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EXCLUSIVE: Jennifer Johnson, executive producer/showrunner of Fox’s freshman drama Alcatraz, has signed an overall deal with 20th Century Fox TV after a five-year stint at Warner Bros TV, which produces Alcatraz. 20th TV chairman Dana Walden noted that Johnson is exactly the type of writer-showrunner 20th TV wants on its roster, “somebody who can contribute meaningfully to our existing shows and somebody whose development we’re interested in.”
Johnson spent the last season on Alcatraz, where she started as a consultant after the pilot and was bumped up to executive producer/showrunner following the November departure of co-creator/executive producer Liz Sarnoff. With her deal at 20th TV, which starts at the end of the season, Johnson will be leaving Alcatraz. While Fox has not made an official decision yet on the future of the the time-travel procedural, which wrapped its freshman run Monday, it is unlikely to return for a second season. Johnson started at Warner Bros TV as a supervising producer on the fourth season of the studio’s CBS crime drama Cold Case. She was elevated to showrunner at the end of Season 5. Johnson, repped by WME and attorney Matt Johnson, went on to create, executive produce and run the NBC drama Chase, also for WBTV and Bruckheimer TV. She then reunited with JJ Abrams on Alcatraz after previously working with him on the first season of Lost.
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A golden parachute for crashing Alcatraz. Best gig in Hollywood.
Jennifer is an amazing talent and a great person to work with… smart move for Fox!
She’s so smart and elegant. I met with recently and thought she was terrific.
Glad she’s out of WBTV. Roth likes women writers as much as Rush.
Love Jennifer. She’s terrific. It’s an off putting corporate culture at Warners TV as led by Peter Roth. Even though women have supporting roles in development everything has to be approved by Peter Roth who clearly believes it’s 1985 as far as women behind the camera are concerned.
Truer words couldn’t be stated here. Roth’s overly male centric. He’s all about Chuck Lorre and his surrogate sons who have development deals. Then he has those handmaidens in his office who also believe it’s 1985. It’s all very Don Draper at in his twilight years.
Alcatraz probably not being recommissioned and the future of Fringe is in doubt. Hope JJ Abrams isn’t losing his Midas touch.
Nice work, Mrs. J.
Alcatraz the best !
Nice to see a female showrunner making waves…
Me too. Warner Brothers isn’t a place that’s welcoming to women. Glad she left. I know Jennifer will do great things.
J.J.!!!!!!!!!! Phenomenal news! So happy for her!!!
Unlikely to return for a second season? Screw FOX they are idiots.
At least give them a two hour final episode so they can tie up all the loose ends. It’s a smart show with great mystery and more than enough action. Give it a better slot even if you have to cancel Fringe move Alcatraz to Friday.
Good for Jennifer. She’s a class act and terrific writer.
Come on, one more episode would do it…tie it up, please.
It is pretty obvious that warner bros is a terrible place for women execs and writers. Meredith Stiehm, gone. Marta Kauffman, gone. Liz Sarnoff, gone. Now, Jennifer Johnson, gone.
Yes, they have Kari Lizer and Heisler and Heline, but about 90% of their stuff is male driven. Women don’t get respect from Peter Roth, despite women running development and current at the studio. Sad stuff.
WB just doesn’t have any heat right now. They aren’t the only ones relocating.
Jennifer Johnson is a class act. So glad she’s out of Warners. It’s a well known fact that Roth doesn’t support female voices but everyone was hoping that with Susan in her job things could be turned around. Numbers don’t lie however. Clearly she doesn’t want to make waves or she’s afraid of Roth’s wrath.
Just asking… What did she write for WB that was any good to warrant a big deal? She may very well be nice and classy. But where’s the material to justify getting paid big money?
Nothing. Most of the replies are obvious plants from friends and family members.
She’s a terrific showrunner. That’s a tough skill to acquire. John Welles is not a great writer but a great showrunner.
Learn how the business works.
Have any of you dolts considered that it might be Susan that’s driving all the women away from WB?!?!?! Roth is one of the most supportive men in the business. Perhaps its Susan that isn’t very good at her job.
Roth is not supportive of women at all. It’s been this way at WBTV for a long time. Well before Susan moved up. Roth has always been all about his surrogate sons like JJ, Josh Schwartz, John Welles. Women who develop at WB have a short shelf life because Roth grows tired of them or pays too much attention drawing the ire of his overzealous cadre of female assistants. It’s a totally weird set up over there. Rovner clearly does her best. Until she has more power as a gate keeper or Roth retires WBTV will always be a mans world for writer/producers.
You make a hit, you come off the shelf. You don’t, and you’re that dusty copy of the ‘Joy Of Sex’ that sat on my parents bedroom bookcase. No guy in his right mind is ever gonna toss out a chick cause she’s making him cash hand over fist.
Maybe the guy’s just have the juice and are getting it done?
If female writers can’t get deals they can’t make hits. If women can’t move up on staff they can’t get mentored. If women can’t get paid equally they can’t stay in the business through the lean times.
All pilots need advocates from inside the studio. If the studios won’t advocate and push the networks to say yes even when they’re afraid shows aren’t picked up.
When you’re not involved on the levels you need to be you can’t move ahead.
A class act, pretty and well-connected.
Too bad she can’t write.
This is why TV sucks ass.
I concur with Dave.
Please don’t cancel “Alcatraz”. It’s a great show, mysterious and entertaining. Give it a shot. Try a new night! Just don’t let it disapear…
I worked with Jennifer Johnson a few years ago and it was a pleasure. She’s so smart and creative. The atmosphere at WBTV has become increasingly sexist under Roth. Maybe he hangs out Chuck Lorre too much. It’s a toxic environment for women in all jobs at WBTV in general. I’m not sure why in this day and age it continues to be like this. It has to be that those over Roth like Barry Meyer simply don’t care. Sort of like Rush Limbaugh and Mitt Romney. They just don’t get it and they don’t care that they don’t get it.
Look at the upper levels of power at WB in general… Barry Meyer, Jeff Robinov, the former Alan Horn, Peter Roth, … all terribly political animals fighting over the spoils. All similar in their background and nature. Nothing is going to change for women anytime in the future at Warners. That’s just a fact. They only want to make Movies/TV that appeal to their similar POV. Entitled, white, male stories. Until WB hires and listens to people of diverse backgrounds and educations this will be their lot.