On the advice of some of his friends, he studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse, was coached by Gerald Gordon,[9] and then moved back to Los Angeles in 1994 to pursue an acting career.

He lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where the series was filmed during the week, and flew to Los Angeles during the weekends where his wife and children resided.

In September 2007, SciFi.com's SciFi Wire service reported that, "Talent agency UTA filed suit on Sept. 24 against Stargate Atlantis star Joe Flanigan in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming that the actor owes $99,225 in commissions, according to The Hollywood Reporter; Flanigan's manager, John Carrabino, told the trade paper about the lawsuit: 'I had no idea they did this.

Metascifi presents social commentary and philosophical truths about living well, derived from observations of popular American science fiction television series.

The project features performers and characters from Stargate, Star Trek, Farscape, Firefly and Warehouse 13.

[15] As the 'meta' element of the title suggests, the artwork invites Flanigan to comment on the wider social and narrative significance of his Stargate Atlantis character John Sheppard.

[20] Flanigan took two prizes in the Waterkeepers' Alliance downhill skiing competition at Lake Louise in January 2006, an event fellow Stargate lead Richard Dean Anderson has attended as well.