View source for Jane Espenson

{{short description|American television writer and producer (born 1964)}}
{{use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox person <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name = Jane Espenson
| image = MCM Once Upon A Time Panel DSC 3132 (8980685674) (cropped).jpg
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1964|7|14}}
| birth_place = [[Ames, Iowa]], U.S.<ref name="CNN Profile">{{cite web|last=Kelly|first=Suzanne|title=Jane Espenson: Writer, sci-fi thriller, one nerdy lady| url= http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/TV/01/28/jane.espenson.profile/| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110201062848/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/TV/01/28/jane.espenson.profile/| url-status= dead| archive-date= February 1, 2011|publisher=CNN|access-date=28 January 2011}}</ref>
| occupation = Television producer & writer
| caption = Espenson in May 2013
| years_active = 1994–present
| website = http://www.janeespenson.com/
}}

'''Jane Espenson''' (born July 14, 1964) is an American television writer and producer.

Espenson has worked on both [[situation comedy|situation comedies]] and [[Serial (radio and television)|serial dramas]].  She had a five-year stint as a writer and producer on ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' and shared a [[Hugo Award]] with [[Drew Goddard]] for her writing on the episode "[[Conversations with Dead People]]".

After her work on ''Buffy'', she wrote and produced episodes of ''[[The O.C.]]'' and ''[[Gilmore Girls]]'' among other series. From 2006 to 2010, she worked on ''[[Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' and several projects related to it. Between 2009 and 2010, she served on ''[[Caprica (TV series)|Caprica]]'', as co-executive and executive producer and co-showrunner. In 2010, she wrote an episode of [[HBO]]'s ''[[Game of Thrones]]'', eventually earning a Writers' Guild Award for her involvement with the show. In 2011 she joined the writing staff for [[Torchwood: Miracle Day|the fourth season]] of the British television program ''[[Torchwood]]'', which aired on [[BBC One]] in the United Kingdom and [[Starz (TV channel)|Starz]] in the United States during mid-2011.

From 2011 to 2018, Espenson worked as a consulting producer and co-executive producer on ABC's series ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'', and also wrote and directed some of the show's supplementary DVD content and helped develop the show's spin-off series. She co-wrote and produced ''[[Husbands (TV series)|Husbands]]'', an independent original web series, with co-creator [[Brad Bell (producer)|Brad Bell]]. She and Bell were nominated for a Writers' Guild Award for their work on the series. Espenson also contributed writing to seasons 1 and 3 of the Marvel series ''[[Jessica Jones (TV series)|Jessica Jones]]'', and was an executive producer of the HBO series ''[[The Nevers (TV series)|The Nevers]]''.

She currently{{when|date=December 2024}} works on the [[Apple TV+]] series [[Foundation (TV series)|Foundation]].

She has written numerous comic books, edited multiple volumes of essays, and published several short stories.

==Early life==
Espenson grew up in [[Ames, Iowa]], and graduated from Ames High School.<ref name="bio">[http://www.janeespenson.com/biography.php Biography of Espenson] from her website</ref> As a teenager, Espenson found out that ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]'' accepted [[spec script]]s without requiring the writer to have industry representation. Though she was not an established writer, she attempted to write a script. She recalls, "It was a disaster. I never sent it. I didn't know the correct format. I didn't know the address of where to send it, and then I thought, they can't really hire me until I finish junior high anyway."<ref name="CNN Profile"/>

==Linguistics studies==
Espenson studied [[linguistics]] as an undergraduate and graduate at [[University of California, Berkeley]].<ref name="bio"/> She worked as a [[cognitive linguistics]] research assistant for [[George Lakoff]],<ref>[http://araw.mede.uic.edu/~alansz/metaphor/METAPHORLIST.pdf Master Metaphor List], compiled 1989-1991 by Lakoff, Espenson, and others, from a [[University of Illinois at Chicago]] website</ref> who acknowledged her work on the metaphorical understanding of event structure in English and credited her with recognizing the existence of the phenomenon of location-object duality in metaphors pairs.<ref>[http://www.wam.umd.edu/~israel/lakoff-ConTheorMetaphor.pdf The Contemporary Theory of Metaphor], published in ''Metaphor and Thought'' (1993, {{ISBN|0-521-40547-5}})</ref>  Lakoff also mentioned her year-long work on the "[[Conceptual metaphor|metaphorical structure]] of causation" in the [[Acknowledgment (creative arts)|acknowledgments]] section of ''Philosophy in the Flesh: The Embodied Mind and Its Challenge to Western Thought'' (1999, {{ISBN|0-465-05674-1}}).

