A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television program . Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks , but upon acceptance they focus on business matters, such as budgets and contracts. Other producers are more involved with the day-to-day workings, participating in activities such as screenwriting , set design , casting , and directing.
37-520: There are a variety of different producers on a television show, including showrunners , executive producers , supervising producers, coordinating producers, field producers, line producers , among other roles on a television crew . Because of the restrictions the Writers Guild of America screenwriting credit system places on writing credits, many script writers in television are credited as "producers" instead, even though they may not engage in
74-470: A 123-room home on the lot in 1991. Known as " The Manor ", it has 56,500 square feet (5,250 m ) of floor space and as of 2006 was the largest single-family home in Los Angeles. Spelling's widow Candy listed the home for sale in 2008 for $ 150 million. Heiress Petra Ecclestone ultimately purchased the property for $ 85 million in 2011 through a brokered agreement that was developed by Brandon Davis,
111-456: A curious hybrid of starry-eyed artists and tough-as-nails operational managers . They're not just writers; they're not just producers. They hire and fire writers and crew members, develop story lines , write scripts, cast actors, mind budgets and run interference with studio and network bosses. It's one of the most unusual and demanding, right-brain/left-brain job descriptions in the entertainment world....[S]howrunners make – and often create –
148-528: A dogcatcher in the premiere episode of the CBS situation comedy, Willy , starring June Havoc as a young lawyer in New Hampshire , who later relocates to New York City to represent a vaudeville troupe. Spelling sold his first script "Twenty Dollar Bride" to The Jane Wyman Show in 1956. He gained experience as a producer and additional credits as a script writer working for Four Star Television on
185-832: A film as Harry Williams in Vicki , directed by Harry Horner , in 1953. That same year, he appeared in the TV series I Led Three Lives and Dragnet (six episodes, 1953–55). Spelling appeared in episode 112 of I Love Lucy ("Tennessee Bound", season 4, 1955); in Alfred Hitchcock Presents ("Breakdown", 1955); and as Weed Pindle in Gunsmoke ' s season one, episode 35, "The Guitar" (1956). He continued to appear in films and TV (often uncredited) over 25 times by 1957, appearing briefly as an actor in 1963, 1995, and 1998 (all uncredited.) He guest-starred in 1954 as
222-684: A new partnership with Leonard Goldberg, Spelling-Goldberg Productions. Beginning in 1965, Spelling began producing successful television shows including The Mod Squad , The Rookies , Family , Charlie's Angels , Fantasy Island , The Love Boat , Dynasty , Beverly Hills, 90210 (which starred his daughter Tori ), Melrose Place , 7th Heaven , Charmed , Jane's House and Sunset Beach . Spelling founded Spelling Entertainment in 1965, alongside partnerships with comedian/actor Danny Thomas (Thomas-Spelling Productions, 1966–1972), and television/film producer Leonard Goldberg ( Spelling-Goldberg Productions , 1972–1986) He produced
259-404: A pay scale. Showrunner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over the production, and the executive producer's role is limited to investing. In scripted comedy and drama TV shows,
296-654: A project's other staff writers. In a January 1990 submission to the United States Congress House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Administration of Justice, Barney Rosenzweig (Executive Vice President and Chairman, Television Division of Weintraub Entertainment Group ) wrote: In the early days of Hollywood, no one questioned what Producer David O. Selznick
333-708: A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6667 Hollywood Blvd. In 1996, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame . In 1983, he was accorded the NAACP Humanitarian Award for his monetary donation that permitted a 21-year-old's heart transplant operation. In 2001, Spelling was diagnosed with oral cancer . On June 23, 2006, Spelling died at The Manor , his estate in Holmby Hills , Los Angeles, from complications of
370-560: A stroke he suffered five days prior. He also suffered from Alzheimer's disease . A private funeral was held several days later, and Spelling was entombed in a mausoleum in Culver City's Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery . On August 27, 2006, Spelling was posthumously honored at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards by former employees Joan Collins , Stephen Collins , Heather Locklear , Farrah Fawcett , Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith . 7th Heaven ' s May 13, 2007, episode,
407-436: A two-year agreement with United Artists Television to produce television shows and movies. Thomas-Spelling Productions was a television production company formed by comedian Danny Thomas and producer Aaron Spelling on April 15, 1966, as a partnership with 24 properties. Thomas continued his existing partnership, T&L Productions, with Sheldon Leonard . The company adapted its name by July 18, 1966, when it announced
