Favorite Shows of Our Favorite Show Creators

VARIETY has a great segment which asks some of the top TV show creators to talk about the TV that has inspired them throughout the years. Check out which shows have impacted Josh Schwartz (The O.C.), Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy), Tim Kring (Heroes), and Seth McFarlane (The Family Guy).

Josh Schwartz
Resume: Creator/exec producer of “The O.C.”, “Chuck” (NBC), and “Gossip Girl” (CW) — both premiere this fall

What shows have influenced your career: ” ‘Family Ties,’ ‘Quantum Leap,’ ‘Moonlighting’ (as a kid), ‘Seinfeld,’ ‘The Sopranos,’ anything by J.J. Abrams or Judd Apatow.”

Favorite shows besides your own: “The Sopranos,” “Heroes,” “Friday Night Lights,” “The Office,” “30 Rock,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Real Time With Bill Maher.”
(more from Josh Schwartz)

Shonda Rhimes
Resume: Creator/exec producer of “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice”

What shows have influenced your career: “I’ve watched a lot of television, but I’d have to say that the shows that have influenced me the most are ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show,’ ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Good Times.’ A varied mix, but all three shows had great character development and all three took chances. I’m still not over the cancellation of ‘Buffy.’ ”

Favorite shows besides your own: “I’m a big fan of ‘Weeds,’ ‘Lost,’ ‘The Closer’ and ‘Project Runway.’ ”
(more from Shonda Rhimes)

Tim Kring
Resume: “Heroes” (creator, executive producer); “Crossing Jordan” (creator, executive producer) “Providence,” co-executive producer; “L.A. Doctors,” co-executive producer; “Strange World,” co-creator; “Chicago Hope,” supervising producer

What shows have influenced your career? “The idea of these big twists and turns that ‘Heroes’ has very much came from wanting to duplicate the experience that I had watching the Rod Serling shows ‘Twilight Zone’ and ‘Night Gallery’ — those kinds of shows where there was always some very big twist at the end that made you rethink everything that you had just seen.”

Favorite shows besides your own: “It’s funny, when I started working in television was when I stopped watching TV. By the time you get home and spend any kind of time with your kids, TV is not really an option. (But) the one real addiction for my family is ‘Project Runway,’ which is, I would say, also the biggest and most popular show in the writers’ room at ‘Heroes.’ ”
(more from Tim Kring)

Seth MacFarlane
Resume: Creator/exec producer of “The Family Guy”, “American Dad”

What shows have influenced your career: “Certainly for what I do on a practical basis, ‘The Simpsons’ has been an influence. As far as comedy, I was always big Woody Allen fan growing up, I was a big Jackie Gleason fan and certainly you see a great deal of that in Peter. And I thought ‘The Larry Sanders Show’ was just about one of the greatest comedy shows ever produced, in addition to ‘All in the Family.’ ”

Favorite shows besides your own: “I’m very sad that ‘The Sopranos’ is ending. I love that show. Probably my favorite show on the air right now is ‘Real Time With Bill Maher.’ I almost wish it was on a network and more people could see it because it’s sort of an oasis of logic and reason.”
(more from Seth MacFarlane)