What is a showrunner?

The whole world is streaming TV shows and series more than ever before. And yet many of these shows wouldn’t even exist without the role of the showrunner. This person is seen as top of the food chain, and contributes to almost every aspect of production, from the writing room to the filming studio.

The all-encompassing showrunner role has been compared to that of an orchestra conductor. It’s best known in the United States, but it’s gaining in popularity elsewhere too.

You can't really compare the role of the showrunner to that of a director? Although the showrunner is generally present during filming to exercise creative authority, they often rely on one or more directors. TV shows have a lot of moving parts, with a large team effort needed.

The showrunner position is therefore really a mix of creative and managerial responsibilities. They have to make sure everything runs as intended, all the while adhering to the creative vision.

Furthermore, the showrunner has the greatest accountability of anyone working on a series. Martin Gero, showrunner for NBC drama Blindspot, has gone on record saying: “The buck stops here...If anything is wrong with the show, the showrunner is to be blamed. We're involved in every creative and financial decision..."

Typically, showrunners are credited as “executive producers”. But the role differs from that of a traditional TV producer role, which is more linked with a show’s physical aspects, like cast negotiations and crew hiring.

Interestingly, showrunners usually come from a writing background. A typical career path involves working their way up through the writer’s room, from assistant to staff writer to editor and so forth.

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