Showrunner

Last updated

A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. [1] [2] [3] [4] The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over the production, and the executive producer's role is limited to investing. [5] In scripted comedy and drama TV shows, the showrunner also usually serves as the head writer (or its most prolific writer). The role of a showrunner is not present on all television series, especially outside the US; this article describes the nature of the role where it is present.

Contents

United States

Writer Alex Epstein, in his book and blog Crafty Screenwriting, defines a showrunner as "the person responsible for all creative aspects of the show and responsible only to the network (and production company, if it's not [their] production company). The boss. Usually a writer. Traditionally, the executive producer of a television program was the chief executive, responsible for the show's creative direction and production. Over time, the title of executive producer was applied to a wider range of roles—from a senior writer, to someone who arranges financing, to an "angel" who holds the title as an honorific with no management duties in return for providing backing capital. The term showrunner was created to identify the executive producer who holds ultimate management and creative authority for the program." [6] The contract gained by the Writers Guild of America in the 2023 strike now explicitly defines "showrunner" as writers and people responsible for making hiring decisions regarding a project's other staff writers. [7]

In a January 1990 submission to the United States Congress House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Administration of Justice, Barney Rosenzweig (Executive Vice President and Chairman, Television Division of Weintraub Entertainment Group) wrote: [8]

In the early days of Hollywood, no one questioned what Producer David O. Selznick was to Gone with the Wind , or Pandro Berman to all those Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers [ sic ] films, or Walt Disney to his early work, or Arthur Freed to the MGM musical. They were the producers... the storytellers. Today in television, the producer is still that person: the show-runner. Television is a producer's medium. Ask the people who make and stand behind their shows – from Aaron Spelling to Stephen Cannell, Stephen Bochco, Len Hill, Edgar Scherick or Phil de Guerre [Philip DeGuere Jr.]. The definition of who does what in television today is not that different from what it was generally in Hollywood before a few critics in France coined the term 'auteur' and the Writer's Guild took the producers, their traditional nemesis, to court – thus all but destroying the Producer's Guild and giving leave for the studios themselves to usurp the name producer. [8]

Los Angeles Times columnist Scott Collins describes showrunners as: [9]

"Hyphenates", a curious hybrid of starry-eyed artists and tough-as-nails operational managers. They're not just writers; they're not just producers. They hire and fire writers and crew members, develop story lines, write scripts, cast actors, mind budgets and run interference with studio and network bosses. It's one of the most unusual and demanding, right-brain/left-brain job descriptions in the entertainment world....[S]howrunners make – and often create – the show and now more than ever, shows are the only things that matter. In the "long tail" entertainment economy, viewers don't watch networks. They don't even care about networks. They watch shows. And they don't care how they get them.

In a 2011 article in The Australian , Shane Brennan, the showrunner for NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles , described the position thus:

He explains the moniker was created to identify the producer who actually held ultimate management and creative authority for the program, given the way the honorific 'executive producer' was applied to a wider range of roles. There's also the fact that anyone with any power wanted a producer's credit, including the leading actors, who often did no more than say the writers' lines. "It had got to the stage where it was incredibly confusing; there were so many production credits no one knew who was responsible," he says. [10]

In June 2023, Andy Greenwald of Briarpatch said of the title of showrunner, "It's a made-up title, and it's not a paid position". Without an overall deal, he said, a showrunner could be paid less than a co-executive producer "because everything else that I do — from hiring the writers, to being on set and producing, to being in post for months, then doing press — is not compensated". With the end of the streaming wars and Hollywood emphasizing profitability, overall deals became much rarer. Reduced compensation for showrunners and others in the writers' room helped cause the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. [11] In an interview that same month with Vox , writer Erica Saleh, who developed the series One of Us Is Lying , listed the function and structure of the personnel in WGA writers' rooms, explaining that showrunners determine the tone and genre of the show, and break down the structure of a season, its episodes, and storylines, prior to actual production of the program. Saleh listed the hierarchy of the staff on WGA shows, in order of authority: [12]

