Ed Burns

Edward P. Burns (born January 29, 1946) is an American screenwriter and television producer. He has worked closely with writing partner David Simon. For HBO, they have collaborated on The Corner, The Wire, Generation Kill, The Plot Against America, and We Own This City. Burns is a former Baltimore police detective for the homicide and narcotics divisions, and a public school teacher. He often draws upon these experiences for his writing.

Biography Burns served in the U.S. Army infantry during the Vietnam War.

Following his retirement from the police force, Burns became a teacher in the Baltimore public school system. He has said that he stumbled into teaching with little preparation because of the intense demand for teachers in inner-city schools. Simon credits his editor John Sterling with the notion that he observe a single drug corner. It was named a Notable Book of the Year by The New York Times. An adaptation of the book, also called The Corner, was produced as a six-hour TV miniseries for HBO. The show received three Emmy Awards.

They chose to take The Wire to HBO because of their existing working relationship from the 2000 miniseries The Corner. Owing to its reputation for exploring new areas, HBO was initially dubious about including a cop drama in their lineup, but eventually agreed to produce the pilot.

The theme of institutional dysfunction was expanded across different areas of the city as the show progressed. The second season focused on the death of white working class America through examination of the city ports. The third season "reflects on the nature of reform and reformers, and whether there is any possibility that political processes, long calcified, can mitigate the forces currently arrayed against individuals." Simon and Burns collaborated to write the series finale, "-30-". The show was nominated for several Emmys and numerous other awards.

Generation Kill

Burns traveled to Africa to film a miniseries as a producer and writer for Generation Kill (airdates July 13 to August 24, 2008) for HBO Network. The seven-part miniseries received 10 Emmy nominations. His influence on the show stems from the year he spent in Vietnam. Burns stated that as a writer "(He) can use the universal experience of war to create a realistic scenario for the viewers."

The Plot Against America Burns co-created the HBO miniseries The Plot Against America with Simon. The six episode miniseries premiered in 2020.

We Own This City

Burns is an executive producer and writer for the HBO miniseries We Own This City. The series was developed by Simon and George Pelecanos from the non-fiction book of the same name by former The Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton. The series focuses on police corruption in the Baltimore Police Department and particularly the Gun Trace Taskforce.