While in graduate school, she submitted several spec scripts for ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' as part of a script submission program open to amateur writers; Espenson has referred to the program as the "last open door of show business".<ref name="bio" />

==Career==
In 1992, Espenson won a spot in the Disney Writing Fellowship,<ref name="CNN Profile"/> which led to work on a number of sitcoms, including ABC's comedy ''[[Dinosaurs (TV series)|Dinosaurs]]'' and [[Touchstone Television]]'s short-lived ''[[Monty (TV series)|Monty]]''. This was followed by work on the short-lived sitcoms ''[[Me and the Boys (TV series)|Me and the Boys]]'', and ''[[Something So Right (TV series)|Something So Right]]''. In 1997 she joined the writing staff of Ellen Degeneres's sitcom ''[[Ellen (TV series)|Ellen]]''.<ref name="CNN Profile"/>

===''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''===

After years in sitcoms, Espenson decided to switch from comedic to dramatic writing and submitted her sample scripts to ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''.<ref>[http://cinema.usc.edu/podcasts/mp3/espenson.mp3 Jane Espenson], an April 2007 episode (in [[MP3]] format) of the [[USC School of Cinematic Arts]] podcast series</ref>

In 1998, Espenson joined [[Mutant Enemy Productions]] as executive story editor for the [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (season 3)|third season of ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'']]. Over the rest of the run of the series, Espenson wrote or co-wrote twenty-three episodes, starting with "[[Band Candy (Buffy episode)|Band Candy]]" and ending with ''Buffy''{{'}}s penultimate episode, "[[End of Days (Buffy episode)|End of Days]]". After her role as an executive story editor, she was promoted to co-producer in [[List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes#Season 4 (1999–2000)|season four]]. In the [[List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes#Season 5 (2000–2001)|fifth season]] she was promoted again to producer. She took up the role of supervising producer in the [[List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes#Season 6 (2001–2002)|sixth season]] and was promoted once more to co-executive producer in the [[List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes#Season 7 (2002–2003)|final season]].

She wrote episodes both humorous (e.g. "[[Triangle (Buffy episode)|Triangle]]" and "[[Intervention (Buffy episode)|Intervention]]") and serious (such as "[[After Life (Buffy episode)|After Life]]"). Espenson and [[Drew Goddard]] co-wrote the seventh-season episode "[[Conversations with Dead People (Buffy episode)|Conversations with Dead People]]," for which they won the [[Hugo Award]] for [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form|Best Short Dramatic Presentation]] in 2003.<ref>[http://www.worldcon.org/hy.html#03 The Hugo Awards By Year] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110123160133/http://www.worldcon.org/hy.html |date=2011-01-23 }} from the [[Worldcon]] website</ref>

Espenson is credited as the writer or co-writer of the following ''Buffy'' episodes:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin-right:auto; margin-right:auto"
! Episode number
! Title
! Credit
! Original air date
|-
| 3.06
| "[[Band Candy]]"
| Writer
| November 10, 1998
|-
| 3.11
| "[[Gingerbread (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Gingerbread]]"
| Teleplay (<small>story by Espenson & [[Thania St. John]]</small>)
| January 12, 1999
|-
| 3.18
| "[[Earshot (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Earshot]]"
| Writer
| September 21, 1999
|-
| 4.03
| "[[The Harsh Light of Day (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|The Harsh Light of Day]]"
| Writer
| October 19, 1999
|-
| 4.08
| "[[Pangs]]"
| Writer
| November 23, 1999
|-
| 4.11
| "[[Doomed (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Doomed]]"
| Writer (<small>with [[David Fury]] & [[Marti Noxon]]</small>)
| January 18, 2000
|-
| 4.12
| "[[A New Man]]"
| Writer
| January 25, 2000
|-
| 4.17
| "[[Superstar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Superstar]]"
| Writer
| April 4, 2000
|-
| 5.03
| "[[The Replacement (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|The Replacement]]"
| Writer
| October 10, 2000
|-
| 5.11
| "[[Triangle (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Triangle]]"
| Writer
| January 9, 2001
|-
| 5.12
| "[[Checkpoint (Buffy episode)|Checkpoint]]"
| Writer (<small>with [[Douglas Petrie]]</small>)
| January 23, 2001
|-
| 5.15
| "[[I Was Made to Love You]]"
| Writer
| February 20, 2001
|-
| 5.18
| "[[Intervention (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Intervention]]"
| Writer
| April 24, 2001
|-
| 6.03
| "[[After Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|After Life]]"
| Writer
| October 9, 2001
|-
| 6.04
| "[[Flooded (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Flooded]]"
| Writer (<small>with Douglas Petrie</small>)
| October 16, 2001
|-
| 6.05
| "[[Life Serial]]"
| Writer (<small>with David Fury</small>)
| October 23, 2001
|-
| 6.12
| "[[Doublemeat Palace]]"
| Writer
| January 29, 2002
|-
| 7.03
| "[[Same Time, Same Place]]"
| Writer
| October 8, 2002
|-
| 7.07
| "[[Conversations with Dead People]]"
| Writer (<small>with [[Drew Goddard]]</small>)
| November 12, 2002
|-
| 7.08
| "[[Sleeper (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Sleeper]]"
| Writer (<small>with David Fury</small>)
| November 19, 2002
|-
| 7.14
| "[[First Date (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|First Date]]"
| Writer
| February 11, 2003
|-
| 7.16
| "[[Storyteller (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Storyteller]]"
| Writer
| February 25, 2003
|-
| 7.21
| "[[End of Days (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|End of Days]]"
| Writer (<small>with Douglas Petrie</small>)
| May 13, 2003
|-
|}

