This week on On Story, we're joined by Lang Fisher for a conversation on her process of co-creating, writing, and showrunning Netflix’s hit series, Never Have I Ever. Fisher has a long history of writing and producing funny yet intelligent television, and Never Have I Ever is no exception. This fresh, coming-of-age series follows Indian-American teen, Davy Vishwakumar, who after a difficult year, is determined to heighten her social status at Sherman Oaks High Schools. Both co-created with and inspired by Mindy Kaling’s own childhood, the show's current three seasons are a remarkable masterclass on witty dialogue, a leader in diverse representation on screen, and adept at presenting relatable themes for teens and adults alike. The show's highly anticipated fourth and final season is scheduled to be released by Netflix on June 8th, 2023.

Prior to her work on Never Have I Ever, Fisher was a writer-producer for many comedy series, including Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Mindy Project, and the final season of 30 Rock, where she co-wrote the episode “A Goon’s Deed in a Weary World,” which was named one of Variety’s “25 Best TV Episodes of the Decade.”  Before venturing into television writing, Fisher used her humor to write for six years at the satirical news outlet, The Onion. 

AFF moderator Casey Baron sat down with Lang Fisher to dive deeper into the process of writing and creating Never Have I Ever and to give our audience a craft conversation. Never have you ever learned so much on the art of comedy writing!

Clips of Never Have I Ever courtesy of Netflix.

This week on On Story, we're joined by writing partners Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue, known for their collaboration on projects such as the award-winning film based on the life of Mr. Rogers, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, their work writing and producing the Amazon series, Transparent, and co-creating and co-showrunning their upcoming Netflix series, Painkiller.

Known for their talents writing stories based on true events, Painkiller is no different, as it's an honest exploration of the birth of the opioid crisis in the United States, starring Matthew Broderick and Uzo Abuda. Together, Harpster and Fitzerman-Blue have won the Peabody Award, the PEN award, and the Humanitas Prize for their collaborative work as screenwriters, in addition to receiving Emmy, Golden Globe, People’s Choice Awards, and WGA writing nominations. 

AFF moderator Harrison Glaser sat down with both writers during the 2022 Writers Conference to discuss what makes a successful writing partnership, the process of crafting stories based on real events, and how to build a career that includes writing across genres, and within both television and film.

You know what they say - two heads are better than one, and the truth is stranger than fiction. Harpster and Fitzerman-Blue embody these timeless statements.

Clips courtesy of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. and Amazon Studios.