Hubbry Logo
Tim KringTim KringMain
Open search
Tim Kring
Community hub
Tim Kring
logo
8 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Tim Kring
Tim Kring
Tim Kring
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Richard Timothy Kring (born July 9, 1957) is an American screenwriter and television producer, best known for his creation of the drama series Strange World, Crossing Jordan, Heroes, and Touch.

Key Information

Early life

[edit]

Kring was born in El Dorado County, California. He is Jewish.[1] He has two brothers and a sister.[2]: 83 

He attended Allan Hancock College, where his father, Ray, was the track coach, then graduated from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts in 1983.[3] Discussing his beginnings, Kring said:

I never even thought about scripts when I got out of film school. I pulled cables and shot documentaries. I finally got a gig with commercial house where I would come on with a camera crew as second assistant shooting Japanese cigarette commercials. I had an opportunity to get into the camera crew and decided I did not really want to do that with my life. So I sat down and wrote a script and went back to all the people I had met, got an agent out of it and started going out on a gazillion pitch meetings, and pitched anything I could.[2]: 6 

Career

[edit]

Kring's first job as a screenwriter was for the television show Knight Rider. Other early projects included co-writing an episode of Misfits of Science (which, like his later project Heroes, featured super-powered humans as a main theme) and Teen Wolf Too with Jeph Loeb. Kring and Loeb would collaborate again when producing Heroes. Kring also co-wrote the 2010 book Shift: A Novel (Gates of Orpheus Trilogy) with Dale Peck.

In 1999, he signed a deal with NBC.[4]

After the cancellation of Heroes in 2010 Kring created the TV series Touch, a drama focusing on a father (Kiefer Sutherland) who discovers that his mute son can predict future events.[5] The series premiered on January 25, 2012, on Fox and was cancelled after two seasons on May 9, 2013.

On February 22, 2014, during its Olympics coverage, NBC announced Heroes was coming back as a 13-episode event miniseries titled Heroes Reborn. It premiered in 2015 with creator Tim Kring as the executive producer.[6]

Awards and nominations

[edit]

Kring has been nominated for an Emmy Award in 2007 for Outstanding Drama Series as the producer for Heroes. He was also named one of the Masters of Sci Fi TV for his work on the series.[7]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Title Year Credited as Notes
Producer Writer
Teen Wolf Too 1987 No Screenplay Credited as R. Timothy Kring
Sublet 1998 No Yes
In the Cloud 2018 Yes No

Television

[edit]

The numbers in writing credits refer to the number of episodes.

Title Year Credited as Network Notes
Creator Producer Writer Executive
producer
Misfits of Science 1985 No No Yes (1) No NBC Credited as R. Timothy Kring
Knight Rider 1986 No No Yes (1) No Credited as R. Timothy Kring
Bay Cove 1987 — No Yes No Credited as R. Timothy Kring
Without Consent 1994 — No Teleplay No ABC Television film
Falling for You 1995 — No Teleplay No CBS Television film
Chicago Hope 1996–97 No Yes Yes (6) No Producer (season 3: 26 episodes)
Supervising producer (seaspn 4: 2 episodes)
L.A. Doctors 1999 No No Yes (1) No Co-executive producer (3 episodes)
Strange World 1999–2002 Yes No Yes (1) No ABC
Providence 1999–2001 No No Yes (5) No NBC Co-executive producer (season 2–3)
Crossing Jordan 2001–07 Yes No Yes (22) Yes
Heroes 2006–10 Yes Yes Yes (16) Yes
Touch 2012–13 Yes No Yes (6) Yes Fox
Daybreak 2012 Yes No No Yes Web series
Dig 2015 Yes No Yes (5) Yes USA Network Miniseries
Heroes Reborn: Dark Matters 2015 No No No Yes Web series
Heroes Reborn 2015–16 Yes No Yes (2) Yes NBC Miniseries
The Wilding 2016 No No No Yes USA Network Unsold pilot
Beyond 2017–18 No No No Yes Freeform
Treadstone 2019 Yes No Yes (2) Yes USA Network

