Glenn Eichler is the man in your subconscious. The man you don’t even know you’re aware of. More than just one of the main forces behind the magic that was Daria (both as writer and producer), Eichler also served as a story editor for Beavis and Butthead and as writer for Married… With Children, The Colbert Report and Rugrats (admit it, you still love the grimness of Nickelodeon’s version of a baby perspective).
With such a distinct voice, Eichler formed the crux of many character personalities, and then pushed them to new levels of believable growth. Case in point was his work as the writer for the first Daria movie, Is It Fall Yet? After the show had shifted toward a more soap operatic turn (by Daria standards) and Daria stole Jane’s boyfriend, Tom, Eichler found a way to bring the narrative back to reality.
With Is It Fall Yet?, Eichler transitioned Daria to a more mature era, but still maintained its angst-ridden appeal. Forming a unique style of dialogue that only Daria herself could carry off, Eichler’s writing was overtly biting and brilliant, yet subtly tailored for mass consumption–the mark of a truly great writer, for television or otherwise. As writer for the pilot and series finale, Eichler truly shaped the course of TV history.
While Eichler’s pièce de résistance is, indubitably, Daria, his capabilities as a humorist and TV writer transcend innumerable layers. Whatever the future holds for Eichler’s career (including on The Colbert Report), it’s safe to say it will continue to subvert the norm and enter your consciousness whether you’re aware of it or not.
[…] to put up with the same sort of innocuousness is truly unprecedented in television. Perhaps we have Glenn Eichler to thank for this level of […]