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Human Target executive producer Brad Kern has been tapped as executive producer/showrunner on ABC’s drama pilot Poe. The crime procedural, from writer-exec producer Chris Hollier, Warner Bros. TV and Dan Lin’s Lin Pictures, follows Edgar Allan Poe, the world’s very first detective, as he uses unconventional methods to investigate dark mysteries in 1840s Boston. Kern previously served as showrunner on the WB’s Charmed.
24 showrunner Howard Gordon will serve as executive producer/showrunner on REM, Kyle Killen’s drama pilot for NBC described as an Inception-style thriller about a cop living in two different realities. The gig falls under Gordon’s overall deal with 20th TV. In addition to REM, Gordon has the pilot Homeland, which he co-wrote, in contention at Showtime. If the two projects go to series, Gordon could conceivably run both the way Shawn Ryan juggled showrunner duties on The Shield and Lie to Me.
The Cape showrunner John Wirth has joined the CW’s drama pilot Cooper & Stone as exec producer-showrunner. The pilot, from writer-exec producer Laurie Arent and CBS TV Studios, is about two smart young female detectives on Chicago’s North Side who are best friends, equally adept at discussing fashion, music, pop culture as they are solving homicides. Wirth also served as co-showrunner on The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Jonathan Groff, showrunner of ABC’s midseason comedy Happy Endings, will serve in the same capacity on the ABC comedy pilot My Frickin’ Family as part of his overall deal with ABC Studios. The project, from writer Erica Rivinoja, ABC Studios and Brillstein Entertainment, centers on two young parents whose lives change after they have a baby and the four grandparents with very different cultural backgrounds descend upon their lives to fight for the soul of their grandchild.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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Bye-bye THE CAPE (and HUMAN TARGET). We hardly knew ye.
Shawn Ryan juggled showrunner duties on Lie to Me and Terriers.
Be nice to see a veteran female showrunner come in to run a show created by a young male writer for a change. But that would require the TV business to be generally more nurturing to female showrunners, so there’d be an available crop of such people. It’s the rare instance wherein women are allowed to run their own shows, without first ‘proving themselves’ working alongside an older, generally overpaid, male.
Would be VERY nice. YOU GO, GIRL!!!
You’re absolutely right. TV in general is more open to female writers than film, but when it comes to the big showrunner or producer jobs, those still seem to be predominantly male jobs. I know there are smart, talented women who can do these jobs, so why aren’t they nurtured? As much as they try and deny it, Hollywood is still just and old boys club.
Howard Gordon is the guy that never hired a woman to write on 24 except once. They fired her. His comment “We tried that.”
This is 2011 and yet this kind of sexism exists and is accepted in our business. Pretty sad and pathetic. And sadly the WGA supports it by doing nothing.
Haters can write all your whining comments. You sound Glenn Beck defending the Klan. I want to move the ball forward for all writers.
Women tend to rise to Supervising producer or Consulting producer and then are marginalized. In studies done on writing staffs that’s the fact.
There are some incredible showrunners who happen to be female. But the ground is slanted towards the middle aged guys. It’s a fact.
No whining involved.
They used to say blacks and asians weren’t doctors, politicians, lawyers because they were no good. They didn’t have a talent for it.
Let’s be bigger men than our fathers and admit there’s a problem.
Admittance is the first step towards a cure…
Agents, studio execs, network big shots, white male showrunners are terrified of change. But it’s not change. It’s what’s right. Talented people are excluded every day because of their sex or the color of their skin. What is everyone so afraid of. People just want a chance. But it’s next to impossible just to get the chance because the WGA, the white, male showrunners, the networks don’t want to admit there is a problem.
Modern Family has fired more women than they’ve hired. One woman in a staff of 15-20 is not progress. It’s a shame.
The sexist and racist hiring at “24″ should have been pointed out by every entertainment journalist. But they’re immune.
The comments on this site reveal the level of hostility. Sexism is pervasive in our society. We aren’t supposed to talk about it. But life will be easier for everyone once things change. An even playing field allows the cream to rise.
Where is the WGA on this?
