4 ms·

You can't use the terms interchangeably. An "Executive producer" credit may be applied to lots of people who are not the showrunner. >This credit is given to t

You can't use the terms interchangeably. An "Executive producer" credit may be applied to lots of people who are not the showrunner. >This credit is given to the showrunner, or the head writer, and is sometimes also given to other important members of the production. These could include the show’s creator if different from the showrunner, other high-level writers (often future seasons’ showrunners), the owner/creator of source material, a show’s star, the star or writer or creator’s manager, a high-level executive or creative type (like Steven Spielberg) influential in the show’s creation, or any other number of people. >Many TV shows have multiple executive producers, and without knowing the specific situation, it’s hard to say what the individual people do. For instance, a TV show derived from a movie (like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), may bring with it Executive Producers from the original film, who have little direct involvement with the show.

logifail 4y ago
> You can't use the terms interchangeably Right, but what's the actual definition of the term "showrunner"? It's "the leading producer", according to the first sentence of that Wikipedia article. Why aren't we talking about the "lead[ing] producer"? Is the term "showrunner" perhaps just industry jargon that slipped out into the mainstream? EDIT: Go read through the Wikipedia:Talk page for 'Showrunner'[0], the quote "so much conflicting terminology, contradictions within contradictions" seems pretty apt. An ill-defined and (?) informal position? Q: Is it just me or are people - particularly journalists - desperate to use terms that make them sound like they're part of the "in" crowd? [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Showrunner https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Showrunner
- HWR_14 4y ago
  The showrunner is the person responsible for the long-term trajectory and story health of a tv show. It's a real term (Joss Whedon is the showrunner for the Whedon-verse shows), but "leading producer" is not a term, it's an attempt at a description. The showrunner can also have one of several actual official titles. To answer the specific question in "Ack", it's a recognition of the person who is day-to-day the final decision maker. They can be overruled from above by executives (the showrunner is not the supreme content creator overlord), but the executives are overseeing a lineup or channel. The showrunner is the one who are making sure the season goes right as a full-time job.
  - logifail 4y ago
    > It's a real term [..] the showrunner can also have one of several actual official titles Q: Is "showrunner" an official title, or not? EDIT: apparently not[0]: "The highest ranking producer is the showrunner, the man or woman ultimately responsible for the creative direction of the series. Showrunner is a function, not a title — this person is credited as an Executive Producer. In many cases, he or she has “Created by” credit on the series" [0] https://johnaugust.com/2004/producer-credits-and-what-they-mean https://johnaugust.com/2004/producer-credits-and-what-they-m... EDIT2: "A showrunner is the unofficial title given to the top-level creative decision maker and manager overseeing all episodes of an individual season of a television/episodic series. The showrunner is usually credited as an executive producer, producer and/or writer. "[1] [1] https://help.imdb.com/article/contribution/filmography-credits/showrunners-and-head-writers/GWM56FK8YQM2MV6R# https://help.imdb.com/article/contribution/filmography-credi...
    - jollybean 4y ago
      You are misrepresenting those definitions a bit. Or they are poorly written. Showrunner is a thing, TV projects have them. They are the 'nexus' - both creative and a bit operational of the show. Like the 'founder' and 'visionary' of the show. They also kind of 'make the show happen'. Dan Levy is the 'Showrunner' for Schitt's Creek. Just type the name of your favorite TV show along with 'showrunner' and you'll see who it is. Usually will be 'creator' and 'writer'. They will probably get a producer credit. Note that 'showrunner' is generally not a specific kind of 'credit' but that a feature 'credit' isn't really a title either. 'Exec. Producer' can mean anything. Or nothing. The 'director' in TV is generally less important. For film, usually the Director kind of plays that role as the lead visionary, especially if they pitched and raised the money, got the team together, got the actors to sign up etc.. Producers are generally not directly creative visionaries.

logifail 4y ago

> You can't use the terms interchangeably Right, but what's the actual definition of the term "showrunner"? It's "the leading producer", according to the first sentence of that Wikipedia article. Why aren't we talking about the "lead[ing] producer"? Is the term "showrunner" perhaps just industry jargon that slipped out into the mainstream? EDIT: Go read through the Wikipedia:Talk page for 'Showrunner'[0], the quote "so much conflicting terminology, contradictions within contradictions" seems pretty apt. An ill-defined and (?) informal position? Q: Is it just me or are people - particularly journalists - desperate to use terms that make them sound like they're part of the "in" crowd? [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Showrunner https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Showrunner

HWR_14 4y ago
The showrunner is the person responsible for the long-term trajectory and story health of a tv show. It's a real term (Joss Whedon is the showrunner for the Whedon-verse shows), but "leading producer" is not a term, it's an attempt at a description. The showrunner can also have one of several actual official titles. To answer the specific question in "Ack", it's a recognition of the person who is day-to-day the final decision maker. They can be overruled from above by executives (the showrunner is not the supreme content creator overlord), but the executives are overseeing a lineup or channel. The showrunner is the one who are making sure the season goes right as a full-time job.
- logifail 4y ago
  > It's a real term [..] the showrunner can also have one of several actual official titles Q: Is "showrunner" an official title, or not? EDIT: apparently not[0]: "The highest ranking producer is the showrunner, the man or woman ultimately responsible for the creative direction of the series. Showrunner is a function, not a title — this person is credited as an Executive Producer. In many cases, he or she has “Created by” credit on the series" [0] https://johnaugust.com/2004/producer-credits-and-what-they-mean https://johnaugust.com/2004/producer-credits-and-what-they-m... EDIT2: "A showrunner is the unofficial title given to the top-level creative decision maker and manager overseeing all episodes of an individual season of a television/episodic series. The showrunner is usually credited as an executive producer, producer and/or writer. "[1] [1] https://help.imdb.com/article/contribution/filmography-credits/showrunners-and-head-writers/GWM56FK8YQM2MV6R# https://help.imdb.com/article/contribution/filmography-credi...
  - jollybean 4y ago
    You are misrepresenting those definitions a bit. Or they are poorly written. Showrunner is a thing, TV projects have them. They are the 'nexus' - both creative and a bit operational of the show. Like the 'founder' and 'visionary' of the show. They also kind of 'make the show happen'. Dan Levy is the 'Showrunner' for Schitt's Creek. Just type the name of your favorite TV show along with 'showrunner' and you'll see who it is. Usually will be 'creator' and 'writer'. They will probably get a producer credit. Note that 'showrunner' is generally not a specific kind of 'credit' but that a feature 'credit' isn't really a title either. 'Exec. Producer' can mean anything. Or nothing. The 'director' in TV is generally less important. For film, usually the Director kind of plays that role as the lead visionary, especially if they pitched and raised the money, got the team together, got the actors to sign up etc.. Producers are generally not directly creative visionaries.