Dan O'Shannon (born March 10, 1962) is an American television writer and producer who has worked on shows such as Newhart, Cheers, and Frasier. He was an executive producer of the ABC show Modern Family, but left the show at the conclusion of season five to accept a development deal at CBS TV Studios.
Aside from television writing (since 1985), he is the author of two books, The Adventures of Mrs. Jesus, published by Harper-Collins (2014) and What Are You Laughing At? A Comprehensive Guide to the Comedic Event, published by Continuum International Publishing Group in 2012.
Dan O'Shannon has won six Emmy awards for his TV work over the past 25+ years (five for Modern Family, and one for Cheers). He has earned five awards and five nominations for Modern Family, three nominations for Frasier and four nominations and one award for Cheers.He has received five Writers Guild of America Awards (WGA) awards including three for Modern Family, one for Frasier, and one for a special television event, Time-Warner Presents the Earth Day Special. He has received several Golden Globe Awards.
O'Shannon received an Academy Award writing nomination for Redux Riding Hood, an animated short produced by Disney. That short film was nominated for an Annie Award. He wrote and produced The Fan and the Flower, an animated short which received an Annie Award.