{{Short description|American writer and producer}} {{for|the early 20th century suffrage figure|Elizabeth Avery Meriwether}} {{Infobox person | name = Elizabeth Meriwether | image = Flickr - Genevieve719 - Elizabeth Meriwether (cropped).jpg | birth_name = Elizabeth Hughes Meriwether | birth_date = {{birth date and age |1981|10|11}} | birth_place = Miami, Florida, U.S. | occupation = Playwright, screenwriter, television producer, showrunner | years_active = 2000–present | education = Yale University {{small|(BA)}}<br>Juilliard School {{small|(GrDip)}} | notable_works = ''New Girl'' <br /> ''No Strings Attached'' | children = 3<ref>{{cite web |title=Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Cwqs1qYx9ws/?igshid=MWZjMTM2ODFkZg== |website=www.instagram.com |access-date=3 September 2023}}</ref> }}
'''Elizabeth Hughes Meriwether''' (born October 11, 1981) is an American writer, producer and television showrunner.<ref>{{cite news | last = Bello | first = Grace | url = http://bitchmagazine.org/post/womans-work-when-women-run-the-show-draft | title = When Women Run the Show | date = January 10, 2013 | access-date = January 29, 2013 | archive-date = January 16, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130116131203/http://bitchmagazine.org/post/womans-work-when-women-run-the-show-draft | url-status = live }}</ref> She is known for creating the Fox sitcom ''New Girl'', and for writing the play ''Oliver Parker!'' (2010) and the romantic comedy film ''No Strings Attached'' (2011). She also created the ABC sitcoms ''Single Parents'', ''Bless This Mess'', as well as the Hulu dramas ''The Dropout'' and ''Dying for Sex''.
==Early life==
Meriwether was born on October 11, 1981, in Miami, Florida. Her family moved from Miami to Detroit, Michigan, when she was five years old, and then to Ann Arbor, Michigan, when she was 10.<ref name="former" /> Her father, Heath J. Meriwether, was the publisher of the newspaper ''Detroit Free Press'', and her mother, Patricia Hughes Meriweather{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}, was a painter.<ref name="former" />
Meriwether grew up aspiring to be an actress, but when she wrote her first play, she realized she wanted to be a playwright instead.<ref name="former" /> Meriwether graduated from Greenhills High School in Ann Arbor.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.greenhillsschool.org/knowledge-base/liz-meriwether-00-debuts-new-comedy-new-girl/ | title=Liz Meriwether '00 Debuts New Comedy "New Girl" | date=20 September 2011 | access-date=7 March 2022 | archive-date=7 March 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307190355/https://www.greenhillsschool.org/knowledge-base/liz-meriwether-00-debuts-new-comedy-new-girl/ | url-status=live }}</ref> in 2000.
== Education == Meriwether graduated from Yale University in 2005. She double-majored in English and theater studies.<ref name="former">{{cite news|last=Hinds |first=Julie |title=Former Detroiter aimed to craft a modern look at young love |page=54|work=Detroit Free Press |date=January 16, 2011 }}</ref>
== Career == Meriwether wrote the plays ''Heddatron'' (2006), ''The Mistakes Madeline Made'' (2006) and ''Oliver Parker!'' (2010).
She held a showcase of her plays in Los Angeles, in which a young Emma Stone was cast. Meriwether has credited the showcase and Stone's participation as an important point in her career trajectory.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://ew.com/article/2016/04/20/liz-meriwether-emma-stone-tribeca-panel/|title=New Girl creator Liz Meriwether: I owe my career to Emma Stone|work=EW.com|access-date=2018-01-11|language=en|archive-date=2018-01-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111224151/http://ew.com/article/2016/04/20/liz-meriwether-emma-stone-tribeca-panel/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Upon moving to Los Angeles, Meriwether developed a play called ''Sluts''. As part of a program to help aspiring playwrights adapt their scripts for television, she turned the idea into a television pilot.<ref name=":0" /> The pilot, described as "a raunchy, honest look at the messy dating lives of twentysomething women" was filmed for 20th Century Fox Television, but ultimately not picked up. However, it succeeded in establishing Meriwether as a distinctive comedic voice.<ref name="Not That Kind of Girl">{{Cite magazine|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/113170/liz-meriwether-new-girl-creator-anti-lena-dunham|title=Not That Kind of Girl|magazine=New Republic|access-date=2018-01-11|language=en-US|archive-date=2013-11-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111150707/http://www.newrepublic.com/article/113170/liz-meriwether-new-girl-creator-anti-lena-dunham|url-status=live}}</ref>
In 2010, she wrote an episode of Adult Swim's ''Childrens Hospital''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/06/a-guide-to-your-favorite-showrunners-first-shows/carter-bays-and-craig-thomas-late-show-with-david|title=A Guide to Your Favorite Showrunners' First ShowsCarter Bays and Craig Thomas, ''Late Show with David Letterman''|website=Complex|language=en|access-date=2018-01-11|archive-date=2018-01-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111231215/http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/06/a-guide-to-your-favorite-showrunners-first-shows/carter-bays-and-craig-thomas-late-show-with-david|url-status=live}}</ref>
Meriwether wrote the 2011 romantic comedy film ''No Strings Attached'', directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher.<ref name=":1"/> The film's working title was ''Fuckbuddies''.<ref name="Not That Kind of Girl"/>
After her success with ''No Strings Attached'', 20th Century Fox Television approached Meriwether about developing another television series.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2013/tv/news/new-girl-creator-liz-meriwether-in-overall-deal-with-20th-tv-exclusive-1200563392/|title='New Girl' Creator Liz Meriwether in Overall Deal with 20th TV (EXCLUSIVE)|last=Littleton|first=Cynthia|date=2013-07-16|work=Variety|access-date=2018-01-11|language=en-US|archive-date=2013-12-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203075912/http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/new-girl-creator-liz-meriwether-in-overall-deal-with-20th-tv-exclusive-1200563392/|url-status=live}}</ref> Meriwether pitched an idea about an "offbeat girl moving in with three single guys",<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=4787|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130910094600/http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=4787|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-09-10|title=New Girl's Elizabeth Meriwether|date=2013-09-10|website=archive.is|access-date=2018-01-11}}</ref> inspired by her experience of "bouncing from Craigslist sublet to Craigslist sublet, for four years in L.A." when she was in her twenties.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://collider.com/zooey-deschanel-liz-meriwether-new-girl-interview/|title=Zooey Deschanel and Liz Meriwether NEW GIRL Interview|date=2012-01-15|work=Collider|access-date=2018-01-11|language=en-US|archive-date=2013-10-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005035135/http://collider.com/zooey-deschanel-liz-meriwether-new-girl-interview/|url-status=live}}</ref>
The show, ''New Girl'', was greenlit in 2011 with an initial order of 13 episodes and Zooey Deschanel in the title role. It aired 146 episodes over seven seasons. It was well received by critics and nominated for a number of awards, including five Golden Globe Awards and five Primetime Emmy Awards.
