Greg Daniels: The Comedy Mastermind with the Midas Touch

He's worked on some of television's greatest comedies. He's responsible for some of the most memorable moments on the small screen. And his feel for funny is matched by few in show business. Most profound of all, you've probably never heard of him. He's Greg Daniels, and with a resume that includes "Saturday Night Live", "The Simpsons", "Seinfeld", "King of the Hill", and now "The Office", he has developed a television record that ranks him among Hollywood's elite.

Daniels quickly broke into television in 1983 with fellow Harvard graduate Conan O'Brien when he landed a writing position for HBO's sketch comedy series "Not Necessarily the News." As if a sign of things to come, the series was a take-off of a British comedy, "Not the Nine O'Clock News." The show's sharp satirical writing earned more critical acclaim than rival Saturday Night Live during the period, and gave HBO one of its first ratings hits.

Daniels, along with Conan, would eventually give in to mainstream TV joining SNL's crew in the late 1980's - a period that many consider to be the show's creative peak. After winning an Emmy on SNL in 1989, Daniels joined Seinfeld's writing staff for its first full order season. Although only credited with season three's "The Parking Space", Daniels work with Seinfeld came during the two seasons that most agree were the comedy's finest. After season four, Daniels moved to LA where he roomed with Conan O'Brien and began writing for his third iconic series, "The Simpsons." Through its first four seasons "The Simpsons" had already garnered a large following, but a burntout writing staff created the largest writer turnover in the show's history and gave Daniels an opening to Evergreen Terrace. His contribution was quickly noticed, penning fan favourite episodes "Bart Sells His Soul", "Lisa's Wedding", and "Homer Badman", among others After season seven, Daniels pursuaded fellow Simpsons writers to work on his newly developed cartoon for Fox's primetime lineup - "King of The Hill", cocreated with Mike Judge. The unconventional series challenged the genearlly followed notion that a cartoon needed a bumbling idiot in the lead role, and through subtle humour and dialogue-driven scenes, KOTH became the second longest-running cartoon behind only "The Simpsons."

Daniels collected five more Emmy's from KOTH, bringing his total to nine. At age 42, Daniels had a flawless comedy track record, and was an easy choice by NBC to develop the American version to the UK's cult comedy "The Office." British adaptations had not proven fruitful for the network in the past (most recently, 2003's "Coupling" that lasted only four episodes) and a season one order of only five episodes by NBC suggested a similar fate. Ratings were low, and both fans and critics detested Carrell's interpretation of Ricky Gervais's "Office" lead. The comedy seemed destined for a 'not as good as the original' label and another example for critics who argue British shows do not translate well in the US. However, after favourable lobbying on "The Office's" behalf from a small contingent of NBC executives, the series was rewarded a second season, and Daniels quickly proved his successful comedy background was no fluke.

Carrell's Michael Scott character was toned down, the secondary cast was given a more prominent role, and the sharp writing that had riddled Daniels career transformed "The Office" into television's strongest comedy. How does he do it? It's a question I'm often tried to answer myself. I think it comes down to making decisions. Daniels seems to have a remarkable perception for how a joke on paper can translate on screen, and in a comedy like "The Office" where the writers walk a narrow tight-rope between genius and idiotic, Daniels has yet to lose his balance. Besides writing and directing a handful of "Office" episodes, Daniels is the series' showrunner, meaning all scripts and storylines are passed his way before final production. As "The Office" concludes its third season tomorrow equipped with a 25 episode renewal contract next season (five of which will be an hour) the comedy that seemed destined for cancellation is in very capable hands. It's hard to imagine "The Office" jumping the shark too early when at the helm is the man with comedy's midas touch.