It would be nice if the best person always got the job. No nuturing, no favorites, just the best person. To date I have lost a job because I wasn’t a women or and Eastern Indian. The blade has two sides to it.
Two biggest shows on Network TV – CSI and CSI Miami – were created by a dude (Anthony Zuiker) and taken over from the beginning by women, Carol Mendelsohn and Ann Donahue.
And the President of the United States is black.
So one black guy and two women have jobs at showrunners.
The work is done.
REM sounds a bit like the canceled Life on Mars.
Cooper & Stone… it’s on the CW….
My Frickin Family sounds like a variation of Worst Week.
Is everything filtered through the prism of sexism? The truth is that it’s very, very rare that ANY first time show creator (male OR female) is allowed to run their own show without the presence of some (admittedly generally male, older and overpaid) showrunner backstopping them. I recently worked on a show where a male creator was paired up with a female showrunner. It happens. And every year, there are at least as many women in the WGA’s showrunner training program as there are men. Also if you didn’t notice, Diane English (one of the all time great comedy showrunners) just received a lifetime achievement award from the WGA for her incredible work going back to the 1980′s. Stop whining, you diminish your cause.
It is only filtered when you’re a victim of discrimination. When a middle-aged white male showrunner offers a female baby writer a position on his staff if he sleeps with her, what are the choices, Another TV Writer? Seriously. If you wanna bury your head in the sand when it comes to discrimination, then you’re free to do so. But to repress a very valid comment with “Stop whining” ranks you up there with that middle-aged white male showrunner.
Just FYI…while receiving her lifetime achievement award, Diane English also commented on the lack of women in the business and the need for further acknowledgment – and even the need for further industry support in her own career. Yes, she is a fantastic example of a successful female writers career…but sadly she is the exception, and far from the rule.
Pam Veasay on Ringer, Ilene Chaiken on Hail Mary, Betsy Thomas on Whitney
Sara Fain and Elizabeth Craft on Secret Circle!
Jan Nash on Without a Trace.
I’m pretty sure CSI was created by a young male writer and then they brought in a female showrunner.
There are certainly examples of female showrunners, and the percentage is much more heartening than, say, the percentage of women writing or directing big studio movies. I’ve worked under phenomenal female showrunners. But calling attention to an issue that my former bosses, female TV writers in general and the men called in to run their shows are fully aware of is not whining, ‘Another TV Writer’, it’s speaking openly about an issue. That’s how change happens. And while, yes, it’s very rare for any first timer to run their show, the opportunity to then take over the reins from said man after a season, or to run the second show they develop without having to go through said ‘training exercise’ all over again is less available to female creators than it is for men.
The lack of diversity in writers rooms needs to be discussed. At the WGA awards last week Modern Family had close to 20 WHITE guys and one low level female writer. She was Asian and most likely came from the ABC Disney diversity program so her pay didn’t come out of the Modern Family writing budget.
If she was hired independently I’d be surprised but pleased.
I would love Chris and Steve to comment on this. If we can’t talk about it. If we can’t discuss the obvious what does that say?
Pointing out the obvious is not whining.
Fair enough, “whining” was an unfortunate choice of words and I apologize for using it. But as the other comments on this page reflect, there are lots of female showrunners out there, including those who’ve taken over shows created by men (ie. every one of the CSI franchises to use one example). And furthermore, many if not most television executives on both the studio and network side are also female, and at the highest levels (as well as pod producers). So the means to empowering more women showrunners are largely in the hands of other women. To speak of the “TV business” as some vast and presumably male-dominated monolith is just factually wrong. It’s at least as much female dominated as male on the studio and network side.
@ Another TV Writer
I’m glad that the level of discourse slowly raised as the comments progressed. It gives me hope that we can have civil conversations about these issues.
I will say, however, that the notion that there are “a lot” of female show runners isn’t borne out by the facts. I think Carol Mendelsohn is the exception to the rule and I would submit it is her presence that has contributed to the CSI’s (slightly) more open hiring practices. Further, the fact that development is an area with greater numbers of females has more to do with (a rather antiquated view of) traditional gender roles.