She also co-/wrote several comic book stories for [[Tales of the Slayers]], [[Tales of the Vampires]] and [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight]], the [[One-shot (comics)|one-shots]] [[Jonathan (Buffy comic)|Jonathan]] and [[Reunion (Buffy comic)|Reunion]] and the [[Limited series (comics)|limited series]] [[Haunted (Buffy comic)|Haunted]].

===''Battlestar Galactica'' and ''Caprica''===

Espenson joined the crew of [[Sci Fi]]'s ''[[Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' (''BSG'') just after ''[[Battlestar Galactica: Razor]]'', BSG's first [[television movie]], was conceived.<ref>[http://www.janeespenson.com/archives/00000568.php 05/29/2008: Link Letters], an entry from Esperson's writer's blog</ref>  As one of BSG's co-executive producers, she worked on every fourth-season episode starting with "[[He That Believeth in Me]]"; she was also the writer of "[[Escape Velocity (Battlestar Galactica)|Escape Velocity]]" and "[[The Hub (Battlestar Galactica)|The Hub]]" and co-wrote ''[[Battlestar Galactica: The Face of the Enemy|The Face of the Enemy]]'' webisodes.  Prior to joining the show's staff she wrote [[The Passage (Battlestar Galactica)|one third-season episode]] and [[Dirty Hands (Battlestar Galactica)|co-wrote another]]. In August 2008, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' broke the news that Espenson was the writer behind BSG's second television movie, ''[[Battlestar Galactica: The Plan|The Plan]],''<ref>[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2008/08/battlestar-gala.html Edward James Olmos will direct Cylon-centric special feature] from the Show Tracker blog of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''</ref> news confirmed in her writer's blog.<ref>[http://www.janeespenson.com/archives/00000591.php 08/22/2008: Intestinal Fortitude], an entry from Esperson's writer's blog</ref> In January 2009 it was announced that she had joined the spin-off series ''[[Caprica (TV series)|Caprica]]'' as co-executive producer and would take on showrunner duties midway through the first season.<ref name="veterans">{{cite news | author = Maureen Ryan | url = http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2009/01/caprica-battlestar-galactica-jane-espenson.html | title = 'Battlestar Galactica' veterans move on to 'Caprica' | date = 2009-01-23 | work = [[Chicago Tribune]] | access-date = 2009-01-23 | archive-date = 2018-07-20 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180720195116/http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2009/01/caprica-battlestar-galactica-jane-espenson.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> Espenson later gave up showrunning duties to focus more on writing.<ref>Conversations with Ross: Featuring Jane Espenson http://www.rosscarey.com/2012/04/24/episode-63-featuring-jane-espenson/</ref>

===''Torchwood''===
In August 2010 it was announced that ''[[Torchwood]]'' creator, lead writer and executive producer [[Russell T. Davies]] had hired Espenson to write for the show's fourth series, ''[[Torchwood: Miracle Day]]'' to be broadcast in 2011.<ref name="russellt">{{cite news |last=Zaino |first=Nick |url= http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/08/06/buffy-breaking-bad-writers-join-torchwood/ |title='Buffy', 'Breaking Bad' Writers Join 'Torchwood' |work=[[TV Squad]] |date=2010-08-06 |access-date=2010-08-06}}</ref> She later confirmed that she would be writing episodes 3, 5, 7 and co-writing episode 8 (with Ryan Scott)<ref>{{cite tweet|last=Espenson|first=Jane|title=I'm writing 3 5 7 and splitting the writing on 8.|user=JaneEspenson|number=28224676647931906|access-date=17 June 2020|date=20 January 2011}}</ref> and episode 10 (with Davies).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/JaneEspenson/status/60402913075400704|title=Jane Espenson on Twitter|date=April 19, 2011}}</ref> Prior to her involvement with Torchwood, Espenson had said she was a fan of the show, particularly the third series, "[[Children of Earth]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afterelton.com/people/2010/01/jane-espenson?page=0%2C3|title='Caprica's' Jane Espenson: 'It's Time for Sexuality to Be Incidental'|publisher=AfterElton|last=Jensen|first=Michael|date=20 January 2011|access-date=13 September 2011}}</ref> To tie in with the launch of ''Torchwood: Miracle Day'', Espenson and Scott collaborated on the Starz-produced 2011 ''Torchwood'' webseries entitled ''Torchwood: Web of Lies'', which stars American actress [[Eliza Dushku]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/s8/torchwood/news/a322934/eliza-dushku-confirmed-for-torchwood-spinoff.html|title=Eliza Dushku confirmed for 'Torchwood' spinoff|date=3 June 2011|access-date=13 July 2011|work=Digital Spy|last=Jefferey|first=Morgan}}</ref> Following the broadcast of each episode of "Miracle Day" on Starz, Espenson wrote a blog on [[AfterElton]] mixing her reaction to the episode with behind the scenes information on the devising process.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afterelton.com/tv/2011/07/jane-espenson-torchwood-miracle-day-one |title=Exclusive! 'Jane's Take' Episode One 'Torchwood: Miracle Day' |publisher=After Elton |last=Espenson |first=Jane |date=2011-07-11 |access-date=2011-07-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713073754/http://www.afterelton.com/tv/2011/07/jane-espenson-torchwood-miracle-day-one |archive-date=2011-07-13 }}</ref>