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#1732780932961444-412: Is not compensated". With the end of the streaming wars and Hollywood emphasizing profitability, overall deals became much rarer. Reduced compensation for showrunners and others in the writers' room helped cause the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike . In an interview that same month with Vox , writer Erica Saleh , who developed the series One of Us Is Lying , listed the function and structure of
481-629: Is not that different from what it was generally in Hollywood before a few critics in France coined the term ' auteur ' and the Writer's Guild took the producers, their traditional nemesis, to court – thus all but destroying the Producer's Guild and giving leave for the studios themselves to usurp the name producer. Los Angeles Times columnist Scott Collins describes showrunners as: "Hyphenates",
518-477: The United States. His mother had previously been married to Sam Seltzer, who was murdered in 1911, the year before she married Spelling's father. Spelling was the youngest of five children. He had two older brothers, Sam (1916–2001) and Daniel Spelling (1921–2009), and two older half-siblings, Max (circa 1909–?) and Becky Seltzer Giller (1910–1978). At the age of eight, Spelling psychosomatically lost
555-540: The annual Canadian Screenwriting Awards . The first Showrunner Award was presented in April 2007 to Brad Wright , executive producer of Stargate Atlantis and Stargate SG-1 . In the first decade of the 21st century, the concept of a showrunner , specifically interpreted as a writer or presenter with overall responsibility for a television production, began to spread to the British television industry . "Nonetheless,
592-455: The brother of Jason Davis and grandson of wealthy industrialist Marvin Davis . In 1992, Candy, Spelling's second wife, commissioned pinball manufacturer Data East to produce a personalized table as a gift to Spelling. The game, a modified version of Data East's Lethal Weapon 3 table, has since appeared publicly at collector's expos. On September 15, 1978, Spelling was honored with
629-425: The end credits of a TV show, it will say Staff Writer, Story Editor, Executive Story Editor, Co-Producer, Producer, Supervising Producer, Co-Executive Producer, Executive Producer. (While) (s)omeone else will (also) be Executive Producer because they help to run the room, every other title is just ... writer who's been here one year, writer who's been here two years, writer who's been here three years, ... and it's just
666-418: The extent that in 2009 a writer for The Guardian wrote that "Over here, the concept of 'showrunner' has only made it as far as Doctor Who "). In an interview, Davies said that he felt the role of the showrunner was to establish and maintain a consistent tone in a drama. Doctor Who remains the most prominent example of a British television programme with a showrunner, with Steven Moffat having taken over
703-472: The financial involvement of ABC with its first show, Range (later Rango ), a half-hour comedy western starring Tim Conway and its rented space on Desilu Productions ' Gower lot. ABC also picked up another show for a pilot, just in an outline treatment, in The Guns of Will Sonnett . Thomas-Spelling Productions' active operations ended with the last season of The Mod Squad in 1972. Spelling formed
740-424: The network (and production company, if it's not [their] production company). The boss. Usually a writer. Traditionally, the executive producer of a television program was the chief executive , responsible for the show's creative direction and production. Over time, the title of executive producer was applied to a wider range of roles—from a senior writer, to someone who arranges financing, to an "angel" who holds
777-596: The personnel in WGA writers' rooms , explaining that showrunners determine the tone and genre of the show, and break down the structure of a season, its episodes, and storylines, prior to actual production of the program. Saleh listed the hierarchy of the staff on WGA shows, in order of authority: The Writers Guild of Canada , the union representing screenwriters in Canada, established the Showrunner Award in 2007, at
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#1732780932961814-588: The post from Davies from 2010 until 2017. Chris Chibnall later took over from Moffat. Davies returned, following Chibnall's departure. The term has also been used to refer to other writer-producers, such as Cash Carraway on Rain Dogs , Tony Jordan on Moving Wallpaper and Echo Beach , Ann McManus on Waterloo Road , Adrian Hodges on Primeval and Jed Mercurio on Bodies , Line of Duty , and Critical . Aaron Spelling Aaron Spelling (April 22, 1923 – June 23, 2006)
851-531: The record as the most prolific television producer in US television history, with 218 producer and executive producer credits. Forbes ranked him the 11th-highest-earning deceased celebrity in 2009. Spelling was born in Dallas , Texas. He was the son of Pearl (née Wald) and David Spelling, Russian Jewish immigrants. His father worked as a tailor and changed his surname from Spurling to Spelling after immigrating to
888-573: The responsibilities generally associated with that title. On-screen, a "producer" credit for a TV series will generally be given to each member of the writing staff who made a demonstrable contribution to the final script. The actual producer of the show (in the traditional sense) is listed under the credit "produced by". Bill Lawrence , a television screenwriter , producer, director and series creator ( Scrubs , Cougar Town and Spin City ) explained during an interview on Off Camera that: ...
