showrunner

noun

show·run·ner | \ ˈshō-ˌrə-nər

variants: or less commonly show-runner or show runner

plural showrunners also show-runners or show runners

Definition of showrunner

: 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

Examples of showrunner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And in this interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner and creator Noah Hawley seems interested less in the idea of David’s villainy than in him as a sort of supervillain Walter White. — Todd Vanderwerff, Vox, "How Legion’s season 2 finale exposed the emptiness at the show’s core," 17 June 2018 The network now competes not with two main rival networks but a dozen streaming services for the writers and showrunners who can put together a series that stands apart the way Roseanne did, especially the first time around. — Karl Vick, Time, "Roseanne Barr Meets the New World," 31 May 2018 That foreboding final note holds the key to the future of GLOW, according to co-showrunners Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch. — Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, "'GLOW' Bosses on "Uncomfortable" Finale and (Likely) Season 3," 4 July 2018 The series, which just debuted its fifth season, is helmed by a Black female showrunner, and given the push for more diversity behind the scenes of Hollywood, Starz would be making a big mistake by canceling it. — refinery29.com, "Starz Needs To Ditch 50 Cent, Not Power," 4 July 2018 As part of a team of six authors, Smith and Gladstone act as showrunners, ensuring that the series had a consistent tone from episode to episode. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Magic creeps into the Cold War in podcast The Witch Who Came in From the Cold," 17 June 2018 Adrian: [Luke Cage showrunner] Cheo [Coker] was originally looking to license a bunch of old reggae tracks. — Andreas Hale, Billboard, "Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad on 'The Midnight Hour' & Working on Season Two of 'Luke Cage'," 7 June 2018 Audiences were devastated last year when The Middle announced that its ninth season would be its last, but showrunner and co-creator of the ABC sitcom DeAnn Heline promised a fitting ending for the beloved show. — Temi Adebowale, Country Living, "Fans and Cast Members Are Heartbroken Over the Emotional Series Finale of "The Middle"," 23 May 2018 It’s being developed by one of Spain’s most famous TV showrunners, Aitor Gabilondo, creator of The Prince, a cop show that was the country’s biggest primetime series in 2016, according to Variety. — Bloomberg, Fortune, "HBO Is Taking Its Cord-Cutter War Against Amazon and Netflix to Europe," 11 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.