===''Husbands''===
In 2011 Espenson also co-wrote and produced her first independent web series with partner Brad Bell. Entitled ''[[Husbands (Web series)|Husbands]]'', it revolved around the life of two newly married gay men. Espenson self-funded the first season. A Kickstarter campaign and the involvement of [[CW Seed]] allowed subsequent production. The show eventually comprised four "seasons" and concluded in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://husbandstheseries.com/bios/ |title=BIOS—Husbands |access-date=28 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719183200/http://husbandstheseries.com/bios/ |archive-date=19 July 2011 }}</ref> The series premiered Tuesday September 13, 2011. The series also generated ''Husbands'', a hardback comic-book collection of stories rendered in a variety of different drawing styles, from Dark Horse Comics. {{ISBN|9781616551308}}.

===''Once Upon a Time''===
In May 2011, Espenson was brought on to the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] [[Fantasy (genre)|fantasy]] series ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'', as a writer and consulting producer.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jane-espenson-liz-tigelaar-join-193496 "Jane Espenson, Liz Tigelaar Join ABC's 'Once Upon a Time{{'"}}]. Accessed 16 February 2012.</ref> She stayed with the show for its entire seven-year run, and became a co-executive producer on the project. She was also involved in creation and writing of the spin-off series ''[[Once Upon a Time in Wonderland]]''.<ref>[https://www.avclub.com/once-upon-a-time-in-wonderland-1798178235 "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland"]. Accessed 9 October 2013.</ref>

===''Game of Thrones''===
In 2011, working as a freelancer, Espenson wrote episode 6 of season 1 of ''[[Game of Thrones]]'', titled "[[A Golden Crown]]". It is notable as one of only four ''Game of Thrones'' episodes written by women.<ref>[https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2017/08/166479/game-of-thrones-episodes-written-by-women "Turns Out, Only Four Episodes of Game of Thrones Have Been Written by Women"]. Accessed 3 August 2017.</ref>

===''Jessica Jones''===
In 2015, during the hiatus between seasons of ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'', Espenson consulted on the series ''[[Jessica Jones (TV series)|Jessica Jones]]'', earning a "thanks to" in the credits. In 2019, she returned for a larger role on the staff, and wrote the eleventh episode of the third season "[[A.K.A. Hellcat]]".

===''The Nevers''===
In 2018, Espenson joined the [[Home Box Office|HBO]] series ''[[The Nevers (TV series)|The Nevers]]'', as a writer and executive producer.<ref>[https://deadline.com/2019/08/the-nevers-joss-whedons-hbo-sci-fi-drama-series-adds-6-to-cast-1202668985/ "Joss Whedon's HBO Sci-Fi Drama Series Adds 6 to Cast"]. Accessed 15 April 2019.</ref> The series premiered on April 11, 2021.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/tv/hbo-max-boss-breaks-silence-game-thrones-joss-whedon-controversy/ |title=HBO boss breaks silence on Game of Thrones plans, Joss Whedon controversy, more |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |first=James |last=Hibberd |date=February 10, 2021 |access-date=February 11, 2021}}</ref>

===''Foundation''===
Espenson consulted on the [[Apple TV+]] series [[Foundation (TV series)|Foundation]] in season 1, joining the writing staff in season 2 with writing credits on half of the episodes.

===Other===
Espenson has written episodes for several other television shows, including episode 4.17 ("[[Accession (DS9 episode)|Accession]]") of ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'', and one episode ("[[Shindig (Firefly)|Shindig]]") of ''[[Firefly (television series)|Firefly]]''.  She has worked on ''[[Angel (1999 TV series)|Angel]]'', ''[[Tru Calling]]'', ''[[The Inside (TV series)|The Inside]]'', ''[[The Batman (TV series)|The Batman]]'', ''[[Andy Barker, P.I.]]'', ''[[Jake in Progress]]'' and ''[[Dollhouse (TV series)|Dollhouse]]'', and was the co-creator of ''[[Warehouse 13]]''.<ref>[https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/01/battlestar-ga-1.html 'Battlestar Galactica' countdown: Jane Espenson and the 'Buffy' connection] ''Los Angeles Times'', Jan 6 2009</ref>

