Kaplan graduated from Harvard College in 1989. Prior to committing to a career in professional writing, Kaplan had been an English teacher in Thailand. After that he took five years of philosophy graduate school at Columbia and UC Berkeley. While in philosophy graduate school he studied with Donald Davidson, John Searle, Hubert Dreyfus and Bernard Williams. He is qualified to teach philosophy of science, metaphysics, medieval philosophy, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of language, and is at work on a thesis on the phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty.

Eric Kaplan's first television writing job was with The Late Show with David Letterman which he worked on for a year and a half before quitting and moving to Hollywood to look for a job in "half-hour" work. It was at this time that Kaplan learned of Matt Groening doing a show set in the year 3000. This show would turn out to be Futurama. After applying for work on the show using some writing samples, Eric would have to, as he says, "sweat it out", for over a month before getting the job. Upon Futurama's cancellation, Kaplan went to work for the short-lived comedy series Andy Richter Controls the Universe, writing just one episode. After Fox dropped Andy Richter..., Eric Kaplan then began work on the hit-show Malcolm in the Middle, Eric also wrote the "Girlfriends" episode of the HBO hit, "Flight of the Conchords".

Futurama

In his first year with Futurama, which was also the show's first season, Kaplan served as story editor on every episode. Though having an input on many aspects of the entire first season, Kaplan would not get a writing credit until 9 episodes in. After this premiere season, he would be promoted to producer status. This was a role that he would keep through the show's end. He returned to those roles in the Futurama DVD movies.

Futurama episode writing credits:

• "Hell Is Other Robots"
• "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?"
• "A Bicyclops Built for Two"
• "Parasites Lost"
• "I Dated a Robot"
• "Jurassic Bark"
• "Three Hundred Big Boys"

Futurama DVD movies writing credits:

• "The Beast with a Billion Backs"
• "Bender's Game"

Malcolm in the Middle

In his two years as a writer on Malcolm in the Middle, Kaplan wrote four episodes while serving as supervising producer in the first half of the 5th season and co-executive producer throughout the rest of the series' run.

Malcolm in the Middle episode writing credits:

• Dirty Magazine
• Victor's Other Family
• Dewey's Opera
• Ida's Dance
• Blackout
• Hal Grieves

Zombie College

Zombie College was an internet webtoon Kaplan created that revolved around a student at a college full of zombies.

Kaplan described the premise of Zombie College as

the idea of the human ability to get used to practically anything. That there's nothing so horrible that we can't get used to it and accept it as part of life (...) Zombie College is an environment where there are undead monsters running around and trying to eat your brain but everybody is o.k. with it and they're more interested in getting good grades.

The Drinky Crow Show

Kaplan co-created The Drinky Crow Show, based on the Maakies comics by Tony Millionaire, for Adult Swim. The pilot aired on May 17, 2007 and the series premiered on November 2008.

Flight of the Conchords

Kaplan wrote the episode Girlfriends.

The Big Bang Theory

Kaplan is a co-executive producer on the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory.

Mirari Films

Kaplan runs Mirari Films, an animation studio and VFX house. In addition to "The Drinky Crow Show" Mirari Films produces "Baxter and McGuire" for Comedy Central and is developing shows with several artists in the fields of comedy and comics.