Manny Coto

Manuel Hector Coto (June 10, 1961 – July 9, 2023) was a Cuban-born American screenwriter, television and film director, and producer on various films and television programs.

Coto was the executive producer and showrunner of Star Trek: Enterprise in its final season, and executive producer of four seasons of 24. He was an executive producer and writer for the fifth season of the Showtime television series Dexter.

Career Coto graduated from the American Film Institute and has experience in the sci-fi and fantasy genres. In 1990, Brian Helgeland and Coto sold a script, The Ticking Man, for $1 million, but the film was never made. He wrote and directed an episode of the animated Tales from the Cryptkeeper series and also wrote and produced an episode for The Outer Limits when it was revived on Showtime in 1995. He was given the chance to create and write a series for Showtime after The Outer Limits was cancelled. The resulting series was Odyssey 5 and starred Peter Weller (Coto would later cast Weller in roles on Enterprise, 24 and Dexter).

Coto joined the writing crew of Enterprise in 2003, when the show was in its third season; his episodes include "Similitude", "Chosen Realm" and "Azati Prime". He became a co-executive producer later that season. In the fourth season, he became executive producer of the show, alongside series creators Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. According to his bio on StarTrek.com, he was a fan of Star Trek all his life and once wrote a Star Trek comic book.

After that he became executive producer on the fifth, sixth, seventh and the eighth and final season of 24.

Coto married Robin Trickett on December 27, 2004, in Venice, Italy.

Coto died of pancreatic cancer on July 9, 2023, at the age of 62.

Filmography (as director)

Films

Television

Writing credits Production Notes BroadcasterAlfred Hitchcock Presents"Twist" (1988)NBCTales from the Crypt"Mournin' Mess" (also director, 1991)HBODr. GigglesFeature film (co-written with Graeme Whifler, 1992)N/ATales from the Cryptkeeper"While the Cat's Away" (1993)ABCDead at 21"Gone Daddy Gone" (1994) "Use Your Illusion" (1994) "Cry Baby Cry" (1994) "Life During Wartime" (1994)MTVThe Outer Limits"If These Walls Could Talk" (co-written with Eric Estrin, 1995)ShowtimeHostile IntentFeature film (1997)N/AStar KidFeature film (also director, 1997)N/AStrange World"Azrael's Breed" (1999) "Rage" (2000)ABCOdyssey 519 episodes (2002–2005)ShowtimeStar Trek: Enterprise14 episodes (2003-2005): "Similitude" (2003) "Chosen Realm" (2004) "Harbinger" (2004) "Azati Prime" (2004) "The Council" (2004) "Storm Front" (2004) "United" (2005) "The Aenar" (2005) "Affliction" (2005) "Bound" (2005) "In a Mirror, Darkly: Part 2" (2005) "Demons" (2005) "Practically Perfect" (2010) "Take It!" (co-written with Wendy West, 2010) "The Big One" (co-written with Chip Johannessen, 2010) "Smokey and the Bandit" (2011) "Talk to the Hand" (co-written with Tim Schlattmann, 2011) "Sunshine and Frosty Swirl" (2012) "Chemistry" (co-written with Karen Campbell, 2012) "Do You See What I See?" (co-written with Wendy West, 2012) "Every Silver Lining..." (2013) "The Naughty List" (2021) "BA'AL" (co-written with Ali Adler, 2021) "Feral" (2021) "Dollhouse" (2022) "Aura" (2022) "Drive" (2022) "Facelift" (2022) "Lake" (2022) "Daphne" (2023) (posthumous release) "Organ" (2023) (posthumous release) "X" (co-written with Brad Falchuk and Austin Elliott, 2024) (posthumous release) "The Thing Under the Bed" (2024) (posthumous release)FX on Hulu American Horror Story "Forbidden Fruit" (2018) "Gaslight" (2021) "Winter Kills" (2021) "Take Me to Your Leader" (2021) "Inside" (2021) "Blue Moon" (2021) "The Future Perfect" (2021) "Thank You for Your Service" (2022) "Smoke Signals" (2022)FX