Espenson is the editor of the book ''Finding Serenity: Anti-Heroes, Lost Shepherds and Space Hookers in Joss Whedon's Firefly'' ([[BenBella Books]], 2005, {{ISBN|1-933771-21-6}}), a collection of non-fiction essays on the short-lived television show ''Firefly''. She edited the follow-up collection ''Serenity Found: More Unauthorized Essays on Joss Whedon's Firefly Universe'' ([[BenBella Books]], 2007, {{ISBN|9781933771212}}) She is the editor of ''Inside Joss' Dollhouse: From Alpha to Rossum'' ([[BenBella Books]], 2010, {{ISBN|9781935251989}}), a similar collection of essays about ''Dollhouse''.

Espenson wrote the short story "What Holds Us Down", which appears in ''Still Flying'' from Titan Press, {{ISBN| 1848565062}}. Her short story "Int. Wolf-Night" appears in ''Empower: Fight Like a Girl'' {{ISBN|9780692210116}} She also has short stories which appear in the ''Tales of the Slayers'' book series. Her short story, "Nobel Prize Speech Draft of Paul Winterhoeven, With Personal Notes", was published in the September 2021 issue of ''Future Science Fiction Digest''.<ref>{{cite magazine| magazine=Future Science Fiction Digest | issue=12 | date=September 2021 | url=https://future-sf.com/issues/issue-12/ | title=Issue 12, Sep 2021| access-date=October 6, 2021}}</ref>

In 2016, Espenson served on the MoPOP (Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle) committee to select inductees into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.<ref>https://www.comicsblend.com/20th-anniversary-science-fiction-fantasy-hall-of-fame-inductees-are/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214213806/https://www.comicsblend.com/20th-anniversary-science-fiction-fantasy-hall-of-fame-inductees-are/ |date=2019-12-14 }} {{Bare URL inline|date=March 2022}}</ref> She is featured as a video/voice commentator in the museum itself.

Espenson has written for three of the 101 Best Television Series as determined by the Writers Guild of America: ''Battlestar Galactica'', ''Game of Thrones'' and ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wga.org/writers-room/101-best-lists/101-best-written-tv-series/list|title = 101 Best Written TV Series}}</ref>

==Appearances in media==
Espenson has appeared as an "[[expert witness]]" on the ''[[Judge John Hodgman]]'' podcast episodes "Science Friction"<ref name="Judge John Hodgman Episode 148: Science Friction">{{cite web|author=Julia Smith|url=http://www.maximumfun.org/judge-john-hodgman/judge-john-hodgman-episode-148-science-friction|title=Judge John Hodgman Episode 148: Science Friction|publisher=[[Maximum Fun]]|date=19 February 2014|access-date=2014-05-14}}</ref> and "Vampirical Evidence."<ref name="Judge John Hodgman Episode 476: Vampirical Evidence">{{cite web|author=Jennifer Marmor|url=https://maximumfun.org/episodes/judge-john-hodgman/episode-476-vampirical-evidence/|title=Judge John Hodgman Episode 476: Vampirical Evidence|publisher=[[Maximum Fun]]|date=22 July 2020|access-date=2023-03-13}}</ref> In 2012, Espenson was a guest on the interview series ''Cocktails with Stan'', with hosts Stan Lee and Jenna Busch. She has also been a guest on ''[[The Sound of Young America]]'', with Jesse Thorn.<ref>https://maximumfun.org/episodes/bullseye-with-jesse-thorn/jane-espenson-caprica-executive-producer-interview-sound-young-america/ The Sound of Young America: Jane Espenson</ref> She has guested on the ''Gilmore Guys'' podcast and on the ''Slayerfest'' podcast, about ''Gilmore Girls'' and ''Buffy'' respectively.

She appears in the documentary interview series ''[[James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction]]'' and ''[[Showrunners]]''.