925-432: The series Zane Grey Theater , which aired between 1956 and 1961. Of the 149 episodes in that series, he wrote 20 of the teleplays and produced many others. Spelling produced Burke's Law while at Four Star. The show was the first success for Spelling and pioneered the multiple guest star format, later seen on The Love Boat and Fantasy Island . In 1965, he quit Four Star to set up his own production company with
962-470: The show and now more than ever, shows are the only things that matter. In the " long tail " entertainment economy, viewers don't watch networks. They don't even care about networks. They watch shows. And they don't care how they get them. In a 2011 article in The Australian , Shane Brennan , the showrunner for NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles , described the position thus: He explains the moniker
999-562: The show runner production model is still less common in drama production in the UK" than it is in the U.S., scholars Ruth McElroy and Caitriona Noonan wrote in 2019. The first British comedy series to use the term was My Family (2000–11), which had several showrunners in succession. Initially, the show was overseen by creator Fred Barron from series 1–4. Ian Brown and James Hendrie took over for series 5, followed by American writer Tom Leopold for series 6. Former Cheers showrunner Tom Anderson
1036-425: The showrunner also usually serves as the head writer (or its most prolific writer). The role of a showrunner is not present on all television series, especially outside the US; this article describes the nature of the role where it is present. Writer Alex Epstein , in his book and blog Crafty Screenwriting , defines a showrunner as "the person responsible for all creative aspects of the show and responsible only to
1073-477: The title as an honorific with no management duties in return for providing backing capital. The term showrunner was created to identify the executive producer who holds ultimate management and creative authority for the program." The contract gained by the Writers Guild of America in the 2023 strike now explicitly defines "showrunner" as writers and people responsible for making hiring decisions regarding
1110-545: The unsuccessful situation comedy The San Pedro Beach Bums in 1977. In 2004, Spelling was portrayed in two television movies: Dan Castellaneta portrayed Spelling in Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Charlie's Angels , and Nicholas Hammond portrayed Spelling in television movie Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure . Spelling married actress Carolyn Jones in 1953, when he
1147-590: The use of his legs due to trauma caused by constant anti-semitic bullying from his schoolmates, and was confined to bed for a year. He made a full recovery. After attending Forest Avenue High School in Dallas, he served in the United States Army Air Corps as a pilot during World War II . Spelling later graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1949, where he was a cheerleader. Spelling made his first appearance as an actor in
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1184-410: Was 30 and she was 23. They divorced in 1964. He briefly dated actress Jill Haworth when he was 42 and she was 19. Spelling married the former Candy Marer in 1968 when he was 45 and she was 23. The couple had daughter Tori in 1973 and son Randy in 1978. In 1988, Spelling bought the 6-acre (2.4 ha) property of Bing Crosby 's former Los Angeles mansion. He demolished the property and built
1221-571: Was an American film and television producer and occasional actor. His productions included the TV series Family (1976–1980), Charlie's Angels (1976–1981), The Love Boat (1977–1986), Hart to Hart (1979–1984), Dynasty (1981–1989), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990–2000), Melrose Place (1992–1999), 7th Heaven (1996–2007), and Charmed (1998–2006). He also served as producer of The Mod Squad (1968–1973), The Rookies (1972–1976), and Sunset Beach (1997–1999). Through his production company Spelling Television , Spelling holds
1258-474: Was created to identify the producer who actually held ultimate management and creative authority for the program, given the way the honorific 'executive producer' was applied to a wider range of roles. There's also the fact that anyone with any power wanted a producer's credit, including the leading actors, who often did no more than say the writers' lines. "It had got to the stage where it was incredibly confusing; there were so many production credits no one knew who
1295-443: Was in charge from series 7 to the final series, series 11. The first writer appointed the role of showrunner on a British primetime drama was Tony McHale , writer and creator of Holby City , in 2005. Jed Mercurio had carried out a similar role on the less conspicuous medical drama Bodies (2004–2006). But Russell T Davies ' work on the 2005 revival of Doctor Who brought the term to prominence in British television (to
1332-404: Was responsible," he says. In June 2023, Andy Greenwald of Briarpatch said of the title of showrunner, "It's a made-up title, and it's not a paid position". Without an overall deal , he said, a showrunner could be paid less than a co-executive producer "because everything else that I do — from hiring the writers, to being on set and producing, to being in post for months, then doing press —
1369-693: Was to Gone with the Wind , or Pandro Berman to all those Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers [ sic ] films, or Walt Disney to his early work, or Arthur Freed to the MGM musical. They were the producers... the storytellers. Today in television, the producer is still that person: the show-runner. Television is a producer's medium. Ask the people who make and stand behind their shows – from Aaron Spelling to Stephen Cannell , Stephen Bochco , Len Hill , Edgar Scherick or Phil de Guerre [Philip DeGuere Jr.]. The definition of who does what in television today
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