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Tim Kring

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Richard Timothy Kring (born July 9, 1957) is an American screenwriter and television producer best known for creating the Emmy-nominated superhero drama series Heroes (2006–2010) and the forensic investigative series (2001–2007). Kring was born in , and grew up primarily in before his family relocated to Santa Maria in . He studied film at and earned a in from the , before pursuing a in the film school at the . Early in his career, Kring worked in various production roles, including as a grip, gaffer, and , before breaking into writing with his first sold pitch—an episode of —in 1985. Throughout the 1990s, Kring built his reputation as a producer on medical dramas, joining as a producer in 1996 and advancing to supervising producer the following year. He co-created the science fiction series Strange World in 1998 and served as co-executive producer on L.A. Doctors that same year and Providence in 1999. His breakthrough came with , which he created and executive-produced for six seasons, spanning over 100 episodes and blending crime-solving with personal drama. Kring's most acclaimed work, Heroes, explored ordinary people discovering extraordinary abilities amid a impending catastrophe, earning multiple Emmy nominations and establishing him as a key figure in genre television. In addition to television, Kring has ventured into other media, co-authoring the young adult fantasy series The Gate of Orpheus (originally titled The Flag of Orpheus) with Dale Peck, with the first book Shift published in 2010. More recently, he has developed limited series such as The Event (2010–2011), Heroes Reborn (2015), and Touch (2012–2013), and in 2024, he announced a new reboot of Heroes titled Heroes: Eclipsed, set years after the original events and focusing on a new generation of evolved humans discovering their powers. Kring resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Lisa, a social worker, and their two children, Amelia and Ethan; he is an avid photographer and collector of acoustic guitars.

Early life

Family and childhood

Tim Kring was born Richard Timothy Kring on July 9, 1957, in . His mother was of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, giving him Jewish American heritage through her side of the family. Kring's father, Ray Kring, was a teacher and renowned track and cross-country coach, while his mother also worked as a teacher. Kring spent much of his childhood in , where his family's teaching professions shaped a stable, education-oriented environment. Later, his parents relocated the family to Santa Maria on the coast, providing a coastal upbringing amid the region's rural and suburban landscapes. These early years in varied settings laid the groundwork for his later pursuits, though specific childhood hobbies or influences remain sparsely documented in .

Education

Tim Kring began his postsecondary education at in , a where he explored his interests in and creative arts. His family's support for these pursuits was evident, as his father, Ray Kring, served as the longtime track and cross-country coach at the institution from 1968 to 1990. Kring later attended the , where he earned a in religious studies. He then pursued graduate studies at the (USC) School of Cinematic Arts, earning a . During his time at USC, he gained hands-on experience in filmmaking through projects involving documentaries, focusing on and development.

Professional career

Early work

After earning a from the of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts in 1988, Tim Kring began his in the entertainment industry working in various technical roles on film and television sets. He started as a grip and gaffer, progressing to camera crew positions, which provided hands-on experience in production logistics and storytelling fundamentals during the mid-1980s. Kring's transition to writing came in 1986 with his first major television credit, co-writing the teleplay for the "Knight Rider" episode "Voo Doo Knight," which aired on NBC and involved supernatural elements in the show's action-adventure format. This marked his entry into scripted content, building on his production background to craft narratives for popular series. In 1987, Kring expanded into feature films and television movies as a screenwriter. He co-wrote the screenplay for "Teen Wolf Too," a fantasy comedy sequel directed by Christopher Leitch and starring Jason Bateman, which focused on a young man's discovery of werewolf abilities at a boxing academy. That same year, he penned the script for the horror television film "Bay Coven" (also known as "Bay Cove"), a made-for-TV movie about a couple uncovering a witches' coven in a remote New England village, starring Tim Matheson and Pamela Sue Martin. By the mid-1990s, Kring shifted toward medical dramas, beginning with writing credits on "," a hospital series created by . He contributed to six episodes starting in 1996, including stories exploring ethical dilemmas in healthcare. His involvement grew to producer roles by 1996, serving first as a producer and then as supervising producer through 1998, overseeing narrative arcs and production elements that contributed to the show's critical acclaim.

