About John Shiban
Born 1953. John Shiban is an American screenwriter, film producer, film director, television producer and television director.
Career Shiban worked in both capacities on The X-Files, its spin-off The Lone Gunmen, Star Trek: Enterprise, Smallville, Supernatural, Legend of the Seeker, Breaking Bad, and The Vampire Diaries. In 1997, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for his work on The X-Files episode "Memento Mori". He shared the nomination with co-writers Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz, and Vince Gilligan. In 1998, Shiban shared a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series with The X-Files production team.
In 2009, Shiban reunited with Gilligan to work as a writer/producer on the second season of Gilligan's series Breaking Bad. Shiban was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for episodic drama for the episode "Phoenix" in 2010. Shiban and the writing staff also shared a nomination for the WGA award for best drama series for their work on the second season. He left the crew at the end of the third season.
In August 2010, Shiban was confirmed as a writer for Torchwood'''s fourth series Torchwood: Miracle Day.
In 2011, Shiban joined the series Hell on Wheels as executive producer and writer. In November 2012, the show's creators Joe and Tony Gayton decided to no longer be involved in the day to day production. Shiban was thought to be a good candidate to take over, however he stated that he would also be leaving the series. Since 2020, he has been writing and executive producing for the show Ozark''.
Credits
The X-Files
Story Editor/Co-Producer/Producer/Supervising Producer/Co-Executive Producer/Executive Producer Season Title Notes 3 "The Walk" Writer "Teso Dos Bichos" Writer 4 "El Mundo Gira" Writer "Leonard Betts" Written by Shiban & Vince Gilligan & Frank Spotnitz "Memento Mori" Mythology; Written by Shiban & Chris Carter & Vince Gilligan & Frank Spotnitz; Nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series "Elegy" Writer 5 "Christmas Carol" Written by Shiban & Vince Gilligan & Frank Spotnitz "Emily" Follows on from "Christmas Carol"; Written by Shiban & Vince Gilligan & Frank Spotnitz "Travelers" Written by Shiban & Frank Spotnitz "All Souls" Written by Shiban & Frank Spotnitz "The Pine Bluff Variant" Writer 6 "Dreamland" Written by Shiban & Vince Gilligan & Frank Spotnitz "Dreamland II" Follows on from "Dreamland"; Written by Shiban & Vince Gilligan & Frank Spotnitz "S.R. 819" Mythology; Writer "Monday" Written by Shiban & Vince Gilligan "Milagro" Story by Shiban & Frank Spotnitz (Teleplay by Chris Carter) "Three of a Kind" Written by Shiban & Vince Gilligan "Field Trip" Teleplay by Shiban & Vince Gilligan (Story by Frank Spotnitz) 7 "The Amazing Maleeni" Written by Shiban & Vince Gilligan & Frank Spotnitz "Theef" Written by Shiban & Vince Gilligan & Frank Spotnitz 8 "Badlaa" Writer 9 "Underneath" Writer & Director "Jump the Shark" Written by Shiban & Vince Gilligan & Frank Spotnitz "Release" Story by Shiban & David Amann (Teleplay by Amann)
Breaking Bad Writer/Director/Consulting Producer Season Title Notes 2"Negro y Azul"Writer"Phoenix"Writer 3"Sunset"Writer & Director"Abiquiu"Co-writer with Thomas Schnauz
Torchwood: Miracle Day
Hell on Wheels
Writer/Director/Executive Producer Season Title Notes1 "A New Birth of Freedom" Writer "Timshel" Writer & Director 2"Durant, Nebraska" Writer"Blood Moon Rising" Writer & Director
Better Call Saul Writer/Director/Executive Producer Season Title Notes 2"Rebecca"Director 3"Sunk Costs"Director 4"Talk"Director
Shut Eye Writer/Director/Executive Producer Season Title Notes 2"We're Not in Kansas Anymore" Writer"Karma Charmeleon" Writer & Director"There's No Place Like Home" Writer & Director
NOS4A2 Writer/Director/Executive Producer Season Title Notes 1"The Graveyard of What Might Be"Director"The Gas Mask Man"Director 2"Bad Father"Director"Good Mother"Director
Ozark Writer/Executive Producer Season Title Notes 3"Boss Fight"Writer"BFF"Writer 4"Ace Deuce"Writer"You're the Boss"Writer
Supernatural Writer/Co-Executive Producer/Executive Producer Season Title Notes 1"Skin"Writer"Hook Man"Writer"Scarecrow"Teleplay by Shiban (Story by Patrick Sean Smith)"The Benders"Writer"Dead Man's Blood"Written by Shiban & Cathryn Humphris 2"Everybody Loves a Clown" Writer"Croatoan" Writer"Tall Tales" Writer"Folsom Prison Blues" Writer
Star Trek: Enterprise Writer/Co-executive Producer Season Title Notes 2 "Minefield" Writer "Dawn" Writer "Canamar" Writer "The Breach" Teleplay by Shiban & Chris Black (Story by Daniel McCarthy) "First Flight" Written by Shiban & Chris Black
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Important facts
People in John Shiban's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped John Shiban's
Frequently asked questions
Who is John Shiban?
American television writer and producer
When was John Shiban born?
John Shiban was born in 1953.
What is John Shiban's occupation?
John Shiban is a screenwriter, film producer, film director, television producer and television director.
What nationality is John Shiban?
John Shiban is American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). John Shiban. https://biography.guide/john-shiban/
MLA: "John Shiban." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/john-shiban/.
Chicago: "John Shiban." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/john-shiban/.
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