Tom Fontana

After "St. Elsewhere" went off the air, Fontana served as co-creator, writer and executive producer for the short-lived NBC series "Tattinger's" (1988-89) and the even briefer runs of "Nick & Hillary" (NBC, 1989) and "Home Fires" (NBC, 1992). Barry Levinson originally hired Fontana as executive producer for "Homicide: Life on the Street" (NBC, 1993-99) to fight the fights with network executives, but as the show progressed, even though Levinson's name provided a certain clout, it was Fontana (in Levinson's absence) that was getting the show ready and on the air every week. Often frustrated by the network's failure to see eye to eye with him over content matter, Fontana co-created (along with producing partner Levinson) a one-hour dramatic series set in an urban prison for HBO. Writing the first eight episodes entirely by himself, Fontana took the world of "edgy" TV one step farther with "Oz" (1997-2003), a show which has featured quality actors like Rita Moreno, Ernie Hudson and Terry Kinney, among others, happy to make a little less money in order to work with a writer of Fontana's stature.