Zwerling began her television career as a technical advisor and writer for the medical drama Presidio Med. The series was canceled before completing its first season. Presidio Med was created and executive produced by John Wells. Following the conclusion of Presidio Med Wells hired Zwerling as a story editor for the tenth season of long running medical drama ER. She made her writing debut for the series with the episode "NICU".[1]
Zwerling returned for the eleventh season as an executive story editor. She wrote a further four episodes - "An Intern's Guide To The Galaxy",[2] "Middleman",[3] "Back in the World",[4] and "Ruby Redux".[5] "Back in the World" was co-written with executive producer and show runnerDavid Zabel. "Ruby Redux" was co-written with executive producer Lydia Woodward.
For the twelfth season Zwerling became a producer, initially being credited as a co-producer. Zwerling co-wrote the season opener "Canon City" with Wells and co-executive producer Joe Sachs.[6] She co-wrote a further episode, "Quintessence of Dust", again with Zabel,[7] and scripted a third episode "Lost in America" on her own.[8]
She garnered more responsibility for the fourteenth season becoming a supervising producer and writing a further five episodes including the season finale. She collaborated with staff writer Karen Maser on "In A Different Light"[14] - Zwerling's first episode collaborating with a junior writer. She also wrote "The Test",[15] "Atonement",[16] "Truth Will Out" (again with Maser),[17] and season finale "The Chicago Way" with David Zabel.[18]
Zwerling is currently a co-executive producer and writer on the fifteenth and final season of ER. She wrote the second episode of the season "Another Thursday at County."[19] She also co-wrote "The Book of Abby" (again with Zabel) which was the final episode of long-serving series star Maura Tierney who plays Abby Lockhart.[20]
After the conclusion of ER, she joined the crew of new ABC science fiction series FlashForward in 2009. Zwerling served as a co-executive producer and writer for the series. The show focuses on a team of FBI agents following a global consciousness blackout that gives people a vision of their futures. The series was created by Brannon Braga and David S. Goyer both of whom also served as executive producers. Zwerling co-wrote five episodes for the first season. She co-wrote the episode "Black Swan" with Scott M. Gimple.[21] She co-wrote the episode "The Gift" with Ian Goldberg.[22] She co-wrote the episode "Blowback" with Barbara Nance.[23] She co-wrote the episode "The Garden of Forking Paths" with Goyer.[24]
She co-wrote the seasons penultimate episode "Countdown" with Seth Hoffman.[25]
Fox has handed a late pilot order to Weekend at Bellevue, a medical drama from former ER writer-producer Lisa Zwerling and BermanBraun (Lloyd Braun/Gail Berman). The project, centered on a psychiatrist in charge of the weekend shift of Bellevue Hospital psychiatric unit, was originally set up at NBC and UMS earlier this season. After the network recently passed on the script, it was taken to Fox. Weekend at Bellevue is based on Julie Holland's memoir about her nine-year stint as the weekend physician in charge of the psychiatric emergency room at the oldest public hospital in the United States whose name has become synonymous with insanity. Zwerling, Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun and Gene Stein are executive producing.[citation needed] In 2018, Zwerling and Karyn Usher will showrun the TV series The Rook.[26]
^ abLaura Innes (director); Lisa Zwerling (writer) (2004-01-15). "NICU". ER. Season 10. Episode 12. NBC.
^ abArthur Albert (director); Lisa Zwerling (writer) (2004-11-04). "An Intern's Guide To The Galaxy". ER. Season 11. Episode 5. NBC.
^ abErnest R Dickerson (director); Lisa Zwerling (writer) (2005-02-03). "Middleman". ER. Season 11. Episode 13. NBC.
^ abJonathan Robert Kaplan (director); David Zabel, Lisa Zwerling (writers) (2005-03-24). "Back in the World". ER. Season 11. Episode 17. NBC.
^ abPaul McCrane (director); Lisa Zwerling, Lydia Woodward (writers) (2005-04-28). "Ruby Redux". ER. Season 11. Episode 19. NBC.
^ abChristopher Chulack (director); Lisa Zwerling, John Wells, Joe Sachs (writers) (2005-09-22). "Canon City". ER. Season 12. Episode 1. NBC.
^ abJoanna Kerns (director); Lisa Zwerling, David Zabel (writers) (2006-02-09). "Quintessence of Dust". ER. Season 12. Episode 14. NBC.
^ abStephen Cragg (director); Lisa Zwerling (writer) (2006-03-23). "Lost in America". ER. Season 12. Episode 17. NBC.
^ abJoanna Kerns (director); Janine Sherman Barrois, Lisa Zwerling (writers) (2006-09-28). "Graduation Day". ER. Season 13. Episode 2. NBC.
^ abStephen Cragg (director); Lisa Zwerling (writer) (2006-11-23). "Scoop and Run". ER. Season 13. Episode 9. NBC.
^ abStephen Cragg (director); David Zabel, Lisa Zwerling (writers) (2007-12-07). "City of Mercy". ER. Season 13. Episode 11. NBC.
^ abSteve Shill (director); Lisa Zwerling (writer) (2007-02-15). "Crisis of Conscience". ER. Season 13. Episode 16. NBC.
^ abLaura Innes (director); Lisa Zwerling (writer) (2007-05-10). "Sea Change". ER. Season 13. Episode 22. NBC.
^ abRichard Thorpe (director); Lisa Zwerling, Karen Maser (writers) (2007-10-04). "In A Different Light". ER. Season 14. Episode 2. NBC.
^ abFelix Enriquez Alcala (director); Lisa Zwerling (writer) (2007-11-01). "The Test". ER. Season 14. Episode 6. NBC.
^ abStephen Cragg (director); Lisa Zwerling (writer) (2008-01-17). "Atonement". ER. Season 14. Episode 13. NBC.
^ abAndrew Bernstein (director); Karen Maser (Story), Karen Maser & Lisa Zwerling (Teleplay) (2008-04-24). "Truth Will Out". ER. Season 14. Episode 16. NBC.
^ abChristopher Chulack (director); David Zabel, Lisa Zwerling (writers) (2008-05-15). "The Chicago Way". ER. Season 14. Episode 19. NBC.
^ abPaul McCrane (director); Lisa Zwerling (writer) (2008-10-09). "Another Thursday at County". ER. Season 15. Episode 2. NBC.
^ abChristopher Chulack (director); David Zabel, Lisa Zwerling (writers) (2008-10-16). "The Book of Abby". ER. Season 15. Episode 3. NBC.
^ abMichael Rymer (director); Lisa Zwerling & Scott Gimple (writers) (2009-10-15). "Black Swan". FlashForward. Season 1. Episode 4. ABC.
^ abNick Gomez (director); Lisa Zwerling & Ian Goldberg (writers) (2009-11-05). "The Gift". FlashForward. Season 1. Episode 7. ABC.
^ abConstantine Makris (director); Lisa Zwerling & Barbara Nance (writers) (2010-03-25). "Blowback". FlashForward. Season 1. Episode 13. ABC.
^ abNick Gomez (director); David S. Goyer & Lisa Zwerling (writers) (2010-04-22). "The Garden of Forking Paths". FlashForward. Season 1. Episode 17. ABC.
^ abJohn Polson (director); Lisa Zwerling & Seth Hoffman (writers) (2010-05-20). "Countdown". FlashForward. Season 1. Episode 21. ABC.