==Production credits==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin-right:auto; margin-right:auto"
|+Television
! rowspan="2" width="33"|Year
! rowspan="2"|Title
! colspan="2"|Credited as
! rowspan="2"|Notes
|-
! width=65 | Screenwriter
! width=65 | Producer
|-
| rowspan="2"|1994
| align="left" | ''[[Monty (TV series)|Monty]]''
| {{yes}}
| 
| align="left" | Episode written: "[[Monty (TV series)#Episodes|The Principal's Interest]]"
|-
| align="left" | ''[[Dinosaurs (TV series)|Dinosaurs]]''
| {{yes}}
| 
| align="left" | Episodes written: <br /> "[[List of Dinosaurs episodes#Season 4: 1994|Driving Miss Ethyl]]" <br /> "[[List of Dinosaurs episodes#"Lost Episodes": 1994|Variations on a Theme Park]]"
|-
| 1995
| align="left" | ''[[Me and the Boys (TV series)|Me and the Boys]]''
| {{yes}}
| 
| align="left" | Episode written: "[[Me and the Boys (TV series)#Episodes|The Age of Reason]]"
|-
| rowspan="2"|1996
| align="left" | ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''
| {{yes}}
| 
| align="left" | Episode written: "[[Accession (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)|Accession]]"
|-
| align="left" | ''[[Nowhere Man (American TV series)|Nowhere Man]]''
| {{yes}}
| 
| align="left" | Episode written: "[[Nowhere Man (American TV series)|Zero Minus Ten]]"
|-
| 1996–1997
| align="left" | ''[[Something So Right (TV series)|Something So Right]]''
| {{yes}}
| 
| align="left" | Episodes written: <br /> "Something About Jack's Ex" <br /> "Something About Thanksgiving" <br /> "Something About a Silver Anniversary" <br /> "Something About Secrets & Rules"
|-
| 1997–1998
| align="left" | ''[[Ellen (TV series)|Ellen]]''
| {{yes}}
| 
| align="left" | Episodes written: <br /> "[[List of Ellen episodes#Season 5 (1997/98)|Like a Virgin]]" <br /> "[[List of Ellen episodes#Season 5 (1997/98)|Womyn Fest]]"
|-
| 1998–2003
| align="left" | ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | 23 episodes written, 88 episodes produced
|-
| 1999–2000
| align="left" | ''[[Angel (1999 TV series)|Angel]]''
| {{yes}}
| 
| align="left" | Episodes written: <br /> "[[Rm w/a Vu]]" <br /> "[[Guise Will Be Guise]]"
|-
| 2002
| align="left" | ''[[Firefly (TV series)|Firefly]]''
| {{yes}}
| 
| align="left" | Episode written: "[[Shindig (Firefly)|Shindig]]"
|-
| 2003
| align="left" | ''[[The O.C.]]''
| {{yes}}
| 
| align="left" | Episode written: "[[The Gamble (The O.C.)|The Gamble]]"
|-
| 2003–2004
| align="left" | ''[[Gilmore Girls]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | Episodes written: <br /> "[[List of Gilmore Girls episodes#Season 4 (2003–04)|Chicken or Beef?]]" <br /> "[[List of Gilmore Girls episodes#Season 4 (2003–04)|The Reigning Lorelai]]" <br /> 22 episodes as co-executive producer
|-
| rowspan="2"|2005
| align="left" | ''[[Tru Calling]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | Episode written: "[[List of Tru Calling episodes#Season 2: (2005)|In the Dark]]" <br /> 6 episodes as co-executive producer
|-
| align="left" | ''[[The Inside (TV series)|The Inside]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | Episodes written: <br /> "[[The Inside (TV series)#Episodes|Skin and Bone]]" <br /> "[[The Inside (TV series)#Episodes|Gem]]" <br /> "[[The Inside (TV series)#Episodes|Aidan]]" <br /> "[[The Inside (TV series)#Episodes|Everything Nice]]" <br /> 13 episodes as co-executive producer
|-
| 2005–2006
| align="left" | ''[[Jake in Progress]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | Episode written: "[[Jake in Progress#Season 2 (2006)|The Two Jakes]]" <br /> 20 episodes as co-executive producer
|-
| 2006–2009
| align="left" | ''[[Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | Episodes written: <br /> "[[The Passage (Battlestar Galactica)|The Passage]]" <br /> "[[Dirty Hands (Battlestar Galactica)|Dirty Hands]]" <br /> "[[Escape Velocity (Battlestar Galactica)|Escape Velocity]]" <br /> "[[The Hub (Battlestar Galactica)|The Hub]]" <br /> "[[Deadlock (Battlestar Galactica)|Deadlock]]" <br /> 20 episodes as co-executive producer
|-
| rowspan="5"|2007