Anecdotally, development is a hand-holding, nurturing position and the structure of it is such that the people drawn to that field and therefore those most likely to advance, for the most part, are female. I.e., a male department head is more likely to hire attractive woman as a dev assistant and they’ll be more likely to be subsequently promoted to a CE or similar development position and continue to move up the development ranks at a network/studio. Hence, the “d-girl”.
And not for nothing but studies have suggested female initiated gender bias among “d-girls” may be exacerbating the overwhelming “maleness” of TV. This bias endorses male writers and showrunners over females who in turn hire male writers and showrunners over females.
All this to say, old white men are still calling the shots and they hire people in whom they can picture a part of themselves i.e. younger white males. Female executives tend to hire men whose approval they subconsciously seek i.e. older white males. The end result is writing rooms and awards show stages full of aging white males.
Again, anecdotally speaking.
Amy Lippman ran Killens last show, Lonestar. Yeah yeah it didn’t end well but was a good example of the quality of writing a Woman can bring.
Maybe Amy Lippman can write but she is not a good showrunner and her word means nothing.
She’ll tell you one thing and then do something else behind your back.
I’ve worked with Amy several times and she is one of the kindest and smartest women in the industry. She’s also incredibly loyal and if you don’t believe that, look at her credits. She’s still working with many of the directors and writers she worked with on Party of Five. Maybe you just didn’t make the cut.
I hear Amy’s fantastic. And I know Chris Levinson, a great female writer, who started off as a staff writer on party of five and was co-ep on Lone Star. Seems pretty consistent to me.
Another TV Writer, you raise an important point. There are many women on the network and studio side, as well as powerful female TV agents. Sexism persists both in our industry and our country because it’s enabled by women. Because the culture tells you you’re ‘whining’ if you bring it up. I don’t envy the women who work on the ‘corporate’ side. I can only hope they a) care b) have the courage to talk about it and c) are rewarded with a productive dialogue and not insults or apathy.
they’re told to SHUT UP & take the titles, great pay & perks they’ve been given & don’t make waves. so many of them don’t. if you’re a woman who’s trying to rock the boat by making opportunities for other women, then you can get put out to pasture before it’s your time to go. of course, on the other hand, many older women feel threatened by young women who want to come up in the game. that’s just a human thing – just as male athletes see younger players as a threat.
Finally we are talking about this!!!
Please do not stop. This subject as well as all the lack of diversity talent in the Industry should
be discussed. Diversity talent is the alternative energy that needs to be nurtured and implemented.
I know I beat the same diversity drum, but it is only so that equality in the Industry happens. But since I find that the website is censoring me, with my last few posts were not posted, this will be my last post.
Thank you for all who are brave enough to speak up. Thank you to all the naysayers who proved my point.
Elia
http://womenandhollywood.com/2010/09/15/tvs-top-showrunners/
14 women out of 50 top showrunners (some as part of teams with men)
@ discuss..very interesting thanks for sharing and just proves the point that is being made that the glass ceiling in this area– as well as for directors– remains solid.
The Shield was already over when Shawn Ryan joined Lie to Me.
Liz Sarnoff came on to Alcatraz which was written by two young guys. Ilene Chakin is showrunning a pilot at CW from a young GUY! It happens more than you care to admit.
Dude, your use of ‘you care to admit’ is making you look extra dumb right now.
Than I ‘care to admit’? Sigh. Again, it’s great to hear about the exceptions. It’s wonderful and inspiring. But the overall trend is something that needs to be spoken about until it’s not the exception, it’s the rule, and there’s actual parity.
Bizarre. All these comments firing off names of female showrunners. No doubt there ARE female showrunners. How is that adding any insight into the discussion? Are you actually claiming that, because there are some female showrunners, you believe this job is not dominated by middle aged white males? Please.
I suppose if the statement was made : ‘We still have a long way to go with race relations in this country’, your response would be to start listing names of African American friends who’ve never been racially profiled. Please.
If there was any doubt about the validity of ‘TV Writer’s’ claims, it was immediately squashed by the first few backwards comments on this page. Women still have a long way to go. Lets stop debating wether or not it’s an issue and start working to make it better.
