Julie Martin is an American television writer and producer. She has worked on the NBC crime dramas Life on the Street and Criminal Intent. She won a Humanitas Prize and was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for her work on Homicide. She has also been nominated for an Edgar Award for her work on Criminal Intent.
Martin began her television career as a writer for the seventh season of legal drama LA Law in 1992. The series presented topical storylines by following a Los Angeles law firm and was created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher. She wrote or co-wrote six episodes for the season; "Wine Knot", "Christmas Stalking" (with co-executive producers John Masius and John Tinker), "Bare Witness", "That's Why the Lady Is a Stamp" (with executive producer William M. Finkelstein, Paul Manning and Peter Schneider), "Vindaloo in the Villows" (with co-producer Anne Kenney and Manning) and "Bourbon Cowboy" (with Kenney and Manning). She was hired as a story editor for the eighth season in 1993. She wrote or co-wrote a further eight episodes for the season; "Leap of Faith" (with Finkelstein and Manning), "Foreign Co-respondent" (with Finkelstein and Manning), "Eli's Gumming" (with Kenney and Manning), "Rhyme and Punishment" (with Finkelstein), "Silence Is Golden" (with executive consultant Paul Haggis), "How Am I Driving?" (with Finkelstein and Haggis), "Whistle Stop" (with Haggis, Kenney and Manning) and co-wrote the teleplay for the series finale "Finish Line" with Manning and Schneider from a story by Finkelstein, Haggis and Kenney. The series was canceled after completing its eighth season. Martin contributed to fourteen episodes in total as a writer.
Following the conclusion of LA Law Martin was hired as a story editor and writer for the third season of Life on the Street in 1994. The series focused on a single squad of Homicide detectives in Baltimore, Maryland. She co-wrote seven episodes for the third season. Staff writer Bonnie Mark wrote the teleplay for the episode "Fits Like a Glove" from a story by Martin and executive producer and show runner Tom Fontana. Mark, Fontana and Martin were nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for episodic drama at the February 1996 ceremony for writing "Fits Like a Glove". She wrote the teleplay for the episode "Happy to Be Here" from a story she co-wrote with Fontana. David Rupel wrote the teleplay for the episode "Partners" from a story by Martin and Fontana. She co-wrote the teleplay for the episode "The City That Bleeds" with fellow story editor Jorge Zamacona for a story by Mark and executive story editor James Yoshimura. She co-wrote the teleplay for the episode "Dead End" with Zamacona from a story by Yoshimura. She co-wrote the teleplay for the episode "Law and Disorder" with Mark from a story by Yoshimura and co-executive producer Henry Bromell. Novelist Jane Smiley wrote the teleplay for the episode "In Search of Crimes Past" from a story by Martin and Bromell. She became a producer for the fourth season in 1995. She co-wrote two episodes for the fourth season. She wrote the teleplay for the season premiere "Fire: Part 1" from a story by Fontana and Bromell. She wrote the episode "Requiem for Adena".
In 1996 Martin collaborated with Fontana as a co-writer and producer on the television feature The Prosecutors. The project was co-written by Fontana and novelist Lynda La Plante. The film focused on a team of female prosecuting attorneys and starred Stockard Channing and Michelle Forbes.
Martin became a supervising producer for the fifth season of Homicide in Fall 1996. She co-wrote ten episodes for the fifth season. Yoshimura wrote the teleplay for the season premiere "Hostage: Part 1" from a story by Martin and Fontana. Martin wrote the teleplay for the episode "Hostage: Part 2" from a story by Fontana and Yoshimura. Staff writer and non-fiction author David Simon wrote the teleplay for the episode "Bad Medicine" from a story by Martin and Fontana. Simon wrote the book that formed the basis for the television series. Susan Sisko and Les Carter co-wrote the teleplay for the episode "Control" from a story by Martin and Fontana. Gay Walch wrote the teleplay for the episode "Betrayal" from a story by Fontana and Martin. Christopher Kyle wrote the teleplay for the episode "Diener" from a story by Fontana and Martin. Anya Epstein and Simon co-wrote the teleplay for the episode "Wu's on First?" from a story by Martin and Yoshimura. Linda McGibney wrote the teleplay for the episode "Kaddish" from a story by Martin, Yoshimura and Ron Goldstein. Debbie Sarjeant wrote the teleplay for the episode "Deception" from a story by Fontana, Martin and Yoshimura. Martin co-wrote the penultimate episode "Partners and Other Strangers" with staff writer Darryl Wharton and Epstein. She remained a supervising producer for the sixth season and wrote or co-wrote a further nine episodes. Epstein wrote the teleplay for the season opener " Part 1" from a story by Martin and Fontana. Epstein and Simon co-wrote the teleplay for the episode "Blood Ties: Part 3" from a story by Martin, Fontana and Yoshimura. She wrote the episode "Birthday" solo. Simon and Rafael Alvarez wrote the teleplay for the episode "All Is Bright" from a story by Martin and Yoshimura. Kyle wrote the teleplay for the episode "Closet Cases" from a story by Martin and Yoshimura. Wharton wrote the teleplay for the episode "Sins of the Father" from a story by Martin and Yoshimura. Staff writer Sean Whitesell wrote the teleplay for the episode "Pit Bull Sessions" from a story by Martin and Yoshimura. Martin co-wrote the episode "Abduction" with Epstein. McGibney co-wrote the episode "Strangled, Not Stirred" from a story by Martin and Epstein.
