Fred Goss

TV actor, director, producer and comedy writer Fred Goss understood people's flaws and made a career for himself of chipping away the slick veneer from media portrayals of American life, replacing them with off-the-cuff representations and homespun truths about the ways most of us muddle through. Not surprisingly, Goss began his career in improvisational theater, sharpening his sense of the truth in the human moment. Luckily, he found fans in the industry with a respect for his fresh take on American complexity, enabling him to develop a series of formulae that more accurately translated the authenticity and spontaneity of American life to the small screen.

The native of Orchard Lake, Michigan was born on March 25, 1961. He started acting at fourteen in regional theater where he exercised his craft in scores of productions, writing and staging original works throughout his twenties. He eventually started writing sketch comedy for the ACME Comedy Theater in Los Angeles, where he was part of the main company, and was a member of several improv groups at The Comedy Store. His first jobs in television were as production assistant on commercials. Slowly but surely, he made his way to the other side of the lens, and began acting in television commercials. He landed his first television part in 1988 as a deliveryman on the oddball sci-fi comedy built around a brash alien who invades a normal suburban family's home, "ALF" (NBC 1986-1990).

In 2004 Goss landed his first reoccurring television role on the cable sitcom "Significant Others" (Bravo 2004). The improvisational show, built around replicating the confessional format of couple therapy sessions, was well received by the critics. As the show was wrapping up, Goss met and signed with agent Nick Holly. Holly suggested that given his comprehensive background on both sides of the camera, Goss should start pitching shows. So the actor began spreading his wings. Holly and Goss eventually partnered on a pilot for NBC written and directed by Goss, "The Weekend" (2005). The improvisational temperament of the piece caught the eye of then-President of ABC Primetime Entertainment, Steve McPherson, who approached the duo about translating their intimate brand of heartfelt comedy into the particular sort of extended family storyline he was seeking for the network's lineup. They did, and in 2006 Goss' new career direction began as writer, director, producer and actor on the semi-improvisational sitcom "Sons & Daughters" (ABC 2006). He was also co-creator of the show with comedy giant Lorne Michaels. Goss' style was so hands-on he frequently sat in the editor's chair for the series, helping hammer its on-the-fly sensibility into shape. The show never managed to fully secure its audience, but the blend of improv and scripting engendered fans within both the network and the viewing public, who maintained the show was hobbled by a black-hole time slot against "American Idol" (Fox 2003- ). Die-hards unsuccessfully petitioned the network for a second chance for the show. The show inadvertently triggered another outlet for the budding director, in the form of a Coke Zero commercial he directed on the strength of his work on "Sons and Daughters." He soon began shooting commercial spots for clients like Nike, Dunkin' Donuts, Office Depot and Burger King. His naturalistic, human-scaled sensibility seemed to strike a chord with ad agencies and commercial clients. His working knowledge of soundstages and ability to draw out performances went back to his theatrical background, and both would serve him in the years ahead as he further explored show development.

In 2007, Goss had landed a starring role on 13 episodes of "Carpoolers" (ABC 2007 - 08), a show created by Bruce McCulloch, formerly of "The Kids in the Hall" (CBC 1988-1995) and "Saturday Night Live" (NBC 1975- ). The sitcom had the real-life feel of many of Goss' projects, in this case owing to its intimate single-camera production style. He followed this series with a stint on the beleaguered American version of a cult Australian comedy show, "Kath & Kim" (NBC 2008-09), which starred Molly Shannon and Selma Blair as a dysfunctional mother and daughter team. In 2008-09, Goss also signed a development deal for television properties with Disney. Goss began to more fully shift his focus to the other side of the camera, directing episodes of Dan Harmon's college comedy, "Community" (NBC 2009- ), Nat Faxon's short-lived sibling comedy "Ben and Kate" (FOX 2012-13) and Zooey Deschanel's quirky star turn "New Girl" (FOX 2011-). Goss directed four episodes of "Happy Endings" (ABC 2011-13), an ensemble piece, set in Chicago, centered on a tight-knit circle of friends.

Goff next directed two episodes of "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23" (ABC 2012-13), a midseason replacement that featured Krysten Ritter, Dreama Walker and '90s TV heartthrob James Van Der Beek as a fictionalized, washed-up version of himself. In spite of ongoing tentative treatment by the network, the show was critically lauded. In 2013, he directed his first episode of the award-winning and groundbreaking audience favorite, "Modern Family" (ABC 2009-). His sprawling "New Year's Eve" episode in Season 4 encapsulated the wide-ranging style the show was known for, and he was able to fully draw on the skills he honed as an actor's director during his tenure at "Sons & Daughters."