---
name: "Carlton Cuse"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/carlton-cuse"
fi1m_id: "carlton-cuse"
imdb_id: "nm0193681"
tmdb_id: 161839
wikidata_id: "Q443440"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "22 March 1959"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 68
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-10-05T13:31:22.304233+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Carlton Cuse

## Identity

Carlton Cuse

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/carlton-cuse
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** carlton-cuse
- **IMDb ID:** nm0193681
- **TMDB ID:** 161839
- **Wikidata ID:** Q443440
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlton_Cuse, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q443440, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0193681/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/161839

Writer. Born 22 March 1959 in Mexico City, Mexico.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 22 March 1959, Mexico City, Mexico
- **Active:** 1986–2015
- **Also known as:** Arthur Carlton Cuse
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 3: 1 acting, 2 writing
- **Average Fi1m score:** 68, as writer, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 65 (1), 2000s 81 (1), 2010s 54 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlton_Cuse, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q443440, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0193681/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/161839

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*Lost*](https://film.one/tv/lost.md) (81)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Carlton Cuse is an American screenwriter, producer and showrunner. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in American history and began his career writing for the series *Crime Story* (1986). He later formed a partnership with Jeffrey Boam and created the series *The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.* (1993–1994) and *Nash Bridges* (1996–2001).

Cuse served as executive producer and joint showrunner with Damon Lindelof on the series *Lost* (2004–2010). He wrote or co-wrote numerous episodes and shared the 2005 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. His other television credits include creating and showrunning *Bates Motel* (2013–2017) and work on *The Strain* (2014–2017), *Colony* (2016–2018), *Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan* (2018–2023) and *Locke & Key* (2020–2022). Feature film credits include the screenplays for *San Andreas* (2015) and *Rampage* (2018).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

### Performed in (1)

- *Down and Out in Beverly Hills* (1986), Fi1m 65, as Water Man — [page](https://film.one/film/down-and-out-in-beverly-hills.md)

### Wrote (2) — the average rests on these

- *San Andreas* (2015), Fi1m 54, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/san-andreas.md)
- *Lost* (2004), Fi1m 81, Executive Producer, Writer — [page](https://film.one/tv/lost.md)

## Complete filmography (25)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War* (2026), Executive Producer
- *PULSE* (2025), series, Executive Producer
- *Five Days at Memorial* (2022), series, Executive Producer, Director, Writer, Creator
- *Nash Bridges* (2021), Writer, Executive Producer
- *Locke & Key* (2020), series, Writer, Executive Producer, Creator
- *Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan* (2018), series, Executive Producer, Director, Writer, Story, Creator
- *Rampage* (2018), Screenplay
- *Colony* (2016), series, Executive Producer, Writer, Story, Creator
- *San Andreas* (2015), Screenplay — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/san-andreas.md)
- *The Returned* (2015), series, Teleplay, Executive Producer, Writer, Creator
- *Point of Honor* (2015), series, Writer, Executive Producer
- *The Strain* (2014), series, Teleplay, Writer, Director, Creator
- *Bates Motel* (2013), series, as Officer Kaplan · Executive Producer, Writer, Story, Creator
- *The New Man in Charge* (2010), Executive Producer
- *Lost* (2004), series, Writer, Executive Producer — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/tv/lost.md)
- *Martial Law* (1998), series, Producer, Writer, Creator
- *Nash Bridges* (1996), series, Writer, Producer, Creator
- *The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.* (1993), series, as Owen · Writer, Producer, Creator
- *The Witches of Eastwick* (1992), Executive Producer, Teleplay
- *A Promise to Keep* (1990), as Policeman · Teleplay, Executive Producer
- *Amy Grant: Headin' Home for the Holidays* (1986), Writer
- *Down and Out in Beverly Hills* (1986), as Water Man — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/down-and-out-in-beverly-hills.md)
- *Sweet Dreams* (1985), as Sergeant · Producer's Assistant
- *Black Sash*, series, Executive Producer, Writer
- *Untitled The Secret of Secrets Series*, series, Executive Producer, Creator

## Gallery

- ![Carlton Cuse](https://film.one/media/person/100817/gallery-89ef6de9090b.jpg) Carlton Cuse — David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Carlton_Cuse_David_Shankbone_2010.jpg/1280px-Carlton_Cuse_David_Shankbone_2010.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Carlton Cuse speaking at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Strain", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California.](https://film.one/media/person/100817/gallery-282d80e61a82.jpg) Carlton Cuse speaking at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Strain", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. — Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Carlton_Cuse%2C_The_Strain%2C_SDCC_2014-2.jpg/1280px-Carlton_Cuse%2C_The_Strain%2C_SDCC_2014-2.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Carlton Cuse speaking at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Strain", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California.](https://film.one/media/person/100817/gallery-397ce4eddc21.jpg) Carlton Cuse speaking at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Strain", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. — Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Carlton_Cuse%2C_The_Strain%2C_SDCC_2014.jpg/1280px-Carlton_Cuse%2C_The_Strain%2C_SDCC_2014.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Carlton Cuse at the Comic-con LOST Panel. (2007)](https://film.one/media/person/100817/gallery-701e44c04bd4.jpg) Carlton Cuse at the Comic-con LOST Panel. (2007) — Ewen Roberts from San Diego, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Carlton_Cuse.jpg/1280px-Carlton_Cuse.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/carlton-cuse