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In 1991, Mirkin wrote a pilot with Julie Brown entitled The Julie Show, starring Brown, but NBC did not produce it.

Several people at the network enjoyed it and commissioned The Edge, a sketch comedy show also written by Mirkin and Brown, with Mirkin directing.

NBC opted against production, but Fox ran it from 1992 to 1993.

Mirkin had long wished to produce a sketch show, and designed The Edge to be " fast-paced " and " some skits overlap, end abruptly or are broken into segments ," in order to maintain attention.

The Edge was a ratings success and was supported by the network.

Mirkin considered it " the first time I experienced the feeling of having a hit that I created.

It just kept building and growing.

" The show's material often inflamed its targets, particularly producer Aaron Spelling.

Spelling objected to a sketch mocking his series Beverly Hills, 90210, another Fox show, and its lead actress Tori Spelling, who is his daughter.

He demanded a public apology and that no further episodes contain the parody, threatening to sue.

The show's production company TriStar Television refused, while Mirkin responded: " The thing about these parodies is they don't hurt a show.

It's only cross-promotion.

The viewers who like the show always come back the next week.

What's upsetting to me is it shows absolutely that Mr. Spelling has no sense of humor.

" Mirkin left his role as executive producer of The Edge during its run.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Mirkin had been " forced off the show ," due to the negative reaction of Spelling and others, though in 2012, Mirkin stated that he left the series after refusing to accept a substantially reduced budget.

The show's producers Sony failed to persuade him to stay but he returned to the series to produce its final " Best Of " compilation.