Judging from The Hollywood Reporter’s “Hollywood’s 50 Most Powerful Showrunners 2016” report, television is still far from reaching its gender parity zenith that some dream it to be. Still, the “annual rundown of those [showrunners] reigning and rising,” includes a respectable amount of female showrunners that should be on your radar — if they aren’t already, that is.
Although THR frames the list as 50 showrunners total, the list is actually composed of 50 showrunning individuals and/or teams. Of 69 individuals highlighted in the list, 20 are women — 29 percent. Individual female showrunners include “Fresh Off the Boat’s” Nahnatchka Khan, and female members of showrunning teams include Ilene Chaiken of “Empire” and Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner of “Girls.” Eighteen of 50 entries on the list, or 36 percent, feature a woman (either as the sole showrunner or part of a showrunning team).
To qualify for the list, a showrunner has to achieve some combination of the following: notable prolificacy — for example, Shonda Rhimes’s Shondaland empire — “pull exceptional ratings,” be critically acclaimed and awards-worthy, or have a vision so specific […] that a network or streamer is willing to build a brand around their vision.”
Research has shown that putting women in charge behind the scenes makes things better for women in front of the camera. A study of the 2015–6 TV season from Dr. Martha Lauzen illustrates how a woman’s presence as a creative or executive force on a series is directly correlated to the presence of women onscreen: “programs with at least one woman creator and/or executive producer featured substantially higher percentages of female characters.” Giving female showrunners attention and accolades could very well lead to more female showrunners and more — and better — female characters.
The list paid homage to the usual suspects — Rhimes, Tina Fey, Jenji Kohan — but also credited up and comers, including “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s” Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna and “Underground’s” Misha Green.
THR’s interviews with the showrunners highlight some of Hollywood’s sexist, racist, weird bullshit. Bloom and Brosh McKenna mention that the network wanted Bloom’s character to smoke, while Green was vaguely told to “continue to express the ‘black experience’ in America.” “Fresh of the Boat’s” Kahn received a note that might just prove that Hollywood is a boys’ club chock full of 12-year-olds: “We like that the son grows boobs, but we don’t think they should be bigger than his dad’s.”
On the bright side, many of the women included on the list took the time to thank and credit their female co-workers and colleagues. Rhimes gave a shoutout to her producing partner, Betsy Beers, saying she couldn’t do her job without Beers. “Transparent’s” Jill Soloway complimented “Fleabag’s” Phoebe Waller-Bridge as a “storytelling goddess.” Finally, “Jane the Virgin’s” Jennie Snyder Urman gave Gina Rodriguez some love: “‘Jane’ is such a demanding show, we shoot upwards of 70 scenes in seven days, and she’s in almost all the them,” Snyder Urman says. “It would simply be impossible without her talent, stamina, and great big heart.”
All of THR’s most powerful female showrunners are listed below. Check out THR to see the entire list.
Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna — “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” (The CW)
Tina Fey — “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (Netflix)
Ilene Chaiken — “Empire” (Fox)
Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner — “Girls” (HBO)
Misha Green — “Underground” (WGN America)
Mindy Kaling — “The Mindy Project” (Hulu)
Courtney A. Kemp — “Power” (Starz)
Nahnatchka Khan — “Fresh Off the Boat” (ABC)
Marlene King — “Pretty Little Liars,” “Famous in Love” (Freeform)
Jenji Kohan — “Orange Is the New Black,” “GLOW” (Netflix)
Erica Messer — “Criminal Minds,” “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders” (CBS)
Marti Noxon — “Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce” (Bravo), “UnREAL” (Lifetime)
Julie Plec — “The Vampire Diaries,” “The Originals” (The CW)
Shonda Rhimes — “The Catch,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “How to Get Away With Murder,” “Scandal,” “Still Star-Crossed” (ABC)
Melissa Rosenberg — “Jessica Jones” (Netflix)
Jill Soloway — “Transparent,” “I Love Dick” (Amazon)
Sarah Treem — “The Affair” (Showtime)
Jennie Snyder Urman — “Jane the Virgin” (The CW)
