jfoobar

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Showrunners Trailer from Showrunners Documentary on Vimeo.

Looks interesting.

Here is a list of the cast:

I don't see an IMDB entry yet. Here is the Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/showrunners?sk=info

Nick Martin

Given his cult status and praise, I'm surprised Joss Whedon wasn't included.

PopcornTreeCt

Joss Whedon's ego couldn't handle not being the sole star.

islandclaws

This sounds interesting. I've always wanted to know exactly what a showrunner does.

DJariya

Bump

For those who were aware of this film, but haven't seen it, it's now on Netflix

http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/80018936?trkid=13641907


The actual title is:

Showrunners: The art of running a TV show


I'm fascinated with what a showrunner does and the behind the scenes aspects of making a TV show. I just started watching it today. Lot of great insight.

If you're a regular poster/commenter in TV Talk, you should check this out.

DJariya

One part of the documentary I found funny was Shawn Ryan saying that showrunners who say they have a 5 season plan are full of crap (not in those exact words)

And yes Joss Whedon is in this film.

hanshotfirst1138

I think that the so-called five-year plans are usually loose, but enough have plotted out the big beats-in this season, we'll reveal this, halfway though season three, we'll reveal this, etc. while being flexible about retaining a character who proves popular, etc. I think it's comparison to a show where the final episode tends to come completely out of left field because creators had no idea where they were going to end up and figured things out with each season renewal. You obviously have to deal with the realities of production, commercial breaks, sweeps week, renewals, and so forth.

Mike86

Sounds interesting but I'm not really interested in any of the shows that have showrunners showcased in this documentary.

DJariya

Just finished watching this. It was really good and very insightful.

It looks like this was filmed over a 3 year span. The film is actually from 2014 as they included "The Leftovers" from Damon Lindelof in one of the mentions, which aired last summer. And they also mentioned Agents of SHIELD as one of Joss Whedon's credits.

dex14, can you update the year in the thread title to 2014?


As for the people who actually appeared and talked in the film, from the OP, here's an updated list with the most notable people. Several of the people listed in the OP did not appear in this movie.


Damon Lindelof - "LOST"

Jeff Pinkner & J.H. Wyman - "FRINGE"

Ronald D. Moore - "BATTLESTAR GALACTICA" & "CAPRICA"

Kurt Sutter - "SONS OF ANARCHY"

Steven S. DeKnight - "SPARTACUS:VENGEANCE"

Janet Tamaro - "RIZZOLI & ISLES"

Robert & Michelle King - "THE GOOD WIFE"

Mike Royce - "MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE"

Matthew Carnahan - "HOUSE OF LIES"

Anthony LaPaglia - ACTOR - "WITHOUT A TRACE"

Michael Wright - SENIOR VP - TNT/TBS

J.J. Abrams -- Lost, Person of Interest, Undercovers, Felicity

David Nevins -- Showtime Executive

Hart Hanson -- Bones

Jane Espenson -- Husbands, Battlestar Galactica

Chris Downey and John Rogers -- Leverage

Jonathan Nolan and Greg Plagemen -- Person of Interest

Shawn Ryan -- The Shield, Terriers, The Chicago Code

Terence Winter -- Boardwalk Empire





They showed some behind the scenes footage Bones and House of Lies. Hanson and Matthew Carnahan spoke a lot in the film about what they do and the shit they have to deal with on a daily basis.

I loved the part when they spoke to Anthony LaPaglia from Without a Trace. He admitted that he and the showrunner Hank Steinberg did not get along at all during the production of that series.

Steven S. DeKnight, the showrunner for Spartacus and now Daredevil, spoke alot in the film as well. Seems like a cool guy and appreciates what he does.

Janet Tamaro, who is the showrunner for Rizzoli and Isles, but left after last season, is actually a former reporter for Inside Edition and ABC News.


I found it funny that one of the Executives said a good writer could also be a horrible showrunner. A showrunner is a really tough job. They are the manager of the show and deal not only with the creative end, but with all the studio politics and money that goes into the show. Matthew Carnahan from House of Lies hates that aspect of his job -- dealing with the studio, network and political BS.


Anyone here who is a TV fan like me should watch this movie. There is way too much that they covered that I could summarize here. It's worth spending 90 minutes of your time.

hanshotfirst1138

I think that's what's fascinating to me. Being a creative entity who the the head of a whole TV series sounds like a dream job, until you realize how involved they must have to be in the endless studio politics. Combining that with what are probably 18-hour+ days and the logistics of production, and you basically have a person who's doing several jobs at once while still trying to steer the creative aspects of a show.