Showrunner

A showrunner is a person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television series—although usually such persons are credited as executive producers.

The showrunner is at the opposite end of the staff hierarchy from runners, who are the most junior members of the production team, although showrunners are sometimes (often humorously) called runners for short.

A showrunner's duties often combine those traditionally assigned to the head writer, executive producer and script editor. Unlike films, where directors are in creative control of a production, in episodic television, the showrunner outranks the director.

History

Traditionally, the executive producer of a television program was the chief executive, responsible for the show's production. Over time, the title of executive producer became applied to a wider range of roles, from those responsible for arranging financing to an honorific without any management duties. The term showrunner was created to identify the producer who held ultimate management and creative authority for the program. The blog and book Crafty Screenwriting defines a showrunner as "the person responsible for all creative aspects of the show and responsible only to the network (and production company, if it's not [their] production company). The boss. Usually a writer."