John Michael Lee is an American television producer, writer, director, voice actor, and musician best known for his work on the MTV2 comedy series Wonder Showzen as a member of the rock band/art collective PFFR.
Career Lee is of Chinese ancestry and is long time friends with fellow PFFR member and television producer Vernon Chatman. They met as undergraduates at San Francisco State University.Salon.com "Showzen People" article Along with Chatman, Lee is the co-creator, writer, director and star of Wonder Showzen. He voices Wordsworth, one of the main puppet characters and provides various other voices on the show. The pair also co-created Snoop Dogg's 2002 MTV sketch show Doggy Fizzle Televizzle. In addition, Lee is the co-creator of Xavier: Renegade Angel, also with Alyson Levy, Chatman and Jim Tozzi. He also worked as a creative consultant on the Adult Swim series Superjail! in 2009. In 2011, Lee, Levy and Chatman created the Adult Swim mini-series The Heart, She Holler starring Patton Oswalt and Kristen Schaal.
Lee was a member of the now defunct rock trio Muckafurgason. Although his primary role in the band was the bassist, the members of Muckafurgason were often known to "play musical chairs" with their instruments, seeing Lee occasionally turn his hand to lead vocals, guitar and even clarinet. Through Muckafurgason he became acquainted with the band They Might Be Giants, who wrote the song "John Lee Supertaster" about him.
Lee was the director and executive producer of the Adult Swim series Delocated and Neon Joe: Werewolf Hunter season 2 starring Jon Glaser. In 2011, Lee began directing segments for the Comedy Central series Jon Benjamin Has a Van. He also directed the pilot of Inside Amy Schumer and several episodes of Broad City.
Lee's directorial debut was the 2016 Pee-wee Herman comedy film Pee-wee's Big Holiday. Afterwards, in 2019, he created another CGI show with Kytten Janae in the pilot Di Bibl for Adult Swim. He later then directed the 2021 horror film False Positive.
Filmography Year Title Director Writer Producer Executive producer Actor Role Notes 1997Life In a Blender: Chicken Dance Music Video 2002Late Friday Himself Muckafurguson (Band) 2002-2003Doggy Fizzle Televizzle Also creator 2005-2006Wonder Showzen Him / Wordsworth / Various characters Also creator 2007-2009Xavier: Renegade Angel Various characters Also creator 2009-2013Delocated 2010Food Party 2011Neon Knome Later reworked into The Problem Solverz which he wasn't involved in 2011Jon Benjamin Has A Van 2011-2014The Heart, She Holler Also creator 2013Inside Amy Schumer 2014Broad City 2015Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter 2016Pee-Wee's Big Holiday 2016Gigglefudge, U.S.A. 2017At Home with Amy Sedaris 2018The Last O.G. 2018-2020The Shivering Truth 2018Hunky Boys Go Ding-Dong 2019Di Bibl Also creator 2020Rate the Cookie 2021–2022Search Party 7 episodes 2021–2023Teenage Euthanasia Goat / Crocodile Grandfather / Various Sweet Creamers Players 10 episodes as actor; 17 episodes as executive producer 2021False Positive 2022Flatbush Misdemeanors 2023Ballmastrz: Rubicon 2024Interior Chinatown 2 episodes
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