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Brian Yorkey is an American playwright and lyricist. His works often explore dark and controversial subject matter such as mental illness, grief, the underbelly of suburbia, and ethics in both psychiatry and public education. Yorkey adapted Jay Asher's bestselling novel, 13 Reasons Why, for Netflix, Paramount Television, and Anonymous Content. It was released on Netflix in March 2017. He scripted Sluts for Lionsgate Films. His first feature film pitch, Time After Time, sold in a bidding war to Universal Pictures. It is now fast tracked at Lionsgate/Summit with Bradley Buecker directing. Yorkey is adapting Next to Normal's film adaptation for Anonymous Content and an untitled fashion musical for Paramount Pictures, Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald. Yorkey and Kitt are also developing Score!, a theatre camp musical for Robert Downey Jr. to star in for Warner Bros. More recently, he signed deals with Netflix to start the Echoes limited series, and adapt Neal Shusterman's book Game Changer into a series.
Brian Yorkey
Writer / Composer
for Writer / Composer in Next to Normal (live action)
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Next to Normal follows the Goodman family as they navigate the devastating impact of mental illness on their suburban household. Diana, the mother, struggles with bipolar disorder and a fractured sense of reality, while her husband Dan attempts to hold the family together through her increasingly severe episodes. Their teenage son Gabe and daughter Natalie watch helplessly as their mother's condition deteriorates, forcing them to confront uncomfortable truths about family, love, and the limits of support. As Diana's grip on reality loosens and her medication fails to provide relief, the family must decide how far they're willing to go to save her—and whether some wounds can ever truly heal. The story unfolds through a blend of naturalistic family drama and surreal, dreamlike sequences that mirror Diana's fractured perception. It's an unflinching examination of how mental illness doesn't just affect the patient, but ripples through every relationship, every conversation, and every moment of normalcy a family desperately tries to maintain. The Goodmans' journey is raw, heartbreaking, and ultimately a testament to the complicated ways we love those who are suffering.