Breakthrough series

In 1999, Tim Kring signed an overall development deal with Studios, enabling him to create and produce original series programming. This agreement marked a pivotal step in his transition toward leading sci-fi and drama projects, building on his earlier writing contributions to shows like . Following Chicago Hope, Kring served as co-executive producer on the medical dramas L.A. Doctors (1998-1999) and Providence (1999-2000). Kring's first major venture under the deal was the sci-fi crime drama Strange World, which he co-created with for ABC. Premiering in March 1999, the series followed terminally ill Army scientist Paul Turner, who investigated unethical scientific experiments and environmental threats stemming from military and corporate misconduct. Despite producing 13 episodes, only three aired before cancellation, though it later found a niche audience on the Sci-Fi Channel, highlighting Kring's early interest in blending speculative elements with procedural storytelling. Kring achieved greater success with (2001–2007), a forensic drama he created and executive produced for . The series centered on Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh, a brilliant but impulsive in , whose unorthodox methods clashed with police protocols while solving complex cases through and investigation. Running for six seasons and 117 episodes, it emphasized character-driven narratives around a team of misfit forensics experts, establishing Kring's reputation for procedural formats infused with personal drama. Kring's most prominent breakthrough came with Heroes (2006–2010), a superhero drama he created and served as showrunner for NBC. Conceived during the production of Crossing Jordan and inspired by post-9/11 themes of global interconnectedness, the series depicted ordinary people worldwide awakening to extraordinary abilities, exploring moral dilemmas and collective heroism to avert crises. Its innovative serialized structure, drawing from comic book influences without relying on traditional caped archetypes, garnered widespread acclaim in its first season for innovative storytelling and diverse ensemble casting. Heroes achieved significant cultural resonance, sparking global discussions on human potential and ethics, and expanding into graphic novels, webisodes, and international adaptations that influenced the superhero genre's mainstream television presence. In 2010, Kring co-authored the thriller novel Shift with Dale Peck, published as the first installment in the Gate of Orpheus trilogy by Crown Publishing. Set amid 1960s counterculture and CIA conspiracies, the book infused historical events with supernatural elements, reflecting Kring's thematic interest in altered realities and hidden powers.

Later projects

Following the success of his earlier series, Tim Kring ventured into innovative with Conspiracy for Good, an interactive project launched in 2010 in collaboration with . This (ARG) blended fiction and real-world activism, encouraging participants to engage in social good initiatives like and charitable acts as part of the narrative. Described as "Social Benefit Storytelling," it empowered audiences to influence the story's outcome through mobile interactions and real-life actions, marking a pioneering effort in using for positive . In , Kring created Touch, a drama series starring as a widower raising an autistic son who perceives numerical patterns that reveal interconnected human events and predict future occurrences. The show explored themes of , , and global human connections, positing that seemingly random lives are linked in profound ways. Airing for two seasons until 2013, it emphasized emotional narratives over supernatural spectacle, drawing from Kring's interest in patterns and destiny seen in prior works. Kring revived his signature superhero concept with Heroes Reborn, a 13-episode miniseries that premiered in 2015. Set one year after a devastating terrorist attack in , the story followed a new group of individuals with extraordinary abilities hiding from persecution, while uncovering the event's mysteries. As and co-writer, Kring aimed to refresh the franchise with standalone arcs accessible to newcomers, building on the original series' exploration of ordinary people gaining powers. That same year, Kring co-created Dig, a USA Network miniseries with Gideon Raff, blending archaeological suspense and conspiracy thriller elements. The plot centered on an FBI agent in Jerusalem investigating a young archaeologist's murder, unraveling a 2,000-year-old plot tied to biblical prophecies and modern intrigue. Filmed on location in Israel, the 10-episode series highlighted Kring's affinity for high-stakes, mystery-driven narratives with historical depth. Kring served as on Treadstone in 2019, a USA Network action thriller expanding the Bourne franchise universe. The 10-episode first season delved into the origins and ongoing operations of the CIA's black ops program that created super-spies like Jason Bourne, featuring global pursuits and psychological conditioning themes. Developed amid the franchise's cinematic legacy, it incorporated Kring's expertise in serialized and moral ambiguity. As of November 2025, Kring is developing Heroes: Eclipsed, a announced in 2024 and pitched to networks and streamers. Set years after the original series' events, it follows a new generation of evolved humans awakening to their powers amid societal tensions. Kring is writing and executive producing, intending to evolve the mythology with contemporary relevance while honoring the franchise's roots in human potential and ethical dilemmas.

