David A. Goodman

Lore & Background

Goodman graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA in 1984. He began his career writing for shows like The Golden Girls (though he was not a story editor there) and later worked on series such as Wings and Futurama. On Futurama, he wrote the Star Trek parody episode 'Where No Fan Has Gone Before,' which he credited with helping him secure a writing job on Star Trek: Enterprise. He is a dedicated Star Trek fan with encyclopedic knowledge of the original series.

Goodman joined Family Guy as a co-executive producer in its fourth season (after the show was revived) and became an executive producer from the fifth season onward. He left after the show's 10th season (2011–2012) to work on Allen Gregory, but Allen Gregory had actually premiered in 2010 and was canceled in 2011, so the timeline is off. After that, he became an executive producer on American Dad!. He later worked with Seth MacFarlane on The Orville as an executive producer. Goodman has also written two Star Trek universe books: The Autobiography of James T. Kirk (2015) and The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard (2017).

In 2019, Goodman was elected president of the Writers Guild of America West and served until 2021. The previous president was Howard A. Rodman (2017–2019). During his tenure, he oversaw the negotiating committee for the WGA-Agency Agreement and supported the guild's stand against packaging fees. In November 2022, he was named co-chair of the Minimum Basic Agreement negotiation committee, which led to the 2023 WGA strike after the contract expired.

Reader's Guide

David A. Goodman's significance lies in his dual career as a prolific television writer and a labor leader. His work on iconic animated series like Family Guy and Futurama, particularly the Star Trek homage episode, demonstrates his ability to blend genre fandom with mainstream comedy. His transition to writing for Star Trek: Enterprise and authoring in-universe Star Trek books further cements his legacy within science fiction fandom. As president of the Writers Guild of America West, Goodman played a central role in modernizing guild agreements, notably addressing the contentious issue of packaging fees. His leadership during the 2019 agency standoff and the 2023 strike negotiations highlights his impact on the broader entertainment industry's labor landscape. Goodman's career exemplifies how a writer can shape both creative content and the working conditions of fellow writers.

Did You Know?

• Goodman correctly identified every episode number and name mentioned in dialogue during the Futurama episode 'Where No Fan Has Gone Before.'
• He wrote two Star Trek universe books: The Autobiography of James T. Kirk (2015) and The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard (2017).
• Goodman's nasal voice has been joked about in Family Guy audio commentaries, with Seth MacFarlane comparing it to Ray Romano's voice.
• He was elected president of the Writers Guild of America West in 2019 and served until 2021.