She was promoted again to co-executive producer for the seventh and final season in 1998. She contributed to a further four episodes as a writer for the season. She wrote the episode "Brotherly Love". Joy Lusco Kecken wrote the teleplay for the episode "Kellerman, P.I.: Part 1" from a story by Martin and Yoshimura. T. J. English wrote the teleplay for the episode "Shades of Gray" from a story by Martin and Simon. In 1999 Martin, English and Simon won a Humanitas Prize in the 60 minutes category for their work on "Shades of Gray". Lloyd Rose wrote the teleplay for the episode "Zen and the Art of Murder" from a story by Martin and Fontana. Homicide was canceled after completing its seventh season in 1999. Martin contributed to 32 episodes as a writer over the course of the series.
2000s
In 2002 Martin collaborated with Tom Fontana on the cable television pilot Baseball Wives for HBO. She served as a co-writer (with Lisa Randolph) and co-executive producer on the project. The pilot was directed by Steve Buscemi. It was produced by HBO but was not ordered to series.
In 2004 Martin worked as a writer for the new Fox legal drama The Jury. The series was created by her Homicide colleagues Fontana, James Yoshimura and Barry Levinson. The series featured a constantly changing cast as it focused on jury deliberations for a different trial each episode. Martin wrote the teleplay for the episode "Memories" from a story by Fontana and Yoshimura. The series was canceled after ten episodes.
She co-created the college drama The Bedford Diaries in 2006 with Fontana. She worked as an executive producer and writer for the project. The show focused on classmates at New York City college. Martin contributed to five episodes as a writer. Fontana and Martin co-wrote the pilot episode "I'm Gonna Love College". Martin and Fontana co-wrote the story for four further episodes; "Tell Me No Secrets" (teleplay by Bradford Winters), "Love and the Tenth Planet" (teleplay by Jessica Brickman), "The Passion of the Beaver" (teleplay by Jason Yoshimura) and series finale "Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder" (teleplay by Lyle Weldon). The series aired as a mid-season replacement and was canceled after airing eight episodes.
She became a consulting producer and writer for the sixth season of NBC procedural Criminal Intent in 2006. The series was created by Dick Wolf and Rene Balcer and is a spin-off from Wolf's earlier series Law & Order. Criminal Intent follows the Major Case Squad of the New York City police department through an investigation in each episode. Martin co-wrote eight episodes for the series sixth season. Martin co-wrote the story (with head writer Warren Leight) and wrote the teleplay for the episode "Siren Call". Stephanie Sengupta wrote the teleplay for the episode "Bedfellows" from a story she co-wrote with Martin and Leight. Diana Son wrote the teleplay for the episode "The War at Home" from a story she co-wrote with Martin and Leight. Jacquelyn Reingold wrote the teleplay for the episode "World's Fair" from a story she co-wrote with Martin and Leight. Martin, Leight and Siobhan Byrne co-wrote the episode "Privilege". Byrne wrote the teleplay for the episode "Rocket Man" from a story she co-wrote with Martin and Leight. Brant Englestein wrote the teleplay for the episode "Bombshell" from a story by Martin and Leight. Leight, Martin and Kate Rorick co-wrote the teleplay for the episode "Endgame" from a story by Leight and Rorick. Martin became a co-executive producer for the series seventh season in 2007. The series moved from NBC onto the USA network for the seventh season. Martin co-wrote a further eight episodes for the season. Reingold wrote the teleplay for the episode "Lonelyville" from a story she co-wrote with Martin and Leight. Son wrote the teleplay for the episode "Depths" from a story she co-wrote with Martin and Leight. Martin co-wrote the episode "Courtship" with Leight. Rorick wrote the teleplay for the episode "Offense" from a story she co-wrote with Martin. Martin and Byrne co-wrote the teleplay for the episode "Senseless" from a story Byrne co-wrote with Leight. In 2008 Martin, Byrne and Leight were nominated for an Edgar Award for best television episode for their work on "Senseless". Martin co-wrote the teleplay for the episode "Assassin" with Homicide veteran Eric Overmyer based on a story she co-wrote with Leight. Martin wrote the teleplay for the episode "Ten Count" from a story she co-wrote with Leight. Martin and Rorick co-wrote the teleplay for the season finale "Frame" from a story by Leight. Martin left the crew of Criminal Intent after the seventh season.
In 2008 Martin was hired as a co-executive producer and writer for the new NBC drama Kings. The series' narrative is loosely based on the Biblical story of King David, but set in a kingdom that culturally and technologically resembles the present-day United States. Martin wrote the episode "Judgement Day" which was directed by Homicide star Clark Johnson. She co-wrote the story for series finale with Erik Oleson, series creator Michael Green and David Schulner co-wrote the teleplay for the finale, entitled "The New King: Part Two". The series aired as a mid-season replacement in 2009 and was canceled after airing eleven episodes.
In 2009 she produced and directed the documentary David Tudor Bandoneon! . The film chronicled an innovative music performance by composer David Tudor in 1966.
In fall 2009 Martin became a consulting producer and writer for the twentieth season of Law & Order. The series focuses on criminal investigations and follows them through to the court verdict. Martin contributed to five episodes of the season as a writer. She co-wrote the episodes "Dignity", "Shotgun", "Innocence" and "Immortal" with Richard Sweren and co-wrote the episode "Steel-Eyed Death" with Sweren and Christopher Ambrose.