| align="left" | ''[[Andy Barker, P.I.]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | Episode written: <br /> "[[Andy Barker, P.I.#Season 1: 2007|Fairway, My Lovely]]" <br /> 3 episodes as consulting producer
|-
| align="left" | ''[[The Batman (TV series)|The Batman]]''
| {{yes}}
| 
| align="left" | Episodes written: <br /> "[[List of The Batman episodes#Season 4: 2006–2007|The Joining: Part 1]]" <br /> "[[List of The Batman episodes#Season 4: 2006–2007|The Joining: Part 2]]"
|-
| align="left" | ''[[Eureka (2006 TV series)|Eureka]]''
| {{yes}}
| 
| align="left" | Episode written: "[[List of Eureka episodes#Season 2 (2007)|Family Reunion]]"
|-
| align="left" | ''[[Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks]]''
| 
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | 7 episodes as co-executive producer
|-
| align="left" | ''[[Battlestar Galactica: Razor]]''
| 
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | TV movie
|-
| 2008-2009
| align="left" | ''[[Battlestar Galactica: The Face of the Enemy]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | 10 episodes as writer and executive producer
|-
| rowspan="3"|2009
| align="left" | ''[[Dollhouse (TV series)|Dollhouse]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | Episodes written: <br /> "[[Dollhouse (season 1)#Episodes|Haunted]]" <br /> "[[Dollhouse (season 1)#Episodes|Briar Rose]]" <br /> 8 episodes as consulting producer
|-
| align="left" | ''[[Battlestar Galactica: The Plan]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | TV movie
|-
| align="left" | ''[[Warehouse 13]]''
| {{yes}}
| 
| align="left" | Creator <br /> Episode written: "[[Pilot (Warehouse 13)|Pilot]]"
|-
| 2010
| align="left" | ''[[Caprica (TV series)|Caprica]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | Episodes written: <br /> "[[List of Caprica episodes#Episode list|Gravedancing]]" <br /> "[[List of Caprica episodes#Episode list|Apotheosis]]" <br /> 17 episodes produced
|-
| rowspan="2"|2011
| align="left" | ''[[Game of Thrones]]''
| {{yes}}
| 
| align="left" | Episode written: "[[A Golden Crown]]"
|-
| align="left" | ''[[Torchwood: Miracle Day]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | Episodes written: <br /> "[[Dead of Night (Torchwood)|Dead of Night]]" <br /> "[[The Categories of Life]]" <br /> "[[Immortal Sins]]" <br /> "[[End of the Road (Torchwood)|End of the Road]]" <br /> "[[The Blood Line (Torchwood)|The Blood Line]]" <br /> 10 episodes as co-executive producer
|-
| 2011–2018
| align="left" | ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | 31 episodes written <br /> 68 episodes as consulting producer
|-
| 2013
| align="left" | ''[[Once Upon a Time in Wonderland]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | Episodes written: <br />"[[Down the Rabbit Hole (Once Upon a Time in Wonderland)|Down the Rabbit Hole]]" <br />"[[Bad Blood (Once Upon a Time in Wonderland)|Bad Blood]]"
|-
| 2019
| align=left | ''[[Jessica Jones (TV series)|Jessica Jones]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | Episode written: "[[List of Jessica Jones episodes#Season 3 (2019)|A.K.A Hellcat]]"
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2021
| align=left | ''[[The Nevers]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | Episodes written: <br />"[[Exposure (The Nevers)|Exposure]]" <br />"[[True (The Nevers)|True]]" <br /> 6 episodes as executive producer
|-
| align=left | ''[[Fantasy Island (2021 TV series)|Fantasy Island]]''
| {{yes}}
| 
| align=left | Episodes written: <br />"[[Fantasy Island (2021 TV series)#ep2|His and Hers" / "The Heartbreak Hotel]]"<br /> 1 episode as teleplay writer
|-
| rowspan=1 | 2023
| align=left | ''[[Foundation (TV series)|Foundation]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align=left | 5 episodes written, 1 episode as teleplay writer, 11 episodes co-executive producer
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin-right:auto; margin-right:auto"
|+Online media
! rowspan="2" width="33"|Year
! rowspan="2"|Title
! colspan="2"|Credited as
! rowspan="2"|Notes
|-
! width=65 | Screenwriter
! width=65 | Producer
|-
|2009

