Eric Appel
Eric Appel (born August 13, 1980) is an American director, writer, and producer best known for his work in television comedy series and the satirical biopic film Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.[1] Born in Endicott, New York, Appel graduated from Union-Endicott High School in 1998, studied computer animation at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and later took classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York City to hone his skills in comedy and improvisation.[1][2] He began his professional career as a writer on MTV's The Andy Milonakis Show and Comedy Central's Crank Yankers and Human Giant in the mid-2000s, establishing himself in sketch comedy and alternative television formats.[1] Appel transitioned to directing in the 2010s, helming episodes of popular sitcoms such as The Office, New Girl, Happy Endings, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Silicon Valley, Son of Zorn, and The Afterparty, often bringing his background in animation and improv to enhance comedic timing and visual storytelling.[3] His feature directorial debut came in 2022 with Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, a Roku Channel parody biopic co-written with musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, which satirizes music biopics and earned Appel a Directors Guild of America nomination as well as a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie in 2023.[4][5] Appel has continued directing projects like the Amazon Prime Video film Die Hart (2023) and the upcoming comedy The Breadwinner (2026) starring Nate Bargatze and Mandy Moore, further expanding his portfolio in both streaming movies and series.[6][7][8]Early life and education
Childhood in Endicott
Eric Appel was born on August 13, 1980, in Endicott, New York, a small town in the Southern Tier region of upstate New York.[1] Growing up in the West Corners neighborhood of Endicott, Appel developed an early passion for creative pursuits.[5] His childhood interests centered on filmmaking and animation, sparked by self-taught hobbies such as tinkering with video cameras and drawing cartoons.[1] He often collaborated with friends to create homemade movies in nearby woods, fostering a hands-on approach to storytelling that blended visual arts and narrative experimentation.[5] Appel graduated from Union-Endicott High School in 1998, where his budding creativity continued to evolve through local influences and personal projects.[5] These formative experiences in Endicott provided the groundwork for his transition to formal training in animation.Formal education and early training
Appel attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, where he majored in computer animation.[1][2] During his studies, Appel began creating videos with classmates, which sparked his passion for live-action directing and shifted his focus from animation toward narrative filmmaking.[1] He was also introduced to improv comedy at the institute, performing improv games that honed his comedic timing and collaborative skills.[1] Building on these experiences, Appel pursued further training in improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York City after graduating, where he performed, wrote, and directed shows.[9][10] This early involvement in student video projects and improv laid the groundwork for his professional career in comedy and directing.[1]Career
Entry into animation and comedy
After graduating from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a degree in computer animation around 2002, Eric Appel relocated to New York City to pursue creative opportunities, though he ultimately did not work professionally in animation.[11] Instead, he immersed himself in the local comedy scene by enrolling in improv classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (UCB), where he quickly became a regular performer.[2] Appel's training at UCB emphasized spontaneous sketch creation and ensemble performance, fostering his skills in rapid-fire humor and collaborative storytelling.[9] By 2002, Appel had transitioned into writing and directing original sketch comedy shows at UCB, often drawing on his visual arts background to craft visually dynamic, low-budget productions staged in the theater's intimate spaces.[12] These experiences marked his entry into professional comedy, blending improv techniques with scripted elements to produce short-form content that highlighted absurd, character-driven narratives.[9] His work at UCB built a foundation in live-action directing, shifting focus from animated concepts to real-time comedic timing and audience interaction. Appel's first paid television gig came in 2005 as a writer on MTV's The Andy Milonakis Show, a surreal sketch comedy series that aligned with his UCB-honed style of irreverent, youth-oriented humor.[1] He relocated to Los Angeles in 2006 for the show's second season, where he contributed to episodes featuring celebrity cameos and animated segments, further bridging his animation education with live-action production.