In the last few months, I’ve come across the term “show runner,” in online articles, referring, I presume, to the person who makes a TV show go. Today Terry Gross* used it in reference to Matthew Weiner, the “show runner” of *Mad Men. * Was it an industry term that has just emerged into popular usage? I’ve been watching and reading about TV directors, writers, creators, producers, etc., since I was a kid in the 1950s and never heard the term “show runner” until recently. Did I miss it or did it really just turn up?
It probably came about when people finally got tired of not knowing what the various titles mean and who ranks who in the show’s hierarchy. When a show has 5 “Executive Producers,” who is actually calling the shots can be a bit…confused.
It was a good *Fresh Air *interview – I listened to it today as well.
I can’t remember the first time I heard the term “showrunner,” but the first time I took notice of it was when Frank Darabont was relieved of his duties (never did find out whether he was fired or left on his own terms) as showrunner of The Walking Dead. As I understand it, it’s a term that used to describe a person who has both creative writing and producing responsibilities, with the ability to hire and fire those who report to him/her.
It does seem to have gained some prominence in this Golden Age of television (the last 6-8 years), when there are some truly great shows being written and produced by some extremely talented writers and producers – and sometimes those writers and producers are the same person, and they want as much control over the show as possible.
It seems like a relatively new(ly commonplace) term to me as well. I first heard it with regard to Dan Harmon during his brouhaha with NBC over Community. I suppose, though, that I must have heard it on 30 Rock (the main character is a show runner) without paying it any mind.
That stuff about Weiner’s grandfather the furrier watching nature specials and remarking on the fur/pelts of various endangered species was gruesome and hilarious. And petting people’s dogs with a knowledgeable hand… <shiver>
I think its the related trend towards TV shows with long, season or show long story arcs that has increased the usefulness of the term. Twenty years ago there were only a few shows that had plots that went for longer than an episode or two*, so having one person plan out how a show and its characters would develop across a season or its entire run wasn’t really important.
*(remember when plots that spanned more than an episode used to have to use “…to be continued” at the end so the audience know what was up?)
I’m not sure how you would miss if it you regularly consume entertainment articles or read fan discussions. It’s a common term. I think I first heard it back in the early '00s, referring to David Chase and the Sopranos back when it was still airing. I’m sure it’s older still.
Which is, I think, why we have the term. The show runner is the EP that runs the show, as opposed to all the other people that have the title for various reasons. I’ve heard the term for a couple of decades, but in recent years it seems some have become their own brand, like JJ Abrams, Sorkin, and Kelley a while back.
I first read it in reference to Russel T. Davies of Doctor Who, so for a long time I thought it was a British term. I just in the last year or so heard American producers referred to that way.
When you have a series that brings on multiple writers, multiple directors, and may have an unusually complicated plot with multiple simultaneous threads criss-crossing over each other, you need someone who is looking after everything to make it feel consistent and on track.
I believe that is the showrunner’s primary role. They will adjust or rewrite scripts, oversee editing, and make plot arc decisions, to maintain a show’s style.
I think I first heard it with reference to Chase and the Sopranos. I’m in the middle of going back through Breaking Bad and watching the commentaries (which I didn’t the first time through) and it comes up in reference to Vince Gilligan.