Marti Noxon

From left, Christopher Noxon, Jenji Kohan, David Kohan and Marti Noxon.

NO matter what adult glory you may achieve, to your siblings you’ll always be that uppity kid who needs to come down a few pegs.

“In our family, we call it quality control through humiliation,” explained David Kohan, a creator of “Will & Grace” on NBC, as he sat down to dinner one recent Thursday with his little sister and perpetual gadfly Jenji Kohan, the creator of the acerbic Showtime comedy “Weeds.” No sooner had the two, who have 15 Emmy nominations between them this year (5 for “Weeds”), settled in for grilled cheese night at the restaurant Campanile than the first barb was lobbed.

David “buys his towels at Neiman Marcus,” Ms. Kohan said with a smirk, her free-flowing mane and vintage glasses offering a vivacious contrast to her brother’s cropped hair and polo shirt.

Mr. Kohan denied he had ever done something so bourgeois and raised a hand toward his sister. “When I was in high school and Jenji was in fifth grade,” Mr. Kohan said by way of explanation, “she attempted to make a joke that was not well received. So now the five fingers mean a fifth-grade joke.” Again, up went the hand.

The dinner table has long served as an arena for the Kohans to test their wit; their parents - Rhea, a novelist, and Buz, a legendary comedy writer with 13 Emmys to his credit - set high standards. “Laughs were not given easily,” Mr. Kohan said. “Any humor about bodily functions was discounted because even if it was funny, it was too easy of a laugh.” Then, after a well-planned pause: “Jenji was silent for years.”

At the dinner table at least. One of her favorite pastimes was to verbally antagonize her brother. “I would walk into his room, spew obscenities and then run for my life,” she said. “He would chase after me and sit on me or punch my teddy bear in the face.”

Ms. Kohan’s current brand of subversive mischief - a show about a widowed mother who turns to dealing marijuana rather than risk losing her housekeeper and her comfy suburban home - has met with mixed reactions from her family. While her father said that her show “is a little too much for this old man,” he is quick to write a letter to the editor should any journalist fail to appreciate his daughter’s brilliance.

The Kohans were soon joined by another successful brother and sister: Ms. Kohan’s husband, Christopher Noxon, who had just published his first book, “Rejuvenile,” about a generation of adults who won’t grow up, and his older sister, Marti Noxon, an executive producer on the upcoming ABC drama “Brothers & Sisters.” The foursome discussed their day while munching melted Gruyère and sipping mint juleps. While Ms. Kohan spent 14 hours on the set for the second season of “Weeds,” her brother was enjoying what was essentially an extended summer vacation.

“You’re like a 10-year-old now,” Mr. Noxon teased. “You spend all day riding your bike.”

“Classic rejuvenile,” Mr. Kohan retorted.

After polishing off dessert (appropriately, a dish called “Childhood Favorites” that included Oreo-like cookies and chocolate pudding), the four went to Ms. Noxon’s house to play board games, but the jobholders were soon ready for bed.

As for Mr. Kohan, he reported with a wide grin, “I’ll be waking up at the crack of 9.”