[1] This opportunity led to additional early writing credits on sketch programs like Human Giant (2007) on MTV and Crank Yankers (2007–2009) on Comedy Central, establishing him in low-budget comedy content creation during the mid-2000s.[12] In 2007, Appel joined the nascent Funny or Die platform as its original head writer and an early director, helming viral short sketches that amplified his reputation for punchy, shareable comedy.[13] These projects, often produced on minimal budgets, exemplified his growing expertise in transitioning from improv-based sketches to polished digital content, solidifying his path in the comedy industry.[12]Television directing
Eric Appel began directing television episodes in the early 2010s, bringing his background in animation and improv comedy to comedic series on major networks. His work emphasized tight pacing, character interactions, and visual humor tailored to ensemble casts.[3] Appel directed three episodes of the Fox sitcom New Girl starting in 2012, including "Models" (Season 2, Episode 5) and "What About Fred" (Season 5, Episode 2). His approach highlighted quirky, awkward comedy through extended reaction shots and ensemble banter, allowing character dynamics to drive the humor in the show's loft-based ensemble.[14][15][3] From 2013 onward, Appel contributed to Brooklyn Nine-Nine by directing four episodes, such as "Halloween II" (Season 2, Episode 4) and "Kicks" (Season 5, Episode 5). He focused on ensemble dynamics, using precise timing for rapid-fire jokes and group scenes that amplified the precinct's chaotic camaraderie and procedural satire.[16][17][18] Appel's involvement with HBO's Silicon Valley began in 2014, where he directed two episodes in Season 3: "The Empty Chair" (Episode 5) and "Bachmanity Insanity" (Episode 6). His direction underscored the show's tech satire through character-driven scenes, employing close-ups and subtle visual cues to highlight awkward professional rivalries and innovative absurdity in the startup world.[19][20] In 2016, Appel directed six episodes of the Fox hybrid series Son of Zorn, while also serving as an executive producer. The show blended live-action with animated elements featuring the barbarian protagonist Zorn, and Appel navigated challenges like integrating animation into live scenes by using on-set supervisors for precise eye-lines and rehearsals to match movements, drawing from 1980s cartoon aesthetics for Zorn's over-the-top reactions without breaking the world's realism. His early animation training influenced this seamless hybrid style, treating the animated character as a natural extension of the live-action environment.[21][22] Appel directed two episodes of Apple TV+'s The Afterparty in 2023, including "Aniq 2: The Sequel" (Season 2, Episode 1), emphasizing mystery elements through nonlinear storytelling and genre shifts that replayed events from different perspectives to build suspense and comedic reveals.[23][3] For the Quibi/Roku series Die Hart starting in 2020, Appel helmed 18 episodes across its run, incorporating action-comedy tropes with high-energy stunts and meta-humor about Hollywood aspirations, as seen in episodes like "The Great Escape" (Season 1, Episode 7).[24][3]Feature film directing
Appel's feature film directing career began with Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022), a satirical biopic co-written and directed by him in collaboration with subject "Weird Al" Yankovic. The film exaggerates elements of Yankovic's life as a parody songwriter and accordionist into a heightened narrative that mocks musical biopic tropes, blending emotional depth with absurd humor rather than straightforward parody. Daniel Radcliffe was cast as Yankovic for his ability to convey both comedic timing and emotional intelligence, serving as the audience's entry point into the story's satirical world. Production faced challenges including a tight $8 million budget, an accelerated 18-day shoot originally planned for 22 days, COVID-19-related cost increases, and the need for extensive 1980s-era costumes to recreate the retro setting.[25][26] In 2023, Appel directed Die Hart for Amazon Prime Video, a feature-length adaptation of the Quibi series that follows Kevin Hart playing a fictionalized version of himself training to become an action star under the guidance of a demanding director. The film incorporates high-stakes action sequences, meta-commentary on Hollywood, and comedic mishaps, building on the series' premise with a condensed narrative and celebrity cameos.[6][27] In 2024, Appel directed Die Hart 2: Die Harter, an action-comedy sequel expanding on the self-referential series where Kevin Hart plays a fictionalized version of himself aspiring to action stardom. The film amplifies the original's meta-humor with unscripted action sequences, an evil revenge plot targeting Hart's character, and heightened pettiness in his persona, emphasizing collaborative chaos on set. Appel returned to helm the project alongside writer Tripper Clancy, building on prior work with Hart to integrate broader comedic stakes and physical stunts within a larger narrative arc.