Biography

She is the first woman in history to win in the comedy writing and directing categories at the same Primetime Emmys.

Knew comedian Lenny Bruce's mother, Sally Marr, through Amy's comedian father, Don Sherman. Amy would eventually write the TV show, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017), which includes a fictionalized version of Lenny, played by Luke Kirby.

Daughter of Don Sherman.

Won the 2018 Emmy Award in the Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series category for Pilot (2017).

Sherilyn Fenn was to have starred alongside Milo Ventimiglia and Rob Estes in the California-set spin-off "Windward Circle". After The WB dropped the project, Sherman-Palladino wanted to work with Fenn again and wrote the character of Anna Nardini with her in mind, in order to bring her back in the series. The character of Anna was originally to have a strong enough presence to be a potential threat to the character of Lorelai. However, after Sherman-Palladino left the show, the producers changed the direction originally intended for the character, as they decided to make her a villain in a custody battle.

[about working with Sherilyn Fenn on Gilmore Girls (2000)] I love Sherilyn so much and I don't care [to cast her for two different roles on "Gilmore Girls"]. One thing about the show is I just want the best people. I've just been looking constantly for a time to work with Sherilyn, and I'm getting very old and I could just get hit by a truck at any minute. I just simply can't put it off that long, so I'd just rather get her in and have her part of my world.

The plan on [The Return of Jezebel James (2008)] is the same as [Gilmore Girls (2000)]--to write, produce, do everything. It's love. I don't believe that bullshit, "If you love it, let it go". If you love it, stay there and make sure no one else fucks it up.

[on working conditions in Hollywood] If we based everything in Hollywood on who was a nice guy, holy moly, we would have no movies. No actors would work. This is not an industry that is ruled by kindness and generosity.

I think the claustrophobic, too-many-cooks-in-the-kitchen scenario is what's killed the sitcom. My husband [frequent Gilmore Girls (2000) writer and director Daniel Palladino] and I consider ourselves sitcom refugees. We'd love to return to sitcom, but I don't know where you go to do it. You simply cannot do a sitcom by committee. It will not work. You've got to have one or two clean, creative voices in charge, and there's got to be some faith by the studio and network in those people to make the right choices. When you're sitting in a room with 20 people giving you notes, there's no way what you're going to get is going to be any good. It's impossible. At the very least, it will be mediocre, because you can only compromise so much before you damage the goods.

I think every writer has got to direct. If you don't direct, you can't protect your work. The only way to ensure that it's going to be as close as possible to what you put down on paper--and what you see and hear in your head--is to do it yourself.