Chris Brancato

Biography

Chris Brancato (born July 24, 1962) is an American television and film writer and producer known for his work in crime, drama, and historical storytelling. He grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, where he graduated from Teaneck High School in 1980, and later earned his degree from Brown University.

Brancato began his television career in the early 1990s, writing and serving as a story editor for Beverly Hills, 90210. He gained early recognition after co-writing the The X-Files episode “Eve” in 1993. He went on to create and write the science-fiction series First Wave, which aired from 1998 to 2001, and also wrote the film Species II (1998).

In film, Brancato wrote Hoodlum (1997), a crime drama set in 1930s New York City, and served as executive producer on Stealing Harvard (2002). He was also a writer and producer on the critically acclaimed television series Boomtown.

Brancato continued his work in procedural drama by writing episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and later serving as executive producer, showrunner, and head writer for the tenth season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. He later developed the police-procedural pilot Blue Tilt for NBC, though the project was not picked up.

His most notable success came as the co-creator, writer, and executive producer of Narcos and Narcos: Mexico, which chronicled the rise of drug cartels in Latin America and received widespread critical acclaim. He was also credited as a co-screenwriter on the planned third Sherlock Holmes film.

Brancato is the creator, executive producer, and writer of the series Godfather of Harlem, starring Forest Whitaker, further cementing his reputation for blending crime narratives with historical and political themes.