LevelPositionNotes
1.ShowrunnerThe showrunner is the highest authority in charge of the production of a television show. [13]
2.Executive producerThe executive producer has been likened to the CEO of a series. [14] The executive producer is often the creator of a series, and sometimes serves as the showrunner as well. They help write scripts, and run day-to-day production operations, [15] overseeing production of a story from script to screen. The precise functions of an executive producer can vary, depending on multiple factors. In some cases, the title is used to credit a writer who had signed off on a series, but had little involvement with its production. [16]
3.Co-executive producerCo-executive producers have been analogized to an executive producers's "first mate", the selection of which is solely the responsibility of the executive producer. They are usually the most senior writer on the staff, or "Head Writer", and therefore the dominant voice in the writers' room, who assist the showrunner by spearheading the management of the scripts. They also assist the showrunner in production, and in oversee the writers. The co-executive producer's duties typically include liaising between executives and staff, making design and directorial decisions, running the production when the Executive Producer is not present, and assisting with such daily activities as financing, staffing, scheduling, and other operations. [14]
4.Supervising producerSupervising producers help oversee a show's daily creative direction, [17] overseeing other producers and members of the production staff with administrative and creative duties. These include hiring episode directors, overseeing the writers' room, assisting with script rewrites, and training new writers. Supervising producers are required to have several years of production experience. [18]
5.ProducerProducers coordinate and supervise all aspects of TV production, in both creative and administrative capacities, including making financial decisions, and handling contracts, talent, and bargaining agreements. They also address problems that arise during production, and make sure that it does not exceed its budget. Their duties include fundraising and networking, soliciting and assessing scripts and project ideas, hiring writers, and securing rights to other intellectual properties. [19]
6.Co-producer
7.Executive story editor
8.Story editor
9.Staff writerAccording to Saleh, this position, the lowest level in the writers' room, is the one in which new writers are usually placed when they obtain their first job writing on a television show. [12]

Canada

The Writers Guild of Canada, the union representing screenwriters in Canada, established the Showrunner Award in 2007, at the annual Canadian Screenwriting Awards. The first Showrunner Award was presented in April 2007 to Brad Wright, executive producer of Stargate Atlantis and Stargate SG-1 . [20]

United Kingdom

In the first decade of the 21st century, the concept of a showrunner, specifically interpreted as a writer or presenter with overall responsibility for a television production, began to spread to the British television industry. [21] "Nonetheless, the show runner production model is still less common in drama production in the UK" than it is in the U.S., scholars Ruth McElroy and Caitriona Noonan wrote in 2019. [22]

The first British comedy series to use the term was My Family (2000–11), which had several showrunners in succession. Initially, the show was overseen by creator Fred Barron from series 1–4. Ian Brown and James Hendrie took over for series 5, followed by American writer Tom Leopold for series 6. Former Cheers showrunner Tom Anderson was in charge from series 7 to the final series, series 11. [23]

The first writer appointed the role of showrunner on a British primetime drama was Tony McHale, writer and creator of Holby City , in 2005. [24] Jed Mercurio had carried out a similar role on the less conspicuous medical drama Bodies (2004–2006). [25] But Russell T Davies' work on the 2005 revival of Doctor Who brought the term to prominence in British television (to the extent that in 2009 a writer for The Guardian wrote that "Over here, the concept of 'showrunner' has only made it as far as Doctor Who"). [26]

In an interview, Davies said that he felt the role of the showrunner was to establish and maintain a consistent tone in a drama. [27] Doctor Who remains the most prominent example of a British television programme with a showrunner, with Steven Moffat having taken over the post from Davies from 2010 until 2017. [28] [29] Chris Chibnall later took over from Moffat. [30] Davies returned, following Chibnall's departure. The term has also been used to refer to other writer-producers, such as Cash Carraway on Rain Dogs, [31] Tony Jordan on Moving Wallpaper and Echo Beach , Ann McManus on Waterloo Road , Adrian Hodges on Primeval [32] and Jed Mercurio on Bodies , [25] Line of Duty , [33] and Critical . [25]

See also

Related Research Articles

Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues. In films, the executive producer generally contributes to the film's budget and their involvement depends on the project, with some simply securing funds and others being involved in the filmmaking process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Moffat</span> Scottish television writer and producer (born 1961)

Steven William Moffat is a Scottish television writer, television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as the second showrunner and head writer of the 2005 revival of the BBC sci-fi television series Doctor Who (2010–17), and for co-creating and co-writing the BBC crime drama television series Sherlock (2010–17). In the 2015 Birthday Honours, Moffat was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marti Noxon</span> Screenwriter, television writer, television producer

Martha Mills Noxon is an American television and film writer, director, and producer. She is best known for her work as a screenwriter and executive producer on the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003). She was also executive producer, writer, and creator of the Bravo comedy-drama series Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce (2014–18) and the Lifetime drama series UnREAL (2015–18), and an executive producer of the CBS medical drama series Code Black (2015–17).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Chibnall</span> English television writer (born 1970)

Christopher Antony Chibnall is an English television writer and producer, best known as the creator and writer of the award-winning ITV mystery-crime drama Broadchurch (2013-17) and as the third showrunner of the 2005 revival of the BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who (2018–22). Chibnall wrote five episodes of the series under previous showrunners Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat, and he was also the head writer for the first two series of the spinoff Torchwood (2006-08).

