Oh I liked Halloween, that was the only one he did wasn't it?

Simon | August 11, 00:04 CET

yeah only one, he was freelance, believe it was his first TV script (so likely heavily rewritten), this will be Ellsworth's first published TV/Film work since Cleopatra 2525 was cancelled

Ocipital | August 11, 00:29 CET

Thanks for that Ocipital, much appreciated.

Simon | August 11, 00:32 CET

'Halloween' is definitely a Buffy classic, and I'm a big Wes Craven fan, so this should make for an interesting teamup. I always wondered what became of people like him and Ty King, who wrote a handful of amazing episodes and then disappeared into the ether.

MindPieces | August 11, 01:05 CET

Ty King is actually an psyedonom, he is actually David Tyrone King (the name he was credited with on his non Buffy work). Long ago in 1990 Joss left Rosanne, and joined another Film to TV spinoff, Parenthood as co-producer, a very shortlived comedy (12 eps) that stared david Arquette amd featured Leonardo DiCaprio. Whilst Ron Howard and the others invoved in the film were obviously Executive producers, and launched the show, but they were too big for TV and left the Running of the show to Executive Producer David Tyrone King (King and Joss wrote what proved to be the series finale together). After its cancellation King got work on a couple of more failed series before retiring to Seattle in 1994.

Later Joss launched Buffy and bought King out retirement, getting him to write an episode freelance (SAM), and then another (Passion). He offered him a full time job for season 3, but King turned it down as he was now settled in Seattle. He's stayed retired as far as I know

Ocipital | August 11, 02:34 CET

Ty King's Internet Movie Database profile confirms what you've said Ocipital. Not that the IMDB is always perfectly accurate and up-to-date, but it can probably be trusted in this case.

Wow, what a way to retire. "Passion" was his last job. That's awesome.

Kris | August 11, 03:03 CET

Aside from Ty King, my fav one (or two)-off BtVS writer has to be Dan Vebber: "Lover's Walk" and "The Zeppo". Wow, that's some nice work right there. What's Vebber's story (if you know), Ocipital?

SoddingNancyTribe | August 11, 03:06 CET

I'm pretty sure that Dan Vebber wrote for Daria after his stint on Buffy, but that's the last I've heard of him. As for Ty King, since I live in Seattle maybe I should look him up or something...hehe. I can't imagine wanting to retire if Joss himself offered me a full-time writing gig on Buffy.

MindPieces | August 11, 03:23 CET

"Ty King's Internet Movie Database profile confirms what you've said Ocipital. Not that the IMDB is always perfectly accurate and up-to-date, but it can probably be trusted in this case."

Only because I updated it :) So not much independent evidence. The best place to look for an independent confirmation is the Bronze Archive, Ty used to post there a lot in seasons 2 and 3, though in season 3 he isnt classed as famous enough to warrent identifying his posts.

Also forgot to meantion, he and Joss pitched a show together back in 1998, a comedy about the production process or something. but it didnt work out. Not sure how that ties into the I'm retired thing, but I think Ty was only going to run it for the first six episodes (they were pitching for midseason) and then someone else was going to run it.

Dan Vebber: "Lover's Walk" and "The Zeppo". Wow, that's some nice work right there. What's Vebber's story (if you know), Ocipital?

I didn't work on Buffy. Joss wrote "Lover's Walk." - Tim Minear, May 25th 2004 (http://www.buffistas.org/showthread.php?thread_id=100&post_id=9352)

Vebber, unlike King and Ellsworth, was actually a full time staff writer in season 3. I dont know why he left, but I tend more to the theory that he was let go because he didnt work out, whcih impplies to me he didnt write The aired version of the Zeppo either, and the reason he's episodes seem so good is that they were complete rewrites by either Joss or Greeny.

Vebber's Daria episodes actually transvered his time on Buffy (he did three, one aired a year before he joined, one during his time on Buffy, and one after). This is caused by the time it can take to produce animation, believe they were all written prior to him joing Buffy. His next gig was Futurama, the episode didnt air till March 4th 2001, but again its animation, and so might well have been writen back in 1999 after he left Buffy. He stayed at Futurama till its cancellation (writing 4 episodes), pitched a few failed pilots, and was working on the WB midseason replacemnet comedy the Mayor (that featured Buffys The Mayor), which was cancelled only a few weeks into production. Think he's working on a pilot at the mo.

Ocipital | August 11, 10:43 CET

Well that sheds a whole new light on Mr. Vebber's work. Thanks for the inside scoop, Ocipital.

One recurring theme in reading background stuff, and listening to commentaries and interviews is just how much Joss is actually responsible for, despite whose name appears on the tag line. (You've all heard various writers fess up that the "favorite line" of an episode he or she wrote was actually Joss-penned.) The not-so-secret to BtVS's success in maintaining its quality over 7 seasons, clearly.

SoddingNancyTribe | August 11, 19:12 CET