
The showrunner is the head writer of a TV show. But their responsibilities extend far beyond simply writing the show. They are also responsible for all creative decisions related to the show, from set decoration, to props, to casting, to post-production. It's the most important job on any TV show.
Some of the most famous TV writers who you've likely heard of, such as Larry David, Shonda Rhimes, Vince Gilligan, or Ryan Murphy, either are or have been showrunners.
Every decision needs to be cleared with them and every stylistic choice comes from or through them. In addition to leading the writer's room, the showrunner also leads the creative endeavor of the entire TV show. That means, in addition to writing skills, some serious managerial skills are needed to do this job well.
So, let's take a look at what it means to be a showrunner, what their duties are, and how showrunners get to be showrunners.
Showrunner duties in the writers' room
Picture a TV writers' room. It should include a big conference table, comfortable chairs, two TV monitors, and about 8-16 writers. Now, picture them all pitching out stories and characters and jokes. Could be a lot of mayhem if it weren't for the showrunner. The showrunner is the one running the writers' room and, when writers pitch their ideas, they are basically pitching to the showrunner.
The showrunner decides which pitch they like, which they don't, which they're going to move forward with and build off of. They guide the conversation for the day in order to solidify various story or character points. If you think of a writers' room as a business meeting, the showrunner is the one leading the meeting, at times allowing a free flow of conversation, but ensuring that the conversation is structured and centered around solving a problem.

With input from the writers' room, the showrunner will decide how a season of TV is going to be molded, what the episodes will be, and who will write those episodes. In most writers' rooms, once the story of each episode has been decided, the scripts will be "given out" to the various writers. That means the showrunner will say so-and-so will write episode 2 and this other writer will write episode 3, etc.
Sometimes these episodes are decided in descending order starting from the top. So, the Executive Producer will write the first episode, the Co-Executive Producer will write the second episode, and so on. (Click here for a deep dive into the writers' room hierarchy.) Other times, a particular writer may be the best choice to write a certain episode, either because the idea for that episode began with them or because their background aligns with something that episode is exploring.
But there are more logistical ways in which they run the writers' room as well. The showrunner will dictate when the room starts and ends for the day. They decide the start time of the room and they decide when they've accomplished all they need to and it's time to go home.
They'll even establish the tone of the workplace itself, just like most bosses in workplaces in other fields. Basically, they are running the writers' room in every sense of the word. But, as I mentioned before, there is much more to this job than writing.
Showrunner duties OUTSIDE of the writers' room
The showrunner is the lead creative producer on any show. Every creative decision, from sets to props to wardrobe to casting, has to be approved by the showrunner. So, when a script says they need a weapon to be used as a prop, the prop person will analyze the script, figure out some options, and during the production meeting, the propmaster will go over various options with the showrunner. The showrunner will give their notes and eventually approve the prop.
This is the same duty you would typically find directors doing in feature films. In TV, this is all handled by the showrunner. Even during shooting of the actual episode, the showrunner usually takes a more directorial role than you might expect. The showrunner is often down on stage with the director, approving or requesting changes, which are then relayed to whoever needs to hear it. In general, in TV, the director takes their cues from the showrunner, and is not the be-all and end-all that they are in the feature film world.
This is true for the post-production process. Every single cut goes through the showrunner before being shown to the network or the studio. Some showrunners will even sit in with the editor for every cut and be a part of the editing process, rather just giving notes on the finalized cuts.
Is the showrunner always the one who created the show?
Not always, but it is often the case that the original showrunner is the one who created the show and wrote the pilot. However, sometimes seasoned showrunners are brought in to helm ideas from the TV show's original creator if they haven't had showrunning experience yet, or to oversee them while this less experienced writer gets their sea legs.
There are also many instances, like with some of the famous names mentioned above, where the showrunner runs the show for many years, and then moves on to another project and leaves somebody else in charge.
Shonda Rhimes was the original showrunner of Grey's Anatomy, and remained in that role for many years. But, eventually, she moved on to work on, like, dozens of new shows. Shondaland is like a factory now. There's no way she could keep up that output while performing daily showrunning duties. This is when she, and other showrunners like her in this situation, pass the baton to a high-level writer who's been working on the show for a long time. This same passing of the baton happened with Larry David at Seinfeld, and many other shows that last for many seasons. Not only is it a taxing job, but creative people often like to switch things up and pursue other projects.
How can I move forward in my TV writing career and become a showrunner?
The path to showrunner is not easy. There are many, many accomplished TV writers who have never run a show of their own. You can have an extremely successful career as a TV writer without ever being a showrunner. But if this is your goal, then you need to get into the writers' room and start rising the ranks as a TV writer. My book, Breaking into TV Writing, was published in September of this year, and I describe how to do just that. The TV industry is a confusing place, so having a base of understanding will help you get to where you want to go.
Check out these articles for more information about starting your TV writing career.
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Image sources: Greg Hernandez, David Shankbone