Chris Haddock is a Canadian screenwriter, producer and director best known as the creator and showrunner of the CBC Television series Da Vinci's Inquest, Da Vinci's City Hall, Intelligence and The Romeo Section. He has won 14 Gemini Awards as a writer, producer and/or director and received another 15 nominations - most of them for Da Vinci's Inquest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toby Whithouse</span> English actor, screenwriter and playwright

Toby Lawrence Whithouse is an English actor, screenwriter and playwright. His highest-profile work has been the creation of the BBC Three supernatural television series Being Human. He also created the Channel 4 television comedy-drama series No Angels, the BBC America/BBC Two espionage drama series The Game and has written seven episodes for BBC One's Doctor Who. His work on Doctor Who was primarily for the Doctors played by Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlton Cuse</span> American television producer and screenwriter (born 1959)

Arthur Carlton Cuse is an American screenwriter, showrunner, producer, and director, best known for the American television series Lost, for which he made the Time list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terence Winter</span> American television and film writer (born 1960)

Terence Patrick Winter is an American writer and producer of television and film. He was the creator, writer, and executive producer of the HBO television series Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014). Before creating Boardwalk Empire, Winter was a writer and executive producer for the HBO television series The Sopranos, from the show's second to sixth and final season (2000–2007).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Weiner</span> American screenwriter, director, producer and author

Matthew Hoffman Weiner is an American television writer, producer, and director best known as the creator and showrunner of the television series Mad Men, and as a writer and executive producer on The Sopranos.

Krista Vernoff is an American television screenwriter, executive producer and director. She is best known for being the showrunner for Grey's Anatomy and its spin-off, Station 19 (2019–2023). She has also served as executive producer and writer for Shameless. Other works as producer-writer for television include Charmed and Wonderfalls.

A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits. In fictional comedy or drama TV shows, this is generally performed by an executive producer, who is usually also the showrunner.

Monica Macer is a writer and producer. She is credited as the showrunner and executive producer of the new Netflix comedy-drama series Gentefied.

David Hudgins is an American television writer and showrunner. He has worked on Everwood, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, and Shut Eye. He created the drama series Past Life and Game of Silence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jed Mercurio</span> British TV writer, director (born 1966)

Gerald Gary Mercurio is a British television writer, producer, director and novelist. A former hospital doctor and Royal Air Force officer, Mercurio has been ranked among UK television's leading writers. In 2017, Mercurio was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Television Society and the Baird Medal by RTS Midlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maurissa Tancharoen</span> American actress

Maurissa Tancharoen is an American writer, producer, and actress. She is known for her work as the co-creator, show runner, and executive producer of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which aired on the ABC television network for 7 seasons from 2013 to 2020. She is from Los Angeles.

Felicia D. Henderson is an American television producer, screenwriter, comic books writer and a director of music videos and television episodes. She has worked on Moesha, Sister, Sister, Soul Food, and Fringe, also played in a movie with Whitney Houston.

<i>Line of Duty</i> British police procedural drama television series (2012–2021)

Line of Duty is a British police procedural and serial drama created by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). It first began broadcasting on BBC Two on 26 June 2012. The programme performed well and was quickly commissioned for additional series that aired in 2014 and 2016. After becoming the highest-rated series on BBC Two in 10 years, Line of Duty was promoted to BBC One beginning with the fourth series in 2017 and fifth in 2019, securing commissions through a sixth series, which concluded on 2 May 2021, after the programme had aired a total of 36 episodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Melvoin</span> American screenwriter

Jeff Melvoin is an American television writer, producer, and educator. He has written dozens and produced hundreds of one-hour episodes on over a dozen television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Yorke (producer)</span> British television producer and script editor

John Roland Clifford Yorke is a British television producer and script editor, who was head of Channel 4 Drama 2003–2005, controller of BBC drama production 2006–2012 and MD of Company Pictures (2013–2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad Wolf (production company)</span> British television production company

Bad Wolf Ltd. is a television production company founded by Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter in 2015 based in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. The company is responsible for the television series The Night Of, Beddgelert, A Discovery of Witches, His Dark Materials and – starting with the 2023 Specials – Doctor Who.

