showrunner

noun show·run·ner \ ˈshō-ˌrə-nər \

variants: or less commonly show-runner or show runner

|Updated on: 8 Jul 2018

Definition of showrunner

plural showrunners also show-runners or show runners

: a person who oversees the writing and production of each episode of a television series and has ultimate managerial and creative control over the series

A showrunner is more than just a producer. He or she is the creator or co-creator of a show and is a writer as well. These people are the guiding lights for a production. They are making decisions about casting, story arcs, as well as the day-to-day issues of getting a show done and ready for air.
—G. Michael Dobbs

Recent Examples of showrunner from the Web

Jackson shares, anecdotally, that her agent has been getting more calls from networks and showrunners who specifically want to find a woman composer.

— refinery29.com, "Record Scratch: Only 6% Of Your Favorite Shows Use Music Composed By Women," 1 July 2018
Writer Marti Noxon, a prolific showrunner with a résumé that includes Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Unreal, rounds out the killer team that represents the pinnacle of prestige television.

— eliana dockterman, Time, "It’s Hard to Watch Sharp Objects, and Even Harder to Look Away," 28 June 2018
According to a report released last fall by Color of Change, a civil-rights advocacy group, more than 90 percent of showrunners are white, and two-thirds of shows had no black writers at all.

— New York Times, "To Diversify TV Staffs, Database of Minority Writers Is Unveiled," 28 June 2018
Berg and Harberts were already the second set of showrunners for Discovery.

— chaim gartenberg, The Verge, "Star Trek: Discovery showrunner’s new five-year deal could bring Patrick Stewart back to the franchise," 19 June 2018
She’ll be joined by her co-stars Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill, who play the Doctor’s companions Ryan and Yasmin, along with showrunner Chris Chibnall and executive producer Matt Strevens.

— pam kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "New 'Doctor Who' lineup to debut at San Diego Comic-Con," 14 June 2018
Gould, an accomplished screenwriter and showrunner, knows how to keep it fast, smart, and funny.

— john timpane, Philly.com, "A summer made of stories: Great books for warmer days," 2 June 2018
Ahead of yesterday's controversy, showrunner Whitney Cumming had also quit the series.

— Houston Chronicle, "14 shows canceled because of controversies -- and one that almost was," 30 May 2018
The way showrunners Joseph Weisberg and Joel Fields have deepened the stakes around Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, deep-cover Soviet agents in suburban Washington, D.C., season after season, has made loyalists of many of us.

— taylor antrim, Vogue, "Is The Americans a Good Show, or a Great One? The Next 2 Weeks Will Settle the Question," 18 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'showrunner.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.