American television writer and producer Joel Surnow has an estimated net worth of $80 million. He has been responsible for the high rated shows of the 80's, 90's and 2000's, and is best known as the co-creator of the action series La Femme Nikita and 24.

Surnow was born on December 18, 1955 in Detroit Michigan. He attended the University of California, Berkeley for two years and went to graduate from the UCLA film school in 1976. After graduation, he went to write for films and later switched to television. In 1984, his big break came when he started writing for the cult action show Miami Vice. At the end of the year, the show’s owner, Universal Studios, assigned him as Supervising Producer on The Equalizer, a show about a CIA offer who turned vigilante.

Mr. Surnow became the co-creator and executive producer of La Femme Nikita from 1997 to 2001. He became successful in television with his work on the award-winning TV series 24. He co-created and executive produced the show with Robert Cochran. He received an Emmy award for best writing of the series.

Joel Surnow stepped down as the executive produceR of 24 and creatEd The Half Hour News Hour in 2008. Its first episode was aired on February 18, 2008 but received poor reviews. The show was cancelled after six months due to its poor ratings.