Christopher Keyser

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|birth_place = Long Island, New York

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Christopher Adam Keyser{{Cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/0/Christopher-Keyser.html|title=Christopher Keyser Biography (1960-)|website=www.filmreference.com|accessdate=Oct 5, 2020}} (born 1960) is an American producer and writer of primetime dramas. He is best known for creating the television series The Society and Party of Five.

Early life

Keyser was born to a Jewish family{{Cite web|last=Pfefferman |first= Naomi |authorlink= |title= Miniseries adds Jewish context to Fitzgerald's 'Last Tycoon' |publisher=Jewish Journal|date= 14 September 2020|url=http://jewishjournal.com/tag/billy-ray/ |accessdate=|quote=Ray, 53, said that he and the show’s executive producer, Christopher Keyser, deliberately increased the story’s Jewish content because they both are Jewish}} on Long Island, New York. He attended Harvard College and Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In college, he was the president of the Harvard University Debate Council. Keyser became involved in theater during his last two years at Harvard College, appearing in a number of theatrical productions. He went on to Harvard Law School, from which he graduated with honors and received offers of employment from various New York City law firms.{{Citation needed|date=July 2013}} During law school, however, Keyser became focused on screenwriting; while there he met future writing partner Amy Lippman. While in New York City, Keyser and Lippman formed a writing partnership.

Career

In 1988, Keyser and Lippman moved to Los Angeles, California and were signed on to write teleplays for L.A. Law and Equal Justice. From 1991 to 1996, they also wrote for and produced the shows Sisters and Eddie Dodd.

They became known as an established team in the TV business. The two are best known for the Fox series Party of Five, a primetime family-oriented soap opera. The show featured the Salingers, a family suddenly orphaned when their parents are killed by a drunken man behind the wheel and the eldest son becomes the head of the family, while the eldest daughter wants to write professionally, the youngest daughter is a musical prodigy, and the family tries to stay together and keep the family restaurant business afloat. The show deals with issues involving relationships, romance, school, work, growing-up, and life and death.{{Citation needed|date=July 2013}} Both Keyser and Lippman are credited as the creators, executive producers, and writers of the series. The show lasted six seasons.

In 1996, the show took home the Golden Globe Award for "Best Drama Series." Keyser (along with Lippman) received the Humanitas Prize for the episode "Thanksgiving", where the Salingers wound up confronting the mysterious drunk driver that was responsible for their parent's deaths. Neve Campbell (who got her breakout role on the show) has referred to the show as "the most realistic show on television."{{Citation needed|date=July 2013}} Eventually, ratings waned and the show came to an end.

The team of Keyser/Lippman has continued to develop TV programs such as Significant Others and Time of Your Life (a spin-off of Party of Five starring Love Hewitt's character Sarah leaving San Francisco in favor of New York and searching for the biological family she never even knew she had).

In October 2013, it was announced that Keyser and Sydney Sidner were writing the script for a reboot of Charmed, which was in development at CBS.{{cite web|last=Goldberg|first=Lesley|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/charmed-reboot-works-at-cbs-650956 |title='Charmed' Reboot in the Works at CBS |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=2013-10-25 |accessdate=2013-10-27}} Keyser and Sidner were also going to executive produce the reboot alongside CBS Television Studios and The Tannenbaum Company.{{cite magazine|last=Ross|first=Dalton |url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/10/25/cbs-charmed/ |title='Charmed' reboot may work its magic at CBS|magazine=Entertainment Weekly |publisher=Time Inc |date=2013-10-25 |accessdate=2013-10-27}} However, in August 2014, it was revealed that CBS was not going ahead with the reboot,{{cite web|url=http://tvline.com/2014/08/12/glee-rachel-new-directions-season-6-spoilers/|title=Ask Ausiello: Spoilers on Parenthood, Chicago Fire, True Blood, Glee, S.H.I.E.L.D., The Killing and More|last=Ausiello|first=Michael|work=TVLine|publisher=PMC|date=2014-08-12|access-date=2014-08-14}} although the reboot finally came to fruition in 2018 on The CW with Jennie Snyder Urman, Jessica O'Toole and Amy Rardin replacing Keyser.

From 2011 through 2015, he was president of the Writers Guild of America, West.{{cite web|url=http://www.wga.org/the-guild/about-us/history/presidents|title=Presidents|publisher=Writers Guild of America, West|accessdate=November 22, 2017}}

Keyser was the creator, writer, and executive producer of the Netflix mystery drama, The Society, which premiered on May 10, 2019.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/07/kathryn-newton-star-netflix-drama-series-chris-keyser-marc-webb-1202432697/|title=Kathryn Newton To Star In Netflix Drama Series From Chris Keyser & Marc Webb|last1=Andreeva|first1=Nellie|last2=Petski|first2=Denise|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=June 24, 2018|access-date=May 1, 2019}} The series received positive reviews; on July 9, 2019, it was renewed for a second season, which was set to be released in 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/society-renewed-season-2-at-netflix-1222964|title='The Society' Renewed for Season 2 at Netflix|last=Goldberg|first=Lesley|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=July 9, 2019|access-date=July 10, 2019}} However, on August 21, 2020, Netflix reneged on the renewal deal and canceled the series, citing complications of the COVID-19 pandemic having led to cost increases and difficulty scheduling production.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/08/the-society-i-am-not-okay-with-this-canceled-netflix-covid-related-no-season-2-1203020036/|title='The Society' & 'I Am Not Okay With This' Canceled By Netflix Due To COVID-Related Circumstances|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Nellie|last=Andreeva|date=August 22, 2020|access-date=August 21, 2020|archive-date=August 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821203429/https://deadline.com/2020/08/the-society-i-am-not-okay-with-this-canceled-netflix-covid-related-no-season-2-1203020036/|url-status=live}} Keyser is the showrunner of HBO's acclaimed series Julia, starring Sarah Lancashire as the iconic chef.

Personal life

Keyser is not married to his frequent producing/writing partner Amy Lippman. They have both joked that they are married - just not to each other.{{Citation needed|date=July 2013}} While he was in law school, Keyser reconnected with a high school friend, who was also attending law school at Boston University. Their relationship blossomed and eventually they married.{{Citation needed|date=March 2012}} They have one daughter and one son and reside in Los Angeles, California.