We have an African American president does that mean the discussions about the lack of diversity has to stop? About 25% of showrunners are women. About 10% of writing staffs are women. Maybe less.
As for features. Of greenlit features maybe 3% were written by women.
Talking about the truth shouldn’t get people defensive or start accusations of “whining.” Being blind to the truth is far more destructive.
I want my daughter to be able to do whatever she wants.
As for the glass ceiling it does exist in TV and film writing. And when you break through it you bleed. Diane English for all her tremendous success has had plenty of rocks thrown at her head. This business is sexist. Look at the Adam Sandler movie that opened last weekend.
Actually, the WGA publishes a bi-annual report with all the statistics. So you don’t have to guess. And you definitely don’t have to guess so poorly.
31% of television staffers are women. It is a bottom heavy skew – with far higher percentages of women found at staff writer and story editor (46% combined), and far fewer female showrunners (12.4%).
It is understandable why these statistics would be considered upsetting.
But here are two questions that might be worth asking:
1) What percentage of people who are trying to break into the television writing business are women? Because it would hardly seem fair to suggest that women should automatically fill 50% of the jobs if they account for less than 50% of the applicants.
2) Are there other factors, besides sexism, that could explain the dearth of female showrunners.
An answer and a guess:
1) I called a friend who works in the legal department at a major agency and asked if they keep statistics about the submisissions they get – people who want to be represented as writers. She will not allow me to use her name or company, only that it is one of the big agencies, and that all the agencies have the same stats. Listen to this, people:
26% of all writers seeking representation are women. 26%. Not 50%. So why would they get half the staff jobs?
Except… these days the almost do. They get 46% of the staff writer/story editor jobs. They are being hired for entry level writing jobs at nearly double the rate of men who are trying to break into the business.
Why? Ask a showrunner. Or a studio executive. They will absolutely tell you there is tremendous pressure to hire women.
So maybe we’ll soon see a boom in female showrunning.
OR
2) AND THIS IS JUST A GUESS:
We won’t. But not primarily because of sexism. Sure there is sexism in the business, but there are an awful lot of opportunities being extended to women based on their gender (see above statistics which suggest as much) that offset that.
No, we won’t see skyrocketing female showrunner numbers because a lot of capable women make the very understandable choice to retire and or scale back to consulting producer jobs so they can juggle the demands of motherhood. You can pretend this doesn’t happen, or call it patriarchal if you wish. But it is an undeniable force on these numbers.
The demands of running a show are severe. It is one of, if not THE hardest job in showbiz which demands extremely long hours.
A thought exercise: what would happen in a utopian widget making business where 26% of initial applicants were female, but about half of them voluntarily decided to scale back their ambition and not strive for the top job? Well, 13% of widget CEOs would be women.
And 12.4% of showrunners are female.
Don’t shoot me. It’s just a guess.
For Human Target fans, I think it’s worth noting that Brad Kern, the showrunner of Charmed, is likely *not* the showrunner of Human Target amongst the four credited EPs, including not-showrunner McG. Instead IIRC, it’s EP Johnathan E. Steinberg, previously the creator and a writer on Jericho who’s the true showrunner of (as well as a writer on) Human Target. I would hazard a guess that Kern is more of a supervisory consultant for Steinberg, who’s still a relative newbie to showrunning.
So, IMO, Kern leaving Human Target tells us nothing directly about Target’s fate. It appears to me more like Kern’s role in helping/teaching/consulting Steinberg was fulfilled when the EP team (Steinberg, Kern, Peter Johnson and McG) agreed that the tweaks that were made to the premise for season 2 were creatively successful. Thus, Kern’s just going on to his next project.
Moreover, given that Target did impressively in the ratings on its sole Monday night outing this season, it appears to me that it would be a no-brainer for Fox to not just renew the show but to schedule it at 9pm on Mondays, in 24′s timeslot, opposite the same-demo’d The Event. Yes, should The Event show get renewed — which, given that IMO the show works creatively (it’s not yet close to being a classic, but it works) and in light of NBC’s ongoing scheduling instability is IMO more likely than most people might think it currently is.