

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Category:American showrunners

Category:The Putney School alumni

Category:Writers Guild of America Award winners