Early life
Mann was born in Vancouver, Canada on October 24, 1952.1 Details of his upbringing and formal education have not been widely reported in public sources. He made his way into journalism and comedy writing in the mid-1970s, joining the staff of National Lampoon magazine, where he worked as an editor alongside the second generation of Lampoon contributors including John Hughes, Bruce McCall, Tony Hendra, and editor-in-chief P.J. O'Rourke.3
Career
National Lampoon and early television (1970s to mid-1980s)
Mann's editorial role at National Lampoon led directly to television work. When the magazine's most celebrated property, Animal House (1978), was adapted into a TV spinoff, he joined the writing staff of Delta House (ABC, 1979), though the series lasted only one season.3 Around the same time he contributed to the National Lampoon TV special Disco Beaver from Outer Space (1978).3
In the mid-1980s Mann co-wrote the screenplay for O.C. and Stiggs (1985), a dark comedy directed by Robert Altman that was based on recurring characters Mann had created for National Lampoon magazine.3 He subsequently wrote episodes for Miami Vice and, later, contributed to the crime drama Wiseguy, work that began establishing his reputation as a television writer with range across comedy and crime genres.3
He also co-wrote the science-fiction comedy Space Truckers (1996), directed by Stuart Gordon.3
NYPD Blue (1993 to late 1990s)
The pivotal moment in Mann's career came when producer Steven Bochco hired him to work on NYPD Blue, the groundbreaking ABC police drama that debuted in 1993.4 Mann wrote 19 episodes across multiple seasons and rose to a producing role. He received Emmy nominations for his writing on the first season, and the series' second-season producing team, of which he was a part, won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 1995.1
The NYPD Blue years also introduced Mann to David Milch, a collaboration that would define the next phase of his career. Between the two partnerships Mann worked with Bochco again on the short-lived Civil War drama and later on Brooklyn South (1998-1999).3
Deadwood and David Milch (2004-2006)
In 2004 Milch brought Mann onto Deadwood, the HBO Western set in the 1870s Dakota Territory.4 Mann wrote for all three seasons and became a producer during Season 2.1 That second season also won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Dramatic Series, adding to the accolades Mann had already accumulated.1
After Deadwood concluded, Mann and Milch reunited briefly on John from Cincinnati (HBO, 2007), Milch's short-lived surfing drama.1
Other television work
Beyond his signature collaborations, Mann wrote for a range of genre series: Millennium, Total Recall 2070, and Andromeda during the late 1990s and early 2000s.3 He served as writer and co-producer on the Crash drama series (Starz, 2008-2009), based on the Paul Haggis film.3
In 2012 Mann earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for his work on the History Channel miniseries Hatfields & McCoys, a ratings phenomenon that starred Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton.3
From 2015 to 2018 Mann joined the writing staff of Homeland (Showtime), contributing to the fifth, sixth, and seventh seasons of the spy thriller.1
Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters
Early in his transition from print to television, and before his prestige-drama career took shape, Mann wrote one episode of Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters, the expanded version of DiC's animated Ghostbusters series.2 The episode, "Monkey See, Monkey Don't" (Season 1, Episode 10), aired November 12, 1988.5 It was one of a number of writing credits Mann accumulated across animation and genre television during the late 1980s while building his network drama career.
Death
Mann died on September 4, 2025, in Los Angeles, California, from complications of lung cancer. He was 72.4 He was survived by his wife, Bly, their three children, Elizabeth, Lucy, and James, and two siblings.1
References
Some content on this page was researched using the Ghostbusters Wiki on Fandom.
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The Hollywood Reporter, "Ted Mann, Writer and Producer on 'NYPD Blue,' 'Deadwood' and 'Homeland,' Dies at 72" (September 9, 2025). https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/ted-mann-dead-nypd-blue-deadwood-homeland-1236366859/
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IMDb, "Slimer! And the Real Ghostbusters" (1988). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0124257/
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"Ted Mann (writer)," Wikipedia, accessed 2026-06-13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Mann_(writer)
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Variety, "Ted Mann Dead: Writer-Producer on 'Deadwood,' 'NYPD Blue' Was 72" (September 9, 2025). https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/ted-mann-dead-deadwood-nypd-blue-1236513130/
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IMDb, "Monkey See, Monkey Don't," Slimer! And the Real Ghostbusters Season 1 Episode 10 (November 12, 1988). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0124257/episodes/?season=1
