Rate the Foster's writers!

[Ditchy McAbandonpants]

Here's a subject that doesn't get discussed as much as it should; an appreciation/evaluation thread for the writing team that's made Foster's what it is today! Actors and directors get loads of recognition both in the animation and film business, but if you think about it, the vast majority of what you see and hear on screen, in terms of plotlines, dialogue, scenarios and jokes, is really decided by the relatively unsung writers; indeed, when you watch a show like Foster's for a while, their differing styles and merits start becoming more and more apparent, to the extent that knowing who wrote an episode can give you a decent idea of how it's going to play out.

Who, then, are your favourite Foster's writers? What pros and cons do you feel they have, and what do you think of their styles? Which names do you look forward to seeing at the start of an episode?

To make things easier, I'll list all of the writers here, along with which episodes they wrote: italicised titles indicate that they co-wrote the episode with another writer.

Craig McCracken: House of Bloo's, The Buck Swaps Here, The Bloo Superdude and the Magic Potato of Power
Lauren Faust: Store Wars, World Wide Wabbit, Who Let The Dogs In?, Everyone Knows It's Bendy, Sight For Sore Eyes, Frankie My Dear, Mac Daddy, Go Goo Go, Crime After Crime, Land of the Flea, Cuckoo For Coco Cards, A Lost Claus, Challenge of the Super Friends, Bus The Two Of Us, The Big Cheese, Good Wilt Hunting, Cheese A Go-Go, Something Old, Something Bloo, The Bride to Beat, Affair Weather Friends, The Little Peas
Craig Lewis: The Trouble With Scribbles, Berry Scary, Adoptcalypse Now, Bloooo, Partying Is Such Sweet Soiree, Where There's A Wilt, There's A Way, Squeakerboxxx, Beat With A Schtick, Bloo Done It, Eddie Monster, Hiccy Burp, Imposter's Home For Um...Make' Em Up Pals
Amy Keating Rogers: Busted, Dinner Is Swerved, The Big Lablooski, Duchess of Wails
Meghan McCarthy: Berry Scary, Bus The Two Of Us
Chuck Klein: Seeing Red
Chris Savino: Phone Home, The Bride to Beat
Adam Pava: Bloo's Brothers, Cookie Dough, The Sweet Stench of Success, Bloo Done It, My So-Called Wife, Duchess of Wails, Land of the Flea, One False Movie, Setting a President
Tim McKeon: Bye Bye Nerdy, Camp Keep A Good Mac Down, Foster's Goes To Europe, Room With A Feud, The Big Picture, Squeeze The Day, Neighbor Pains, Infernal Slumber, I Only Have Surprise For You
Cindy Morrow: Cuckoo For Coco Cards, Affair Weather Friends
Darrick Bachman: Bloo's The Boss, Emancipation Complication, Cheese A Go-Go, Say It Isn't Sew, Schlock Star, Ticket to Rod, Nightmare on Wilson Way, Better Off Ed, The Little Peas
Kirk Thatcher: Make Believe It or Not, Something Old, Something Bloo
Charlie Bean: The Buck Swaps Here

In my view, Lauren is the clear winner here; I guess it's natural, seeing as she's the head writer and all, but she's the one whose episodes encapsulate the wit, warmth and wonder of Foster's better than any others. Six out of my Top Ten episodes were Lauren episodes (seven, if you count "Bus The Two Of Us"), and for me there isn't a single one of her solo episodes that is anything less than excellent; maybe my feeling of slight dissatisfaction with Season Five is partly to do with the lack thus far of a full Lauren Faust script. What are you waiting for, woman?

Of the other regulars, Tim McKeon and Adam Pava are broadly interchangeable in terms of quality, though McKeon seems a little more extreme and erratic; I think McKeon's best ("Neighbor Pains", "Room With A Feud") edge out Pava's best ("Setting A President", "Cookie Dough"), but that Pava's missteps ("My So-Called Wife", "One False Movie") don't quite hit the lows of McKeon's worst ("Camp Keep A Good Mac Down", "Foster's Goes To Europe"). Looking again there, Tim McKeon really had quite a rough start to his career, but really improved during the five-episode run he had at the start of Season Four. Craig Lewis, meanwhile, is an odd one; I'm not stirring up the "Imposter's..." nest again, but I will say that while his episodes tend to be among the most original and off-kilter in terms of their approach to comedy, I always felt that his episodes lacked a bit of heart, as though he were a shade too cynical to totally nail the tone of the show. I hear he's off doing an Adult Swim show now, which seems a much more comforatble fit for him.

As for the rest, they've not really written enough to give me more than a first impression; I really like the work done by Meghan McCarthy and Powerpuff's Amy Keating Rogers, and the end of Season Four/early Season Five gives me the impression that we'll be seeing more of Darrick Bachman (who hasn't quite retained his high Season Four standards yet) and Kirk Thatcher (who's made a great start). I'd like to see more of Craig's writing, too; the man's a genius, but I still haven't quite gotten a handle on his writing yet...

Anyway, over to you all.