Jim Geoghan obit

Jim Geoghan Dies: ‘Suite Life Of Zack & Cody’ Co-Creator & Producer Was 79

 

He was not on the list.

Jim Geoghan, who co-created and executive produced the Disney Channel’s touchstone sitcom The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, died Sunday, September 7, in Los Angeles. He was 79.

His death was confirmed to Deadline by his daughter Genevieve Geoghan. A cause of death was not immediately available.

Geoghan began his career in the early 1970s as part of a stand-up comedy trio called Divided We Stand, performing at such New York clubs as the Improvisation Cafe, The Bitter End, Catch A Rising Star and The Bottom Line. At colleges and nightclubs, the trio appeared on bills with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, The Beach Boys, The Commodores, Jimmy Buffet, The Righteous Brothers, Bill Withers, War, Sha Na Na and The Temptations.

Geoghan soon began writing for television on such series as Three’s Company, Sanford, Too Close For Comfort, The Facts of Life and The Van Dyke Show, among others. He wrote 18 episodes of Silver Spoons between 1983 and 1987, and around the same began writing and producing the form-bending It’s Garry Shandling’s Show; He was producer of that show from 1986 to 1990.

Other writing credits from the ’80s and ’90s include Kate & Allie, Mama’s Family, Amen and Family Matters, with producing credits on Silver Spoons and Family Matters, among others.

In 2005, Geoghan co-created and co-executive produced (with Danny Kallis) The Suite Life of Zack and Cody for the Disney Channel, which ran for 87 episodes between 2005 and 2008, earning two Emmy nominations. The series starred Cole and Dylan Sprouse, Ashley Tisdale, Brenda Song and others as it followed the antics of a group of tween friends. A sequel series from 2008 to 2011, The Suite Life on Deck, featured the characters in high school.

After that show, Geoghan served as executive producer of The Suite Life of Karan & Kabir.

For the stage, Geoghan wrote Only Kidding, a play set in the world of stand-up comedy that opened Off Broadway at the American Jewish Theater in 1988 before transferring to the larger Westside Arts Theater. It ran for 500 performances and was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards, later being staged at regional theaters across the country.

In addition to his daughter, Geoghan is survived by Annie, his wife of 45 years.

 

Producer

Jerry and Tom

Short

producer

2012

 

Daman Baggan, Shruti Seth, Siddharth Thakkar, Tara Sutaria, Namit Shah, Shivshakti Sachdev, and Shaynam Ladakhi in The Suite Life of Karan & Kabir (2012)

The Suite Life of Karan & Kabir

7.5

TV Series

executive producer

2012–2013

 

Brenda Song, Cole Sprouse, Dylan Sprouse, and Debby Ryan in The Suite Life on Deck (2008)

The Suite Life on Deck

6.4

TV Series

executive producer

2008–2010

49 episodes

 

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2005)

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody

6.7

TV Series

executive producerco-executive producer

2005–2008

77 episodes

 

Fangs (2002)

Fangs

3.4

co-producer

2002

 

Reginald VelJohnson, Jaimee Foxworth, Telma Hopkins, Rosetta LeNoire, Bryton James, Darius McCrary, Jo Marie Payton, Jaleel White, and Kellie Shanygne Williams in Family Matters (1989)

Family Matters

6.6

TV Series

co-executive producersupervising producerproducer

1991–1998

164 episodes

 

Sherman Hemsley in Amen (1986)

Amen

6.9

TV Series

supervising producer

1990–1991

22 episodes

 

The Van Dyke Show (1988)

The Van Dyke Show

6.9

TV Series

producer

1988

1 episode

 

Matthew Perry and Kiel Martin in Boys Will Be Boys (1987)

Boys Will Be Boys

6.3

TV Series

supervising producer

1987–1988

15 episodes

 

Erin Gray, Ricky Schroder, Joel Higgins, and Franklyn Seales in Silver Spoons (1982)

Silver Spoons

6.2

TV Series

producer

1987

4 episodes

 

It's Garry Shandling's Show. (1986)

It's Garry Shandling's Show.