References

  1. ↑ "What does a producer do? - Television Series". Producers Guild of America . Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Showrunning in the UK" (PDF). Writers' Guild of Great Britain . Archived from the original (PDF) on December 2, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  3. ↑ D'Arminio, Aubry (October 10, 2016). "Gary Glasberg: 1966–2016", upTV Guide . p. 17.
  4. ↑ MasterClass staff (September 10, 2021). "What is a Showrunner: Shonad Rhimes's Advice for Showrunners". MasterClass. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2022. para. 2: "He or she is… always an executive producer."
  5. ↑ Littlejohn, Janice Rhoshalle (August 15, 2008). "TV's showrunners outrank directors". Variety . Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  6. ↑ Epstein, Alex (August 24, 2005). "Tentative Glossary". Complications Ensue: The Crafty Screenwriting, TV and Game Writing Blog. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  7. ↑ "These are the biggest wins in the WGA's new labor contract". September 30, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Justice, United States Congress House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Administration of (1991). Moral Rights and the Motion Picture Industry: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Administration of Justice of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, One Hundred First Congress, Second Session, January 9, 1990. U.S. Government Printing Office.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ "Showrunners run the show", "Channel Island" column, Los Angeles Times , 23 November 2007
  10. ↑ Blundell, Graeme (April 23, 2011). "Getting the run of the place". The Australian . Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  11. ↑ Adalian, Josef; Brown, Lane (June 6, 2023). "The Binge Purge". Vulture . Archived from the original on August 1, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  12. 1 2 "How streaming caused the TV writers strike". Vox . June 7, 2023. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023– via YouTube.
  13. ↑ "showrunner". Random House. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023– via Dictionary.com.
  14. 1 2 "Co-Executive Producer". Chegg CareerMatch. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  15. ↑ "What Is an Executive Producer? What's the Difference Between an Executive Producer and Producer?". MasterClass. November 14, 2022. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  16. ↑ "What does an executive producer do?". ScreenSkills. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  17. ↑ Schneider, Michael (September 27, 2022). "'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' Promotes Matt Lappin to Co-Executive Producer". Variety . Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  18. ↑ "What Is a Supervising Producer". ZipRecruiter. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  19. ↑ "What does a TV producer do?". New York Film Academy. June 16, 2017. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  20. ↑ "2007 Canadian Screenwriting Awards". Writers Guild of Canada. Retrieved July 11, 2008.
  21. ↑ Lawson, Mark (October 22, 2007). "Britain's got talent – and it's untouchable". The Guardian . Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  22. ↑ McElroy, Ruth; Noonan, Caitriona (2019). Producing British television drama : local production in a global era. London: Springer. p. 57. ISBN   9781137578754.
  23. ↑ "My Family". comedy.co.uk.
  24. ↑ Plunkett, John (December 14, 2009). "Holby City exec producer to leave". The Guardian . Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  25. 1 2 3 Brown, Maggie (February 10, 2014). "Line of Duty's Jed Mercurio". The Guardian.
  26. ↑ Martin, Dan (June 24, 2009). "Is Heroes lost without its superman?". The Guardian . Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  27. ↑ Davies, Russell T (January 16, 2008). "Mark Lawson Talks to..." (Interview). Interviewed by Mark Lawson. BBC Four. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  28. ↑ "Paul Cornell interview". BBC Writersroom. BBC. 2008. Archived from the original on January 24, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2010. Interviewer refers to Doctor Who as "...one of the few UK series with a showrunner".
  29. ↑ McLean, Gareth (March 22, 2010). "Steven Moffat: The man with a monster of a job". The Guardian . Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  30. ↑ "Steven Moffat stands down and Chris Chibnall to take over". Doctor Who. January 23, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  31. ↑ Ritman, Alex (June 14, 2024). "'Rain Dogs' Creator Cash Carraway Signs With CAA (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  32. ↑ Deans, Jason (November 20, 2006). "Twice the drama at ITV". The Guardian . Retrieved April 27, 2010.
    Wilby, Peter (March 3, 2009). "Melodrama class". The Guardian . Retrieved April 27, 2010.
    Holmwood, Leigh (September 29, 2009). "ITV1 saves Primeval from extinction after deal with digital channel Watch". The Guardian . Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  33. ↑ Curtis, Chris (September 20, 2012). "Jed Mercurio: taking aim at the target culture". Broadcastnow.co.uk.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.