Wolfe was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. He was a writer from an early age. He attempted but did not complete several novels between the ages of ten and twenty.[1] He attended St. Ignatius College Preparatory.[2] He turned to film and television writing in college.[1]
In 1999, working from notes by Gene Roddenberry, Wolfe developed the syndicated series Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda.[3] The series premiered in the fall of 2000[3] as the number one original hour in syndication, a position it held for most of its five-year run.[4]
Wolfe served as head writer and co-executive producer on Andromeda for its first two seasons.[3] During this time, the series was nominated for two Saturn Awards for Best Syndicated Series and for a Leo Award for Best Dramatic Series.
During the production of the second season, Wolfe claims that he and the studio quarreled over the non-episodic nature of the show and the studio's requests for "more aliens, more space battles, and less internal conflict,"[5][6] eventually resulting in his departure. Actor Kevin Sorbo confirmed the statements, saying that Wolfe, "is a genius, but was developing stories that were too complicated."[5]
In 2004, he served as a consulting producer and writer on the first and fourth seasons of The 4400 on USA Network, helping launch the successful series.
It was announced in 2012 that Wolfe was developing a series titled Defender from Universal Cable Productions, set on the Starship Defender.[11] In 2014, Wolfe was hired as a co-executive producer on The CW show Star-Crossed.
Wolfe wrote sixteen episodes of the CBS drama Elementary over five seasons, from 2014 to 2019. Wolfe served as a Consulting Producer for the Fox Drama Prodigal Son in 2019-2020.[12]
Film career
Wolfe has written several unproduced features. These include Splicers for 20th Century Fox and Zero Gee for John Woo and Terrance Chang's Lion Rock Productions.
Personal life
As of 2022[update], he lives in Los Angeles, California, with his wife Celeste and dog Mochi.
References
^ abcdefg"Biography". Robert Hewitt Wolfe, Official Website. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
^ abHinman, Michael (February 15, 2002). "Wolfe dumped from Andromeda: The developer of the show becomes the latest Tribune Entertainment victim". Airlock Alpha. 'Basically, they want the show to be more action driven, more Dylan-centric, and more episodic,' Wolfe said. 'They also want more aliens, more space battles, and less internal conflict among the continuity so as not to confuse the casual or new viewer'.... Sorbo... made the first announcement in the British Cult Times Magazine. 'Robert is a genius, but was developing stories that were too complicated and too clever for the rest of us to understand...'
^Lisa (November 23, 2001). "Robert Hewitt Wolfe Departs 'Andromeda'". TrekToday. Wolfe left the show in late September, during the production of the twelfth episode of the season, 'Ouroboros.' Wolfe said the reason for his departure was a creative conflict over the direction the show was taking. Whilst he had always envisioned a complex arc-based storyline, production companies Tribune Entertainment and Fireworks as well as series star Kevin Sorbo (Dylan Hunt) felt the show had to be more episodic.
^"Syfy Ignites the Imagination With Most Original Primetime Programming Hours in History" (Press release). NBC Universal. April 24, 2012. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Defender – In the aftermath of an intergalactic war between humans and transhumans, the starship Defender, populated by a combustible mix of former enemies, is sent on a seemingly simple goodwill mission, which turns into a fight for their lives and for the safety of the Universe at large. Executive producer/writer: Robert Hewitt Wolfe (Alphas). A production of Universal Cable Productions.