Awards and honors

Emmy nominations

Tim Kring earned two Primetime Emmy Award nominations in the Outstanding Drama Series category for his contributions as a producer. In 1997, Kring received a shared nomination for Chicago Hope, where he served as producer and supervising producer during the show's third season (1996–1997), contributing to its acclaimed blend of medical drama and character-driven narratives that elevated the series' production standards. This recognition, shared with the broader production team including creator , underscored the collaborative efforts that positioned Chicago Hope as a benchmark for drama in the mid-1990s. Kring's second nomination came in 2007 for Heroes, the superhero series he created and executive produced, which garnered praise for its innovative episodic structure and high production values that drove its cultural impact and critical success. As executive producer, Kring oversaw the integration of serialized storytelling with visual effects, aspects central to the nomination shared with the production team including directors like Allan Arkush and producers such as Greg Beeman.

Other awards

In 2007, Tim Kring received the Jules Verne Achievement Award from the Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival for his work on the television series Heroes, recognizing his contributions to science fiction storytelling. That same year, Kring was honored with a Rave Award from Wired magazine for Heroes, praised for blending superhero elements with accessible narratives that appealed to mainstream audiences. In 2010, Kring was awarded the Pioneer Prize at the International Digital Emmy Awards during MIPTV in Cannes, acknowledging his pioneering role in transmedia and interactive storytelling, particularly through the alternate reality game Conspiracy for Good. The project Conspiracy for Good, co-produced by Kring with , earned a nomination for an International Digital Emmy Award in the category in 2011.

Filmography

Films

Tim Kring began his career in the late with contributions to feature films. His early film work focused on genre pieces, including comedies and thrillers. In 1987, Kring wrote the screenplay for , a directed by Christopher Leitch and starring . Also in 1987, he penned the teleplay for Bay Coven (also known as Bay Cove), a supernatural thriller television film directed by Carl Schenkel and featuring Tim Matheson and Pamela Sue Martin. In 1994, Kring wrote the teleplay for Without Consent, a thriller television film directed by Robert Iscove and starring Jennie Garth. Kring's subsequent film credit came in 1995 with the teleplay for Falling for You, a romantic thriller television film directed by Eric Till and starring Jennie Garth. In 1998, he served as producer on the film Sublet. In 2018, Kring wrote the film In the Cloud.

Television

Tim Kring began his television writing career in the mid-1980s, contributing scripts to action-oriented series that often explored elements, a theme that would recur throughout his later productions. His earliest credited work was as a writer for an episode of the comedy in 1985. In 1986, Kring wrote an episode of the series . From 1996 to 2000, he served as a (advancing to supervising producer in 1997) on and wrote four episodes between 1996 and 1998. Kring acted as co-executive producer on L.A. Doctors during its 1998–1999 run on . He joined Providence as co-executive producer from 1999 to 2001 and contributed writing to several episodes. In 1999, Kring co-created the ABC sci-fi drama Strange World with , writing the pilot episode. Kring created and served as for the NBC procedural Crossing Jordan, which aired from 2001 to 2007 and spanned 117 episodes. His most prominent creation, the superhero drama Heroes, aired on NBC from 2006 to 2010, with Kring as creator and . In 2012, he created the Daybreak. Kring created the Fox series Touch, starring Kiefer Sutherland, which ran for two seasons from 2012 to 2013. In 2015, he executive produced the 13-episode miniseries Heroes Reborn, a revival of his earlier hit. He also executive produced the web miniseries Heroes Reborn: Dark Matters. That same year, Kring co-created the miniseries with , serving as executive producer. In 2016, he executive produced the unsold pilot The Wilding for . From 2017 to 2018, Kring served as executive producer on the Freeform series Beyond. Kring developed and executive produced the USA Network spy thriller Treadstone in 2019, a spin-off from the Bourne film franchise. As of 2025, Kring is developing Heroes: Eclipsed, a new iteration of the Heroes universe set years after the original events, in which he serves as creator.

