The Showrunner Transcripts

In last week's issue, New York Magazine surveyed fourteen of the top TV showrunners about their process and craft. All during upfront week, we'll be running longer transcripts of these conversations: some will include extended answers to our questionnaire, some will break free altogether, but all will provide a revealing and insightful look into the minds of the people who make our appointment television.

Showrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television series — although such persons generally are credited as an executive producer.-Wikipedia

Showrunners are also typically the Head Writer of the series. They don't write every episode, but they shape the direction of the storylines and the direction of the show. They also typically write important episodes, Season Premieres, Season Finales etc., themselves. Whereas film is a director's medium, television is a writer's medium.

 Among the showrunners interviewed are

Grey's Anatomy's Shonda Rhimes

Community’s Dan Harmon

30 Rock's Robert Carlock

Breaking Bad's Vince Gilligan

How I Met Your Mother’s Carter Bays and Craig Thomas

The Good Wife’s Robert and Michelle King

Justified’s Graham Yost

Cougar Town’s Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel

Check out all of the interviews here

They also have a cool feature — Fourteen Creators on Influences, Failure, And the Shows They Wish They’d Written here

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UPDATE: October 12, 2011

has announced their

Check it all out right here

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UPDATE: October 3, 2012

has announced their 2012

Check it all out right here