For television writer and producer Don Reo, the process of creating feels like stepping out of himself. When he’s working, he loses track of time, sees vivid images in his mind of what he’s attempting to depict, and hears the dialogue flow as if the characters were talking to him.
It’s a process that has served him well over the course of his highly successful, multi-decade career. And today, he wants to share those secrets with the next generation.
Known for creating beloved sitcoms including “The John Larroquette Show,” “My Wife and Kids,” “The Chris Rock Show,” “Blossom,” and more, Reo visited Senior Lecturer of Communication and Language Studies Tom Zammarelli’s “Communication in Action” course this spring to discuss his career and craft. From insights into the skills he looks for in writers and on-screen talent to explaining how casting the wrong people can kill a story, he provided an inside look at a storied industry.
The writer and producer also emphasized that finding success requires a willingness to fail, a lesson he illustrated with stories about the highs and lows of his time in Hollywood.
“Things don’t always work, but if you doubt your abilities, you’re done,” he says. “You have to take a leap of faith. There has to be a part of you willing to risk everything to reach something that people said you couldn’t do.”
Sparking creative spirit
In 2025, Reo — who’s visited Bryant University several times in the last few years to speak with students — donated a cache of his original scripts, including texts for projects that never made it to air, to the campus’s Douglas and Judith Krupp Library. Zammarelli’s course, centered on Reo’s work, uses that treasure trove to inspire creativity and insight.
Comedy, Zammarelli states serves an important purpose. Shows like Reo’s offer more than an opportunity for people to laugh; though that is important, they also help us confront the world around us and address important social issues.
RELATED ARTICLE: The spell of Wicked: How adaptations keep stories alive
The course began with a primer on different types of comedy and the American sitcom. Then, Zammarelli introduced undergrads to Reo’s work. Together, they read his original notes and handwritten scenes and watched episodes of his shows that corresponded to specific scripts to see how the material evolved from page to screen.
“I never really realized or appreciated how much effort, thought, and care goes into writing and producing a television show and how much original ideas can change before they go on the air,” notes Daniel Piepmeier ’26.
An International Business major, Piepmeier has enjoyed the course’s discussion-based nature and notes that the course’s lessons extend beyond the arts; learning about different types of comedy and ways to present your ideas has taught him how to be a more effective communicator.
Meeting the writer
From performing a table read of “Chance,” one of Reo’s un-aired projects, to incorporating music into their creative process since music was a source of inspiration for much of Reo’s work, undergrads got to know the creator through his words and what they’ve viewed on screen. Meeting him in-person and hearing about his process, experiences, and inspirations added an additional layer to their understanding of his work — and how to use that understanding in their own endeavors.
Emily Croteau ’27, a Communication major, was surprised by how approachable Reo, a television legend, was in person.
“He gave me great insight,” says Croteau, who had the opportunity to speak with him one-on-one. “He told me to shut out any bad voices that could affect your confidence in your work. ‘You will always experience rejection,’ he told me, ‘But how you react is what is key.’”
After Reo’s visit, students would continue to develop their own characters and test their comedic writing skills using what they learned.
Gaining industry insight
Reo returned to campus the following day accompanied by actress, author, and gameshow host Mayim Bialik — best known for playing the titular character in Reo’s show “Blossom” and Amy Farrah Fowler on “Big Bang Theory,” as well as hosting "Jeopardy!" Reo and Bialik met with faculty and had lunch with students before ending the visit with a fireside chat.
Sharing their own personal definitions of “funny” and how humor has changed over the years, the duo also talked about artificial intelligence’s developing role within the entertainment industry. Reo argued that AI is equal to the invention of fire and the wheel, but the pair noted that using it came with a cost: While it can do the work for you, you lose the experience of creating something.
RELATED ARTICLE: How to spark creativity and innovation: 4 tips from Bryant sociologist
There’s value, they said, in struggling with a scene, mulling over word choice, and coming to your answer a few days later. These battles are all part of the process.
“That’s your brain exercising; that’s how the brain and soul grow,” says Bialik. “You can skip over that process, but you’re losing that muscle.”
Reo and Bialik also discussed the importance of pursuing your passions — whether it be professionally or personally — and Bialik emphasized trying new things to nurture creativity.
“Listen to other types of music; read things you wouldn’t normally read,” Bialik says. “We are inspired by doing new things, so consider: What does it look like to expand your consciousness?"