References

  1. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0471352/
  2. https://www.wgbh.org/people/tim-kring
  3. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/tim_kring
  4. https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tim-kring/
  5. https://bigthink.com/people/timkring/
  6. https://www.televisionacademy.com/shows/heroes
  7. https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/heroes-eclipsed-reboot-tim-kring-1235967140/
  8. https://ethnicelebs.com/tim-kring
  9. https://www.hancockcollege.edu/news/announcements/2015Sept21HeroesReborn.php
  10. https://www.egconf.com/presenters/tim-kring
  11. https://syvnews.com/news/hancock-graduate-tim-krings-heroes-reboot-debuts-thursday-on-nbc/article_0928fc7b-52fb-516b-aacd-1da5dfb9ae1e.html
  12. https://cinema.usc.edu/alumni/notable.cfm
  13. https://books.google.com/books?id=xPvw0HNU11sC&pg=PA6
  14. https://cinema.usc.edu/news/article.cfm?id=9654
  15. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0620883/fullcredits/
  16. https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/30/arts/television/30hero.html
  17. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094118/
  18. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092623/fullcredits/
  19. http://www.filmreference.com/film/90/Tim-Kring.html
  20. http://www.reviewgraveyard.com/2006_Interviews/07-02-01_timkring.htm
  21. https://variety.com/2007/scene/awards/tim-kring-1117966161/
  22. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166936/
  23. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/strange_world/s01
  24. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0284718/
  25. https://www.inverse.com/article/49673-heroes-producer-tim-kring-reveals-secret-inspiration
  26. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/jun/24/jump-the-shark-heroes
  27. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/95807/shift-by-tim-kring-and-dale-peck/
  28. http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/features/shift-book-by-tim-kring/
  29. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tim-kring-and-nokia-push-boundaries-of-mobile-entertainment-with-conspiracy-for-good-100515534.html
  30. https://www.wired.com/2010/08/conspiracy-for-good-a-recap-of-an-arg-by-the-creator-of-heroes/
  31. https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/hero-complex-blog/story/2010-06-24/heroes-creator-tim-kring-takes-a-leap-with-conspiracy-for-good
  32. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/touch-tv-review-kiefer-sutherland-284739/
  33. https://tv.apple.com/us/show/touch/umc.cmc.2op1nc0nl5hl7ohv5xb2ct1to
  34. https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/09/23/heroes-reborn-creator-on-why-he-always-thought-the-show-would-be-back
  35. https://variety.com/2015/tv/reviews/tv-review-dig-1201442257/
  36. https://www.forbes.com/sites/merrillbarr/2015/02/26/dig-review-usa/
  37. https://deadline.com/2019/01/bourne-drama-series-treadstone-cast-omar-metwally-tracy-ifeachor-1202534766/
  38. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/oct/15/treadstone-review-bourne-robert-ludlum
  39. https://deadline.com/2024/04/heroes-reboot-series-tim-kring-1235880431/
  40. https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/tim-kring
  41. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/kring-tim
  42. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108724/fullcredits/
  43. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0471352/awards/
  44. https://julesverne.org/festival-events/jules-verne-festivals/tv-series/
  45. https://www.wired.com/2007/05/ss-raves/
  46. https://www.iemmys.tv/heroes-creator-executive-producer-tim-kring-to-receive-pioneer-prize-at-international-digital-emmy-awards-at-miptv-2010-and-to-deliver-keynote/
  47. https://www.iemmys.tv/2011-international-digital-emmy-awards-nominees-announced/
  48. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111733/fullcredits
  49. https://variety.com/1995/film/reviews/falling-for-you-1200440646/
  50. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113017/fullcredits
  51. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0164517/
  52. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4922674/
  53. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088568/fullcredits
  54. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108724/fullcredits
  55. https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tim-kring/credits/3030600467/
  56. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2331228/
  57. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5690298/
  58. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5693924/
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.