In 2013, she signed a multi-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television, to develop additional projects for the studio.<ref name=":1" /> Her deal was renewed in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Thorne|first=Will|date=2019-04-30|title=Liz Meriwether Inks New 20th Century Fox TV Deal|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/liz-meriwether-20th-century-fox-tv-deal-1203201244/|access-date=2021-03-14|website=Variety|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-02-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225110334/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/liz-meriwether-20th-century-fox-tv-deal-1203201244/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Meriwether received put pilot commitment from ABC for the show ''Woman Up''. She worked on the project with Zoe Lister-Jones, and Jason Winer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=2018-10-08 |title=ABC Nabs 'Woman Up' Comedy From Zoe Lister-Jones, Liz Meriwether & Jason Winer As Put Pilot |url=https://deadline.com/2018/10/abc-comedy-woman-up-zoe-lister-jones-liz-meriwether-jason-winer-put-pilot-1202478865/ |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=Deadline |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927185356/https://deadline.com/2018/10/abc-comedy-woman-up-zoe-lister-jones-liz-meriwether-jason-winer-put-pilot-1202478865/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2025, Elizabeth's show ''Dying for Sex'' was nominated for nine Primetime Emmy Awards. She was personally nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. In March 2026, her deal with 20th Television was renewed again.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Manning |first=Luke |date=2026-03-10 |title="New Girl" Creator Liz Meriwether Signs New Overall Deal with 20th Television |url=https://www.laughingplace.com/entertainment/liz-meriwether-20th-tv-new-overall-deal/ |access-date=2026-04-08 |website=LaughingPlace.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== The Fempire === Meriwether is part of "The Fempire", a group of female screenwriters that includes Dana Fox, Diablo Cody and Lorene Scafaria.<ref>{{cite news | last = Branch | first = Kate | url = http://www.interviewmagazine.com/blogs/culture/2010-05-17/liz-meriwether/ | title = Liz Meriwether: Beginning and End of the Fempire | work = Interview | date = May 17, 2010 | access-date = 2011-01-20 | archive-date = 2010-05-26 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100526045818/http://www.interviewmagazine.com/blogs/culture/2010-05-17/liz-meriwether/ | url-status = live }}</ref> In 2012, the Fempire received the Athena Film Festival Award for Creativity and Sisterhood at Barnard College in New York City.<ref>The Athena Film Festival: http://athenafilmfestival.com/</ref>
Meriwether is also a well-known feminist, who has done stand-up comedy, and performed for ''The Vagina Monologues'' in Las Vegas.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}
== Filmography == '''Film''' {| class="wikitable" ! Year ! Title ! Writer ! Co-producer |- | 2011 | ''No Strings Attached'' | {{yes}} | {{yes}} |}
'''Television''' {| class="wikitable" ! rowspan="2" |Year ! rowspan="2" |Title ! colspan="4" |Credited as ! rowspan="2" |Network |- !Creator !Writer !Executive <br /> Producer !Director |- |2011–2018 |''New Girl'' |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Fox |- |2018–2020 |''Single Parents'' |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |rowspan="2"|ABC |- |2019–2020 |''Bless This Mess'' |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |- |2022 |''The Dropout'' |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |Hulu |- |2025 |''Dying for Sex'' |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |FX on Hulu |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|2057975}} *[http://www.playscripts.com/author.php3?authorid=663 Elizabeth Meriwether] at Playscripts, Inc.
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meriwether, Elizabeth}} Category:1981 births Category:21st-century American dramatists and playwrights Category:21st-century American screenwriters Category:21st-century American women writers Category:American television writers Category:American women dramatists and playwrights Category:American women screenwriters Category:American women television producers Category:American women television writers Category:Living people Category:Screenwriters from Florida Category:Screenwriters from Michigan Category:American showrunners Category:American television show creators Category:Television producers from Michigan Category:Writers from Ann Arbor, Michigan Category:Writers from Detroit Category:Writers from Miami Category:Writers Guild of America Award winners Category:Yale University alumni