7.7

TV Series

producer

1986–1990

 

Writer

Smartphone Theatre (2020)

Smartphone Theatre

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written by

2020–2021

3 episodes

 

The Rev (2013)

The Rev

6.4

TV Series

Writer

2013

3 episodes

 

Johnny Yong Bosch, Nika Futterman, Nicolas Roye, Joshua J. Jackson, Malachi Cohen, Andres Aragon, and Marcus Griffith in NFL Rush Zone (2010)

NFL Rush Zone

6.2

TV Series

written by

2013

1 episode

 

Jerry and Tom

Short

writer

2012

 

Brenda Song, Cole Sprouse, Dylan Sprouse, and Debby Ryan in The Suite Life on Deck (2008)

The Suite Life on Deck

6.4

TV Series

creatorwritten by

2008–2011

71 episodes

 

The Suite Life Movie (2011)

The Suite Life Movie

5.2

TV Movie

characters

2011

 

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2005)

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody

6.7

TV Series

creatorwritten bycreated by

2005–2008

87 episodes

 

The Rev (2005)

The Rev

5.6

TV Movie

Writer

2005

 

Fangs (2002)

Fangs

3.4

written by

2002

 

Leila Arcieri, Jaime Bergman, Roland Kickinger, Kimberly Oja, and Timothy Stack in Son of the Beach (2000)

Son of the Beach

6.9

TV Series

written by

2000

1 episode

 

Reginald VelJohnson, Jaimee Foxworth, Telma Hopkins, Rosetta LeNoire, Bryton James, Darius McCrary, Jo Marie Payton, Jaleel White, and Kellie Shanygne Williams in Family Matters (1989)

Family Matters

6.6

TV Series

written byteleplay by

1991–1998

32 episodes

 

On Our Own (1994)

On Our Own

6.2

TV Series

Writer

1995

1 episode

 

Sherman Hemsley in Amen (1986)

Amen

6.9

TV Series

written by

1991

3 episodes

 

Vicki Lawrence in Mama's Family (1983)

Mama's Family

7.3

TV Series

written by

1987–1989

3 episodes

 

The Nutt House (1989)

The Nutt House

7.0

TV Series

written by

1989

1 episode

 

Jane Curtin and Susan Saint James in Kate & Allie (1984)

Kate & Allie

6.9

TV Series

written by

1989

1 episode

 

The Van Dyke Show (1988)

The Van Dyke Show

6.9

TV Series

written by

1988

1 episode

 

Matthew Perry and Kiel Martin in Boys Will Be Boys (1987)

Boys Will Be Boys

6.3

TV Series

written by

1987–1988

6 episodes

 

It's Garry Shandling's Show. (1986)

It's Garry Shandling's Show.

7.7

TV Series

story

1988

1 episode

 

Erin Gray, Ricky Schroder, Joel Higgins, and Franklyn Seales in Silver Spoons (1982)

Silver Spoons

6.2

TV Series

written byteleplay by

1983–1987

18 episodes

 

Stoogemania (1985)

Stoogemania

3.6

Writer

1985

 

Empire (1984)

Empire

7.0

TV Series

teleplay by

1984

1 episode

 

Nancy McKeon, Kim Fields, Mindy Cohn, Charlotte Rae, and Lisa Whelchel in The Facts of Life (1979)

The Facts of Life

6.9

TV Series

written by

1983

1 episode

 

Lydia Cornell, Jim J. Bullock, Nancy Dussault, Ted Knight, and Deborah Van Valkenburgh in Too Close for Comfort (1980)

Too Close for Comfort

6.6

TV Series

story

1983

1 episode

 

Additional Crew

Erin Gray, Ricky Schroder, Joel Higgins, and Franklyn Seales in Silver Spoons (1982)

Silver Spoons

6.2

TV Series

executive story editorstory editorprogram consultant

1983–1986

72 episodes

 

Actor

Reginald VelJohnson, Jaimee Foxworth, Telma Hopkins, Rosetta LeNoire, Bryton James, Darius McCrary, Jo Marie Payton, Jaleel White, and Kellie Shanygne Williams in Family Matters (1989)

Family Matters

6.6

TV Series

Mel Diamond

1994

1 episode

 

Stoogemania (1985)

Stoogemania

3.6

Stoogemaniac

1985

 

Director

Jerry and Tom

Short

Director

2012