Thomas Schnauz


Thomas Schnauz is an American television producer and television writer. His credits include The X-Files, The Lone Gunmen, Night Stalker, Reaper, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul.
𝕏 TomSchnauz

Personal life

Schnauz was born in Kearny, New Jersey. He attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he first met fellow student Vince Gilligan. Schnauz graduated from Tisch in 1988.

Career

Schnauz started his career in various production jobs. His first screenplay was called Spirits in Passing. He eventually joined Vince Gilligan on the writing staff of The X-Files and its spinoff show, The Lone Gunmen. He also co-wrote the screenplays for the 2008 film Otis and the 2008 television film Infected. In 2010, he re-teamed with Gilligan on Breaking Bad, where he remained through the show's 2013 conclusion.
Schnauz signed a two-year overall deal with Sony Pictures Television in November 2014.
Schnauz served as co-executive producer on AMC's Breaking Bad spinoff series Better Call Saul. He has written and/or directed a number of its episodes including "Pimento", the penultimate episode of the show's first season, which received critical acclaim, as well as "Plan and Execution", the finale of the sixth season's first half that also received praise for Schnauz's writing.
In April 2015, it was reported that he had been tapped to write the screenplay for "a revisionist take" on "Jack and the Beanstalk", also to be produced by Vince Gilligan.
In 2019, Schnauz joined other WGA writers in firing their agents as part of the WGA's stand against the ATA and the practice of packaging.

Filmography

Writer
YearShowSeasonEpisode titleEpisodeNotes
2001The Lone Gunmen1"Madam, I'm Adam"6
2001The Lone Gunmen1"Tango de los Pistoleros"10
2001The X-Files9"Lord of the Flies"5
2002The X-Files9"Scary Monsters"14
2005Night Stalker1"The Five People You Meet in Hell"2
2007Reaper1"What About Blob"5
2007Reaper1"Ashes to Ashes"9
2008Reaper1"Coming to Grips"15
2009Reaper2"I Want My Baby Back"5
2010Breaking Bad3"One Minute"7
2010Breaking Bad3"Abiquiu"11Co-written with John Shiban
2011Breaking Bad4"Shotgun"5
2011Breaking Bad4"Bug"9Co-written with Moira Walley-Beckett
2011Breaking Bad4"End Times"12Co-written with Moira Walley-Beckett
2012Breaking Bad5"Say My Name"7Also directed
2013Breaking Bad5"Buried"10
2014Resurrection1"Unearth"2
2015The Man in the High Castle1"The Illustrated Woman"3
2015The Man in the High Castle1"Revelations"4
2015Better Call Saul1"Nacho"3
2015Better Call Saul1"Pimento"9Also directed
2016Better Call Saul2"Switch"1Also directed
2016Better Call Saul2"Fifi"8
2017Better Call Saul3"Witness"2
2017Better Call Saul3"Sabrosito"4Director only
2017Better Call Saul3"Expenses"7Also directed
2018Better Call Saul4"Breathe"2
2018Better Call Saul4"Winner"10Co-written with Peter Gould
2020Better Call Saul5"Wexler v. Goodman"6
2020Better Call Saul5"Bad Choice Road"9Also directed
2022Better Call Saul6"Carrot and Stick"2Co-written with Ariel Levine
2022Better Call Saul6"Plan and Execution"7Also directed
2022Better Call Saul6"Breaking Bad"11Also directed
2025Gen V2"Hell Week"7Also directed

Production staff
YearShowRoleNotes
2001The X-FilesStory EditorSeason 9
2002The X-FilesStory EditorSeason 9
2005Night StalkerExecutive Story EditorSeason 1
2006Night StalkerExecutive Story EditorSeason 1
2007ReaperCo-producerSeason 1
2008ReaperCo-producerSeason 1
2009ReaperProducerSeason 2
2010Breaking BadProducerSeason 3
2011Breaking BadSupervising producerSeason 4
2012Breaking BadCo-executive producerSeason 5
2013Breaking BadCo-executive producerSeason 5
2014ResurrectionCo-executive producerSeason 1
2015Better Call SaulCo-executive producerSeason 1
2016Better Call SaulExecutive producerSeason 2
2017Better Call SaulExecutive producerSeason 3
2018Better Call SaulExecutive producerSeason 4
2020Better Call SaulExecutive producerSeason 5
2022Better Call SaulExecutive producerSeason 6
2025Gen VExecutive producerSeason 2

Screenplays
YearTitleCreditNotes
2008InfectedWriterTV movie. Story by Tom Schnauz
2008OtisWriterCo-wrote with Erik Jendresen

Awards and nominations

Schnauz has been nominated for Writers Guild of America Awards on six occasions, winning three times, for his work on the writing staffs of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Schnauz shared in the show's 2010 Writers Guild of [America Award for Television: Dramatic Series|Dramatic Series] nomination, and subsequent category wins in 2011, 2012 and 2013, for his work on Breaking Bad. He was nominated again in 2015 and 2016 in the Dramatic Series category for Better Call Saul.
He was nominated for a 65th [Primetime Emmy Awards|Primetime Emmy Award] for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series for the 2012 Breaking Bad episode "Say My Name".
YearAwardCategoryShowResult
2010Writers Guild of America AwardBest Dramatic SeriesBreaking BadNomitated
2010Primetime Emmy AwardPrimetime [Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series|Outstanding Drama Series]Breaking BadNomitated
2010Producers Guild of America AwardBest Episodic DramaBreaking BadNomitated
2011Writers Guild of America AwardBest Dramatic SeriesBreaking BadWon
2012Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Drama SeriesBreaking BadNomitated
2012Writers Guild of America AwardBest Dramatic SeriesBreaking BadWon
2012Producers Guild of America AwardBest Episodic DramaBreaking BadNomitated
2013Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Writing for a Drama SeriesBreaking BadNomitated
2013Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Drama SeriesBreaking BadWon
2013Writers Guild of America AwardBest Dramatic SeriesBreaking BadWon
2013Producers Guild of America AwardBest Episodic DramaBreaking BadWon
2014Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Drama SeriesBreaking BadWon
2014Producers Guild of America AwardBest Episodic DramaBreaking BadWon
2015Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Drama SeriesBetter Call SaulNomitated
2015Writers Guild of America AwardBest Dramatic SeriesBetter Call SaulNomitated
2015Producers Guild of America AwardBest Episodic DramaBetter Call SaulNomitated
2016Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Drama SeriesBetter Call SaulNomitated
2016Writers Guild of America AwardBest Dramatic SeriesBetter Call SaulNomitated
2016Producers Guild of America AwardBest Episodic DramaBetter Call SaulNomitated
2017Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Drama SeriesBetter Call SaulNomitated
2019Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Drama SeriesBetter Call SaulNomitated
2019Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Writing for a Drama SeriesBetter Call SaulNomitated
2020Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Drama SeriesBetter Call SaulNomitated
2020Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Writing for a Drama SeriesBetter Call SaulNomitated
2022Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Drama SeriesBetter Call SaulNomitated
2022Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Writing for a Drama SeriesBetter Call SaulNomitated