# New term: "Show Runner"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-term-show-runner/719513>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 7, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-term-show-runner/719513 "2015-05-07T20:23:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 23

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-term-show-runner/719513/23 "2015-05-08T04:44:17Z")

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> [@TriPolar](#):
>
> I first heard this term in the 90s. It seemed like producers couldn’t be bothered anymore with the logistics of a weekly show.

Actually, per [Wiki,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showrunner) it developed because the term executive producer was being applied to a wide variety of roles.

> [@](#):
>
> Traditionally, the executive producer of a television program was the chief executive, responsible for the show’s production. Over time, the title of executive producer became applied to a wider range of roles, from those responsible for arranging financing to an honorific without any management duties. The term showrunner was created to identify the producer who held ultimate management and creative authority for the program.

> [@](#):
>
> Typically, the showrunner is the creator or co-creator of the series, but this is not always the case. In long-running shows, often the creator of the show moves on, and day-to-day responsibilities of showrunning falls to other writers or writing teams.

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