[28] Appel's approach to feature directing prioritizes a grounded narrative framework to support comedic exaggeration, allowing for logical humor progression distinct from the episodic constraints of television. His television background in pacing quick-witted scenes informed this style, but features enabled greater creative control through expanded budgets and runtime, facilitating intricate blends of satire, drama, and action without rushing resolutions.[25]Filmography
Television credits
Appel's television credits span directing episodes of multiple comedy series from 2011 onward, with a focus on single-camera sitcoms and sketch-style shows. He also served as executive producer on the series Son of Zorn (2016–2017), overseeing all 13 episodes of its single season, which blended live-action and animation to depict a barbarian warrior's life in suburbia.[29] No major writing credits for television episodes are documented.| Year(s) | Series | Role | Number of Episodes Directed | Representative Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Death Valley | Director | 2 | "Pilot" (S1E1), "Help Us Help You" (S1E2) – Episodes involving undead creatures in a supernatural police procedural parody.[30][31] |
| 2011 | Eagleheart | Director | At least 2 | "Creeps" (S1E3), "Master of da' Skies" (S1E5) – Absurdist cop show sketches featuring bizarre investigations.[32][33] |
| 2011–2012 | NTSF:SD:SUV:: | Director | 13 (across seasons 1–2) | "Up Periscope. Down with San Diego" (S1E6), "Time Angels" (S2E5), "The Risky Business of Being Alone in Your Home" (S1E4) – Rapid-fire parody of police procedurals with escalating absurdity.[34][35][36] |
| 2012 | The Office | Director | 1 | "Jury Duty" (S8E13) – Ensemble comedy exploring workplace lies and family tensions.[37] |
| 2012–2013 | Happy Endings | Director | At least 2 | "Boys II Menorah" (S3E7), "Bros Before Bros" (S3E17) – Interconnected friend group antics in urban settings.[38][39] |
| 2012–2016 | New Girl | Director | 3 | "Models" (S2E5), "Clavado En Un Bar" (S3E11), "What About Fred" (S5E2) – Quirky roommate dynamics and romantic mishaps.[14][15] |
| 2013–2016 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Director | 4 | "The Vulture" (S1E5), "Lockdown" (S2E7), "The 9-8" (S3E11), "Halloween IV" (S4E5) – Precinct-based humor with heist and holiday-themed episodes.[16] |
| 2014 | Selfie | Director | At least 2 | "Never Block Cookies" (S1E2), "I Woke Up Like This" (S1E13) – Social media satire on self-image and mentorship.[40][41] |
| 2016 | Silicon Valley | Director | 2 | "The Empty Chair" (S3E5), "Bachmanity Insanity" (S3E6) – Tech startup rivalries and boardroom chaos.[19][20] |
| 2016–2017 | Son of Zorn | Director (select episodes); Executive Producer (all) | At least 2 (directed) | "Return to Orange County" (S1E2), pilot episode – Hybrid format episodes blending fantasy action with domestic comedy.[29][42] |
| 2020 | Die Hart | Director | 10 (season 1) | All episodes, including "The Great Escape" (S1E10) – Meta action-comedy following an aspiring actor's stunt training.[24][43] |
| 2023 | The Afterparty | Director | 2 (season 2) | "Aniq 2: The Sequel" (S2E1) and one additional episode – Murder mystery retellings in nonlinear styles.[23][44] |
Film credits
Eric Appel's transition from television directing to feature films began with his debut in 2022.[45]| Title | Year | Role(s) | Release Date | Runtime | Production Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weird: The Al Yankovic Story | 2022 | Director, Writer (co-wrote with "Weird Al" Yankovic), Executive Producer | November 4, 2022 (streaming premiere on The Roku Channel) | 108 minutes | Produced by Funny or Die; biographical parody film starring Daniel Radcliffe as "Weird Al" Yankovic, featuring cameo appearances including those by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jack Black, and Rainn Wilson.[46][47][10] |
| Die Hart | 2023 | Director | February 24, 2023 (streaming premiere on Prime Video) | 85 minutes | Action-comedy film re-edited from the first season of the Die Hart TV series; stars Kevin Hart as a fictionalized version of himself, alongside John Travolta and Nathalie Emmanuel.[6][48][49] |
| Die Hart 2: Die Harter | 2024 | Director | May 30, 2024 (streaming premiere on Prime Video) | 92 minutes | Sequel action-comedy re-edited from the second season of the Die Hart TV series; stars Kevin Hart, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ben Schwartz, and John Cena; written by Tripper Clancy and Derek Kolstad.[50][51][52] |
| The Breadwinner | 2026 | Director | March 13, 2026 (theatrical release) | TBD | Comedy starring Nate Bargatze; produced by TriStar Pictures.[53] |