| align="left" | ''[[Battlestar Galactica: The Face of the Enemy#Webisodes|Battlestar Galactica: The Face of the Enemy]]''
| {{yes}}
| 
| align="left" | Webisodes
|-
| rowspan="2"|2011
| align="left" | ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight#Motion comics|Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight]]''
| {{yes}}
| 
| align="left" | Motion comic
|-
| align="left" | ''Torchwood: Web of Lies''
| {{yes}}
| 
| align="left" | Episode written: "Missing Day: Part 1"
|-
| 2011–2014
| align="left" | ''[[Husbands (TV series)|Husbands]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left" | Co-creator, 20 episodes as writer and executive producer
|-
|}

==Accolades==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of awards and award nominations
|-
! Year
! Award
! Award category
! Title of work
! Result
|-
| 2003
| [[Hugo Award]]
| Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
| "[[Conversations with Dead People]]"<br />(''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' episode)
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"|2009
| [[Streamy Awards]]
| Best Writing for a Dramatic Web Series
| ''[[Battlestar Galactica: The Face of the Enemy]]''
| {{won}}
|-
|-
| [[Emmy Award]]
| Short-format Live-action Entertainment Program (<small>shared with [[Ronald D. Moore]], [[David Eick]], and Harvey Frand</small>)
| ''Battlestar Galactica: The Face of the Enemy''
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="4"|2012
| rowspan="2"|[[Writers Guild of America Award]]
| Drama Series (<small>shared with [[D. B. Weiss]], [[George R. R. Martin]], [[David Benioff]] and [[Bryan Cogman]]</small>)
| rowspan="2"|''[[Game of Thrones]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| New Series (<small>shared with D. B. Weiss, Bryan Cogman, David Benioff and [[George R. R. Martin]]</small>)
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Indie Soap Awards]]
| Best Writing (Comedy) (<small>shared with [[Brad Bell (producer)|Brad Bell]]</small>)
| ''[[Husbands (TV series)|Husbands]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| Hugo Award
| Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form (<small>shared with David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, Bryan Cogman, George R. R. Martin, [[Tim Van Patten]], [[Brian Kirk]], [[Daniel Minahan]] and [[Alan Taylor (director)|Alan Taylor]]</small>)
| ''Game of Thrones'', [[Game of Thrones (season 1)|Season One]] 
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"|2013
| [[International Academy of Web Television]]<ref name="International Academy of Web Television">{{cite web|url=http://iawtvawards.org/press|title=International Academy of Web Television Announces Nominees for the 2nd Annual IAWTV Awards|publisher=IAWTVAwards.org|access-date=November 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130207161032/http://iawtvawards.org/press|archive-date=February 7, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rowspan="2"|Best Writing (Comedy) (<small>shared with Brad Bell</small>)
| rowspan="2"|''Husbands'' 
| {{nom}}
|-
| Indie Soap Awards<ref name="Indie Soap Awards">{{cite web|url=http://www.welovesoaps.net/2013/02/winners-4th-annual-indie-soap-awards.html|title=WINNERS: 4th Annual Indie Soap Awards|publisher=[[We Love Soaps]]|access-date=February 21, 2013}}</ref>
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="5"|2014
| Writers Guild of America Awards<ref name="THE Hollywood REPORTER; 2014 Writers Guild of America Awards">{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/writers-guild-awards-breaking-bad-662165?mobile_redirect=false|title=Writers Guild Awards: 'Breaking Bad,' 'Orange is the New Black' Among TV Nominations|first=Kimberly|last=Nordyke|date=December 5, 2013|publisher=hollywoodreporter.com|access-date=December 5, 2013}}</ref>
| Short Form New Media – Original (<small>shared with Brad Bell</small>)
| ''Husbands'' episodes "[[List of Husbands episodes#Season 3: 2013|I Do Over Part 1–2]]" 
| {{nom}}
|-
| International Academy of Web Television<ref name="International Academy of Web Television; 2014 nominees">{{cite web|url=http://www.iawtv.org/nominees-for-the-2014-iawtv-awards/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214110532/http://www.iawtv.org/nominees-for-the-2014-iawtv-awards/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 14, 2013|title=IAWTV ANNOUNCES 2014 AWARDS NOMINATIONS|date=December 13, 2013|publisher=iawtv.org|access-date=January 8, 2014}}</ref>
| rowspan="2"|Best Writing (Comedy) (<small>shared with Brad Bell</small>)
| rowspan="3"|''Husbands''
| {{won}}
|-
| Indie Series Awards<ref name="ISA5 INDIE SERIES AWARDS; 2014 nominees">{{cite web|url=http://www.indieseriesawards.com/2014/02/5th-annual-indie-series-awards-nominees.html |title=5th Annual Indie Series Awards Nominees |publisher=indieseriesawards.com |access-date=February 6, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811084639/http://www.indieseriesawards.com/2014/02/5th-annual-indie-series-awards-nominees.html |archive-date=August 11, 2015 }}</ref>
| {{nom}}
|-
| Streamy Awards<ref name="4TH ANNUAL STREAMY AWARDS; accolades">{{cite web|url=http://www.streamys.org/nominees-winners/4th-annual-nominees-winners/|title=4th Annual Streamy Awards Nominees|publisher=streamys.org|access-date=August 19, 2014}}</ref>
| Writing (<small>shared with Brad Bell</small>)
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Inkpot Award]]<ref>[https://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot Inkpot Award]</ref>
|
| 
| {{won}}
|-
||2015
| [[Etheria Film Night]]<ref name="Etheria Film Night">{{cite web|url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/88731/jane-espenson-receive-2015-etheria-film-night-inspiration-award/|title=Jane Espenson to Receive the 2015 Etheria Film Night Inspiration Award|publisher=dreadcentral.org|access-date=November 13, 2012}}</ref>
|Inspiration Award
| 
| {{won}}
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links== <!-- her writer's blog is in her infobox -->
{{wikiquote}}
{{Commons category|Jane Espenson}}
* {{IMDb name|0260870|Jane Espenson}}
* [https://www.amc.com/talk/2009/04/caprica-produce Jane Espenson Interview on AMC]
{{Inkpot Award 2010s}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Espenson, Jane}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American comics writers]]
[[Category:American television producers]]
[[Category:American television writers]]
[[Category:American women television producers]]
[[Category:Hugo Award–winning writers]]
[[Category:Artists from Ames, Iowa]]
[[Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni]]
[[Category:American women television writers]]
[[Category:Ames High School alumni]]
[[Category:American female comics writers]]
[[Category:American women science fiction and fantasy writers]]
[[Category:Inkpot Award winners]]